Preaching

Future Plans are Set

By in Church, Preaching

After much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will, I have accepted the gracious offer to partner with Mike Durrill and the other elders at Valley Community Church in Louisville, CO. Joining Valley’s team will allow me to continue my passion of preaching and teaching, and focusing on developing the future generation of leaders within the context of the church.

Mike and Diana led a small group of believers in planting Valley Community Church in the Fall of 2010, all of whom have poured their hearts into this work over the past three years. I have had the privilege of watching closely as the church has flourished and continues to expand its vision and ministry. We are excited that God has now allowed us to be a part of this next phase of growth.

Diane and I have been led by God to take this step of faith, trusting that He will provide for our needs. It is Valley’s goal to take us on in a full time capacity as quickly as possible. In the meantime we will be helping in the planning, preparing, and working through to that end. For us, this an answer to prayer as God continues to fuel our passion for church planting in the West.

We believe God has great plans for Valley Community as they live out the vision God has given them for making a gospel impact in their community and around world. Visit their website at www.valleycommunityco.org for more information about this growing ministry.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” — Ephesians 3:20, 21 (NIV)

I would love to connect with you! If you have any questions or would like to connect please use the contact page.

Focus Week at Northland with Tim Jordan

By in Encouragement, Preaching

Tim Jordan is our guest speaker for Focus Week. He started off preaching in I John and Paul Whitt said after Tuesday morning’s message, “Awesome message! Needs to be preached in every Christian college and school across the country.” I could not agree more. Tim has a unique way of opening the text and driving home the truth in very clear ways. You can find the messages posted at our website.

Some of the Top Preaching Books I’ve Read

By in Books, Preaching

I get these types of questions all of time…what are the best books you’ve read or what are the books that impacted you the most on the topic of __________.

Here is a short list of some of the better books on preaching I’ve read, with a few that I haven’t read that have been well reviewed.

  • Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapell (Purchase)
  • The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper (Purchase)
  • Between Two Worlds by John Stott (Purchase)
  • Preaching and Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Purchase)
  • Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon (Purchase)
  • Toward an Exegetical Theology by Walter Kaiser (Purchase)
  • On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons by John Broadus (Purchase)
  • Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson (Purchase)

What do you think? Are there others you would add to this list? Let me know here.

I would love to connect with you! If you have any questions or would like to connect please use the contact page.

Around the Web (May 13-18)

By in Books, Discernment, Fundamentalism, Preaching

G. A. Dietrich | Book Review of Gospel Centered Discipleship

Greg Dietrich reviewed what looks to be a helpful book that focuses on the gospel in discipleship. I’ve got this book on my list of “to read” for this summer.

 Trevin Wax | A Critical Mind vs. A Critical Spirit

“From the books and magazines gobbled up by the evangelical populace to the sheer gullibility on display in our forwarding of emails, it seems that biblical illiteracy and theological aberrations are widespread even in Bible-believing churches.”

AiG | The Rise and Fall of Inerrancy in the American Fundamentalist Movement

“The Christian fundamentalist movement in America played a key role in defending and promoting the importance of biblical inerrancy. While often ridiculed and mocked, early American fundamentalists withstood the tide of theological liberalism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”

Crossway | Training Parrots or Making Disciples?

Jim Hamilton addresses this question on the Crossway blog. “Solid exegesis, biblical theology, and systematic theology are necessary for preaching and teaching. We don’t exercise these skills merely for our own excellence in sermon delivery, but because the people in the pews have the ability to think, analyze arguments, read the Bible for themselves, and formulate answers to questions that we may never even address from the pulpit.”

Al Mohler’s Top Books for Preachers in 2012

By in Books, Preaching

Back in the March/April issue of Preaching magazine, Al Mohler provided a list of his top books for preachers for 2012. The list, as usual, is very good. I would commend you take a look at some of these books yourself this year. I have not personally read each of them, however, I have looked at some of them.

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction Alan Jacobs (Oxford University Press: Oxford)

The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way Michael Horton (Zondervan: Grand Rapids)

Reading Scripture with the Reformers Timothy George (IVP Academic: Downers Grove)

The Next Decade: Where We’ve Been…and Where We’re Going George Friedman (Doubleday: New York)

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other Sherry Turkle (Basic Books: New York)

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion Rodney Stark (Harper One: New York)

Christian Apologetics: Past and Present, Vol. 2 William Edgar & K. Scott Oliphant (Crossway: Wheaton)

A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New G.K. Beale (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids)

Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Gregg R. Allison (Zondervan: Grand Rapids)

Lost in Translation: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood Christian Smith, Kari Christofferson, Hilary Davidson, Patricia Snell Herzog (Oxford University Press: Oxford)

I would love to connect with you! If you have any questions or would like to connect please use the contact page.