Talbot Davis's Blog, page 83

The Most Powerful Sermon Outlines … Aren’t Sermon Outlines

We preachers often find ourselves in the midst of a quest for sermon outlines.  Many of us think if we can just find the right outline, the right scaffolding from which to build the rest of the message, then everything else will fall in place. In fact, as Easter approaches, I remember one resurrection sermon Read the full article...

The post The Most Powerful Sermon Outlines … Aren’t Sermon Outlines appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Top Five Tuesday — Top Five (Or Six) Favorite Books On Preaching

Well, with Easter Sunday approaching, preaching is on the minds of a lot of us, well, preachers. And through my years in seminary and then full time ministry, a number of books have shaped my understanding of what it means to preach.  Namely: what is the purpose of a sermon and how do you design Read the full article...

The post Top Five Tuesday — Top Five (Or Six) Favorite Books On Preaching appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Finished Business, Week 4 — The “It Is Finished” Sermon Rewind

This message required a bit of biblical dexterity. Because when Jesus says in John 19:30 “It is finished,” what is completed has its origins in Leviticus 16 (see in sermon below). HOWEVER, during the 10:00 worship service on Sunday, I had neglected to place my marker in Leviticus 16.  I scrambled to find it just Read the full article...

The post Finished Business, Week 4 — The “It Is Finished” Sermon Rewind appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Guest Devotion Written By Paul Leeland

Each morning during Finished Business, the people of Good Shepherd have opened their email inboxes and discovered a daily Scripture, Reflection, and Prayer delivered to them. The written material comes from the our Finished Business Devotion Guides, still available free of charge from our church office.  Each day features a different author who is connected Read the full article...

The post Guest Devotion Written By Paul Leeland appeared first on Talbot Davis.

When A Bible-Based Sermon Isn’t Biblical

It is quite possible to preach a sermon that appears to be from the bible … but is not at all biblical. How do you do that? By taking interesting, provocative, preachable verses, yanking them out of their immediate surroundings in the text, and preaching them as if they were stand-alone statements rather than parts of a Read the full article...

The post When A Bible-Based Sermon Isn’t Biblical appeared first on Talbot Davis.

During A Slow Moment In A Denominational Meeting . . .

. . . I decided to doodle my Top 10 — or 15 — male tennis players of all time.   How’d I do?

The post During A Slow Moment In A Denominational Meeting . . . appeared first on Talbot Davis.

A Week In The Life . . .

Last week (Monday, March 27 – Sunday, April 2) had an interesting “full circle” arc to it.  Here’s what I mean: Monday — I began the week making a Monday morning visit to a young adult in the behavioral unit of an area hospital.  Towards the end of a conversation in which we discussed brain chemistry, Read the full article...

The post A Week In The Life . . . appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Finished Business, Week 3 — The “Done With One Question Too Many” Sermon Rewind

The message used … a video montage of Nick Saban & Bill Belichick; a still photo & quote from Hugh Jackman; a demonstration involving Chris Macedo playing Eric Clapton; and an exploration into the strategy and psychology behind Pontius Pilate’s question “what is truth” … all to land at this bottom line:   Truth isn’t Read the full article...

The post Finished Business, Week 3 — The “Done With One Question Too Many” Sermon Rewind appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Finished Business, Week 3 — “Done With One Question Too Many”

In these weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we are exploring that which Jesus finishes. What he is done with. What he is so over. We’ve seen how he is so over celebrity and talked about how he is done with pirate playing. This Sunday, it will be all about how he Read the full article...

The post Finished Business, Week 3 — “Done With One Question Too Many” appeared first on Talbot Davis.

Guest Blogger — Chris Thayer On The One Year Anniversary Of Our Zoar Road Campus

Below you will find the transcript of Chris Thayer’s sermon from this past Sunday, March 26. We diverted from our usual Sunday program in which Zoar Road gets my sermon on hologram (hi def, life-size video).  Instead, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the campus, Chris prepared and delivered the message below. Chris preached Read the full article...

The post Guest Blogger — Chris Thayer On The One Year Anniversary Of Our Zoar Road Campus appeared first on Talbot Davis.