When you preach, are you excited about the gift of life Jesus has given you? Has given the people listening to you? Are you so excited that it’s evident in your voice, in your manner, in the way you tell the story of Jesus in your sermon? Preach passionately,...
The Hebrew scriptures are your clues to understanding the words, actions, and mission of Jesus. Everything Jesus says is built upon a Hebrew testament story from the Torah, the prophets, or the psalms. To better understand Jesus’ stories, always find its root in the...
We live in a world filled with violence. The power of prayer to turn the hearts of humanity is not to be underestimated. “In all things pray,” says Paul to the Philippians. Do not forget to make prayer part of your sermon. Do not forget that your sermon is...
Sometimes you may wonder about a metaphor in scripture that doesn’t seem to have much power. If so, you are certainly missing something. Try going back to the Hebrew meaning of that metaphor. You will surely hit pay dirt. Much is lost in translation. Take the time...
When you’re writing your sermon, don’t forget to make it story-like or to include a story if the sermon itself is not the story. Stories help people understand better what you are trying to tell them. Stories help them apply Jesus’ lessons to their own lives. And...
How do you recognize a metaphor? Here are four ways: A metaphor is a noun, such as sun, hand, light, journey, rock. A metaphor has multiple meanings and points to something more conceptual, for example: When I say, Jesus is the rock, I don’t mean literally that He is...
