The congregation I am a member of has called a new pastor. Today he will preach in our church for the first time. Our current pastor is retiring after faithfully leading these people for 35 years. The Call Committee has been planning, searching, and interviewing candidates for over a year and a half. […]
3121) Seeking the Perfect Pastor Read More »
Pictured above: January 6, 1980 —————————————————— (…continued) God himself has promised to be in these words, inadequate and unpolished as they might be, from me or any other preacher; or, as unwanted as they might be sometimes by you. In Isaiah 55:10-11, God says about his word: “As the rain and the snow
2752) Coming Up With the Words (b) Read More »
Painting above: The Torment of Creative Work, by Leonid Pasternak (1862-1945) ——————————————- I was ordained forty-five years ago today. The following is from a sermon I gave when my congregation celebrated my first 25 years in the ministry. One day when my son was about nine years old, he and several of the
2751) Coming Up With the Words (a) Read More »
A sermon is supposed to explain and proclaim God’s whole Word, whether we like it or not. If you like everything the preacher says all the time, the preacher is probably not doing his or her job– and pastors need to be careful about that. They must resist the temptation to be only
2551) Hear the Word of the Lord Read More »
(…continued from #2532) Let’s apply this (from part one) to another setting. Imagine yourself at the doctor’s office. Your doctor is a good doctor, but a rather bland and boring person. He never smiles, doesn’t have time for a joke, and he always has the same dull look on his face. One day
2534) Jay Leno and Me (part two of two) Read More »
Adapted from a sermon given in March 2011 On March 12th, Jay Leno, host of the Tonight Show, will be performing at Mystic Lake Casino near Shakopee. Tickets for the show are $75. Think about that. In many ways, what I do for a living is the exact same thing as what Jay Leno does.
2532) Jay Leno and Me (part one of two) Read More »
William Franklin Graham, Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) ———————— By John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris, http://www.breakpoint.org, February 22. 2018. Here’s a story that could be repeated by any one of a million Americans: “At age 45 I attended a Billy Graham Crusade in New York City and
1779) America’s Pastor Goes Home Read More »
What’s the number one thing we can do to fill our churches? It’s probably not what you think. By John Stonestreet, at http://www.breakpoint.org, May 9, 2017 According to a new Gallup survey, the quality of the worship band isn’t the main reason people go to church. Neither is it thriving kids’ programs. Or
1490) What Do People Want? Read More »
By Rev. David Lose (not the above preacher), Professor of Preaching at Luther Seminary, St.Paul, Minnesota; posted 10-23-2009 at: www.workingpreacher.org The following letter was posted on a website designed to assist in the weekly task of preaching. It was written as a word of encouragement to the pastors who prepare and preach sermons, but it
945) Life, Death, and the Task of Preaching Read More »
