Notable Voices (February 23, 2012)
Engaging Exposition named 2011 Book of the Year -- Preaching Today
Congratulations to Danny Akin, Bill Curtis, and Stephen Rummage for their book Engaging Exposition being named Book of the Year by Preaching Today in the Enhancing the Preacher's Skill category. If you are a pastor or seminary student, this book is a must have.
An Open Letter to Praise Bands -- James K.A. Smith
Open letters are typically thinly veiled verbal assualt pieces. This one however is an edifying and encouraging reminder for worship pastors and praise bands to evaluate the practice and rationale of leading worship. For those not involved directly in leading worship, please view it as a reminder of what our focus as participants in worship, not spectators, should be.
The Lie of Contextualization -- Dan DeWitt
A reminder from Dan DeWitt that our motivation and focus in ministry should be our content rather than our context. Doing so compromises both our mission and our message. He writes "Our joy is not derived from our context. If we derive our identity from our context we will quickly manipulate our message in order to increase our efficiency and success."
Does Love Win at the Cross? -- Michael Kelley
Michael Kelly examines the winners and losers at the cross. We like to say that "love won" on the hill called Mt. Calvary. In the end, however, it's better for us to say "God won."
6 Truths Learned from a Failed Presentation -- Ben Reed
Many of us have been in a situation like this. No matter what you said in your presentation, the ship was going to sink. It's important for us to learn from our mistakes, and Ben lays out six lessons he learned from a recent presentation nightmare.
Don't Underestimate Synergy in Worship Planning -- Nelson Searcy
Planning a worship service is one of the most important duties of church staff. Unfortunately its often done in a vacuum, and things just don't work best. As Nelson explains, the use of a team-planning approach can bring new inspiration, ideas, and organization if executed properly.
