Start with a Bang! Crafting a Memorable Sermon Opener

Great books often begin with great opening lines. Who doesn't remember the beginning of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"? What about the curiously blunt start to Moby Dick, "Call me Ishmael"? Authors know that if you waste a person's time at the beginning, chances are they won't stick around to the end. What's true with books is also true with sermons.

Keepers of the Aquarium

In a recent article for ChurchLeaders.com, Charlotte pastor Steven Furtick argues that most churches "say they want to reach people, but in reality they're more focused on preservation than expansion. On keeping people rather than reaching them. They let saved people dictate style. Saved people dictate focus. Saved people dictate vision.

Expositor of the Word: An Interview with Mac Brunson

Since 2006, Mac Brunson has served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, coming to that congregation from the pastorate of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Preaching Editor Michael Duduit recently visited with Brunson in his book-lined study.

Back Page Pulpit: Back on the Field

It's that time of year when all those professional baseball players put away their recliners and munchies, step away from the big-screen TV, and start stretching and warming up for the new season. Yes, spring training time has arrived.

Young Mr. Spurgeon

By the middle of 1852, a young minister serving in the quaint and pastoral village of Waterbeach, located just a few miles from Cambridge, England, was becoming a minor local celebrity-a prologue to a much bigger story to come. There was a chapel in another hamlet not far away, overseen by a faithful servant of God who was well more than 80 years old. The congregants purposed to have a special service to mark their pastor's anniversary at their church.

Big Days Have Big Value

In a recent article for his Ministry Toolbox newsletter, Rick Warren points out a number of benefits that churches receive from "big day" attendance emphases. Among these:

Loving the Hard Work of Preaching

In an article at his Practical Shepherding blog, Brian Croft says it is precisely the hard work involved in preaching preparation that we should celebrate. He writes:

What God Has Done to Death

"Death be not proud, for thou art not so," wrote John Donne (1572-1631), the great poet and much-quoted pastor of St. Paul's Cathedral. Yet, then as now, even the most memorable words in our language can seem empty and cold. Death seems to terrorize us like a dark specter as it stalks the wounded widow and oppresses the lonely orphan. And lest we face this menace of mankind as if it didn't exist, or as if it had been eradicated from the world, or as if we could stand stoically flint-faced and unmoved by it, we must acknowledge that the Bible does admit its gruesome and inhumane attack on our emotions.

Preaching About Purpose

In his book Unleashing the Word (Abingdon), pastor Adam Hamilton talks about how he uses preaching to help the congregation refocus on their purpose: