Dear Diary, Every day is hard now. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a nice meal and a few laughs. It’s all so serious all the time. God continues to give me messages of doom and destruction. Honestly, no one even knows my name anymore. They just say, “Here comes the weeping prophet.”Continue reading “The Weeping Prophet Curses His Birthday, but Maintains Hope.”
Category Archives: Preaching
Let Not Many of You Become Teachers. Romans 2:17-24.
Could you become a pastor for the wrong reasons? Karl Vaters of CHRISTIANITY TODAY argues that you could.[1] “People become pastors for so many wrong reasons. They like the status. They like speaking in public. They like arguing theology. They come from a long line of ministers. The list goes on.” The trouble with enteringContinue reading “Let Not Many of You Become Teachers. Romans 2:17-24.”
A PASTOR/SHEPHERD IS A SERVANT, NOT AN ENTERTAINER. Ezekiel 33-34.
My childhood pastor, John Bisagno, had “a flair for the dramatic.” He was an engaging preacher with a powerful voice and a rich imagination. Sometimes I became so swept up in the moment, I focused more on the delivery than the message. Brother John was not just a preacher, but an orator. I was enthralled.Continue reading “A PASTOR/SHEPHERD IS A SERVANT, NOT AN ENTERTAINER. Ezekiel 33-34.”
ENTERTAINMENT AT CHURCH. Ezekiel 33:30-33.
SESAME STREET convinced generations of children that school should be fun. There’s nothing wrong with an entertaining class. But EXPECTING to be entertained at school is TERRIBLE. If students believe everything must be entertaining to “earn” their attention, then they will refuse to learn when things become boring or tedious. Why is that a problem?Continue reading “ENTERTAINMENT AT CHURCH. Ezekiel 33:30-33.”
THE SCANDAL OF THE SERMON ILLUSTRATION. Ezekiel 1-4.
We have gotten carried away with sermon illustrations. One Sunday morning I turned on the television to discover that Woodlands, Texas, pastor Kerry Shook had had truckload after truckload of dirt hauled into his church and piled on the stage. Stage left bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and stage right bore a thirty-foot moundContinue reading “THE SCANDAL OF THE SERMON ILLUSTRATION. Ezekiel 1-4.”
TREMBLE. Isaiah 66:2.
I remember the fear I felt one night when I was a little boy. We were in a fourth-floor apartment in New York City visiting my aunt and uncle. My brother and I had gone to bed and the lights were off. Suddenly I looked at the window and saw a man on the fireContinue reading “TREMBLE. Isaiah 66:2.”
What Makes a Great Preacher? Jonah and 1 Samuel 16:13.
What is the secret to preaching? Is it being funny? Or telling a good story? Or having four points that begin with the letter “P”? How about rightly interpreting a passage of scripture? That is important, but there is more: preachers should explain scripture—AND it should be the passage God placed on their hearts forContinue reading “What Makes a Great Preacher? Jonah and 1 Samuel 16:13.”
Household Words: 