The story of Jonah is undoubtedly one of the most famous Bible stories. This familiarity, as well as the sensational nature of the story, could possibly obscure the fact that Jonah is a theologically rich and important book of scripture. All efforts to exposit... Read More »

Two of my favorite classes in my M.Div. were the rhetoric courses taught by Dr. Barry McCarty—in fact, this post is a re-working of a section of a paper I turned in for his class. For me, they were a fun exploration of the English language and communication.... Read More »

During a recent sermon series through Hebrews, our executive pastor called an audible and I was granted the grace and privilege to land both the first Melchizedek passage (5:1–10) and the thorny “if they fall away” section (5:11–6:12). We had to make t... Read More »

You sit in your office beginning to prepare your sermon. Maybe you’ve done this hundreds of times. Maybe you’re just getting started in your ministry. Whatever the case may be, this time feels different, because you know that what you’re about to preach ... Read More »

The General Social Survey’s latest research discovered that in 2018, 33.6% of young people (18–34 years of age) indicated no religious preference—a number that has more than tripled since 1988 (10.9%).[1]General Social Survey, accessed August 7, 2019, ht... Read More »

Any good driver will know the importance of staying in your lane. Bad things happen if you drift too far to one side of the road. The same thing can be said of any good bowler. He/she learns quickly that it’s not enough even to stay in your lane, but that th... Read More »

I have heard J.I. Packer describe the Scripture as, “God preaching.” If so, God’s first gospel sermon is found in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and... Read More »

I recently heard of a pastor who began most of his sermons the same way, “This passage is really difficult. I have struggled this week to understand what God is saying here.” Sometimes such expressions aren’t meant to convey the relative difficulty or ea... Read More »

In preaching, clear interpretation is paramount. After all, we want to be able to say with authority, “This is what God is saying to us!” But how do we clearly interpret Scripture when some passages are less than clear to our understanding? How do we move ... Read More »

If you and I played Bible trivia, you would win. I don’t remember all the details like the name of Peter’s mother-in-law’s neighbor’s younger sister. I can’t spout off the succession of the Israelite kings. Not being the smartest person in the room, ... Read More »

Humbert Romans (1194–1277) a Dominican friar, looked to the act of preaching as an act of worship from the preacher to God. He believed that the preacher needed to be saturated in prayer and study to prepare himself to preach the Word of God.[1]Hughes Olipha... Read More »

Many years ago, I came to an important realization. You might call it an epiphany. I had gone to church for years, I had heard hundreds of sermons, I had even read every single word of the Bible. I knew what the Bible said. I could tell you where to find many ... Read More »