During church one Sunday morning the pastor stood up and announced that a guest was going to speak. With that an elderly man stepped into the pulpit and told this story.

He said, "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high that even the father, who was an experienced sailor, could not keep the boat upright and the two boys were swept into the sea." [complete article]

What Good Shepherds Don't Do
By Skye Jethani


In 2005, townspeople in Gevas, Turkey, watched in horror as one sheep jumped to its death, and then 1,500 others followed over the same cliff . . . Some 450 sheep were lost, but amazingly 1,000 survived. As the pile grew, the dead bodies cushioned the fall of other sheep. . . . The fact that Scripture compares God's people to sheep ought to humble us. We are irrefutably sinful (and often stupid) creatures willing to throw ourselves off cliffs of self-destruction. This truth, however, can tempt shepherds to overstep their role. Sometimes the most difficult part about pastoral ministry is knowing what is not our responsibility. [complete article]

Stack of Stuff

A few days ago I
saw the movie, "Lincoln." A few months ago I read the book, "The Killing of Lincoln," by Bill O'Reilly. I encourage you to see the movie AND read the book. Excellent history. - Don

Pastor
Do you meet regularly with your teachers for (1) training, (2) lesson planning, (3) encouragement, (4) problem solving, and (5) goal setting? Imagine what could happen if you did. Praise God if you already do.

Does the Honeymoon Have to End?
Marriage is never perfect, but does the honeymoon really have to end? Here is excellent article by Sandi Greene. Click honeymoon.

Two suggestions
(1) Forward these Newsletters to key leaders in your church. (2) Make a hard copy each month for your personal use. Highlight items that need special attention from you.

The Three Basic Parts To A Sermon
are (1) Introduction, (2) Body. (3) Call to Action. In all three parts be as direct and to the point as possible, and - don't forget to stress point 3.

For pastor's eyes only: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. The first edition. 334 pages. Retails for $19.95. This single copy is available to the first pastor who emails us and asks for it. There is no charge. We'll send it to you by Media Mail.

For church secretary's eyes only: Chicken Soup for the Soul - Stories of Faith by Jack Canfield & Mark Hansen. Inspirational stories. 382 pages. New. Retails for $14.95. This single copy is available to the first secretary (or office administrator) who emails us and asks for it. There is no charge. We'll send it to you by Media Mail.

Deep Sermons Are Interesting

By Dr. J. Kent Edwards

 

 

 

Not only is it a sin to bore people with the Word of God; it is also counterproductive. If the people to whom you are speaking have no interest in listening to you; the communication process has failed. You cannot impact people who are not paying attention to you . . .
Audience interest is especially important in a culture like ours that is facing information overload. All of us are overwhelmed with data. As our information age generates an ever-increasing amount of data, it threatens to bury us beneath its bulk. . . . Deep sermons have to be so riveting that people want to give us one of the rarest gifts of our generation: their undivided attention . . . What can you do to be more interesting? Organize your material like a funnel. . . . You want your sermon to have a sense of urgency and importance. People should be thinking, I need to hear this! (Deep Preaching - Creating Sermons that Go Beyond the Superficial, pp. 165-166, by Dr. J. Kent Edwards) 202 pages. $19.99. To order click #351 or email