Voice/Throat Care for Preachers.

[EA]

Guess what?




















I am not preaching tomorrow morning!

I'm sure the saints will rejoice and angels will sing!

[JTTNMinistries]

Originally Posted by Edward Anglin

Here's the deal.

I have preached at least three times a week for the last 9 years.

That adds up to around 1400 sermons that average around 35 minutes.

That total does not incude personal bible studies.

I am thinking I may have overused my voice.

For the past two months I have struggled mightily with my throat/voice.

It comes and goes in spurts.

However, today it is so bad I can barely speak.

Have you guys ever experienced this?

What do you do to combat it?

I'm an open air street preacher primarily and have been preaching very loud in outside arenas without any amplification for about a year and a half nearly every weekend. I also preach in churches fairly regularly. There have been times where I blew out my voice accidentally and had to take a break for a few weeks. For me sometimes it is not from the volume itself but from prolonged use. I'm not a screaming preacher either. I know of a preacher who lost the ability to preach beyond speaking level because his voice blew out permanently so it is a danger. One thing I do is keep "Ricola" cough drops with the natural honey when I preach for long periods of time. I find that this helps lubricate my throat and keeps it from getting worn. Not sure if this helps but don't just push it and say "God will protect it" because sometimes you just need a rest.

Whatever happens keep on preaching for the Lord.

[BrotherEastman]

Originally Posted by pelathais

Dude! You are a stud preacher! 35 minutes?

But seriously... I had it down to 45 minutes on the spot. I did that once a week for about 15 years. For a time I also did a daily thing (*that we will never speak of again) that had to fill a one hour time slot.

What I found that helped and hurt- caffeine hurt. Sure it was the next best thing to an anointing, but it stretches the vocal chords. I could actually listen to myself on tape and tell when I had caffeinated before hand just from the timbre of my voice.

Also antihistamines - if there's a cold coming on or allergies, I found that using some over the counter thing with guaifenesin helped. The other stuff just dries you out. I was dying of pneumonia once and some prescription strength guaifenesin along with antibiotics made me right again. That was before I learned what was giving me the pneumonia all the time. God was merciful in the way He nurtured my wretched self.

The singers will probably give you better advice than I could about honey and syrups, teas and that sort of stuff. It's probably all good. Dunno, I just found that these two things tended to mess with my voice the most.

I'm one of those 20-40 minute preachers. Does that make me studly?

[BrotherEastman]

Brother Anglin

I'm not entirely certain how true this is, but I heard that if you preach when the weather is cold, it is important to put a scarf around your neck and make sure you drink plenty of fluids (namely water). When your voice is warmed up after all the talking, and one goes outside after preaching, then the cold constricts the warm voicebox making that hoarse sound. (maybe it is silly, but that's what I've heard)

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Edward Anglin

Guess what?




















I am not preaching tomorrow morning!

I'm sure the saints will rejoice and angels will sing!

Why haven't you let anyone preach for you before?

[*AQuietPlace*]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

I'm one of those 20-40 minute preachers. Does that make me studly?

It just makes you really popular.

[EA]

Originally Posted by mizpeh

Why haven't you let anyone preach for you before?

I have, but the instances have been few and far between.

Here's the deal.

I had one man in the church who as capable of teaching, and he just moved to Texas. He taught about three or four times a year.

We have had very, very few guest ministers. Partly because it gets expensive and, in a small church, every penny counts. And partly because I have been careful who addresses the church.

We have many new folks, so it is important that a guest speaker recognizes that, and exercises wisdom.

That being said, we had a guest minister this morning. His name is John Heil, and he is a close friend. He lives in our area, but assists in another church.

He did an outstanding job! We had a great crowd, and he didn't even get to finish his message. The Spirit moved in a mighty, mighty way.

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Edward Anglin

I have, but the instances have been few and far between.

Here's the deal.

I had one man in the church who as capable of teaching, and he just moved to Texas. He taught about three or four times a year.

We have had very, very few guest ministers. Partly because it gets expensive and, in a small church, every penny counts. And partly because I have been careful who addresses the church.

We have many new folks, so it is important that a guest speaker recognizes that, and exercises wisdom.

That being said, we had a guest minister this morning. His name is John Heil, and he is a close friend. He lives in our area, but assists in another church.

He did an outstanding job! We had a great crowd, and he didn't even get to finish his message. The Spirit moved in a mighty, mighty way.

Glory to God.

I'm curious to see all the good that God is going to work out in this situation....all because of a voice gone quiet.

[EA]

Today is the first day in three months I had 100% vocal strength.

Thanks for the prayers and advice.

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Edward Anglin

Today is the first day in three months I had 100% vocal strength.

Thanks for the prayers and advice.

Just curious, Ed, what advice did you apply?