Around the Horn

At first, here’s an article by Jim Hamlett on preaching. It addresses the ratio between the Bible and the rest in contemporary preaching. I remember preachers growing up who were story tellers. I remember someone commenting on another preacher saying, “He could tell a good story.” Brother preachers, we need to give serious consideration to the place of the Word in our preaching. The text of the Bible must not be reduced to a mere foundation, or worse yet, a prop. It is the Word of God.

At second, since no sermon is done until you conclude, here’s a good short article on on sermon conclusions. Conclusions probably get less attention than they should. They are looser than they should be. They are probably more shotgun than rifle. And it’s all probably a lack of focus and adequate study. Enough said. (How’s that for a really bad conclusion.)

At third, here’s a funny and good piece on the language we use as Christians. Let’s face it, some of it is just weird.

Winding up, here’s an NPR piece on music which is fascinating. Ryan Martin originally pointed to this. It shows some of the easily overlooked issues in discussions on music. Let’s face it: there’s a lot of stupid stuff that is being said about music. This piece provides some good input.