Holding myself accountable for blogging most days has given me a newfound respect for many things, including a few professions. Maybe the biggest surprise to me has been the new respect I find I now have for members of the clergy.
How much effort does it take to develop and deliver a sermon or homily every single week? Consider:
* You're often speaking to many of the same people each week (How soon can you recycle stuff?)
* You're drawing your material from the same (admittedly rich) source material each week
* You're speaking in a very quiet space, so aside from an occasional crying baby, no one interrupts you. Net result: Every mispronounced or misused word is heard; lapses in logic or flow are noticeable; etc.
* You're speaking for 10-15 minutes non-stop AND you have to draw a compelling conclusion
Look at that list. How consistently well do you think you could do this? I've been in front of people as a musician, teacher, speaker most of my professional life. But when I think about meeting all the requirements on that list, it gives me real pause. There are additional parallels with blogging - staying fresh, remaining relevant, keeping people interested/awake. Thank goodness I don't rely on donations to keep this gig.
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
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