Hit the Pause Button
It's been said there's music in the rests. Likewise, there's substance in the pause if you know how to use it well.
Eye, Eye, Preacher!
Make concerted efforts to make eye contact with your congregants when preaching.
Sermon Whittling: Learn to Edit Before You Preach
Editing one's sermon prior to entering the pulpit allows you to say more and make the best use of your time.
If It’s Greek to You, Make It English to Them
There's a reason why people say, "It's Greek to me," when they don't understand something, so don't impose too much Greek language on your listeners when you're in the pulpit.
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.
Ten Commandments for Preaching
When it comes to preaching and teaching the Bible, we all fall short. Who hasn't quoted the wrong reference or (worse) read the wrong passage of Scripture altogether? Who hasn't, in the heat of the moment, accidentally gotten tie-tongued and credited Paul with the words of Peter? You may even find yourself creating a homiletical mountain out of an exegetical molehill. Everyone makes mistakes, but for all the mistakes preachers can (and do) make, here are 10 that we should do our best to avoid at all costs.