Happy Anniversary to Us

Today is Rhonda's and my fourth anniversary...think about it....think about it...there! Yes, you are correct. It is leap day and that means we have been married 16 years. And it has been a fantastic 16 years...at least for me. I thought I would include a picture of us (click the image for a larger picture).I love you, Rhonda. I can not imagine who I would be without you. Happy 4th Anniversary....

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Fifth: Refining

Continuing in our study of preparing a sermon, we are at the place were we want to refine our outline to something preachable and memorable. This is something that comes with practice. And even with practice, some preaching outlines are just better than others. When you are preparing two or three sermons per week, sometimes you have to go forward with something good when, if you could spend some more time on it, it could be great. This does not negate the sermon. After all, it is God who speaks to the person's heart and it is God who promises His...

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 2.26.08

"You do and it will be the biggest mistake you ever made, you Texas brush popper."Marshall Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, played by John Wayne, in the movie True Grit. It is better when you hear Rooster saying it. Click Here to hear the clip. By the way, A “brush popper” (also known as a brush buster, brush hand, brush rider, brush thumper and brush whacker) is a cowboy who works in brush country. (Quote from http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/texas_brush_popp...

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Excursus: The Value of Commentaries

In my series on sermon preparation, I indicated that a valuable resource in creating a sermon is commentaries. I have heard many people condemn the use of commentaries, stating things like, "I do not use commentaries. I only use the Word of God" or "I do not care what the scholars say, I only care about what Jesus says" or "Using a commentary is essentially saying some man's views are as inspired as the Bible." I assume statements like these are meant to sound spiritual but in reality they sound arrogant and uninformed. Commentaries are a useful...

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Another Cool Craftsman

Craftsman Tools have a cool little clip on their site. Last Halloween, they had a skeleton made entirely out of tools. This is another one of those. Follow THIS LINK to see the Craftsman crew chief. I am not sure how much longer they will have it there so click it quick and watch. Pretty co...

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Fourth, Commentaries

In the continuation of posts regarding Sermon Preparation, we have diagrammed a passage, outlined it, and completed some word studies. We have spend significant time with the passage so far and have gain quite a bit understanding from our study. We now can begin to consult commentaries about the passage. This will firm up any areas that we still do not understand about the passage or correct any areas we may have gotten off track. Click here to see the commentary entries (in blue) I found important or at least interesting to 1 Timothy 1:3-11....

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I CAN SEE!!

I went to the eye doctor yesterday. I need a new pair of glasses terribly. My most recent pair of glasses broke literally in half. So I had to use my glasses from my previous prescription. Then one of the lens popped out of that pair and I could not find it. So I had to go back to the prescription before that. In short, I am having a hard time seeing. So, I went and did all the tests at the eye doctor's. I had a hard time not laughing because all I could think of was this:Anyway, I now have a prescription and now I have to find a cheap place for...

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Third, Word Studies

In my series of sermon preparation, I have been working with 1 Timothy 1:3-11. I have diagrammed the text and from that diagram, I have developed a working outline. From this point, I begin to do word studies. It should be noted at this point that sermon preparation, or any exegesis for that matter, is an art and a science. It is a science in that there are rules which must be followed and if those rules are thrown out the window, the results will be inaccurate. However, it is also an art in that it takes practice. The more one does it, the better...

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Excursus: Outlining Principles

I have begun a series of posts concerning the sermon preparation. In the previous posts, I gave an example of diagramming the text. I moved forward with the 1 Timothy 1:3-11 text and I am in the process of working with the diagram to develop a working outline. But how do you outline? Here are some outlining principles: 1). The passage you are outlining should have one main thought which is conveyed through the text. Some call this "the big idea," some call it "the thesis," but it is one idea that is something of an umbrella statement which everything...

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Second, Outline

I have begun a series of posts concerning the sermon preparation. In the previous post, I gave an example of diagramming the text. I will be moving forward with the 1 Timothy 1:3-11 text. The next step in my process is to work with the diagram to develop a working outline. (click here to see the outline example - you also may want to pull up the diagram do you can see the diagram and outline side by side) There are several things to note about this outline: First, the ouline was easily created by using the diagram. Again, this is a bit easier...

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 2.9.2008

I can't believe it is already the year of the rat and I am still writing monkey on all my checks. Paul Provenza, one of the panelists on the NPR gameshow, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell ...

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First, Diagram

My friend Mark's blog (Converging Heritage) has had several posts about preparing for sermons. I got to thinking about my preparation for sermons. So I will post a series of my development of a sermon or two. To begin with, I think the goal of any sermon is to faithfully convey what the author intended. This goes for any bible study, sermon, or any other time we engage the text. As Fee and Stuart say, ...the aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. Interpretation that...

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Glad To Be Home

I have not posted in a few days because I have been in Orlando, Florida Sunday through Tuesday for a Christian School conference. The conference was put on by the Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools (SBACS) and it was called Christian School 101: How to Start a Christian School. It was a good conference and many thing we have been doing were confirmed. Maybe I should back track a bit. My pastor has been thinking about starting a Christian school for a while now (my church is Heritage Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, CO. We have...

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The Discovery Bible Announcement

In a previous post, I discussed a valuable resource that I use in my studies. It was called The Discovery Bible.I received an email the other day from those who are responsible for the development of The Discovery Bible. The email included an announcement. It says:Attention all pastors and teachers who desire more depth and variety in their sermons and Bible studies:We are glad to announce the soon release of the digital Discovery Bible New Testament, now with a greatly expanded Greek dictionary (over 2,000 pages) and prophecy-guide.This new edition...

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