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Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
2. Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Rated PG-13)
3. Shutter (Rated PG-13)
4. Drillbit Taylor (Rated PG-13)
5. 10,000 B.C. (Rated R)

I love it when God uses a sermon I’ve preached to challenge me as much as it challenges anyone else. That’s been the case with the sermon I preached a couple days ago on Easter Sunday. God keeps impressing one of the ideas from the sermon on my heart and mind.

PreachingToday.com has posted part three of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. In part three, Bob Hyatt, paints a picture of what a dialogical approach to the sermon event looks like at The Evergreen Community and offers a few ideas for any who would like to introduce dialogue into their preaching

At the National Pastors Conference in San Diego, PreachingToday.com's Brian Lowery got to interview N. T. Wright about his latest book—Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church—and how it relates to preaching. Since we are all in the midst of the Easter journey, his words are timely, challenging, and above all else, hopeful.

Preaching Today: In your book Surprised by Hope, you talk about a deeper understanding of hope "that provides a coherent and energizing basis for work in today's world." How has that deeper understanding influenced your preaching through the years?

Bishop N. T. Wright: [Studying] the Resurrection for an earlier book, Resurrection of the Son of God … ended up rubbing my nose in the New Testament theology of new creation, and the fact that the new creation has begun with Easter. I discovered that when we do new creation—when we encourage one another in the church to be active in projects of new creation, of healing, of hope for communities—we are standing on the ground that Jesus has won in his resurrection.

This week, I’m reading through Matthew’s account of ‘holy week.’ I began on Palm Sunday with Matthew 21, and I’ll finish on Easter Sunday with Matthew 28. Today’s reading in Matthew 23 is a sobering challenge for all who will preach Scripture this weekend on Good Friday and on Resurrection Sunday.

PreachingToday.com has posted part two of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. In part two, Bob Hyatt addresses some of the concerns people have with dialogical preaching. In part three—to be posted next Monday, March 24—Hyatt will paint a picture of what a dialogical approach to the sermon event looks like at The Evergreen Community and offers a few ideas for any who would like to introduce dialogue into their preaching

Every Friday, the PreachingToday blog is going to offer a pop culture roundup so you can see some of the things that are catching the eyes, ears, and hearts of your listeners...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 10,000 B.C. (Rated R)
2. College Road Trip (Rated G)
3. The Bank Job (Rated R)
4. Vantage Point (Rated PG-13)
5. Semi-Pro (Rated R)

Someone asked me recently if I tend to preach expositionally or if I tend to preach in a way that connects people to the vision of our church. My answer was: “Yes.”

Because we're well aware you're knee-deep in preparing sermons and meaningful worship gatherings for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday, we've combed through all the materials in our database and put together a special Hot Topic on Easter. Click here and you'll find plenty of illustrations, images, and videos that deal with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

I take preaching seriously. It’s weighty responsibility, and there’s much at stake when a preacher stands and declares “Thus says the Lord.” But sometimes, my words get tangled up, and I say something that evokes laughter rather than conviction.

PreachingToday.com has posted part one of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. For the first quarter of 2008, Preaching Today has focused on the idea of group sermon preparation. More and more preachers are putting together their messages in community, allowing for insightful, idea-producing dialogue with others. For more about this process, check out our interview with Dave Ferguson on "Group Sermon Preparation" (part one and part two) and an observational piece entitled "Loosening My Grip." For the final stretch of our quarter's theme, we decided to add a twist to the concept: What happens when a preacher engages in a similar type of dialogue—but during the Sunday sermon itself?

Sermon block happens. It just does! I have days where I can’t make any headway. The text does not make sense. Or I can’t figure out how to structure the sermon. Or I’m not seeing how the text connects to the lives of my listeners. How does a preacher struggle through sermon block? Here are a few practices which help me.

Scot McKnight, professor of religious studies at North Park University, Chicago, IL, and author of The Jesus Creed, recently designed a hermeneutics quiz to help us raise questions about how we both read our Bible and don't read our Bible. As Scot is careful to point out in his introduction to the quiz: "No single test can reveal all the nuances needed, but broad answers are enough to raise the key issues." In other words, this quiz will at least help you get a big picture of where you land on a hermeneutical scale. Are you a conservative when it comes to hermeneutics? A moderate? Are there any progressives among us? Take the quiz and find out. Though you'll probably have a few quibbles here and there with the questions and the answers from which you get to choose, I think you'll find it incredibly helpful as a student and preacher of the Word.

Like most preachers, I have a somewhat predictable rhythm to my sermon preparation. I like to complete my exegetical work by mid-day on Tuesday, finish a sermon outline by Wednesday, create the introduction and conclusion by Thursday noon, and then write out a manuscript or detailed outline by Thursday. Ideally, I take Fridays off. Then I tweak and adjust and practice the sermon on Saturday. It’s a helpful rhythm. But the process rarely plays out the way I expect.