After one’s community has experienced an earthquake, a wildfire, a tsunami, a hurricane, a tornado outbreak, or any other natural environmental disaster, there are differences and challenges to preaching that were not present the Sunday before. This book orients preachers to those differences and challenges. It contains accessible research from natural disaster experts to give an understanding of how individuals and communities are impacted by a natural disaster. Basic biblical building blocks are provided for developing one’s own scriptural view of the event and all that follows a disaster. It is filled with coaching from pastors that have already preached in the aftermath of a natural environmental disaster, making this a very practical resource.
Helpful and insightful strategies for preaching from the writings of Paul. Few biblical figures are more compelling to preachers than the apostle Paul. The story of his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus is a favorite example of the way that God turns lives around. His writings contain the earliest witness we have to the Christian gospel. His message of God's offer of grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is deeply appealing. So why is it that when it comes time to choose a text for this Sunday's sermon, preachers so often choose something other than Paul? When Brad Braxton asked himself that question, he realized that preachers are often daunted by the size and complexity of the Pauline corpus. Drawing on his expertise as a New Testament scholar and homiletics professor, as well as on his experience as a pastor, Braxton offers the reader tools with which to wrestle more effectively with the complex, yet essential, message of Paul. Eschewing either a solely historical approach or a completely spiritual one, the author brings the two together to explore the meaning of Paul's message in its original context, as well as its contemporary application. Written with imagination and depth of understanding, this book is for anyone who wishes to know Paul better and to preach from his letters more effectively.
From Story Interpretation to Sermon Crafting was written by a preacher for preachers who have to deal with the competing demands of pastoral ministry. It takes some of the gains of the last seven decades of the literary approach to Scripture and applies them to a vital aspect of pastoral ministry--preaching. The book presents a text-centered and theological approach to analyzing Old Testament narratives. This approach lays a solid basis for interpreting the narratives, and demonstrates that the movement from examining the text to crafting the sermon is a continuous process. Making use of many examples based on narrative passages from the Old Testament that facilitate grasping the methodology, this approach to sermon crafting is rooted in the text, shaped by the text, and is characterized by sound and controlled exegesis. It provides the pastor with an approach that enables Old Testament historical narrative to speak to Christian believers in contemporary society in a way that addresses the issues, concerns, and struggles faced by the church and Christians. The writer to the Hebrews says of righteous Abel, "though he is dead, he still speaks" (11:4). Similarly, these ancient stories do speak and can still speak today. To make them heard effectively and relevantly is the purpose of the book.
Preaching Magazine's 2015 Book of the Year If you are a pastor, you know the importance of preaching. You have spent time learning and refining the art of preaching because it is vital to the life of God's people—including the preacher. But you probably also find it challenging. On Preaching is a masterful resource that will refresh your soul and revitalize your preaching ministry. Drawing upon Scripture and years of preaching experience, H. B. Charles offers a practical resource for pastors, seminarians, church planters, and Bible teachers that is full of energy and wonderfully enjoyable. He gives tips like, "Avoid indecent exposure—get your wife's permission before using your family in the message" and "Illustrate! A good illustration is like a window on a house. It helps your listeners see in or out." Written in a very clear and concise manner, this resource is formatted into 30 short chapters that can easily be read as a devotional. On Preaching will encourage seasoned preachers to dig deeper into the basics as they pause and reflect on the effectiveness of their ministry. It will also serve as a spring board for those who are just beginning a preaching ministry.
A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Christian Communicators. This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology, including: Sermon structure and “the big idea.” The art of introductions, transitions, and conclusions. Methods for sermon prep, from outlining to exercising. Approaches to different types of preaching: topical, expository, evangelistic, and more. Best practices for sermon delivery, speaking with authority, and using humor. Leveraging effective illustrations and stories. Understanding audience. and much more. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who’s Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson—two of today’s most respected voices in preaching—provide editorial oversight. Includes audio CD with preaching technique examples from the book.
The autobiographical novel O Love How Deep by Diana Maryon contains striking insights into relations between the sexes, Christian discipleship, and mastering disappointment. I hope that I shall see it in print in some form in due course. J.I. Packer, Author and Theologian "I knew from the first 100 pages that I was going to be enthralled with this story, and so I was, right to the end. I literally couldn't put it down. Of course, it doesn't seem like the end because I still want to know more about Hope. The loving portraits of the authors two children were the highlight for me. Why that is so, I don't know. Perhaps the honesty about motherhood. It is a fine adult-Christian book and should enjoy a wide readership." Mary Razzell, Author After twenty-six-year-old Australian David Carpenter, a psychiatrist and neurological researcher himself, had a breakdown in his first year at Cambridge, his therapist told him, Go into the Anglican Chaplaincy, investigate Christianity, and have a love-affair with a nice Christian girl. He did precisely that. Diana was only twenty. They grew so close that when, after four years, she married someone else, he returned home devastated. They did not meet again for eight years. He realised then that he still loved her, and she him. He asked her to break her marriage for him. Instead, she sent him away indefinitely. In her last letter she begged him to give her up. She said that Oxford had rejected her dissertation. She was thirty-three, with her academic career now shattered. This is the poignant true story of three hyper-intelligent, cosmopolitan, and highly-educated people fighting their way through to genuine faith, hope and love in the modern world.
