Preaching

Recently, USA Today carried an article by Greg Toppo that told of the National Anthem Project. What is the purpose? Teaching people the words and meaning of the Star Spangled Banner. According to creators of the project six out of ten people claim to know the words, but fewer than...

The Art Of Storytelling

The Art Of Storytelling (Moody) by John Walsh is a wonderful guide to the art of telling stories that will captivate listeners. Although not specifically written for preachers, they will find any number of helpful ideas to bring new life and energy to the stories they tell in and out of the pulpit.

Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog

Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Cowley Publications) is one of the more unusual preaching books of recent years. A collection of sermons inspired in some way by the lyrics of the musical group U2, it is really a reflection of the relationship between faith and popular culture in...

Giving

According to Aesop, a miser sold all his possessions and bought a lump of gold, which he then buried in a hole beside an old wall. Every day he went to visit it. One of his friends took note of his frequent visits and decided to watch more closely. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden...

Breakout Churches

In Breakout Churches (Zondervan), Thom S. Rainer and his research team examined more than 50,000 churches in the U.S. to identify those characteristics that help a church "breakout" and make the leap from good to great. The project was inspired by the best-selling business book Good to...

Sermons From Duke Chapel

Some of America's best-known preachers have spoken from the pulpit of Duke Chapel over the past seventy years. Now in Sermons From Duke Chapel (Duke Univ. Press), William H. Willimon - who recently left Duke to become a United Methodist bishop in Birmingham - has assembled a ...

Family

In his autobiography the late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, tells of his difficult childhood. Dave had been adopted, but did not learn of it until he was thirteen. His adoptive mother died when he was quite young. His adoptive father ran through several wives and he and Dave had a...

Nobody’s Perfect, But You Have To Be

One of the major issues in the business and political worlds today is the subject of ethics. In an age where Enron and WorldCom have become synonyms for dishonesty and greed, there is an increasing awareness that we must expect more from our leaders. And nowhere is that more...

Family – Rifts

The Associated Press recently released a story about a pair of sisters in Tokyo, Japan that became concerned that something was wrong with their father. They reported him missing. The police found the man and something was definitely wrong. The man was dead-his body lying on a...

Family – Work

A hard working man heard an interesting conversation his two year old daughter had with his wife. They were discussing geography and the mother asked." Where does mommy live?" "Minneapolis," answered the child. "Where does grandma live?" "Baltimore," said the little girl." "Where...