Author: Administrador

In a recent article for Pastors.com, Rick Warren talks about four ways the apostle Paul prepared his own life for successful ministry. One of those steps was to let go of his past: “As pastors, we need to stop being manipulated by our past mistakes and failures. Paul says in verse 13, “This one thing … Continue reading “Let Go of Your Past”

Planning your travel for 2010 already? Then you’ll want to know about some of these rather odd festivals, as listed by The Telegraph of London. Among their list of the weirdest festivals in the world: The Baby Jumping Festival (El Colacho) Castrillo de Murcia, Spain (June) “First staged in 1620, this strange event celebrating Corpus … Continue reading “Weird Festivals of the World”

“Why in the world do you give an invitation at the end of every service?” The questioner, like me, is a Presbyterian minister. There was a hint of scorn in his voice as he asked. I could understand. We both know that such invitations are not automatically a part of typical Presbyterian worship. I suspect … Continue reading “Why We Invite Them”

With this issue, we begin our celebration of the 25th anniversary of Preaching magazine. Given that most publications don’t survive five years, we figure that survival ought to be worth at least a nice birthday cake. (I’ll take chocolate, a corner piece, please.) According to The New York Times, 231 new magazines were created in … Continue reading “Pass the Birthday Cake, Please”

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, famed Greek soldier Odysseus is off battling in the Trojan War. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus is left with the warrior’s trusted friend, Mentor. For 20 years, Odysseus’ military campaign kept him away from home. Upon his return, he found his son a grown and mature man—thanks to Mentor’s wise … Continue reading “Ministry Mentoring”

In more than a quarter century of issues, Preaching magazine has dealt with a variety of issues of concern to pastors and church leaders, but one of the most significant has been the relationship of preaching to pastoral leadership. The topic of leadership has been addressed frequently in interviews with outstanding preachers. For example, two … Continue reading “Preaching & Leadership: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective”

In an article on “Preaching and Applying Truth” in a past issue of Preaching, Bob Russell wrote: “A wealthy businessman in our community who had pledged a million dollars to our building fund came to me before it was collected and asked me to perform his wedding–his third wedding. Because of the circumstances surrounding his … Continue reading “Stand for Truth”

Actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) once gave Elizabeth Taylor the largest diamond ever given with the possible exception of royalty.  It was worth millions of dollars.  As you see the gifts under the tree, may you remember the Gift upon a tree about two thousand years ago. God gave His Son’s life to provide forgiveness and eternal … Continue reading “The Indescribable Gift”

I grew up eating mincemeat pie. Aunt Eva made them every Christmas, and as a child I loved those pies. They were made of a finely chopped, cooked mixture that included raisins, currants, apples, suet, sugar, spice, candied peel and often meat, brandy or cider and other ingredients. Mincemeat pies were as much a part … Continue reading “A Theology of Mincemeat Pie: A Christmas Parable for Prodigals”

In his new book Primal (Multnomah), Mark Batterson talks about reclaiming the core of the Christian faith. Early in the book he observes: “It goes without saying that Christianity has a perception problem. At the heart of the problem is the simple fact that Christians are more known for what we’re against than what we’re … Continue reading “The Primal Problem”