Eutychus was the young man in the Bible who fell asleep and fell from the window ledge while listening to Apostle Paul do a lengthy presentation that began in the early evening and lasted till midnight.
I am not as young as Eutychus; neither am I of this generation where young men and women have an extremely short attention span. I can read a whole book in one sitting or write from morning till night.
But listening to a long, extended monologue (speeches, sermons, presentations, discussions) can do me in. I specially feel profound guilt when I listen to a messenger of God's word and nod off, short of snoring and dreaming. That's when, instead of listening, I earnestly pray for grace to wake me up.
Is there anyone out there who can please give me a few tips on how to stay awake even if the talk:
1. is repetitive and circuitous?
2. has too much information?
3. has a slew of examples to explain only one point?
4. seems to already have a good ending, but the speaker rambles on?
5. has an overload of irrelevant data?
6. is delivered in a drone or monotone?
Eutychus is not exactly a Bible hero, but he must have been placed in the good Book so people like me can be reminded to listen to God's word no matter how long or how boring it is delivered.
But, then again one elderly pastor—an excellent speaker who always holds his audience in rapt attention—once told me, "Nobody has any business making God's word boring, because it isn't. Speakers are to make it as inspiring and as powerful as it was written."
That still doesn't give me the right to be a Eutychus.
Maybe I should assign someone to pinch me when this happens.
2 comments:
I really had fun reading this stuff. It speaks of something we can all relate to that, after reading it, we inevitably smile on the inside because it happens to us too.
Which is why I really shorten all my talks. I don't want any Eutychus in the audience. Thanks for dropping by, JP.
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