John Catanzaro

The Preacher's Voice: Click | View Series The focus of this series is to understand the importance of preserving the health of a preacher's voice.

The Preacher Needs Energy

The preacher needs an incredible amount of energy to meet the preaching demand. I have heard through the years that preaching is not a difficult task, and that it doesn't require much energy. This is based upon the fact that most preachers are overweight, unfit, and indulge in poor eating habits. However, I believe that this results from the stress of the job itself.

Quick Energy Fixes

Sustained intake of carbohydrates with constant adrenalin output can be a vicious cycle. In cases like this, the preacher looks for quick energy fixes to keep on going, and often these choices are loaded with sugar and stimulant agents, like caffeine. If the tank is empty, an octane booster won't fill the tank. It will just give a bad message to the complex regulating systems of the body that metabolize and burn calories.

Burn Off Those Calories

Billy Graham once said that before a preaching event he would have a carbohydrate meal the night before and a steak dinner afterward. Fitness, however, was an essential item on his list. He ate this way with the understanding that consuming higher calories required exercise to burn those calories. He didn't just rely on the sweat produced from his preaching. Preacher, if the greater omentum (Latin for the fat mesh of the tummy) is gaining momentum (gaining more weight), then you are consuming more than what you are sweating off! This increases the risk of poor health and takes away from your voice energy in more ways than one.

Unfit Preachers are like Unfit Doctors

Would you listen to an overweight and unfit doctor giving you health advice on diet, cholesterol, sugar management, and exercise? An unfit preacher demonstrates poor discipline with his health, and he similarly hampers the effectiveness of communicating the disciplined life of the Christian. If the evangelical message is to be taken seriously, the preacher must strengthen his voice through the support of healthy disciplines. To be continued.