You wake up in a cold sweat, overjoyed that your latest version of “preacher’s nightmare” was not reality. You know the terrible dream: it is time to preach, and you are either not prepared, or you cannot physically arrive at the pulpit. The ... Read More »

Every preacher understands the struggle and rush of sermon preparation because Sunday is coming. Whether you are a young pastor just starting out in your first church as senior pastor well-established in the pulpit, we all face the daily grind of ministry and ... Read More »

I’ve heard it said that a story is “a container for our identities.” What we are charged to do with each sermon is craft yet another container for our shared identity as the family of God at a local church in a particular context. And the approach to ser... Read More »

The preacher’s goal is to proclaim the Word of God in such a way that the people connect with, absorb, and respond to the life change that the text demands. This must begin with a clear exposition of the text, but good illustrations help the preacher deliver... Read More »

As a former athlete, athletic analogies and sports stories perk up my ears. My IT expert pew-neighbor may not care at all. Stories about computers or new technologies would probably bore me to tears, while he would be sitting there in fascination. You see, wha... Read More »

Most pastors and Bible teachers immediately recognize the power of a well-told illustration. It engages the heart of those listening and allows the mind’s eye to see truth through the application of something familiar. Ignoring the use of skillfully chosen i... Read More »

S.M. Lockridge was a prominent African American preacher who served as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, California during the 1900’s. He was well-known for his passionate preaching style and spoke an often-repeated phrase from one of his Ea... Read More »

Every good sports movie mandates an inspirational locker room speech. A team of underdogs faces their biggest obstacle yet. Victory appears to be slipping from their grasp, but then the coach waltzes in and delivers an animated monologue that draws every playe... Read More »

So you’ve been asked to “fill in” for the pastor on Sunday. Maybe it’s the church you attend or the one down the road but the invitation has come – what do you do? Early on in my Bible college days I had the opportunity to do pulpit s... Read More »

I recently came across a post from a well-known conference preacher detailing how, during his research for sermon fodder, he noticed that there was a recurring outline that several of the sermons he was reading had in common. He then went on to decry the use o... Read More »

There is a distinct connection between sermon application and spiritual disciplines. After reflecting on my seminary training, I lament a thorough exposure to sermon application. Sermon application is the portion of the sermon whereby listeners are encouraged ... Read More »

Preaching the book of Jude is like teaching a child to eat at a table with proper utensils. Just as a child is incapable of getting the proper nutrients that he needs from a dinner plate without using the proper utensils, so a believer is unable to mine the tr... Read More »