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....
My First Step in Sermon Preparation
How you start sermon preparation is very important. I often relate sermon preparation to bearing a child. Though I am a man, and will never carry a child, I have watched my wife go through the process twice and this has made the analogy all the more vivid for me. (However, I don’t suggest that you tell your 8 month...
Training I Pursued to Preach Better
My job is to help people. While all jobs have some bad days, this is one that I enjoy even on the worst days. However, I know that my primary calling in life is to preach. I believe that this is the reason why I was created (it has taken me years to even get to the point of...
How to write good content daily: 1000 words by 10:00 AM
A few days ago I had a conversation with my writer and editor friend about the pace at which I can write in order to stay productive towards my calling to author material. At one point in the conversation he asked “how many word today do you think you can write?" Little did he know that I'd been contemplating...
Eloquence in Preaching Doesn’t Matter if You’re Missing the Holy Spirit [preaching quote]
“The gospel is preached in the ears of all men; it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher otherwise men would be converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning; otherwise it could consists of the wisdom of men. We might...
Swindoll on Spurgeon and Pastoral Criticism
My sister sent me this article, and I felt it was something that needed to be shared. For more resources from Chuck Swindoll visits www.Insight.org. Spurgeon's Channel of Encouragement by Charles R. Swindoll Read Matthew 5:10--12 Charles Haddon Spurgeon remains one of the most colorful and gifted preachers in the history of the church. Any man who loves to preach and desires to cultivate...
Preaching Must Be Pleasant for the Hearers
Nearly every day, I read a page out of George Whitfield's journals. They make me feel like a lazy bum most of the time—he did so much, preaching more sermons than anyone in history, and did it all without electronic media or a car. He is amazing. He is also recorded as having amazing skill at keeping an audience's...
Lessons from First Q & A Sermon
This week has been crazy. The Q&A series got off to a strong start and I’ve had to do some rethinking and strategizing about the series after last Sunday. I’ve learned sometimes you can repair a plane while it is still flying, but other times you just need to return to the hanger and fix the plane on solid...
Write to Experience Life Twice?
I once heard a person say this: “I write so that I can experience life twice.” At first I loved this quote. The thought of experiencing this blessed life twice by capturing it on paper was exhilarating. To recall sweet memories, feelings and the faces of those you love is always a wonderful exercise. But then there are those days that you...
3 Keys for Effective Ministry at Camp with Youth
Let's face it - connecting with youth doesn't always come naturally. There are times in our youth ministry where we say something we wish we wouldn't have or we have no idea what to say to even start the conversation. No matter how awkward it may be at times, there is little work that is more important than impacting...
Preaching is Not about Mastery but Theology [preaching quote]
"In a world which seems either unwilling or unable to listen, how can we be persuaded to go on preaching, and learn to do so effectively? The essential secret is not mastering certain techniques but being mastered by certain convictions. In other words, theology is more important than methodology." — Stott, John R. W. Between Two Worlds: the Challenge of Preaching...
Undone: God’s Redemption Plan for Reconciling People To Himself (Acts 10:23-48)
God has no partiality in who he saves and who he does not - so why do Christians so often act as if some people are not good enough for the Gospel? In this message, I unpack the way that God chose to save the Gentiles in the book of Acts. I believe passages address one of the most...
