The Church…Hospital or Hospice
The church is not a monument for the righteous, it is a hospital for sinners. So goes the popular saying that has taken on almost cliche-like proportions in many of …
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Strange Sermon Titles
At this link you will find a bunch of sermon titles connected to the scripture. Some are not bad, some are terrible, some are bizarre. I find that looking at sermon titles can help to rejuvinate the creative juices. It might help you, but be careful, some are absolutely terrible, for example:
- PIMPOLOGY – Purpose In My Pain – 2 Corinthians 11:23-30
- I’m So Sick of Frogs I Could Croak! – Exodus 8:12-14
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Looking at the “Insignificant” Parts of the Text
Preachers are expected to “tell the story” in the African American tradition. Often this is a call to preach the familiar stories that we all have heard multiple times. Preaching familiar stories helps both the preacher and the people. The people know the story that you are seeking to interpret and the preacher does not have to go looking in obscure sections of the Bible for something to preach.
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Are Your Sermons Improving?
Russel D. Moore has an interesting article up on his website “Moore To The Point.” Somebody contacted Pastor Moore fearful of poor preaching. The individual believed that he was preaching …
Are Your Sermons Improving? Read More
Does Your Ministry Ever Leave The Church Building?
Preachers. I have a very important question for you. Does your ministry ever leave the church building? You know many times we church folks act as though we have done …
Does Your Ministry Ever Leave The Church Building? Read More
Many Want To Hear Something Significant
I was talking to one of our readers during my office hours and the subject came to the preachers who get all the invitations. In some cases they are the …
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While Waiting For Your Turn To Preach
You have been called to preach, but it seems that your opportunities to preach are slim to none. You see your other associate colleagues who have more invitations than they …
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When Are You Finished Preparing Your Sermon?
This is another one of the most popular questions. Whenever I have a seminar or receive questions through the mail, someone asks, “How do I know my sermon is ready …
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Preaching Without Notes through Improvisation
A few years ago, I attended a workshop entitled: “Authentic Patience: Improvisation and Preaching.” The presentation was by Rev Mark T. Davis who is the senior pastor at First Presbyterian …
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Should We Preach Prosperity?
Well, there is a new book that helps us understand what the question even means. Many of the most popular preacher in the African American community could be considered “prosperity …
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Are You Feeding The Sheep or Bleeding On The Sheep?
One of our readers, C. Johnson, wrote a perceptive comment which reads in part:
To a large degree, what is said, heard and done (in the pulpit) is all prepackaged. Even the words that are used, are for the most part scripted long before a text is exegeted and expounded.
and further
Too many who populate pulpits reduce the Bible to the script of the people we serve and as a result, lead them into both mediocrity and blindness.
Using the Pulpit to Beat our Enemies
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Telling the Story and Making Your Points while Preaching
In the African American Preaching Tradition the ability to “tell the story” is highly prized. It is also helpful when preaching to any ethnic group. There is something about stories that captures the imagination of the hearer in ways that no other method can. Stories grab the people and place them in the Bible story as they recognize parts of the story playing out in their own lives. Stories are powerful especially Bible stories.
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Is The Preacher A Prophet or Priest
A few years ago, the Biblical Preaching blog asked the question, “Are you a Prophet or Priest?
Is The Preacher A Prophet or Priest Read More
Denzel to Preachers – Just “Let It Rip”
The Talking the Walk Blog has an interesting post that seeks to derive help for preachers from an interview with Denzel Washington.
Denzel answers why he did a particular hand movement in a movie by saying:
Denzel to Preachers – Just “Let It Rip” Read More