Communication

I find Steven Johnson interesting. He looks at science, culture, and history from a particular perspective, wanting to figure out how really great ideas develop. (This is not a spiritual or religious perspective.) He’s been talking recently about how the connectedness we have today through new forms of communication is a great opportunity for partial

A few years back I really got into listening to audio books, and I still love it. Audible.com has a vast library of books of all sorts. I’ve been in their “Premium Listener” program for more than five years whereby you pay one flat fee per month, and get to download any two books of

Looking for a Super Bowl Sunday sermon? Think about Hebrews 12:22-24. Rationale? Super Bowl sermon outline

Last night the President of the United States gave the annual State of the Union address. What do you do when you have to give a speech that is a prime opportunity to unite and motivate? The State of the Union address is always an interesting speech to analyze. What an opportunity–to address the whole

It was a lot of fun yesterday watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Chicago Bears and qualify for a trip to the Super Bowl (especially because I was born in Chicago but grew up in Green Bay, just two miles from Lambeau Field.) On a rare occasion in the past I would break into

[It has just been announced that Steve Jobs has died. This post was written earlier this year.] It’s sad to hear that the ugly disease of cancer (or its after-effects) has forced Apple CEO Steve Jobs into a medical leave. He’s only 55 years old (I say “only” because that’s how old I am) and

Over the years I’ve talked to many leaders about their experiences in the area of communication. I’ve asked, “What has worked for you?” Or, “What’s your solution to the issue of communication?” More often than not, leaders say that they are unsatisfied with their efforts or their results in communication. They often describe poor communication

Bible translators are still hard at work producing new English versions, as will be illustrated next year when an update of the New International Version appears (NIV 2011). There are many reasons why fresh translations and updates are helpful, one of them being changes in the English language. The way we use words is always

Steven Berlin Johnson (author of Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, due out tomorrow) recently gave a talk at TED on the amazing power of networks. His thesis is that most of the great breakthrough ideas in history were not instances of individuals having epiphanies, but of those people being well-connected

This week pastors.com offers some practical help on making sermon conclusions more effective. For instance: Use an argument. Anticipate the objections the audience might have and logically refute them. Use a warning. Warn them of the consequences of disobedience. Use indirect conviction. A good example is the story of Nathan and David (2 Samuel 12).

A quote from M. Craig Barnes (author of The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life): “The best preacher is always the local pastor. He or she is the one who is skilled not only in the exegesis of the Bible, but also in the exegesis of the congregation. This is