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I-Luv-My-Flowers -> Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 3:09:54 PM)

I've been going to church since August of last year. Though I've been saved since I was 6 or 7, going to church wasn't something that I was raised to do.

I've been trying to keep notes on the sermons. I use a simplified bullet system that I learned in college and it is frustrating because the most of the pastor's sermons aren't logically ordered. He jumps all over the place, using anecdotes, quotes, and statistics as well as Bible quotes.

I don't want to be nit-picky because I've been going less than a year and still have a lot to learn, but later in the week when I try to review my notes and the verses he quotes from I can't figure out how he got some of his conclusions.

Any suggestions?
How do you take your sermon notes?



rcjames -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 3:14:58 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: I-Luv-My-Flowers

I've been going to church since August of last year. Though I've been saved since I was 6 or 7, going to church wasn't something that I was raised to do.

I've been trying to keep notes on the sermons. I use a simplified bullet system that I learned in college and it is frustrating because the most of the pastor's sermons aren't logically ordered. He jumps all over the place, using anecdotes, quotes, and statistics as well as Bible quotes.

I don't want to be nit-picky because I've been going less than a year and still have a lot to learn, but later in the week when I try to review my notes and the verses he quotes from I can't figure out how he got some of his conclusions.

Any suggestions?
How do you take your sermon notes?


If your Pastor is one that uses a lot of Scripture (I use probably 10+ passages a sermon) and you cannot keep up, then I suggest you get a recording of the sermon and listen to it a few times.

Thanks
RC



JimboFletch -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 3:17:47 PM)

I've been blessed with a pastor that publishes his sermon outlines for Sunday morning with space to write notes. Before him, we had a pastor that was like the one you described, hardly any cohesion in his message - I gave trying to take notes from his sermons.



Qtman -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 4:03:43 PM)

Rcjames had a good idea. I had college professors the same way. I finally gave up and went to class with a pocket recorder so I could listen over and over again.



WesP -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 4:10:59 PM)

In my church, we actually record every sermon and burn them to discs. Anyone who wishes to get a copy may. It is very helpful in addressing some of the scripture, and it is nice to be able to hear a sermon you missed.



slushie -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 4:55:31 PM)

I take my sermon notes just by writing down whatever he says that I think is important. It does use the bullet form but at the same it's messy for some reason. [sm=aside.gif] Anyway, I've had pastors who were like that. It's just so hard to take notes.... but what I'd do is just write the main points of the message.



mvic -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 4:59:04 PM)

I've suggested that the sermons are printed on the Church's website (which I manage for the Church).

No luck ... he's a little too modest I believe.



SavedByGraceMD -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 6:27:43 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: WesP

In my church, we actually record every sermon and burn them to discs. Anyone who wishes to get a copy may. It is very helpful in addressing some of the scripture, and it is nice to be able to hear a sermon you missed.

My church also does this. They make copies of it on CD. They also post it online in MP3 format. It is hard to take notes while trying to listen to the sermon. I still do take notes, but either get a copy of the CD, or download the MP3 file. Your church may be doing the same things, so ask about it. Good luck.



SonInMe1 -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 6:46:43 PM)

We hand out fill in the blanks outlines for the sermons...hmmm come to think of it for some reason they stopped doing that.

They do have the two big screens they post scripture on and put the videos on.

All the sermons are recorded..and I think soon will be televised as well on local tv.



WesP -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 8:03:10 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SavedByGraceMD

quote:

ORIGINAL: WesP

In my church, we actually record every sermon and burn them to discs. Anyone who wishes to get a copy may. It is very helpful in addressing some of the scripture, and it is nice to be able to hear a sermon you missed.

My church also does this. They make copies of it on CD. They also post it online in MP3 format. It is hard to take notes while trying to listen to the sermon. I still do take notes, but either get a copy of the CD, or download the MP3 file. Your church may be doing the same things, so ask about it. Good luck.


Yeah. The pastor e-mails me mp3's too! Wonderful!



Roberta_ -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 8:05:56 PM)

I like it when the bulletin has things outlined and then I expound on it with my notes



sunshine4God -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/17/2008 11:22:19 PM)

I have a d d and find that taking sermon notes is very helpful.I just write down whatever interests me that I might want to look back on and remember.



BibleL7 -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/18/2008 2:22:04 AM)

Other than the stick to the main points in note taking you might also just write down the scripture references then look at the Scriptures at home pray about it and as the Lord to help you with understanding. Of course you may also pray for the pastor that he be less confusing in sermons. Well actually we should always pray for pastors. And just before the sermon ask the Lord to open your ears and heart to hear what He would have you get out of message. Sorry I can not really give advice on taking notes as I never do and have never seen anyone's notes on my sermons.



saraimay75 -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/18/2008 4:02:48 AM)

My church also burn the semon to CD and you can buy them for about $3.00 each. If you are willing to wait you can but them right after the service.


Do you bring your Bible? I do and I turn to the most important verses I write down the book, chapter and verse for instance: Luke 23:34

I usually don't take down stories, anneecdotes, or satistics I don't take down everything only what has meaning in my walk with The Lord.



CoachSteve -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/18/2008 8:41:27 AM)

My church actually puts the sermons on Itunes and they can be downloaded.



BerianAardvark -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/18/2008 2:23:44 PM)

quote:

Do you bring your Bible? I do and I turn to the most important verses I write down the book, chapter and verse for instance: Luke 23:34


I tend to do that too, it certainly made me learn where the books of the Bible are, and since my pastor teaches expositorily, (my spell checker insists that is not a word, but what does it know?) I generally take notes in the margin of the bible near the verses. I find that notes on separate pieces of paper tend to get lost.

My pastor also uses both i-tunes, RSS and mp3s as well as CDs for anyone who wants them. They do ask for $1 to cover the costs of duplication for a CD, but I have never seen anyone berated for not having a dollar, but taking the CD anyway.

Tim



Little_1 -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/18/2008 2:37:39 PM)

Wow - those of you whose ministers publish the outline notes for you are so fortunate. I sometimes listen to Dr Charles Stanley on TV and he publishes his notes online and they are very good.

My husband and I have moved around a lot in the past 8 years due to husband's line of work and in every town we have lived, none of the churches have ever done this! Many churches do however record the messages and these can be purchased afterwards (or borrowed in some cases).

Re: taking notes - some people have already mentioned taking note of anything that particularly stands out to you during the service and this is a good idea. Also not writing out Bible texts in full (just book and verse and later filling the actual verse in) and this could save time so that you can record more information without trying to keep up. You already use bullet points which are really helpful also. A voice recorder is a good option also and likewise has been mentioned but you have to be relatively close to the minister/ speaker for it to pick up their voice clearly and audibly. I purchased one a couple of weeks ago (an Olympus) and find it useful (and it isn't heavy on batteries either - it takes 1 x AAA battery) and I've recorded lots with it and the battery is still going strong.

Anyway, whatever option or options you choose - all the best. [;)]



I-Luv-My-Flowers -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/19/2008 10:47:21 AM)

Thanks for all the suggestions! [:)]

My church is too small for them to be recorded.

I do only write the Bible verses and the main points and I don't have any problems keeping up. Most of the time he's working on a series, so it's important to me to keep good notes because what he says this week sometimes relates to the sermon next week.

I've seen other people take notes into their Bibles, but I like to keep all of my notes in one place so I use a spiral notebook.



saraimay75 -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/19/2008 2:38:38 PM)

I also try and go back and review my notes.



SinnerSaved -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/19/2008 3:12:47 PM)

I find it difficult to take notes AND fully understand the sermon at the same time (We men are renowned for our inability to multi-task!)

I therefore listen intently to fully understand the message, and do not take notes. We are blessed with the ability to purchase the DVD, CD or tape at a nominal price, or download off the church website (including old sermons). I often take advantage of these to review sermons later.



jn1010lf -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/19/2008 7:28:34 PM)

Hello I-Luv-My-Flowers

Many preachers are notoreous for rambling. Have you considered trying a different church?



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/20/2008 12:44:38 AM)

We get notes where I attend, but when I first started going there, I taped everything I could, because my brain was simply too small to take it all in. Have you seen the Farside comic in which a student has raised his hand, and he asks, "May I be excused? My brain is full!" That is the way I felt for the first few months, after the teacher was about 3/4 of the way through.

DANGER! DANGER! BRAIN OVERLOAD!

Now, when something is major, I ask for a CD. I am glad they have those.



noblesinger -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/25/2008 8:31:28 AM)

Taking notes of my pastor's sermons would be easy - if only he'd slow down. He puts all of his key points into PowerPoint, which is a good thing. He starts off doing just fine, speed-wise, and I'm able to write things down. But then he shifts into "motormouth mode" when he feels that he's running short on time, and it's all over. I usually end up going to the computer and copying the file to my jump drive, which allows me to transcribe them at my leisure. I'd still rather be able to finish my note taking in church, but that's not to be, so I'll just deal with it.



Duane



BerianAardvark -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/25/2008 9:15:28 AM)

Imagine the "fun" a first century Jew would have had, among the things that were considered work (and therefore not to be done on the Sabbath) was writing...they couldn't take notes on their Rabbi's Sabbath message until after sunset (the official end of the day) and no tapes or cds for many centuries. [;)]

Tim



deermousie -> RE: Sermon Notes (7/25/2008 11:19:50 AM)

quote:


My church is too small for them to be recorded.


Ha! We have a grand total of 6 families in our church, and every sermon is recorded. $2 per audio tape, and worth millions. [:)]

I think in outline form like some of you, and it helps that the sermons can be outlined; I think my ADD would strangle me if the preaching jumped all over. I'm sorry, I-Luv-My-Flowers, I have no help to give except the good advice to listen to it over and over. If your church won't record it, then get a recorder and do it yourself. The quality won't be as good, but it's better than nothing.



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