Deep preaching : creating sermons that go beyond the superficial

J. Kent Edwards recalls a story that late pastor J. Vernon McGee told about seeing children in South Africa playing a game of marbles in the dust with real diamonds. The precious stones were being handled with no regard for their true worth. Edwards fears the same thing happens today when preachers offer Scriptural truth to listeners without being completely overwhelmed by its greatness themselves in the process. Deep Preaching is his call to "rethink" preaching. Edwards helps preachers learn to preach the word in ways that will powerfully change the lives of hearers. He contends that sermons "need not settle comfortably on the lives of the listeners like dust on a coffee table." He encourages preachers to join him in casting off the lines that moor their ministries to the status-quo and make every effort to steer their preaching out of the "comfortable shallows." He urges them to preach deep sermons rather than superficial ones, moving "beyond the yawn-inspiring to the awe-inspiring, from the trite to the transforming."

J. Kent Edwards recalls a story that late pastor J. Vernon McGee told about seeing children in South Africa playing a game of marbles in the dust with real diamonds. The precious stones were being handled with no regard for their true worth. Edwards fears the same thing happens today when preachers offer Scriptural truth to listeners without being completely overwhelmed by its greatness themselves in the process.

Deep Preaching is his call to "rethink" preaching. Edwards helps preachers learn to preach the word in ways that will powerfully change the lives of hearers. He contends that sermons "need not settle comfortably on the lives of the listeners like dust on a coffee table." He encourages preachers to join him in casting off the lines that moor their ministries to the status-quo and make every effort to steer their preaching out of the "comfortable shallows." He urges them to preach deep sermons rather than superficial ones, moving "beyond the yawn-inspiring to the awe-inspiring, from the trite to the transforming."

"Steer your preaching out of the shallows. There's a well-known story about South African children once seen playing a game of marbles in the dirt with real diamonds. The precious stones were being handled without full regard for their true worth. J. Kent Edwards fears the same thing is happening today when preachers relate Scriptural truth to listeners without being completely overwhelmed themselves by its inherent greatness. Deep Preaching is his call to 'rethink' preaching. Edwards helps pastors learn to share God's Word in ways that will powerfully change the lives of hearers. contending that sermons 'need not settle comfortably on the lives of the listeners like dust on a coffee table.' Throughout, he encourages the 'closet work' of sermon preparation: praying, meditating, fasting, and relying on the Holy Spirit."--Publisher's Description The challenges of preaching today The reasons for preaching today More reasons for preaching today Start with your heart Get the "big idea" Take God's idea into your closet Grasp the grandeur The "closet work" begins The "closet work" continues Preaching deep sermons Closet questions Improving perfection Frozen solid. A respected professor of preaching and leadership encourages pastors to discover how their pulpit sermons can more powerfully change the lives of all who listen