Today, over at InfluenceMagazine.com:

• I write about the Lord’s Prayer: “we need to remember G.K. Chesterton’s advice: ‘If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.’ Even if we stumble to our knees and mumble through our requests, even if we talk to God inconsistently or incoherently or inconsiderately, it is better that we pray badly than that we not pray at all. Of course, it would be best if we prayed well, but that takes a lifetime of practice, and all of us must start somewhere. So why not start where we are, wherever that may be?”
• Joy Qualls offers expert advice to preachers about how to break bad verbal habits when speaking: “The frequent use of filler words or other meaningless language can detract from the message and the credibility of the speaker. As communicators of the gospel, how can we keep our delivery uncluttered and on point so that people will hear the Word, not our filler words?”
• We note a new report form Gray Matter Research about the discrepancy between how much people give and how much they think they give. “Just 8 percent of American donors give 10 percent or more of their household income to charitable organizations and places of worship, the report found. Yet the average donor believes he or she gives 8.4 percent of household income to charitable organizations, not including places of worship — a figure that far exceeds reality.” I wonder if stewardship sermons don’t accomplish their aims because listeners think they’re already giving generously…even though they’re not.

Please make sure to follow and like InfluenceInfluence magazine on Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes!