Sensitivity can really strengthen a sermon. If it is overdone it can also neutralize a sermon, but well-placed and well-worded sensitivity is well worth the extra thought it takes. If the text was originally targeted at one specific type of person (such as the early chapters of Proverbs targeted at young males), perhaps a careful [...]
Archive for February, 2008
Not Commentaries, But Within Reach
Posted in Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Religion, Review, Stage 2 - Passage Study on February 27, 2008 | 2 Comments »
One of my preaching instructors at seminary once mentioned a handful of books that he keeps within easy reach of his desk for sermon preparation. I’ve done the same ever since and find myself referring to them often.
To preach the text effectively we have to do more than dissect the text and preach the parts. [...]
Vulnerable Time
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, tagged Feedback on February 24, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I recently spoke to a preacher after he had preached and thanked him for his ministry. I asked how he felt about it. To my surprise he said something like, “Oh, I never think about it, the job is done and I move on.” If that is true, it is strange. I suspect most preachers [...]
Hermeneutics for Preaching – It Can’t All Be We, part 2
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Hermeneutics, Reader-Response on February 19, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Following the post on Saturday, “It Can’t All Be We,” Steve submitted an important comment. I hope he doesn’t mind the extra exposure for the comment by including it here, but I think this is a very important issue for us to wrestle with as preachers.
Steve wrote: The problem with saying there is only one [...]
An Annual Retreat Every Week?
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching on February 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
This weekend we had the privilege of joining a church for their annual weekend away. Stunning weather (in February in England!), great food, beautiful venue, etc. But from my perspective I would say that I enjoy weekend retreats primarily because they provide such an ideal preaching environment. Why?
1. These events are smothered [...]
Feeling Down in the Ministry
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, tagged criticism, discouragement, Minister, Ministry, Pastor on February 17, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Non-preachers often don’t realize the roller-coaster of ministry. Due to the exacting nature of ministry – giving out, being buffeted spiritually, etc. – we are all prone to repeated discouragement. Today as you press on through another Sunday, take stock of the realities of ministry:
Discouragements are par for the course. A preacher facing discouragement is [...]
The Easiest and Hardest Feedback
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, tagged Sermon Feedback on February 9, 2008 | 1 Comment »
In order to improve as a preacher it is important to get feedback. We need more than the handshake’s and comments after the service in order to grow. Howard Hendricks has referred to this as the Glorification of the Worm ceremony! So we need something more constructive. Probably not after every sermon, but certainly periodically, [...]
Review: The Homiletical Plot, by Eugene Lowry
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Religion, Review, tagged Craddock, Lowry, New Homiletic on February 8, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Eugene Lowry’s work sits under the broad umbrella of the New Homiletic. His work overlaps considerably with Fred Craddock. Other New Homiletic writers have been criticized for writing well, but failing to provide a clear model of what they are suggesting. This charge cannot be leveled at Lowry. The Homiletic Plot [...]
The Pre-Sermon Bible Study Journey
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 4 - Passage Idea on February 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Bible study feels like a journey. Perhaps for others the terrain feels slightly different, but I can often discern three stages I go through in the process of studying a passage. I am not referring to exegetical method here, but rather to a sense of progress in my quest to understand the passage.
1. [...]
Wrestling with Flow
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 4 - Passage Idea on February 4, 2008 | 1 Comment »
There are shortcuts in preaching. Perhaps some are legitimate, although none spring to mind. But there is one major shortcut that is very common, but that undermines the whole preaching event. Failing to wrestle with flow.
It is easy to break a passage into its chunks and preach a sermon from each chunk. Be sure to [...]
The Biggest Challenge in Ministry
Posted in Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on February 2, 2008 | 4 Comments »
What would you say is your biggest challenge in ministry? The people you work with, the people you preach to, the people who don’t come, the enemy of our souls? I appreciate and concur with Dr Joe Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute. His answer is simple, but profound. “My biggest challenge in ministry [...]
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Commentaries – The Golden Ones
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Religion, Review, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged BEC, BST, Commentaries, Glynn, NAC, NIGTC, Tyndale, WBC on February 26, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Since we’re talking commentaries, here’s another thought. How are we supposed to know which ones to buy? As a preacher I often note a common problem in commentaries – they tend to be atomistic. That is to say that many of them seem to deal only with the word or phrase at hand. As a [...]
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