When you hear the word “eschatology” do you think about number codes, multi-headed dragons, and colored horses? I hope not. More than plotting out the events of the end of the world. Eschatology is about history’s trajectory toward the end of the world as a result of Christ’s already/not yet destruction of the old age (accomplished [...]
Why You Must Preach Against Sin
March 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
What keeps your people from the salvation available in Jesus? What blocks out the joy of sanctification? What tethers our hope to this world, preventing us from being so heavenly minded that we can do some earthly good? The answer is sin. Specific sins. Sins that don’t feel like sin, having been dutifully neutralized by [...]
Find a Task List System That Fits Your Personality
March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Something for Pastors to Remember on Monday Morning
March 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“All things considered” is an ingredient that will tame the zing of a spicy Sunday church service. The sermon wasn’t that bad, considering that important visit to the hospital that ate up some prep time. The attendance at the evening service wasn’t that bad, considering it was the start of spring break. The singing wasn’t that bad, considering [...]
5 Characteristics of Constantly Improving Preachers
March 27, 2011 By 5 Comments
What tricks have you tried to make your preaching better? Writing more interesting introductions? Stating your your main point more memorably? Is it actually working? Ironically, I have found that the more I try to preach better, the worse I do. But the more I just try to preach, the better I do. In other words, [...]
24 Examples of Gospel-Centered Ministry from 1 Thessalonians
March 26, 2011 By 1 Comment
Understanding gospel-centered ministry merely in terms of preaching the message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection will turn you into a one-trick pastoral pony. Pastoral work should have the gospel as its motivation, not only its message. Paul defines his ministry in terms of proclaiming the gospel in 1 Thessalonians, but it works itself out [...]
How To Set Up Your Files for Efficient and Effective Sermon Prep
March 24, 2011 By 3 Comments
This is the fourth article in a series on How to Get Organized. Don’t forget to read articles one, two, and three! When it comes to filing, there are two kinds of pastors in the world. Black hole filers keep everything, but the stuff will never see light again. Anti-filers don’t file anything because they [...]
10 Questions You Better be Ready to Answer at a Pastoral Interview
March 21, 2011 By 1 Comment
How to Read 200 Blog Posts in 20 Minutes
March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
How to Make Your Desk a Cockpit for Exegesis
March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever thought about how efficiently your office is set up? There’s a reason why fighter pilots don’t have to reach behind their head for missle triggers. Matt Perman, over at What’s Best Next, wrote a great series on how to set up your desk. Find a setup that aligns best with your study habits. Or [...]
Get Rid of Inefficient Sermon Prep with Preaching Templates, Part 2
March 19, 2011 By 4 Comments
One reason we prepare sermons inefficiently is because we get stuck. Either our mind somehow wanders off, or we lose momentum between steps. That’s why preaching templates help. Its headings focus your attention on the task at hand, gliding you from step to step. The exegesis template focused on figuring out the text. This one guides us [...]
Get Rid of Inefficient Sermon Prep with Preaching Templates, Part 1
March 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
Could you say that you have your sermon preparation process nailed down? Ever since my first preaching class, I’ve searched for the method that “works for me” like a pimply faced teenager goes through acne medication regimens. I’ve seen blemishes disappear here and there over the years, but I have finally found something that really works. [...]
You Don’t Have to Be a Neat-Freak to Stay Organized
March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
5 Nerdy Tools That Will Make You an Organizational Jock
March 16, 2011 By 2 Comments
3 Signs You’re Not as Organized as You Think
March 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Your empty desk and dewey decimal worthy bookshelves might be fooling you into thinking you’re organized. The truth is that your physical environment is only part of what needs organizing. Information, commitments, resources, ideas, and goals all have a place where they need to be put. Mere tidiness is faux organization. Why even worry about [...]
17 Simple Actions to Grow as a Pastor Scholar
March 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
Pastors stall in their growth sometimes. It is to be expected because we are imperfect. But how do we break out of the plateau? New challenges have always seemed to work for me. That’s how P90X works for physical muscles. We should expect the same for pastoral muscles. But new challenges don’t have to be the [...]
How a Robust Theology of Creation Affects Your Productivity
March 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The seven days of creation model how we ought to do productive work, not only the schedule of the workweek. There is no greater demonstration of creativity than Genesis 1, from which I derive a theological definition of productivity. A productivity system is a set of tools and habits that enables you to produce something. But many use [...]
Something Old, Something New
March 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Pastoral Ministry and Strengths-Based Leadership
March 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever rationalized ignoring your weak areas of ministry? “I’m not a people person, so I spend most of my time preparing sermons.” We all make excuses to avoid pastoral work that doesn’t come easy. But is this reasoning valid? Avoid weak roles and focus on strong ones? One major book in the strengths [...]
What Not Enough People Are Saying About Rob Bell’s “Love Wins”
March 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Everyone is talking about Rob Bell’s controversial forthcoming book (out 3/15/2011), Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. It is a polarizing book on many levels. For the same reason you have to gaze at the scene of an accident as you drive by, I was quick to [...]
I’m Recovering From a Hack
March 10, 2011 By 4 Comments
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