Van Harn presents a helpful analogy for us (Preacher, Can You Hear Us Listening, p53). When you preach a biblical text, do you preach a snapshot or a replay? Sports journalists use both. Immediately after a key moment in a game, the replays kick in. The moment can be savored, the action understood and the [...]
Archive for July, 2007
Review: Preparing Expository Sermons, by Ramesh Richard
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Review on July 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Sub-title: A Seven-Step Method for Biblical Preaching Sub-sub-title: The Scripture Sculpture Method Ramesh Richard teaches preaching at Dallas Seminary as well as around the world in a noteworthy international ministry. His cross-cultural training and ministry experience gives his book a good level of sensitivity to preaching in various settings and cultures. As a student and [...]
Why Some Sermons Are Not Fresh
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Stage 2 - Passage Study on July 28, 2007 | 1 Comment »
There are many reasons why a preacher may struggle to prepare a message that is really fresh and vital. Here are three to be aware of and guard against: 1. Schedule pressure – The reality for most of us is that there are not enough hours in the week. With the best intentions to give [...]
Review: Preacher, Can You Hear Us Listening? By Roger Van Harn
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Review on July 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I was surprised by this book. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I was both blessed and challenged by it. The focus of the book is on listening, both to God and to people, by the preacher and the congregation. Perhaps the strongest lasting impression left is the notion of the preacher [...]
That Message from That Text?
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Specific text, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 4 - Passage Idea on July 24, 2007 | 4 Comments »
It is vital that the listener be able to see how the message comes from the text they are looking at. The credibility of the speaker matters, but the credibility of the Bible matters more. It matters that people listening to a sermon can look at the text before them and see how the message [...]
The Preacher & Prayer
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on July 21, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Sometimes the obvious needs stating. Preachers should be pray-ers. While it may be possible to follow a procedure and produce a sermon, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is not possible to achieve life transformation unless God is at work. Thus, we need to be on our knees. I could leave [...]
BBB Seminar for Preachers in SE England
Posted in Uncategorized on July 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
For those preachers who live in south east England / Greater London area, please read on. If this does not apply to you, then I hope I will be able to offer this seminar closer to you in the future. You will notice that I have added a page entitled “Seminar.” I will be running [...]
Review: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative, by Steven D. Mathewson
Posted in Homiletics, Old Testament, Preaching, Review on July 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
There are many preaching books, but only a handful I recommend wholeheartedly. This is one of them. Mathewson’s passion for the many narrative passages in the Old Testament is contagious. His passion for the effective preaching of these passages is greatly needed today. This is especially the case while significant preachers continue to view Old [...]
Getting to Grips with a Genealogy
Posted in Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Specific text, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study on July 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
What do you do when you are preaching through a book and there is a genealogy? I have faced this a few times, although I don’t claim to have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to the challenge. Here are a few tips: 1. Study the function of the genealogy. The author included it for a reason. How [...]
Review: Preaching that Connects, by Mark Galli and Craig Brian Larson
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Review on July 8, 2007 | 3 Comments »
Subtitle: Using Journalistic Techniques to Add Impact Both authors are journalistic editors (Christianity Today and PreachingToday.com respectively). Both are also preachers. They wrote this book to show how the skills of journalism can help the effectiveness of preaching. The book is short, but a worthwhile read. A dozen brief chapters deal with the following subjects: [...]





