There Will Be One Thousand Compensations for Pastors
Reflections on the sobering and encouraging words about pastoral ministry from John Piper and his father, Bill Piper.
Jesus As Master Sermon Illustrator
The variety Jesus employed in his illustrations leaves no aspect of life outside of his gaze.
How Fast Should a Preacher Preach Words if a Preacher Could Preach Words?
Just because you can 2x your speed, doesn’t mean you should.
Diesel Fuel for Writers and Preachers
My thankfulness for Chase Replogle’s The Pastor Writer podcast.
Hard Words Make Soft People: A Sermon on Simon the Magician
When an old story feels very contemporary.
What if Christmas Doesn’t Come from a Store?
In my favorite sermon from all of last year, I quoted my favorite Christmas movie.
Traveling Instructions
Before we apply a Bible passage to us, it is imperative that we travel back to understand a few things.
Do you really need to know how to teach the Bible?
Backstage passes are great. You get to see all of the cool stuff that goes into the final product. Although not near as cool as meeting your favorite music band before a show, this post is part of a series to take you “backstage of the pulpit.”
Does Everyone Know Your Theological Hobby Horse?
If everyone who listens to you knows your theological hobby horses, then you’re probably out of balance. But at the same time, one’s theology will always inform his or her teaching. In this post, I explain how I navigate this tension in my preaching.
In a World of Sloppy Reading
We learn to read in kindergarten and improve that skill throughout the rest of our education. However, it seems to me that much of our adult life is aimed at un-learning this skill, not because we can’t still read words, but because we are drowning in content. And this influences our Bible reading. Here are a few thoughts on sloppy reading, good preaching, and growing fruit in your own backyard.
Spring Loaded Camming Devices and The Expository Sermon
What does a certain piece of rock climbing gear have in common with a certain type of sermon? Both attach people to the rock.
Burning Hearts: Preaching to the Affections by Moody and Weekes - A Review
A review of Burning Hearts: Preaching to the Affections by Moody and Weeks.
The Chemical Reaction that Was, and Is, my Calling to Preach
Chemical reactions are strange things. Sometimes two ingredients that are unreactive by themselves, when combined, can become explosive, especially if shaken. This post is about two ingredients in my life that combined to create my call preach.
SEEING BEAUTY AND SAYING BEAUTIFULLY by John Piper (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
A FAN AND FLAME book review of John Piper’s latest book, SEEING BEAUTY AND SAYING BEAUTIFULLY.
10 Years Ago Today, I Preached My First Sermon
It has happened to me only a few times, but when God uses a particular passage of his Word to sculpt your future and score grooves in your soul for his grace to flow, that passage never seems quite the same.
Two Favorite Sermons on the Biblical View of Sex
Why did God make us sexual beings? And what difference does the knowledge of God make to our sexuality? Find the answers here.
No, I Don’t Know Everything, but Thanks for the Reminder
Some passages are easier than others to preach. They just are. But Mark 13 is not one of them.
T minus 4 Hours and a Preaching Prayer
The prayer I try to pray each morning I preach: “Lord, may the prayer of my heart, and the subsequent fruit of my lips, be your Word parading in glory and ransoming hearts to holy worship.”