Ken Hensley DOT Com

In this article over at PyroMarketing, the writer has an interesting suggestion:
“Have a “Textable Quote” in every worship service and ask members to send it to one person in their life who they think needs to hear it and also to Ping it.”
What a great idea!  The most common way people 25 and under communicate [...]

Why preach?  Why spend hours each week working on a thirty minute message that most people will remember less than thirty percent after one day?  Why put yourself in front of a crowd of friends and strangers and speak truth that might be uncomfortable to hear?
“Do not preach because you love preaching.  Preach because you [...]

I must admit, it felt nice.
For much of my message this past weekend, I preached while sitting on a couch on the stage.  A nice leather couch with cushy cushions.  All I lacked was a good cup of strong coffee.
I was speaking about how Moses fled Egypt after killing a man (see Exodus 2) and [...]

As a communicator, one of my goals each time I speak is to create at least one “talking point.”  It could be a memorable phrase, story, or unexpected moment that then grows legs and gets talked about during the week.
It doesn’t have to be sensational, just memorable.  And being memorable is often a matter of [...]

As one who speaks before a diverse audience on a regular basis, I find that two questions help me organize my thoughts:

What’s my point?
Why does it matter?

If I don’t know what my point is, there’s a very good chance that my audience won’t know what it is either.  That seems basic — but it’s [...]

Tonight’s message was one of those messages when you just feel in the groove.  Hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same — or even better!

“Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery.” – Mark Amidon

Confession: I’m not drawn to reading fiction like some people are.  My reading interests trend towards history, political science, business, and, of course, faith-related issues.  Not to mention Dilbert.
But over the last few years I’ve made myself read more fiction.  Why?  I believe I need to.  Allow me to explain …
As one tasked with the [...]

While reading a post about worship leading, I was struck by this line: Recognize that God’s words outlast ours.  While the post was written for worship leaders, the same holds true for those of us who preach and teach.  Our goal is not to get people to think, “Wow, that was clever!”  Our goal is [...]

I’m passing along this post from Christopher Witt entited “Words to Avoid.”  It’s a good thought-starter for those of us who speak for a living.
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Words to Avoid
I always love lists of overused, trite, important-sounding words. The list from Lake Superior State University (found here) holds these words (rightly) up to ridicule:

Shovel-Ready
Transparent/Transparency
Czar
Tweet
App
Friend as a verb
Teachable [...]