Sermon Illustrations & Stories
Six Ways to Make Your Sermon Stick
One of my favorite books is Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath. It’s all about how some ideas stick, while other ideas fade away. As preachers, helping our messages stick is important. In the book, the Heath Brothers (typing that makes me hungry for a candy bar), give six ways to make a…
Read MoreThree Powerful Ways to Start Your Sermon
Euripides said a bad beginning makes a bad ending. That’s definitely true in sermons. Like a front porch of a house, your introduction should welcome people to the message. Your first five minutes are really important. They often determine if people will listen to the rest of the minutes. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “I felt that…
Read MoreHow to Effectively Communicate to Students
Andy Stanley spoke during a main session at the Orange Conference. Here are some highlights of his message on how to to effectively communicate to students. Your approach determines people’s response. We must adapt our approaches to connect with our target audiences. How do you win as many people as possible? You change your approach.…
Read MoreFive Ways To Beat Sermon Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is a familiar, dreaded place. It’s where the blinking cursor on the computer screen seems to be taunting and laughing. It’s the same thing with Sermon Block. Sunday’s coming and nothing seems to be flowing from the mind to the page. That’s one of the reasons we created Preaching Rocket. Sermon Block is…
Read MoreFive Things Every Sermon Needs
The word “sermon” comes from an old Latin word meaning “discourse.” But a sermon is far more important than a speech. A properly prepared and delivered message is powerful thing – God’s truth delivered through the voice of a herald. In most church services, the sermon is a central element. It’s too important to cut-and-paste.…
Read MoreWhy Stories Work Better than Bullet Points
Before there were books, movies and YouTube videos, there were stories. Passed down from generation to generation, stories told us where we came from and who we are. If you want your congregation to remember the concepts you’re preaching, tell a story. If you want your congregation to apply the Biblical principles you’re teaching, tell…
Read More7 Preaching Stories You Can Use in Your Sermons
Here are seven interesting preaching stories to save in your files, along with a quick thought on how you can use them in your sermons. A Texas police officer writes a ticket, but folded a $100 bill inside the citation. Read the story about #grace. God gives us a great gift, even though we are…
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