Rocks

On Sunday, I surprised everyone in church and did something totally different. About halfway through my message, I dismissed every woman and child (age 12 and under) from the auditorium. I asked them to hang out in the hallway, enjoy some donuts, and wait for the guys.

To make this work, I first asked every man to stand up and walk to the front. I explained that we were going to have a "huddle", but one of the important aspects of a huddle is that the other people aren't supposed to hear what is being said. I then dismissed the ladies and children and had the ushers close the doors.

There, in front of me, was this huge clump of men. They were just standing there. They were mesmerized at what was happening.

I then asked for my staff pastors to begin passing buckets full of rocks to the men, requesting that each man take one. Then we distributed Sharpie markers.

My message on Sunday was about how God is known as The Rock, and that we are made in his image. In other words, when we're at our best, we're like The Rock. I proceeded to give the guys three characteristics of a rock that were really action items that they subsequently penned on their rocks. After 15 minutes, it was all over.

It was amazing!

They loved the illustration and they adored their rocks! I've never seen such happy men as they were carrying their rocks out of the service.

After the service, one lady said to me, "on Mother's Day, all the ladies got flowers and they were so happy, but on Father's Day you gave all the guys rocks, and they were actually happy, too! Go figure."

Why was this such a hit? I think it worked for a few reasons:
1. The ladies didn't get to hear what I told the guys, so the men didn't feel elbows in their ribs. Guys appreciate that.
2. We were up close and personal. We were crammed into the front. I turned off my microphone and had to raise my voice. It felt like a locker room pep talk.
3. I didn't give the men another book to read. Instead, I simply gave them three words to think about and attempt to live by.
4. I gave them the "object" of my object lesson to take home with them. Ladies and children were clustering around the men after the service. Men were retelling my sermon to their families as the rocks were being passed around. It was a surreal moment for me as a pastor.
5. Not one lady complained about me "kicking them out of the service." Now, that's nothing short of amazing!

What I really loved the best was that I felt like I successfully connected with every man in my church on a Sunday morning (of all times).

I even like my own rocks. On the back of one, I have my wife's name. On the back of the other (from the second service), I have my son's names. I want to be a rock for my boys and for my lover.