As expositors, we’ve all struggled with how to make our sermons “stick” with our people. As we work through the text, wrestle with the syntax, and come to an understanding of the passage, we do so with the hope that on Sunday the congregation... Read More »

As I write this post I have five children. Yes, five children. Four boys and one girl. All under the age of 8. Needless to say, things are a little crazy around our house. I am a father to three fun, wild, silly boys, one sassy-sweet little girl, and a 6 week ... Read More »

What makes a good sermon?  Duane Kederman, of Christian Classics Ethereal Library, sought to find out some answers to this question, so he enlisted a target group to provide feedback.  Listeners stated several variables which made some sermons better... Read More »

In his classic On Christian Doctrine (Book 4), Augustine extols rhetoric as the handmaid of truth. Rhetoric must never degenerate into the role of court jester in preaching. We have all witnessed the preacher who “with conjuring adroitness keeps pr... Read More »

“Some people preach for an hour and it seems like twenty minutes, and some preach for twenty minutes and it seems like an hour. I wonder what the difference is? I think I’ve spent my life trying to answer that question.” So said the Dean of Evangelical h... Read More »

To maximize the impact of the thesis, I encourage my students to think of it in terms of a sentence that includes both a subject (what is true) and a complement (what to do). I also stress that their thesis should be timeless and concise (no unnecessary words)... Read More »

A shepherd knows his sheep and how to lead them to the best pastures. He knows the habits of his flock, the distractions along their path, and their deficiencies. Thus, he plans ahead to make certain the sheep graze on the choicest grass, take the right path, ... Read More »

What role should “objectives” play in the preparation of a sermon? In other words, as the pastor prepares another sermon for Sunday morning, what should be the driving factor in his preparation? What does he hope to instill, or perhaps focus upon, in his c... Read More »

“But Dad, I NEED it!” It’s amazing to me how often those words are repeated in my house. I have two daughters and a son who are in the teenage years, and they are constantly wanting something new. I occasionally feel like my God-given job is just to say ... Read More »

“Sermons don’t change the world; changed people change the world”-Dr. Charles E. Goodman, Jr. At its best, preaching is not what is said but ultimately what is heard. Most of the emphasis in the preaching moment is on the preacher. As much as the preache... Read More »