Author: Administrador

“Secret Church” is the fourth of five conversation segments with David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., and author of the new book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Preaching: David, tell me about “Secret Church.” Platt: “Secret Church” was born out of a time I … Continue reading “A Conversation with David Platt: On ‘Secret Church’”

“On Preaching and Listening” is the last in a five-part conversation with David Platt, one of the best-known young preachers among evangelicals and pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Preaching: If we were to come to a typical weekend service at Brook Hills to hear you preach, give us a sense … Continue reading “A Conversation with David Platt: On Preaching and Learning”

Dallas Teague Snider, a speaker, radio host and personal coach, offers this advice to her clients: “Celebrate success daily. Each day, write down the top three things you must do. You might have other items on your list; however, be sure that you do the top three things. If you will focus on three items each day, five days … Continue reading “Do Three Things”

Much has been written in recent years about the issue of plagiarism in preaching. So it’s helpful to recognize this is hardly a new issue. About 1330, the Franciscan monk John of Werden offered a compilation of sermons called Dormi Secure. The full title means, “Sleep soundly, and don’t worry about your sermon tomorrow; there … Continue reading “Homiletical Plagiarism Is Nothing New”

G. Campbell Morgan once observed, “The preacher should never address a crowd without remembering his ultimate citadel is the citadel of the human will. He may travel along the line of the emotions, but he is after the will. He may approach along the line of the intellect, but he is after the will. “When … Continue reading “Preaching Aims at the Human Will”

In his book The Passion-Driven Sermon, Jim Shaddix points out, “The Corinthian congregation was a classic, living example of how disunity in the church comes from doctrinal ignorance and spiritual immaturity. In fact, Paul already said his solution to disunity was for everyone to hold the same understandings and opinions and to speak the same … Continue reading “Biblical Preaching Ultimately Meets ‘Felt Needs’”

A recent article in the New York Times Magazine (July 25, 2010) points out the new dilemma posed by the Internet: Some things are impossible to forget. The article recounts the story of Stacy Snyder, a 25-year-old teacher-in-training, who four years ago posted a photo of herself on her MySpace page. (For those who are … Continue reading “Back Page Pulpit: Forget Me Nots”

A challenge for ministry—particularly in the preaching, teaching and writing obligations for any pastor—is to have a system in place to capture and organize ideas. A pastor reads an article in the local newspaper that he’d like to save to use as a sermon illustration at some point in the future. He doesn’t think he … Continue reading “Evernote and Online Archiving: Powerful New Tools for the Pastor”

While your church is holding a service or study in your facility, would you like members and guests who aren’t able to attend in person to be able to watch that event from their mobile phones or iPads remotely? That’s the purpose behind YouVersion, an application that allows people to interact with church events in … Continue reading “YouVersion Helps Churches Provide Mobile Access to Events”

It’s a full-time job with no days off for every preacher! I am thinking about the fine art of illustrating sermons: those stories that help explain, make clear and connect listeners to a biblical truth. Here are three vital guidelines for effective sermon illustrations that have proven helpful to me through the years. First, let … Continue reading “Preacher to Preacher: Windows Are Better than Paintings!”