The Practice of Impromptu Speeches
Recommended Reading: I Timothy 4:7-8
Recently I’ve been re-reading The Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes. I was reminded and inspired by Hughes’ insight into the important and almost forgotten practice of impromptu speeches.
Drawing inspiration from I Timothy 4:7-8, Kent writes that the Christian life is one of intense training. It doesn’t take much observation to see that the world trains far harder than the average Christian. The world discovers more, invents more, leads more, and is followed more than most Christians. Why? Christians as a whole, at least in our Western culture, are out of shape and ill-prepared.
The Apostle Paul challenges young Timothy to:
“Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life, and the life to come.”
The word “train” comes from the Greek word gummos—where we get our word for “gymnasium.” Originally, the word carried the idea of training naked. The athlete was to remove any clothing that could restrict his movement. You see this practice with Olympic runners today as they wear the lightest and least amount of apparel.
In the same way, the author of Hebrews challenges us to:
“…throw off everything that hinders and the sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race marked out before us” (Heb 12:1).
Paul writes to the Corinthians:
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave” (I Cor 9:25-27).
Take Winston Churchill, for example. Although he was known for his eloquent impromptu speeches, his speeches were anything but impromptu! What many of us don’t know is that Churchill spoke with a lisp, which gave his critics many opportunities to ridicule him publicly. This disability caused him to practice his “impromptu” speeches for hours.
Through this rigorous practice, Churchill was able to project the timing of when listeners would applaud, cheer, make a prolonged cheer, or give a standing ovation. He would even practice stumbling over words just to say a clever come-back phrase and awe the audience with his “spontaneous” eloquence!
Other examples of disciplined men include Beethoven—who was known to rewrite a single note over sixty-five times until it was perfect; Larry Byrd—who would practice corner shots in the dark; and Edison—whose electric success was only possible after his 1000th attempt!
Hughes also writes of Jascha Heifetz, the greatest violinist of this century:
“Heifetz began playing the violin at the age of three and early began to practice four hours a day until his death at age seventy-five—when he had long been the greatest in the world—some 102,000 hours of practice.”
If time allowed, I would also speak of Matisse, Rembrandt, Mozart, Yo-Yo Ma, Hemmingway, and so many others. These master skills are worthy of note, but how much greater are those mastery skills that prepare us for the life to come?!
Such training starts with purity. The Apostle Peter sheds some light on this life of spiritual training as he writes that we are to:
“Add to our faith virtue.”
Without moral purity, our training will be in vain. Next on Peter’s list is knowledge, and after knowledge, self-control, then perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally, the practice of love. Peter declares that if we “practice these things, we will never fall!”
Hebrews 5:13-14 says:
“For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.” But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Again, Paul’s command:
“Train yourself to be godly. For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds the divine promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
It is recorded that a runner will train about 40 miles per week for five years to prepare for a race. Can you imagine running 10,000 miles over the course of five years just for a 100-yard dash?!
“We must not be weary in well doing: for we will reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).”
Spiritual disciplines are an investment. They prepare you for now and the future and eternity.
But where are the men? The spiritual “gymnasiums” are empty. Statistics reveal there are more women who read, study, and attend church than men. Is this because women are more spiritually minded and mature than men? No. It is because men have weighed themselves down with worldly pursuits, and, to put it bluntly, lack the moral purity which restricts their ability to access the knowledge of God.
Exercise is never easy at first. All of the spiritual disciplines require rigorous practice. Take memorizing Scripture, for instance. If I want to commit a verse to memory, I have to write it on a 3 x 5 card and say it over and over, frontward and backward. Then I write it with some words missing, gradually writing and rewriting the verse (around 44 times) until, finally, I have it memorized. And this is just for one verse! Virtue requires the same practice.
If you hear and see something that is not moral, shut it off; avert your eyes. And remember, you can’t do this as a self-reforming resolution. You will fall back worse than you started if you try to do this without the prayerful help of God Himself. Spiritual growth requires a divine partnership.
Believer, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, according to a full intimate knowledge of Him who has called us to his own glory and excellence (2nd Peter 1:3)! What are we waiting for?!
May the training begin!!!
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
