How to Make Your Sermon Stick: 4 Tips for a Memorable Message
Want your sermon to be remembered beyond the end of the service? Check out these four tips you can implement this week to make your sermon stick.
How to Keep Sermon Listeners on the Edge of their Seats
Tension keeps us reading, watching, or listening. Think about any book or movie that kept your attention.
There's a need... a desire, wish, want, hope
that's blocked... thwarted, redirected, obstructed, obscured
which creates a question. If? Who? How? When?
Questions create tension...suspense, anticipation, dissonance, uncertainty
that we need resolved....settled, resolved, determined, answered
And this unknown resolution keeps us on the edge of our seats.
What Are You Asking of Your Listeners? An honest Sermon Counts the Cost
Why does it seem like a good sermon isn't enough to cause hearts to be changed?
If the Holy Spirit is really at work and the Gospel is preached with clarity and conviction, how come as soon as we hear the Good News we don't we embrace it and change course immediately?
"How is your prayer?" A simple question with big impact (A Guest Post)
“Over the years I have discovered again and again that prayer, the interior life, is the backstory to my life, marriage, parenting, ministry, teaching, preaching. As my prayer goes, so goes everything else.”
Your free, At-home Easter Retreat (2026)
Perhaps your voice is happily worn out from your Alleluias and preaching, your tummy still rounded with your delicious Easter feast, and your body worn out from the hours spent on your feet and knees guiding your flock from death to Easter joy.
If that is you, then here is my gift: a free, downloadable, guided Easter Retreat that will help your spirit to rise again!
Preacher, What Do You Think You're Doing?
Beyond giving thanks that a particular sermon connected with some listeners, do you ever stop to ponder what exactly your work as a preacher is?
Breathe: A holy Week and Easter Survival Guide for Preachers
Ask the Spirit what one thing you are to do right now.
- If it's to work on your sermon, work on your sermon and your sermon alone.
- If it's to proofread bulletins, then focus on each line, each word, each number, one...at...a...time.
- If it's to stand in the pulpit and preach, then preach with your whole being.
Do the one thing you are to do. And find the peace of Christ waiting for you therein.
Find your Palm Sunday message in ten minutes (free download)
Writing your Palm Sunday sermon can be done quickly with this easy process and collection of quotes to inspire your preaching.
How to respond to “Don’t preach politics!” (2nd in a 2-part series)
When listeners object that we preached about "politics," emotions rise, adrenaline spikes, and we may feel threatened even when there’s no actual danger. If we react in this state, the risk is high that we might say or do something we later regret.
Bringing the emotions and adrenaline down is necessary to respond clearly, simply, respectfully, and pastorally. Here’s a step-by-step guide to handle these moments effectively.
4 Steps to Prepare yourself for Sermon Pushback (1st of a 2-Part Series)
Receiving strong emotions from our listeners is part of preaching life, and the experience can feel uncomfortable, enraging, shaming, or frightening. When we accept as fact that pushback will come, we’re less surprised when we hear it, which makes us less vulnerable to its effects.
Even better, prayerfully preparing ourselves will increase our confidence so we know how to respond effectively, respectfully, and pastorally.