We preachers often find ourselves in the midst of a quest for sermon outlines.  Many of us think if we can just find the right outline, the right scaffolding from which to build the rest of the message, then everything else will fall in place. In fact, as Easter...

Well, with Easter Sunday approaching, preaching is on the minds of a lot of us, well, preachers. And through my years in seminary and then full time ministry, a number of books have shaped my understanding of what it means to preach.  Namely: what is the purpose of a...

This message required a bit of biblical dexterity. Because when Jesus says in John 19:30 "It is finished," what is completed has its origins in Leviticus 16 (see in sermon below). HOWEVER, during the 10:00 worship service on Sunday, I had neglected to place my marker...

Each morning during Finished Business, the people of Good Shepherd have opened their email inboxes and discovered a daily Scripture, Reflection, and Prayer delivered to them. The written material comes from the our Finished Business Devotion Guides, still available...

It is quite possible to preach a sermon that appears to be from the bible … but is not at all biblical. How do you do that? By taking interesting, provocative, preachable verses, yanking them out of their immediate surroundings in the text, and preaching them as if...

. . . I decided to doodle my Top 10 -- or 15 -- male tennis players of all time.   How'd I do?

Last week (Monday, March 27 - Sunday, April 2) had an interesting "full circle" arc to it.  Here's what I mean: Monday -- I began the week making a Monday morning visit to a young adult in the behavioral unit of an area hospital.  Towards the end of a conversation in...

The message used ... a video montage of Nick Saban & Bill Belichick; a still photo & quote from Hugh Jackman; a demonstration involving Chris Macedo playing Eric Clapton; and an exploration into the strategy and psychology behind Pontius Pilate's question...