Lord save us from boring sermons! Boring sermons tend to be dry or trite. Dry sermons assert ideas about God but don’t connect with real life (“So What?” sermons). Trite sermons address life’s struggles, but stay on the surface and offer easy answers (“Yeah Right!” sermons). A good sermon connects the head with the heart, […]
In August-September 2017 I am taking a group of about 35 students and friends from Carey to Israel and Palestine to walk over ancient sites, to read text in context, and to meet afresh the historical Jesus. Last year I went there on sabbatical and I became convinced (that wasn’t hard!) that I wanted to […]
I have been reading, lately, about educational theory. It’s fascinating! According to social learning theorists, people learn by observing and imitating those around them. What’s the easiest way to learn a second language? The way we learned out first, by immersion, by listening at great lengths to those who speak the language fluently. How do […]
As much as I love the research and reading (the conversations with other wrestlers of the Word) and discovering new revelation and bringing that before the congregation . . . I wonder if sometimes we make it too hard for ourselves. Part of the joy of preaching I’ve recently rediscovered is this: simply reminding people […]
I remember a comment from years ago by R.T. Kendal (former incumbent at the famous Westminster Chapel, UK) who admitted that he felt tremendous pressure to always have something original to say when preaching. He realised he needed to be careful with this, novelty is not a criteria of orthodoxy, and that preaching the Bible […]
We just did a series on the End of the World. I was afraid to touch this topic and there are some interesting ideas out there. I was also aware that I will never have read enough to feel ready to preach on this, but we decided to give it a go. Our Youth pastor […]
The first time it happened it sent shivers of terror down my spine. I was preaching in full flow, making what I thought was a deeply meaningful point. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand begin to rise. At first, I pushed on. I averted my gaze. I locked […]
I had the enormous privilege of being a keynote speaker at Carey Baptist College’s recent conference on preaching, alongside William Willimon. I loved Will’s talks. He portrayed God as wild and free, always surprising us, always speaking to us in ways we aren’t expecting. He told great stories to illustrate the ways God had spoken […]
The Gospel of Jesus is both the ground and resource for life and meaning. I’ve discovered that I will never preach a theological truth that is more profound than the gospel. Preaching Gospel-centred sermons does not mean preaching an evangelistic Gospel message each week concluding with an altar call; nor does it mean hastily pegging […]
I became fascinated at the way narrative was constructed sitting in my fifth and sixth form English classes; I had teachers who were outstanding. I still remember the excitement of tracing the motifs of light and dark – day and night – in William Goldings, Lord of the Flies, for myself. I started to appreciate […]
