I had a great time talking with Pod Only Knows out of Wesley Memorial UMC out of Wilmington. We touch on preaching, listening to preaching, and goings-on in the American church.
Not Just Us, but All the Earth
Psalm 66 is an invitation to worship God. But it’s not just an invitation for us: it’s an invitation for all of creation to join in praise unto our God.
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth!”
Thanks to A Sermon for Every Sunday for this sermon. I do hope you’ll enjoy!
How do we get to know God?
Here’s a a Pentecost Sunday sermon called “The Holy Spirit Helps Us” based on John 14:8-17. I ask the question: “How do we get to know God?” Through Jesus! “How do we continue getting to know God and God’s will for us and the world?” Through the Holy Spirit! But what does the Holy Spirit do? I hope you hear the good news that we are not alone in this world!
Preaching at St. Peter’s
What a privilege it was to preach at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina this weekend. The assigned gospel afforded me the opportunity to preach about the Holy Spirit
“Bible Matters” with Myers Park UMC
I had an enjoyable conversation with my good friend, James Howell, about the joys of biblical preaching. And afterwards, one of my star students, Taylor Pryde Barefoot talks about her ministry in Charlotte.
Listeners Dare on Voices in My Head with Rick Lee James
“Listening is a human skill, but as God’s word is proclaimed, the hearer experiences a vocal mix of preacher, listener, and God.”
Thanks, Rick, for having me on to talk about Listeners Dare. You can listen to our conversation below.
Listeners Dare on Crackers & Grape Juice

“The gospel is news that passes from the lips of one who has heard to the ears of one who has not yet heard, then (God willing) it burrows in the soul, energizing the hands in daring response to a word received. Preaching is instigated by an astounding claim: Good news; God has spoken to us. The Christian life is what you get when ordinary folk respond: I have heard.”
I had a great conversation about the new book, Listeners Dare: Hearing God in the Sermon, with Jason Micheli about a month ago. I hope you’ll listen and enjoy!
You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Listeners-Dare-Hearing-God-Sermon/dp/1791023983/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1648843001&refinements=p_66%3A9781791023980&s=books&sr=1-1
Release of Listeners Dare: Hearing God in the Sermon
This month, Abindgon Press publishes my new book, Listeners Dare: Hearing God in the Sermon. It’s my attempt to think about preaching from the listener’s perspective and to give sermon listeners help in getting more out of sermons.
In five decades of preaching and teaching preaching, I’ve learned to respect preaching as a demanding practice for listeners. Listeners Dare is my celebration of the ways in which God gets through to people through sermons. I offer help for listeners seeking to get more out of sermons and for preachers who must listen to their listeners. Christians are those who have dared to listen for a word from the Lord and have heard that word in Jesus Christ. Listening to sermons is a major way that God gets through to God’s people.
You can hear more about the book in the short video below!
A Sermon on Low Sunday
It was great to be preaching in one of my favorite churches, Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, a vibrant church that is leading the way for episcopal renewal. It was low Sunday and the churches year, the Sunday after Easter, but few services at Grace are low!
Interview at White Plains UMC
I was part of the video sermon at White Plains United Methodist Church in Raleigh this past Sunday. Here’s a portion of that interview.