Preaching
You Can’t Just Preach Away the Problem
Many pastors think that if you preach at a problem that will fix it. I was one of those pastors (perhaps I still am at times). If you preach often, I am sure you can identify with me - you see a problem in the church, so you plan a sermon to preach at the problem, sure that in the...
Sermon and Study Notes for the Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27
This is without a doubt one of the hardest of the parables to exegete. I struggled with this passage for nearly twice as many hours as it takes to prep a normal sermon. Therefore, I feel it is all the more important to give my resources away for this sermon. Here are my files: Study Notes For Luke 19.11-27 - A...
How to Format a Sermon Outline
When choosing which kind of sermon notes to take to the pulpit, you must choose that which allows you to be yourself — yet always be true to the text. The second you step to the pulpit, you are going to want the hours of your sermon preparation to be close to your heart and your fingertip. Here is my blank sermon notes template in Word. If you would like to see a completed sermon outline that I take to the pulpit, you can do so here..
How I Format My Sermon Outline
For over a decade I have tried to find the best way to format my sermon notes. I've asked some of the greatest living known preachers how they do it and if I could see theirs. I research and read about others notes (of which Josh Harris has one of the best blogs on this topic). Although I have...
How To Prepare to Preach Expository Sermons for Maximum Impact
Preaching well is not something I simply strive to do, it is something I am called to do. When I sit to plan my preaching the weight of that calling can sometimes crush me underneath it. The effort of creating a sermon that allows the Holy Spirit to do great and unhindered work is a sweet but rigorous task. So...
An Orange after Preaching
(The following is from a note I wrote to chandler several years ago...) Chandler, Today you shared your first orange with me. We sat in the car waiting for your mom as she talked inside church. I was ravenous after preaching the Sunday sermon. I opened the first thing I could find to eat which was an orange rolling around in the backseat....
Smell Like Sheep
A man once told me that I smelled like sheep. At first I really didn’t know what he meant; all that could come to my mind was visions of the many smelly shepherds that I saw in India out with their flocks on back country roads. I didn’t even have to get close to those wretched men to know they...
My Sermon Preparation Schedule
Finding the right time to sermon prep has always been a task for me. Ever since my preaching ministry began, I’ve struggled to ensure that my time outside the pulpit best prepared me for my time inside the pulpit. For years I seemed to always be in fear of the next time I spoke because I was preparing right until...
Advice for Pastor and Preachers from Alistair Begg
It was my privilege to be able to interview long-time pastor and preaching , Alistair Begg, about ministry and preaching. As a young preacher, I was so enriched by all he had to say. His humor, coupled with his wisdom, brought a compelling case for pastoral integrity, preaching with authority, and acting with humility. This interview is worth every...
Sermon Illustrations and the Pastor’s Wife
I have an insatiable passion to find just the right sermon illustration (maybe it comes from my magic background). I have dones things that are a bit unconventional at times in order to make a point - such as buy a straight jacket online, light something on fire, put goldfish in a blender, and many other crazy things. Every time...
Cardboard Pizza Preaching: Why we like some preachers more than others
We all like pizza or different reasons. That is why the pizza industry can have so many sellers and still not saturate the market. Papa John's is for those who like fresh ingredients. Pizza Hut is for those who like a little zest with their grease. Dominos has the cheese proportions down perfectly. Papa Murphy's is for the "I want to feel like...
An Outline For a Strong Start To Your Speech
The worst parts of most sermons is the beginning. You've heard them - things like: Tap, tap, tap, is this thing on? I am so glad to be here... Thank you, Tom, Sally and someone else I am not remember right now. Or someone fumbled through their notes and just can't get off the blocks So what does it take...