In Preaching Articles: "Walking Wisely"

When Church Members Leave: How Pastors Carry The Quiet Wound

By Greg Surratt on Apr 29, 2020

Pastors feel deep pain when people leave their church. Understanding why it happens and how to respond wisely can turn hurt into growth, humility, and renewed strength.

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25-35, John 6:66-67, Proverbs 19:11, Romans 12:18, 2 Timothy 4:16-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church, Church Growth, Connect, Assimilation, Church Practices, connect, church  (view more)  (view less)

Just Because Jesus Taught That Way Doesn't Mean You Should, Too

By Brandon Kelley on Jan 7, 2020

When Jesus taught, many walked away wondering what the heck that Rabbi was talking about.

Tags: Preaching, Clarity

7 Biblical Helps For Preaching On Divorce And Remarriage

By Kevin Deyoung on Mar 11, 2019

Kevin DeYoung: "The hard thing is to take a few biblical principles about marriage, divorce and remarriage and then try to apply them prayerfully and wisely to a thousand different situations."

Scripture: Mark 10:1-12, Isaiah 37:1-20

Tags: Preaching, Divorce, Principles, Divorce & Remarriage

When The Message Ends, Where Are People Focused?

By Peter Mead on Jul 28, 2025

Where are people looking as they leave? If we're not careful, they will walk out with gaze firmly fixed on self.

Tags: Message, Preaching, Self, focus, listener, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Pilots Learn How Not To Crash--Preachers Can, Too

By Mike Miller on Aug 6, 2025

Like flying a plane, good training can help your preaching walk away with a smooth landing.

Tags: Preaching, Preacher, Pilot, crash, preaching, preacher  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Difficult Aspect Of Praying

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 8, 2024

"If we cannot walk by faith and believe by faith–a redundancy, of course–we will stop praying."

Scripture: Psalm 23:3, Luke 18:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tags: Faith, Prayer, God's Will, Confidence, Trust God, God in control, God hears prayer  (view more)  (view less)

7 Phrases Christians Like To Say That Aren’t True

By Lori Hatcher on May 31, 2024

"We’ve all heard them—phrases that sound wise, insightful, and biblical. But are they really? Let’s look at some common sayings, compare them to the Bible, and see if they hold up."

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, James 1:14, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 3:10, Daniel 10:11, Psalm 148:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: guard the truth, Contending for truth, Theology, Know the Truth, Biblical truth, chosen people, Enduring Hardship, help in temptation  (view more)  (view less)

25 Truths This Preacher Needs To Fight The Enemy's Lies

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 21, 2021

"The things you need to hear repeatedly in your walk will probably vary from mine, but these are truths I cling to."

Tags: World, Truth, Preaching, Culture, enemy's lies  (view more)  (view less)

My Joy In The Desert

By Marshall Segal on Jul 6, 2021

For most of us, the single greatest threat to our faith in God and his promises has been the miles we have walked in the desert.

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-13, 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: Desert, Joy, desert lessons

Why Preparing Sermons Takes Me So Long

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 31, 2020

A candid walk through sermon preparation, showing how prayer, Bible study, reflection, and disciplined refinement shape faithful and Spirit-led preaching.

Scripture: Exodus 14:8-14

Tags: Teaching, Study, Preaching, BIBLE STUDY, preparation, Homiletics, Bible Study, Pastoral Ministry, Sermon Preparation, bible study, preaching, teaching, sermon preparation  (view more)  (view less)

Why Preaching Is Impossible (And What You Can Do About It)

By Jacob Myers on Jul 1, 2019

When you make the long, lonely walk to the pulpit to proclaim the Word of God for the people of God, how often do you hear the Mission Impossible soundtrack playing in your mind?

Scripture: Mark 12:38-44, Colossians 4:1-11

Tags: Preaching, preaching

3 Ways To Boost Your Preaching Creativity

By Brandon Kelley on Jul 4, 2022

Do you want more people to walk away from the church gathering and actually remember the big idea from your sermon? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t?

Scripture: John 3:36, Matthew 15:21

Tags: Sermon Help, Teaching Prep, preaching, Preaching, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, poor preaching, Effective Teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Baggage: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

By Lance Witt on Jan 3, 2022

Every single week people walk into your church and for the most part they seem to have it together. They make small talk, they dress appropriately, they participate congenially, they listen politely, and at the end of the service they file out quietly.

Tags:

Sticks And Stones Part 2

By Lance Witt on Oct 17, 2023

Pound for pound, nothing is as powerful as your tongue. As pastors, we count on God to use our tongues as His instrument. In last week’s article, we talked about using our words to bless and speak life into others. This week I want to add 2 additional strategies for the wise use of words.

Scripture: Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 17:28, Psalm 19:14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: communication, Communication, leadership, godly speech, POWER OF WORDS, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Courageous Conversations - Part 2

By Lance Witt on Sep 5, 2023

Here is my track record. Hundreds of times I have talked myself out of having a courageous conversation. EVERY time I have finally had the courageous conversation, I walked away wishing I had done it sooner.

Scripture: James 1:5

Tags: conflict, Courageous, church conflict, speaking truth