Preach the Word – September/October 2021
The Gospels: The Center of the Gospel The gospel is the good news that God forgives sins and saves sinners. This is good news because without this news the news is bad: God condemns sin ...
Preach the Word – July/August 2021
Movements in Sermon Writing I find that writing isn’t difficult. Sitting down to write—that’s difficult. The good lurking within my procrastination, fueling the fear at the edges of my work, is that it matters to ...
Preach the Word – May/June 2021
Joy and Confidence from the Basics - Part 5 You’ve heard that communication is 93% nonverbal. What does this say about sermon delivery? Clearly, we ought to spend way more time than we do in ...
Preach the Word – March 2021
A drill sergeant is giving an order to a cadet.Sergeant: “There is no talking during drill.”Cadet: “Yes, sir. The fellas were just explaining that to me.”Sergeant: “Be quiet, cadet! There is no talking during drill!”Cadet: ...
Preach the Word – January/February 2021
Joy and Confidence from the Basics - Part 3 I watch a pastor from three rows behind and a little to the left. He is celebrating 25 years in the ministry. He is listening to ...
Preach the word – November/December 2020
Joy and Confidence from the Basics - Part 2 If there were such a thing as “Paustian’s Famous Home-Cooked Chili,” I imagine creating each new batch by some combination of habit, instinct, and muscle memory. ...
Preach the Word – September/October 2020
Joy and Confidence from the Basics What a thing it is to be someone’s pastor. A young woman lies in her hospital bed lost in a fog of bad news. You walk in the door. ...
Preach the Word – July/August 2020
Volume 23, Number 6 Delivery Matters I can still remember my first real “preaching” opportunity—evening chapel at MLC during my senior year. I triumphantly finished writing my manuscript. It felt so good to be done! ...
Preach the Word – May/June 2020
Volume 23, Number 5 Go Deep As you know by now, I’m a fan of simple preaching. I love Luther’s assessment of a good preacher: “He’s the best preacher who can teach in a plain, ...
Preach the Word – March/April 2020
Volume 23, Number 4 What's the Point? I have a confession to make. I once attended Joel Osteen’s church. Okay, twice. I went twice. My wife and I lived in Houston, TX for a year, ...