My father-in-law loves to watch Gold Rush, the reality series that documents the gold mining efforts of various family-run mining companies. Although I am not a big fan, I have found myself perched on my in-laws’ couch watching people use modern equipment an... Read More »

I have the distinct privilege of teaching preaching to the next generation of expositors at Criswell College in Dallas, Texas. To date, I have taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels as full-time faculty for 5 years. Over the past 5 years, I have expos... Read More »

The longer I’ve been in pastoral ministry the greater the pressure to “spice up” my sermons. After preaching to the same people every week, we eventually run out of our best illustrations and stories, so there’s a feeling at times that our sermons have... Read More »

“Read widely, live observantly, and look up stuff.” —Dr. McCarty’s watchword   One of the keys to staying sharp as a preacher is to continually hone your powers to illustrate and to apply biblical texts. This need is often expressed to me by preac... Read More »

Those who preach weekly struggle to illustrate their sermons with consistent effectiveness. From one Sunday to the next, how can we develop relevant, powerful (not to mention biblical) illustrations? We’ll consider the book of Jonah as a case study. Suggesti... Read More »

The book of James is a practical book.  In chapter one James exhorts his readers to stand strong in the face of trials and temptations.  Chapter two exposes the hypocrisy of a faith that lacks corresponding good works. Chapter three is James’ exposition on... Read More »

Charles Spurgeon said, “It is impossible to lay down a rule as to how much adornment shall be found in each discourse: every man must judge for himself in that matter.”[1]Charles H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, reprint (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979)... 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 »