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Because of the horrifying tragedy in Myanmar (rescue officials think the death toll may climb as high as 100,000), many of us will probably want to lead our congregations through difficult issues like pain and suffering. We've gathered a few illustrations and tagged them as "Free" for the next 30 days to help you in your preaching. Most of these stories come from past tragedies—the tsunami that killed over 400,000 people, Hurricane Katrina, the attacks at Virginia Tech—and obviously speak to the heart of what we're watching unfold in Myanmar.

Every week, Preaching Today posts new illustrations - a mixture of stories, statistics, quotes, humor, and scenes from popular movies or TV shows. As a regular part of our PT Talk sessions, Brian Larson and I would like to take a moment to talk about how we might use some of our illustrations in a sermon. We decided to try this out on a classic: Master Violinist Goes Unrecognized. We felt it was the best illustration of 2007.

To hear us talk about specific and more abstract ways to use this illustration, click "Play" on the audio player below to listen to PT Talk via audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

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In late 2005, the long-anticipated movie version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was released. It went on to earn $745 million at the box office worldwide (and over $1 billion in DVD sales). On May 16, its sequel—Prince Caspian—arrives in theatres. The world is abuzz. It's safe to assume it will be a hit. It's also safe to assume it will open the door to conversations over its Christological content. You might be planning to weave themes from Prince Caspian into your preaching. Here are a few links to helpful resources from our sister sites:

*Update: For some reason our audio player was streaming an older episode of PT Talk. The problem has now been fixed. Sorry about the inconvenience!

Sarah Baldwin, Preaching Today's editorial coordinator, recently ran an annotated bibliography on the theme of Relationships. For this episode of PT Talk, we talk about why you'll want to check this resource out (along with other bibliographies on Emotions, Money, and Spiritual Formation).

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

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Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Rated R)
2. The Forbidden Kingdom (Rated PG-13)
3. 88 Minutes (Rated R)
4. 21 (Rated PG-13)
5. Prom Night (Rated PG-13)

We thought that in light of the current news about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you might need some materials to work with in your church. Below are some book reviews and related stories that may help you find a way forward in addressing particular issues concerning Mormonism from the pulpit or in related pastoral settings. Please exercise caution, however, in relating all Mormon practice to the more fundamentalist branch that is being highlighted in Texas. Most of these resources speak to the Mormon faith in general with a few hints of insight into the FLDS.

PreachingToday.com recently ran an illustration that was the unfortunate victim of embellishment. We've posted the corrected version for your records. These retractions don't happen often for us, but when they do, they often happen because of the very issue just mentioned: embellishment. For this episode of PT Talk, we discuss what happened, why it happened, and how to make sure it doesn't happen.

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

Though I can't say I've read everything out there on the subject, I can say that Thomas Long's "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize" is the best thing I've read so far about issues pertaining to preaching and plagiarism. Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com, offered the same sentiments when he first received permission for us to run the article. If you haven't read it, take a moment to check it out. Also, we'd love for you to give a listen to the most recent episode of PT Talk to hear us discuss this controversial topic. This entry builds off of thoughts I briefly shared in that audio cast.

PreachingToday.com is currently running "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize", an article by Thomas G. Long about the necessity of citation and the damage of deceit in preaching. The editors of Preaching Today wanted to use our new weekly audio feature - PT Talk - to chime in with a few thoughts on this controversial topic. Please use the comments section to share your own reflections.

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Street Kings (Rated R)
2. 21 (Rated PG-13)
3. Prom Night (Rated PG-13)
4. Nim's Island (Rated PG)
5. Leatherheads (Rated PG-13)

PreachingToday.com is currently running "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize", an article by Thomas G. Long about the necessity of citation and the damage of deceit in preaching. If you're a member of Preaching Today, you can read it at any time by clicking on the link. Brian Larson (chief editor) and I will be discussing the article and its implications in the next episode of PT Talk (to be posted very soon). In the meantime, here are a few juicy quotes from Long's work:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 21 (Rated PG-13)
2. Leatherheads (Rated PG-13)
3. Nim's Island (Rated PG)
4. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
5. The Ruins (Rated R)

A section from Gary Thomas's The Beautiful Fight struck a deep chord with me this morning:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 21 (Rated PG-13)
2. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
3. Superhero Movie (Rated PG-13)
4. Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Rated PG-13)
5. Drillbit Taylor (Rated PG-13)

Scot McKnight recently reviewed Anthony Thiselton's The Hermeneutics of Doctrine for the folks at Christianity Today. McKnight offers this synopsis of Thiselton's thoughts on doctrine and belief:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

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)

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.

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)

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.

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?

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.

You really ought to take a look at Tim Keel's "An Efficient Gospel?" He challenges the reader/preacher with a number of provocative thoughts, including this:

In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems, even when our systems flatten the diversity and integrity of the biblical witness. We reduce our sermons to consumer messages that reduce God to a resource that helps the individual secure a reduced version of the "abundant life" Jesus promised (John 10:10).

How do we contend with the common reductions of the gospel that have come with modernism? In that contention, the over/under factor in championing the gospel's complexity and diversity runs awfully high—you can overwhelm your audience and just as quickly underwhelm them. How have you navigated that tension in your preaching? When was the last time you challenged the gospel presuppositions of your audience, and how did you do it? Any series ideas you'd like to share? Textual ideas? Thematic ideas? Illustrations? Helpful resources?

Dan Kimball, pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California, has written a short editorial for Leadership journal about preaching on hell. Check it out and swing on back over to the PT Blog to share your thoughts...

John Piper, author and pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota), preached a sermon at the Passion '07 conference on "Gutsy Guilt," insisting that we mustn't let shame over sexual sin destroy us. The folks at Leadership journal adapted the sermon for an article. To read Piper's powerful article/sermon for free, go ahead and click here.

At $57 billion per year, pornography generates more revenue in America than the combined income generated by pro football, baseball, and basketball (according to xxxchurch.com). This is a call for greater resolve among followers of Christ to shed light on the problem, to stop feeding it, and to be honest about where it will take us. Our sister site, ChristianBibleStudies.com, has put together a special Bible study dealing with the ever-difficult issue of sexual addiction. The study is based on selected Bible passages and three moving, insightful articles from the archives of the Christianity Today Library (including the Leadership article based on Piper's sermon). To see an overview of this special study, please click here.

The folks at ChristianityTodayMovies.com have posted a list of the Top Ten Most Redeeming Films of 2007. I think you'll find that it's a pretty eclectic bunch, and there may very well be some fascinating illustrations for you to use as a preacher (with caution, of course).

Our sister site, FaithVisuals, has posted a list of what it feels represents the top media of 2007. You'll surely find some helpful videos, worship loops, and video curriculum to enhance your preaching and teaching.

PreachingToday.com is pleased to announce our 2007 Book of the Year for Preaching Skills. Our two judges and Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com, selected Donald Sunukjian's Invitation to Biblical Preaching. Sidney Greidanus's Preaching Christ from Genesis and Jeffrey Arthurs' Preaching with Variety have received honorable mention.

If you'd like to know more about Invitation to Biblical Preaching and the works by Greidanus and Arthurs, please take a moment to read this article.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Invitation to Biblical Preaching, please click here.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Preaching Christ from Genesis, please click here.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Preaching with Variety, please click here.

Leadership journal recently ran an interesting article about ministering in the age of Zoloft. In a study conducted in 2006, researchers found that over 190 million prescriptions were given for antidepressants. Another worldwide study found that America ranks at the top of a list of countries that suffer from immense depression. That means we preachers are preaching to a congregation whose faces are stained with tears.

Please take a moment to read through the Leadership article. Take a moment to think through your own pastoral situation and your congregational context. How does the current state of things affect our preaching?

If you've recently visited PreachingToday.com, you know that we have announced the first of two 2007 Book of the Year Awards. Our two judges and Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com, selected Greg Heisler's Spirit-led Preaching as the recipient of the 2007 Book of the Year for the Preacher's Soul. John Koessler's Stranger in the House of God was the runner-up.

If you'd like to know more about Spirit-led Preaching and Stranger in the House of God, please take a moment to read this article.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Spirit-led Preaching, please click here.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Stranger in the House of God, please click here.

Next week we will announce the 2007 Book of the Year for Preaching Skills…

Out of Ur recently posted an entry about addressing the issue of politics from the pulpit. Check it out and head back here for some conversation on the matter...

Now that you've read the article, a question begs to be answered: regardless of what the preacher is allowed legally to do, should he/she address politics from the pulpit? Why or why not? If you feel preachers should, to what extent should they address it - should he/she offer something along the lines of a more general, theological overview or something much more specific, like a personal endorsement?

Our sister site, Out of Ur, recently initiated a conversation about the potential dangers of pursuing excellence in ministry. The conversation is built upon an article that was written by Daniel Schantz for Christian Standard magazine. You can find the full article by Schantz here.

The conversation on Ur mostly focuses on big picture issues (i.e. excellence in overall programming). I'd like to hear from you all about something specific: excellence in preaching. What do you perceive are the dangers in pursuing excellence in preaching?

Here are the top ten PT blog posts from 2007. Enjoy—and please feel free to leave a comment or two in spite of being late to the party!

1. When Biblical Illustrations Are a Bad Idea

2. When You Have to Prepare More Than One Sermon per Week (part one and part two)

I recently heard the most powerful sermon I've heard in a long time. In just a few minutes, the speaker filled an overly familiar phrase—Merry Christmas—with profound meaning and left me awestruck by the Word of God.

My refuge from the musical monotony of the Christmas season has been Sufjan Stevens' five-disc set, Songs for Christmas. I wanted to buy it when it came out last year because I think Sufjan is one of the more exciting artists out there these days. But a certain lack of cash snowed on my parade. This year I finally got my hands on it, and I'm not sure what else to say except that which is cliché: I can't stop listening to it.

Some of the richest theology concerning Advent is found in the songs we'll sing together in the weeks ahead. Theologians, professors, and preachers have much to offer, but both head and heart are often most moved by the work of musicians. It's maddening, isn't it? You slave over a sermon for hours on end, but it is only when the little girl with blonde curls stands up to sing "Away in a Manger" that the crowd swoons over the startling majesty of the Incarnation.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Philosopher J. P. Moreland's Healing

The Sunday evening service on February 20, 2005, had just ended and I wanted to get home. I was frustrated. …The previous Thursday a virus landed in my chest and throat, and in a period of less than three hours I went from being normal to having the worst case of laryngitis in the thirty-five years since college. On Friday I went to our walk-in clinic and received the bad news. The doctor warned that this virus was going around, she had seen several cases of it in the last few weeks, and there was nothing that could be done about it. I just had to wait it out. The laryngitis would last seven to ten days.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Experiencing Emmanuel in Prison

Locked behind the razor-wire fences of a Florida prison is no place to spend a holiday. I'd spent 15 Christmases under these less-than-festive conditions, but this year my situation looked even bleaker. I was stuck in confinement—a prison inside a prison where the supposed troublemakers are sent. In reality, anyone can find himself in the hole by irritating the wrong person.

The Associated Press has just released the results of a pre-Halloween poll that asked people about their supernatural/spiritual/superstitious beliefs. You can find the results here.

Take a look at this article from copyblogger.com. The idea of confident feet is obviously couched in terms of blogging in this particular article, but I'm curious about your thoughts on the importance and necessity of confident feet in preaching. The author of the article writes:

What I would like to talk about is healthy motion. Like many things, motion when speaking in front of people is a case of balancing extremes. No motion is boring, and too much movement gives off a nervous vibe. Check out this quote from Lin Sexton in a recent column for Worship Leader Magazine:

You may be interested in attending a preaching workshop that I have gone to several times over the years and have always found rewarding. The event is sponsored by Simeon Trust, an organization spearheaded by author Kent Hughes and devoted to advancing sound biblical preaching. They now hold workshops in various parts of the U.S., and there will be one in Chicago in November.

In case you missed the article in the print edition of Leadership journal, Skye Jethani's "Glimpses of Glory" is now an abbreviated post on Out of Ur. I'd love for you to take a look at what he has to say and then make your way back to the PT Blog to leave a comment or two in reflection. Does Skye have a point about the difference between preaching and teaching? How does this challenge the dichotomy we've often created between visionary preaching and "regular" expository preaching? Is this something you've been wrestling with as a preacher? If not, how would you contest Skye's thoughts? If you have been, how has this challenged and even changed you as a preacher?