Rule Of Three

Last night our pastor made a bold statement while addressing 1500+ men who gathered together to eat, worship God, and focus on our men's initiative for 2011. It was clear and there was no uncertainty with the points he wanted to make. The visual that brought the first point home was probably not unusual to many churches, especially during a Christmas pageant. But it was certainly a first for our church in the new sanctuary which opened earlier this year.

People, especially men, are prone to tuning-out when a lot of information is coming at them like X-wing fighters in a battle scene from Star Wars. Sgt. Friday from Dragnet summed it up best by saying, "Just the facts, ma'am." Last night's men's gathering began with a huge barbecue feast that made focusing on the message more difficult. It took a lot of distorted guitars with ear-cracking drums to wake the guys from their chicken and pork-induced coma before Allen took the stage.

I am a proponent of the "rule of three" when it comes to speaking and writing. It is somewhat inherent in humans to better retain information, with increased comprehension, by using a three point outline. My dad, a great writer and a former Toastmaster, taught me this simple, yet effective form of communication: tell the audience what your going to say, say it in three simple points and, in conclusion, remind them what you just told them. Some might contend that this approach is too simplistic, but if you want to get your point across--it works!

The first of the three points that Pastor Allen introduced last night involved bringing a live, 1-ton bull out on stage (a point is always more effectively communicated with a visual!). "No more bull, guys!" was his statement. The second point was: we gotta move- you can't stand still and progress in God. The third point: it takes an over-comer to continue on the journey as a Christ-follower. We all got the message and look forward to implementing it into our lives in the coming year.

Brilliant! The power of the "rule of three" was evidenced last night. Buster the bull also left evidence of his visit back stage, by the way.