Preachers, we need to show, not tell. What this means is that it is crucial to address the senses. We need to spice up our language so that people can get a clear picture in their minds about what we are describing. Generalization is the death of...
I want to talk for a few posts about the storying process. In this post, let’s talk a moment about images and imagination. Here’s a trick. Let’s suppose I say, “Not everything that appears to be valuable is actually valuable...
I’ve seen too many pastors give sermons that resemble reports or presentations more than sermons. I confess that I have done that myself. One major reason for this, I believe, is the emphasis on expository preaching. And expository preaching...
Connection in preaching means that it is not about the preacher. It is about the congregation. Self-centered preachers rarely connect. Preaching then, requires us to take a stance of humility and deference to the needs of the congregation. Why? If...
Can you imagine the first humans sitting around the fire telling stories about the day they had exploring their world? They might see a bird they had never seen before. Or they played with a deer in the forest. They shared their experiences, their...
You can have piles of facts and verses and information and fail to resonate in your preaching. Why? It’s not about the information itself, it is about the emotional impact of that information. We preach as if humans are logical, rational...
We have all sat through them. We have all preached them. We all hate them: boring sermons. Sermons are the currency of most churches. They have a pivotal role in the life of the church because they have the ability to affect change in people. Yet...
Starting next week, I want to begin a practical series on preaching. The role of the preacher is to communicate the message of God to others for the purpose of partnering with the Spirit to bring transformation in the lives of others. This...
I ran across this video from TEDxEast, which is the famous TED’s presentations but located in New York City. This presentation is given by Nancy Duarte, an American writer and graphic designer. She is particularly known for her book...
I want to move back to a discussion of thinking through a theology of transformational change by integrating theology and emerging science. In my research, I observed through the writings of Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, particularly in his book...