Personal Development on Preaching

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Preach or Pray: St. Francis Seeks Guidance from Holy Friends

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Early in his career, St. Francis of Assisi was in great agony of doubt about how to proceed. Should he devote himself to prayer and meditation alone or to preach? A humble man, he sought out the wisdo...

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The Power of Silence & the Pregnant Pause

Author

Richard John Neuhaus

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For many of us, silence is something we try to avoid, both in conversations and in preaching. But as Richard John Neuhaus aptly describes in his time watching Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his sermo...

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God of our hearts, Lord of nations and

Author

Richard Herman

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God of our hearts, Lord of nations and Creator of worlds; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: When You redeemed us and called us each by name, You made us a family—united by your love and grace. Across towns...

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The Lord calls us to examine the wounds

The Lord calls us to examine the wounds of the Risen One and to see there the depth of his love for us. Let us therefore approach the throne of God in confidence as we pray for the people of God in Ch...

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Author

Abraham Lincoln

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I don't like to hear cut and dried sermons. No—when I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees.

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Author

Francis of Assisi

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It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

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A Shaman Decides to Practice What He Preaches

Author

Mia Levetan

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Scripture

Matthew 7:3-5, 1 Peter 5:3, James 3:1, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Matthew 23:3

There once was a popular shaman in India whom people would seek out for advice. People would stand in line for hours, waiting to hear the choices they should make in their lives or the changes that wo...

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Some Ground-Rules for Developing Resilience

Author

Gordon MacDonald

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I’m not sure that I could have articulated the ground rules for the search for resilience the way I understand them today, but I must have intuited them nevertheless. Some of the basic ideas were thes...

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Author

Augustine of Hippo

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‘For my own way of expressing myself almost always disappoints me… I am saddened that my tongue cannot live up to my heart.’

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Author

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Scripture

John 4:7-26, John 21:15-19, Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 10:17-22, Matthew 16:24-25, Romans 6:1-2, James 2:17

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace ...

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Adapted from Acts 10:34-43

Author

Dustin Ray

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Scripture

Acts 10:34-43

Pastor: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good n...

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A Pastor’s Greatest Accomplishment

Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Calling

Scripture

Numbers 6:24-26, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Ephesians 3:20-21, Galatians 2:20

Dr. Halverson pastored Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, for twenty-three years. He did what pastors do-everything from preaching and counseling to marrying and burying. But he believe...

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A Watchman at the Gate

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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Scripture

Matthew 24:36-44

Editor’s Note: The following was an imagination exercise used while preaching on Matthew 24:36-44, I began by inviting the congregation to close their eyes. Imagine you are a watchmen (or woman) stan...

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First and Third World Fears & Authentic Worship

Author

Mark Labberton

Keywords

Fear

Scripture

Psalm 27:null, 1 John 4:19

One Sunday I was preaching on Psalm 27. It is a remarkable psalm of hope for God’s- deliverance from fear for those who have faced tough times. With the same candor found in many psalms, this one vivi...

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How Grace Transforms and Holiness Follows

Author

Bryan Chapell

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:9, Titus 2:11-12, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 8:1-11, Exodus 16:13-18, Romans 7:18-25, John 15:1-5

A number of you may be aware of Jerry Bridges’ series of books on holiness, and the book that maybe put him on the map was Pursuit of Holiness . Jerry’s a friend, so he’s told me these stories, and I...

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Embodying a Decision

Author

Wesley Granberg-Michaelson

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 6:2, Matthew 4:19-20, Hebrews 11:8, Acts 2:37-38, Mark 10:50

Billy Graham had a weekly radio show titled The Hour of Decision. Normally it was a tape recording of the service and message he’d given at a recent evangelistic rally. And at the conclusion of every ...

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Sabbath for Pastors: Why Is It So Hard to Rest?

Author

Dan Baumgartner

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If you are a pastor…this one’s for you. Sabbath. So many things have been written. Most of us have taught our people or preached about Sabbath, and underscored how busy people in our churches re...

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Identity and Pastors: Struggle, Success, and the Silent Battle

Author

Geoffrey V. Dudley

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"Not Against Flesh and Blood..." There is an unspoken battle that every pastor faces—a battle not against flesh and blood , nor merely against the seen forces of ministry challenges, but...

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Psalm 51 | Awareness of Sin

Ancient lens What’s the historical context? A Historical Clue The superscript of Psalm 51 gives us a historical clue about the composition of this Psalm, “A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophe...

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Preventing Pastoral Burnout: How to Cope with Overwhelm

Author

Alan Briggs

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A Leadership Coach’s Perspective I make it a habit to study what’s happening in churches across the country. I get the honor of coaching some incredible pastors, so I need to stay fresh. Any time I’m...

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Maximize the Moment: Be Diligent

Author

Claude Alexander

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Scripture

John 9:1-5, John 9:5, John 9:null, John 9:25, Matthew 27:54

Blog post adapted from Necessary Christianity by Claude Alexander, Jr. Adapted from Chapter 5, "I Must Be Diligent" The life of Jesus reveals that God’s call and God’s claim on the belie...

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The Banshees of Inisherin Movie Review

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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Scripture

Ephesians 4:null

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or. what's a heaven for? " Robert Browning A part of our desire at The Pastor’s Workshop is to help pastors connect the stories in ...

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What Is Missing in Our Leadership?

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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Leaders—Called to Pray I don't know about you, but I've always had a hard time spending extended periods of time in prayer. Our lectionary author this week, Cody Sandahl, shares his own st...

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Beautiful Feet

Author

Warren W. Wiersbe

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Scripture

Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, Matthew 5:11-12, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Matthew 23:11-12, Proverbs 31:30, Acts 4:13, Acts 5:40-42, Acts 17:30-31

A missionary was preaching in the village market, and some of the people were laughing at him because he was not a very handsome man. He took it for a time, and then he said to the crowd, “It is true ...

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Managing the Big Battalions of Life

Author

Frank W Boreham

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 21:1-5, 1 Samuel 2:1-11, Luke 1:11-17, Luke 2:1-21, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:21, Micah 5:2

A century ago, men were following with bated breath the march of Napoleon and waiting feverishly for news of the war. And all the while in their own homes, babies were being born. But who could think ...

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Rolling the Stone Away

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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Scripture

Matthew 16:25, Luke 9:62, Philippians 3:7-8, Acts 20:13-36, Matthew 10:16-42, James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The renowned scholar and musician Albert Schweitzer’s life was turned upside down one summer morning in 1896 while reading his Bible. He came upon Matthew 16:25: “For whosoever will save his life shal...

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Attitude Is Everything

Author

Dynamic Preaching

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 100:2, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Galatians 6:9, Romans 12:11, Ecclesiastes 9:10

Harry Emerson Fosdick once told how as a child, his mother sent him to pick a quart of raspberries. Reluctantly he dragged himself to the berry patch. His afternoon was ruined for sure. Then a thought...

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Reaching the Unchurched

Author

Carl Medeiras

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Here is my grid for how I think of what to say when given the platform by a friend out of trust – a friend who is not following Jesus: I want to honor the friendship by doing exactly what he’s asked ...

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Adapted from Revelation 3:15-22

Author

Dustin Ray

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Scripture

Revelation 3:15-22

Pastor: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you...

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Author

Martin Luther

Keywords

Listening

Some plague the people with too long sermons; for the faculty of listening is a tender thing, and soon becomes weary and satiated.

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