It’s been an exhausting week. You spent much of it at the hospital, praying for a dying Christian, giving comfort to a grieving family. You missed time with your own family to be a pastor to the parish. You sat with a beloved parishioner’s children as they argued over how they wanted the funeral and burial to go. It was [...]
Several years ago, I served as the Assistant Rector at a large Anglican Church. This meant, of course, that I had the wonderful opportunity of preaching cultural holiday weekends when attendance would be predictably low ... i.e. Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, etc. One of the key weekends that I always got to preach was the First Sunday of [...]
Mother's Day sermons, at least in certain circles, can be a bit controversial. After all, Mother's Day is not a liturgical holiday, an official part of the Church calendar. So, should you preach Mother's Day sermons? In a word, yes. This year (2020), let me say it even more strongly, “You’d better!” (For all of our Anglican Compas content on preaching, go [...]
This is part 4 of “Preachers of the Past,” a series where we discuss four distinct preachers from the past, ranging from 347 A.D. to 1945. We’ve included detailed preaching points for study and discussion towards the bottom of this post. Some Background on G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) Campbell Morgan was the son of a Baptist minister, and his home [...]
This is part 3 of “Preachers of the Past,” a series where we discuss four distinct preachers from the past, ranging from 347 A.D. to 1945. We’ve included detailed preaching points for study and discussion towards the bottom of this post. Some background on Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) Phillips Brooks was an American Episcopal minister, and bishop of Massachusetts. The son [...]
This is part 2 of "Preachers of the Past," a series where we discuss four distinct preachers from the past, ranging from 347 A.D. to 1945. We’ve included detailed preaching points for study and discussion towards the bottom of this post. Some background on Martin Luther (1483-1546) Luther was the father of the Protestant reformation who would later be called [...]
This is part 1 of "Preachers of the Past," a series where we discuss four distinct preachers from the past, ranging from 347 A.D. to 1945. We’ve included detailed preaching points for study and discussion towards the bottom of this post. Some Background on John Chrysostom (A.D. 347–407) John was born in Antioch to a wealthy family around 347 or [...]
The pub nearest me has festooned itself with green, orange, and white bunting. My doctor’s waiting room is plastered with cardboard shamrocks that say LUCKY. McDonald’s has brought back (for a limited time) its Shamrock Shake. Yes, my friends, it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, and since this year [2019] that falls on a Sunday, we might consider, “Should we preach [...]
Even if your shopping is complete and the gifts are wrapped, the pastor knows that there is one more thing to do before Christmas morning. Hold Christmas Eve Services. Whether you are preaching, celebrating the Eucharist, leading the prayers, singing the carols, handing out bulletins, or greeting people at the door, it is a big moment in the annual life [...]
In preaching, don’t underestimate the impact of a humble object lesson or lowly flip-chart.
Pop culture is the known world for most people today. By definition, it is the "popular" and dominant culture, heavily influenced by mass media, in America and in much of the world. At Christianity Today, I worked with a colleague who was extremely bright and working on her doctorate in English. One time, she and some friends were standing in [...]
In his best-selling book The Checklist Manifesto, surgeon Atul Gawande makes the compelling case that the best way to ensure quality is something simple, old-fashioned, and overlooked: the checklist. In fact, he argues, we need the checklist more than ever, because today, information is so abundant and complex, it overwhelms our ability to process. To ensure we do most jobs right—fly [...]
This post originally appeared at LeaderWorks on January 23, 2018. Preaching may be more than art, but it is certainly not less. It is a craft and a skill. An individual may have certain gifts given by God, but those gifts are diminished if not stewarded by effort and practice. Excellence deceives us. When we see a baseball player effortlessly [...]
This seems like a safe support group, so I’ll just say it: “My name is Kevin, and sometimes I have preacher envy.” When I hear great preaching, part of me appreciates the clarity and beauty of the Gospel; another part of me thinks, “I wish I could preach like that.” I remember listening to lectures on preaching by Tim Keller, [...]
This post originally appeared at LeaderWorks on April 17, 2018. You are not a robot. When someone asks why they should bother to read novels, that’s my answer. And when I’m asked this question by someone in ministry, I bold and italicize it. Because behind this question is an ugly utilitarianism: What will these books do for me? Reading fiction [...]
From LeaderWorks: helping leaders do their work. Normally, you wouldn’t find a blog post on humor mentioned in a series on Stewardship, Giving, and Generosity. The topic of stewardship and giving is not an easy one to speak about. It makes some people feel very uncomfortable. Both speaker and listener share long moments of angst when the topic is raised publicly. [...]
Over at LeaderWorks, I wrote a short blog about the preaching role of the Rector. Read it here. And buried in the last part of the article is a small link to a HUGE opportunity for Rectors of congregations. LeaderWorks and the American Anglican Council are sponsoring a "summit" at The Cove on December 3-6, 2018. This is going to [...]
Anglicans love liturgy. This has always been true, but in the past couple of decades, I’ve seen more and more young clergy who are especially enamored with the formational impact of rightly ordered worship. I would imagine this phenomenon is due mostly to a generation of young priests drawn to the Anglican way from a low church evangelical tradition. Finding [...]
Lots of amazing things happened on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2. Earth was overcome with Wind and Fire. Chaos ensued. Rushing. Falling. Power. Roaring. Speaking. Hearing. Wind. Fire. Pow! What a day. The promised Gift of the Holy Spirit did not come gently to soothe. He is NOT that kind of comforter. He came powerfully to shake! [...]
For the record, I hear Laurel. I can’t not hear Laurel. My wife hears Yanny. I’ll let you know how that works out. This latest viral sensation, similar to ‘The Dress’ before it, plays on the maddening subjectivity of human perception. Whether it’s sight or sound, we take our sensory perception as bedrock and when something rattles it, the impact [...]
Talk about pressure—the Resurrection is the biggest event in the history of the world. Individuals and families who rarely darken the doors of a church will find their way into your sanctuary on Easter. While our culture has morphed the moment into lilies, butterflies, eggs, and bunnies, people still desire to hear this story. And why not? It is the greatest possible [...]
It’s been a little while since we highlighted what’s happening over at LeaderWorks. Here’s a round-up of the latest news and resources: Giving Up: How Giving to God Renews Hearts, Changes Minds, and Empowers Ministry is available now. You can read more about the book, or check out the LeaderWorks blog for some excerpts. Christianity Today published an excerpt of [...]
It’s Ready After years of gathering ideas, studying Scripture, preaching “The Money Talk”, collecting three decades worth of wisdom...and months of writing and re-writing, the book is finished. We took our final pass at it with our red pens and now it lives with the publisher and then onto the printer...and then I hope...to you! It should be available for [...]
Thanks to a generous supporter of LeaderWorks, we would like to announce our new Assistant Director, the Rev. Kolby Kerr. Kolby is a fantastic young priest in our ACNA and will add greatly to what LeaderWorks is able to offer. You’ll be hearing a lot from him on the blog, so I wanted to give him a chance to introduce himself. [...]
