Someone has said, “Preach to hurting people and you will never want for an audience.” Suffering is universal. Adam brought sin to the human race. Suffering is the byproduct of sin. Even when suffering is not associated with sin, it is because of sin that s... 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 »

Pastors are called to stewardship. Of course, one could say that this is the calling of every believer. And they would be correct. The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 demonstrates that we are all to be stewards of whatever God has given us. While this is ... Read More »

In Psalm 127, Solomon refers to children as a “heritage” or an “inheritance” from the Lord. It’s easy to miss how revolutionary that statement is. Solomon isn’t saying that children will receive our inheritance. He is saying that they are our inher... Read More »

As a pastor, the last thing you need is another hat to wear. To add the title of counselor to that list of duties is not a specialization that you have time to pursue. But, your people experience the brokenness of our cursed human condition and idleness is not... Read More »

It is a joy to serve at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where we espouse what is called “Text-Driven Preaching.” Simply put, we want the chosen text (Yes there should be an actual biblical text) to drive the sermon. The text-driven preacher is co... Read More »

Most Sundays, preachers stand before their congregation and teach their people to tune them out.  You can deliver a finely crafted, text-driven, and powerful message, and receive little congregational response. Why?  Because you make this common mistake befo... Read More »

1 Peter 1:1-2; 13-16 Peter begins his epistle by calling believers “Temporary residents”. That term literally means “beside the people.” It reveals the necessary separation and the dynamic saturation of believers in the world. We are always resident al... Read More »

What makes a sermon pastoral? Ι’ve been reading quite a bit lately about preaching and pastoral ministry. Though, I confess to be a little confused on the question. It seems to presume a distinction that I’m not sure has a clear difference. Insistence upo... Read More »