I haven’t been blogging as much since taking the position of a pastor. Most of my creative energy for writing goes into sermons these days. Preaching regularly makes me think a lot about public speaking in general and I have become something of a critic of oratory. One thing I have noticed in my own speaking is that I have some of the worst public speaking traits of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. I consider Obama to be a fine speaker, perhaps one of the best I’ve ever heard, whereas Bush is serviceable and not someone whose rhetorical abilities I want to emulate.

In my sermons I work from a manuscript because I like to craft exactly what I am going to say. Part of my reasoning for this is that I want to make sure that I communicate accurately and part of it is that I’m like Bush when he goes off the cuff. Without a script, I have no idea what might come out of my mouth. I’ve put my foot in my mouth enough times to know that without choosing my words carefully beforehand, I am taking a gamble and the house usually wins. I don’t want a daily calendar of “Wastonisms” to ever surface (see here for the Bush version).

Off the cuff, Obama comes across as a funny, warm guy. In his speeches, however, he is stern, serious, and decidedly void of humor. He can come across as something of a stick in the mud. The same goes for me in my public speaking. I think I have a decent sense of humor, but I can’t write funny lines very easily. As I prepare my sermons, it’s hard for me to fit in jokes. I worry that I come across much more dour in the pulpit than I actually am. Maybe I should just preach from Jeremiah and Lamentations and blame my lack of humor on the fact that I am trying to be faithful to somber tone of the texts.