Advice to Public Pray-ers

My first speech was as a high school junior in a Public Speaking class. (Of course, this does not include Show & Tell and occasional book or oral reports given in elementary and junior high school.) I took PS again my sophomore year of college. I guess I've been teaching and doing presentations my entire adult life. I definitely have not mastered it. Not at all.

As a speaker, I tend to critique and evaluate other speakers too. It's kind of a curse because sometimes I don't listen to the message as much as I listen to the delivery of the message. I blame this on my Preaching classes in seminary. For two semesters, we sat in a little mini-chapel listening and critiquing each other's sermons. Those were long days. I still haven't been able to completely shake those memories.

One thing that I've often noted over the years is how we talk to God differently than we talk in normal conversation. We often describe prayer as simply "talking to God" yet when we do it, we begin to speak in an entirely different way. How you have conversations with God in private is between you two, but may I give some advice to those who often pray in public? This is certainly not an exhaustive list nor is it a criticism of how people pray. They are simply suggestions that will help you lead others in a time of corporate prayer.

- I know that the Aramaic word "Abba" is an intimate way of saying, "Father" or "Daddy" but when you open your prayer addressing God as "Daddy," you just freaked out half of the group. (If it's a youth group, make that 80%.)

- Just don't just say just 23 times per prayer. Just say just when it's necessary not just when you just can't just think of what just to say next.

- Ditto above advice for "God."

- Same goes for "Jesus."

- and "Lord"

- Please don't use multisyllabic theological terms that the common man does not know or use, e.g., propitiation, sanctification, sola scriptura, theophany, or infralapsarianism.

- Long prayers aren't necessarily good prayers.

- Here's an oldie but goodie: Don't use King James English unless that is your normal way of speaking. If you come home in the evening and routinely ask your wife, "Whatest hast thou preparest for thine family to sup on?" you may use King James English. Otherwise, 21st century language should be used.

- It's unnecessary to ask God to guide you, direct you, and lead you. That's what he does. I learned this from a friend who attended a prayer retreat with renowned missionary to China Bertha Smith. He prayed this prayer and she interrupted him in the middle of it by saying, "You don't have to ask him to do that! That's what he does! You just have to listen and obey!" (But I still pray this one a lot.)

- Don't pass on church announcements via prayer. How many times has a pastor forgotten to announce an upcoming event earlier in the service only to "announce" it in the closing prayer? "Thank you, Heavenly Father, for visiting with us today and please help those who have visited our service this morning remember to complete a Visitor's Card and give it to an usher before they depart our sanctuary this morning so that we can have a record of their visit."

- Kidding aside, be real, genuine, and authentic. God honors that and people appreciate it too.

- Can you offer any more advice?