You ever notice it? That preacher starts to rise near the end of the sermon — voice bending, throat tightening, rhythm building. And suddenly, they’re not just talking. They’re singing something deeper….
Sermon is Art Not Lecture
Let’s go ahead and say it: some of these sermons out here sound like lectures. Long on information, short on inspiration. Packed with notes, but no oil. Now look — teaching is…
Why The Psalms and the Prophets Sound Like Blues
If you’ve ever spent real time in the Psalms or the Prophets, you know they don’t sound like the neat, polished songs we often sing in church. They’re raw. They’re gut-level honest….
How The Blues Helped My Preaching
Yes… I’m still thinking about the blues, y’all. And the more I sit with it, the more I realize the blues has made me a better preacher. When we talk about truth-telling…
Preaching Truth Through the Blues
Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On opens soft, like a prayer hanging in the air: “Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying. Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying.”…
What The Blues Teaches Us About Celebration
I’ve been thinking about celebration lately—what it really is, and what I actually do in my own sermons. And I’m going to get back to you soon with more on that. I…
Stop Sleeping In The Pulpit
“I“I don’t yell or whoop, how can I bring that energy to my sermon?” Good question. Very good question. Some preachers are so monotone and lifeless that they appear to be sleeping…
Thou Shalt Have Good News
I sometimes feel like a broken record….But one of my pastors used to always say, “Repetition deepens the impression.”. Anyway, this is something that preachers often ignore so I want to write…
The Answer Is In The Records
OK… So I have been learning music over the last few years. Somebody said, “All the answers are in the records.” What they were saying is that if you have a question…
Just Keep the Ball In Play
Just Keep Put The Ball In Play I wasn’t a basketball or football guy. Back in High School, I played baseball. I grew up watching the Kansas City Royals. I played little…
The Importance of Good News
You ever heard a sermon like this? “You ain’t doing this!” “You ain’t doing that!” “You better straighten up!” And then the preacher concludes the sermon… OK…the Closing song is…. Have you…
Preaching Advent With Imagination
When I was back in seminary, I remember going to Dr. Brad Braxton’s Introduction to Preaching Class at Vanderbilt Divinity School. I was excited in that Brad Braxton was an is an…
Why The Thorn
2 Corinthians 12:6-10 In our reading today Paul has an uplifting mood. However even in this elated mode we hear the overtones of the blues in his yearnings. A thorn was given…
God Will Turn A Watch Into A Warning
God will Turn a watch into a Warning God shows up every time 2 or 3 are gathered in God’s name. (Matthew 18:20) But, every once in a while… God Sho-nuff shows…