preaching
‘An explosion of protest, a howl of rage’ was the headline catching my eye this week, especially when in concert with this photo. The Guardian, through word and image, was capturing what is happening in the world today. Hong Kong may well have been the ignition, but the protests have been spreading to Iraq and…
READ MOREAs an oversized person crammed into an undersized window seat, it wasn’t one of the better flights. I didn’t choose to be tall and I certainly didn’t choose a window seat. But what a memorable flight it proved to be – from Dubai to Bishkek. With one eye tracking the Silk Road territory far below…
READ MOREIn training preachers across cultures, it is often a struggle to translate the word manner. And yet the manner of the preacher is too important to overlook. One way forward is to see the sermon to be like a song, with both lyrics (what we say) and music (how we say it). Listeners decide whether…
READ MOREIt is often a passing phrase that catches the eye, isn’t it? Like when I read Tim Keller’s book, Preaching, four years ago. A little phrase squeezed its way into my imagination. It refused to move. It remained there, sparking away. Page 73: ‘pull on the thread’. This was the month to do something about it. I…
READ MOREWhen the first taste tastes good, you come back for another taste – right?! So it has been for me with the author, Jeffrey Arthurs. His book on preaching from different biblical genre is the best entry point into that fascinating field of which I am aware. So when Preaching as Reminding (IVP, 2017) emerged,…
READ MOREIt has been a vintage decade for books that help preachers get started on the journey. My favourites include the ones by Chester & Honeysett (Gospel Centred Preaching); Leeman (Reverberation); Dever & Gilbert (Preach [Theology Meets Practice]); Motyer (Preaching?); Lamb (Preaching Matters); Capill (The Heart is the Target); Bartholomew (Excellent Preaching); Millar & Campbell (Saving…
READ MOREI’ve been to France only once and that was for one day. I hopped on the ferry in Portsmouth one Saturday evening, sleeping diagonally on the tiny bed overnight and squeezing vertically into the shower in the early morning. I spent the Sunday near St Malo with my colleagues, Mike and Marie-Laure. Then it was…
READ MOREThe first sentence in the ‘Series Preface’ will grab any teacher of preaching. The Artistry of Preaching series gives practical guidance on matters that receive insufficient attention in preaching literature yet are key for preachers who seek greater creative expression in their preaching (vii). The sentence grabbed me. I bought the series. One of my…
READ MORERoad trips in the US of A. One of my favourite things to do, although they are not as much fun on my own, as I was this time. After meetings in Miami, I took a flight to Charlotte, rented a car and drove off to visit some of the people under my watch. 1068…
READ MOREWhen you go walking in India, there is always so much to see. This week, after a trip of 40+ hours, Barby and I walked around a large block of Kammanahalli, here in Bangalore. It was India in microcosm. At one point, this sign outside an auto-mechanic’s shop caught my eye. I had a little…
READ MOREAbout Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.