One thing that the average church member does not know is that the view from behind the pulpit is much different from the one sitting in a pew. Preachers often see things that no one else gets to see.
Many are either highly distracting, incredibly hilarious or even have the appearance of being dangerous. And yet the pastor must go on with the message without ever giving anyone any hint that he is seeing something wrong.
In my church, there are almost always visitors present for every service. In one particular service some years ago, a young man came in and sat right on the front row, nearly right in front of the pulpit. He was clearly not “experienced” with all things church related. His clothing, wild hair, even wilder eyes and all his mannerisms made it seem very much as if he was either a) a gang member; b) a mass murderer just looking for a place to happen; or c) someone who was hearing very ominous voices inside his head.
Believe me, that kind of thing can make a pastor just a little bit nervous.
I preached that day and I preached hard. During the invitation, when I instructed everyone to bow their head and close their eyes, he kept his head up, his eyes firmly focused on me. If I moved to the left, his eyes moved with me. If I moved to the right, his eyes moved with me.