Author: Administrador

“(in)… truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” (2 Cor. 6:7, RSV)Society largely views the ten to fifteen percent among us who are left- handed as disadvantaged. But reality refuses to allow such prejudice by consistently revealing many of these who so … Continue reading “Ambidextrous Ministry The Pastoral Value of Balance, Comfort, & Challenge In a Biblical Preaching Program”

Bob was sixteen and had a new driver’s license.1 Bob and his friend had plans for the evening. “Dad, could I have the keys to the car? My friend and I want to go to Bogalousa tonight.” “Here are the keys to the car, son, but you stay in town. Don’t go to Bogalousa!” Guess … Continue reading “Text Story & Sermon Story in Dialogue: On Preaching Bible Narratives”

Preaching is one of the cherished skills of most pastors. Indeed, most of the training received in seminary, the core criterion evaluated during the candidating process, and a central factor in a church’s evaluation of its pastor is the pastor’s ability to use the pulpit as a platform from which acceptable information is broadcast to … Continue reading “The Pulpit-meister: Preaching to the New Majority”

“The multitude of books is making us ignorant.” Thus commented Voltaire — who, we should note — went on to write several books of his own. Nevertheless, the explosion of books noted by Voltaire is eclipsed by the multitude of books now released by American publishers. In any given week, hundreds of new volumes are … Continue reading “Annual Survey of the Year’s Best Books for Preachers”

Andrew Watterson Blackwood (1882-1966) was a pastor, professor, and prolific author, in the service of Jesus Christ. He was once one of the leading figures in American homiletical theory, and has left a rich legacy for those who would serve the cause of Jesus Christ today.An ordained Presbyterian, Blackwood spent what he called “seventeen happy … Continue reading “The Legacy of Andrew W. Blackwood”

After our recent move, my family began to visit a variety of local churches in our new community and I began to rediscover that age-old nemesis of the preacher: sleeping parishioners. The most terrible things is that I was the culprit!I haven’t actually fallen into a full-fledged, sawing-logs, off to dreamland kind of sleep in … Continue reading “Who neeeds lullabies when we have sermons?”

As we prepare to enter the twenty-first century, it is clear that western culture is caught in a whirlwind of conflicting values and ideologies. The postmodern era has done an effective job of rejecting past certainties, but has abdicated the responsibility of providing replacements. As a result, a growing emptiness characterizes the western mind and … Continue reading “Hold High the Word”

Perform (vb.)–to enact, accomplish; to bring to completion; to carry out (a command or promise).One of the hot topics in homiletics the last twenty years, perhaps the hottest topic, has been narrative preaching. We’ve been told that Jesus told stories, and so should we; we’ve been told that over half of the Bible is narrative, … Continue reading “Performing the Story: How to Preach First Person Narrative Sermons”

Recently, I heard about a seminary student who took a preaching course and turned in his first persuasive sermon assignment. His professor returned it with a grade of “D”. Concerned and perplexed, the student asked, “Why the low grade?” “The title,” said the professor. “You know how to write and deliver a good sermon. But, … Continue reading “From the Court Room to the Pulpit Ten Basic Commandments of Persuasive Preaching I Learned as a Lawyer”

Preachers know what Mark Twain knew, that “the difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”Week after week as we labor to put the Word into words, we have to admit that we don’t always strike the right word. Sometimes our verbs flash, sometimes … Continue reading “Let There Be Lightning A Realistic Plan for Improving Sermon Word Choice”