No matter how many homiletic courses taken and sermons delivered, preachers are always looking to improve their sermons. Many times the pastor leaves the pulpit on Sunday and although many hours of prayer and study went into sermon preparation, he or she is not satisfied with the results.

One pastor commented, “We pray and study all week then when we stand behind the pulpit to proclaim God’s Holy Word we fumble and bumble.”

Although the minister’s library has many preaching titles they are always on the lookout for newly published books on the subject.

Preaching Points: 55 Tips For Improving Your Pulpit Ministry will be a welcome addition to a pastor’s already voluminous library.

This book contains nuggets of wonderful insights that will help the pastor in sermon preparation.

Preaching Points is written by professors of homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching at the seminary.

The contributors are respected professors of preaching including, The late Haddon W. Robinson, Jeffrey D. Arthurs, Patricia M. Batten, Scott M. Gibson (editor), and Matthew D. Kim.

Regarding clarity, Gibson writes, “The preacher has the responsibility to be clear to his or her listeners. If there were to be an eleventh commandment given to preachers it probably would be “Be clear”! (p.1)

The late Dr. Howard Hendricks, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary supports this point about being clear by saying, “A mist in the pulpit puts a fog in the pews.”[1]

Obviously, it is important to be clear, but what is the Big Idea?

Professor Robinson states the following:

We talk about the Big Idea at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The Big Idea is the dominant idea in your sermon. It’s made up by asking two questions: First, what is the author talking about? And second, what is the author saying about what he is talking about? (p. 3)

In his book, Biblical Preaching, Robinson devotes an entire chapter to the Big Idea. Clearly, this is an important part of sermon preparation and it behooves the pastor to heed his advice.

The Preaching Points listed in the book will certainly help the preacher to stay on track and keep the attention of his or her listeners. Outstanding chapters of note are: Sermon preparation is twenty hours of prayer; Feed my lambs, not my giraffes; In our preaching, less is more; Praise your listeners before correcting them; and Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

Although the preacher may be very familiar with the text and may have preached from it many times before, they should still soak themselves in the text.

One pastor who knows the importance of soaking oneself in the text shared that he reads his text 100 times.

The book does not provide notes or a bibliography, however, the experience of these leading scholars make up for it. Several books on preaching have been written by the contributors to this book.

The material shared is invaluable for sermon preparation. They are a fountain of information to assist the pastor in fulfilling Paul’s exhortation to pastors to “Preach the Word.”

This book may not be mentioned on lists of the best books for preachers, however, it will benefit the preacher to purchase a copy. It is a very easy read and very well-written. Grab your highlighter, you will want to return here many times to be refreshed.

Reviewed by Larry Russi

Publisher’s page: https://lexhampress.com/product/153980/preaching-points-55-tips-for-improving-your-pulpit-ministry

Notes

[1] “A Fog in the Pews” Moreland First Baptist Church

Everyone has stress in their life, but some seasons of life brings more than at other times. Learning how to cope with it makes the difference between being overwhelmed and learning to grow.

In the more than 20 years that I’ve been ministering to cancer patients at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, there has never been a patient I’ve met who hasn’t had to deal with stress manifested in one way or another, which is the result of distress of one’s norm in their life. Stress simply comes with the territory.

Image: Gus Moretta

But you don’t have to fall victim to that stress. There is hope and there are ways to manage your stress in an effective manner. And, if you manage it appropriately, stress can prompt you to make healthier life choices.

Seven Stress Management Tips

1. Consciously create time and space in your mind and control your physical environment. Through prayer and rest you allow your body and mind to take a breath and pause.
2. Exercise, make smart food choices, take time to catch your breath and get quality sleep to put yourself on the right track. Caregivers can help by coaching and controlling distractions.
3. In addition to lifestyle changes such as exercise and quitting smoking, additional natural things to try that may help in managing stress such as chamomile, Epsom salts in a bath, using a lavender essential oil or magnesium are things that may help the brain relax.
4. Identify what works best for you in order to decrease stress. It could be listening to music, or taking a walk. Some find that something more active relieves stress such as a high-intensity workout. Use what works best for you.
5. There can be insightful books and articles to help you control stress in your life. Look into the self-help, or stress reduction sections. Find what aligns best with your values and beliefs.
6. Ask for help. No one can or should be expected to go through it alone. Help comes in many forms and from your doctor to your neighbor, to your pastor, most people are just waiting for you to ask.
7. Bless someone else. It can be extremely helpful and energizing to refocus your energy into another person. Maybe it’s a card, a phone call, a gift or simply a smile.

Image: Joseph Gonzalez