On a recent Sunday morning, as I neared the climactic moment of the sermon where I was to reveal the bottom line, I was supposed to read Psalm 109:30: With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great THRONG I will praise him. Except that’s not what came out...

There are two “one things” that I believe are vital to any effective preaching. The first “one thing” is exactly that: the message needs to center on one thing. One truth. One point. One purpose. The journey to get to that one thing can be full of whimsy or full of...

Have you ever noticed that you can see a good country music song while you are hearing it? I’m only an occasional fan of that genre, but I continue to be impressed by the word pictures most country songs make. Whether it is Carrie Underwood’s vivid description of...

I had it all planned out. As part of a recent sermon, I was going to do an “experiment” demonstrating that a) oil and water don’t mix; b) there is a product made up of primarily oil & water — mayonnaise; and c) the reason mayonnaise works is because eggs are the...

At some point just before I begin every Sunday sermon, I say this to the congregation: “The bible is not a book; it’s a library: many books written by multiple authors over a long span of time and in many different styles of writing.” That realization is vital for...

Jerry Seinfeld’s comedic genius revolves around his ability to expose the absurd buried in the familiar. Here’s are some examples: According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right?...

As I have taught in both printed and video formats, I believe that the most effective sermon designs take the congregation on an adventure which leads to the unveiling of the pointed point – the bottom line or “one point” in a one point message. I typically build to...

Not long ago, I went “shopping” for a gutter protection system for our home. We’d lived in the same house for twenty-one years, and in that time seen the trees in our subdivision grow from knee high saplings to forty foot giants whose leaves cover our yard and fill...

I was speaking with a good friend recently about the difference between exhortational preaching and evocative preaching. Exhortational preaching challenges. Urges. Implores. It is filled with phrases like “you should'' and “we ought” and “do this” and “consider that.”...

There are certain things we pastors sometimes say while delivering sermons that run counter to our best interests — and undermine the effectiveness of the message we’re communicating. So here are five phrases I try my best to avoid: “If you don’t listen to anything...