One of my biggest problems in sermon writing is what people call “analysis paralysis” – I get so involved studying for a sermon that, eventually, the more I study, the worse it becomes. 1. Do a Two-Minute Warning. To cure this I started implementing something I call my “two-minute warning.” I stole it from my high school head football coach. Our high school football team went … [Read more...]
Why We Procrastinate On Writing Sermons (And How I’m Trying To Fix It)
I procrastinate on writing my messages. I plan lots of time at the beginning of my week to study and write my message but inevitably something arises leadership-wise that causes me to take the time I planned for sermon development and devote it to some other worthy cause. Why do I keep doing that? Let me pull the lid off this thing and examine it. The Cause of … [Read more...]
What To Do When Your Sermon Bombs
A few weeks ago, my sermon in our first service completely bombed. It was the worst in recent memory. Between first and second service, I re-wrote it and it turned out pretty good for the second and third services. The total time went from 26 minutes to around 21 minutes. Needing to quickly re-write made me ask myself three questions that I am going to end up asking … [Read more...]
The Incredible Paradox of Comfortable Christianity
In a letter historians call, “The Epistle To Diognetus,” an unknown 2nd century disciple wrote to a skeptic named Diognetus to answer his questions about this strange new religion called “Christianity.” The opening lines of his letter capture what people must have found so appealing about followers of Jesus roughly 1,750 years ago. “I have noticed, my lord Diognetus, the deep … [Read more...]
