The first preacher to influence me was my father. He was more of an orator than a whooper. His preaching had a rhythm and cadence. But he, and most of his preaching colleagues, were not real whoopers. Then it happened. I heard whooping. Real whooping. At the conclusion of the sermon, the preacher turned his words into music. In a real sense, he started singing his sermon. I immediately determined that was the way I wanted to preach. So I began to practice. And I started listening to good whoopers. Being able to sing a bit, I was able to...

Happy Memorial Day! Today is an anniversary, of sorts, for me. I first preached at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church the last weekend of May, six years ago. Unfortunately, I did not get to worship with my congregation today, as I was away on assignment. But I heard it was a great day of worship. Thanks to our pastors, staff, and volunteers for carrying on in my absence. You make it happen! I preached today at the Parkside Church in Cleveland, where Alistair Begg is Pastor-Teacher. I have read Alistair Begg’s books and listened to his Truth For Life messages...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Thanks to Dr. Paul Nyquist for the opportunity to speak at Moody's 2014 ReFocus Pastors Conference. A big shout-out to our Pastor of Worship, Joe Pace, for leading Praise Night 2014 at the Shiloh Church this weekend. It was a great night of corporate worship! Check out my new post: Gospel Artists, Please, Pick a Side! Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference I will host at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville on September 24-26, 2014. Make plans to meet us for this great event. And tell your friends.   Chris Hefner:...

  Have you heard the one about the Civil War soldier who couldn't decide whether he wanted to fight with the Union or the Confederates? So he wore Confederate gray pants and a Union blue jacket to war. And he was shot by both sides! I imagine this is how Gospel Music artists often feel. Many Gospel artists feel their gifts and work are unappreciated by the church and disrespected by the world. They really don't know which side to fight for. But, with all due respect, this local pastor and passionate fan begs you to pick a side! No,...

Thanks for reading my blog site. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find helpful and interesting. Enjoy! Shout-out to Michael Diduit the Preaching.com team for the opportunity to speak at the National Conference on Preaching in Atlanta. Looking forward to hosting the NCP2015 in Jacksonville!  Shout-out to Bishop Alexis Thomas for inviting me again to speak at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix! Shout-out to the SBTS Southern Blog for posting my article: Summer Vacation for Full-Time Christians I am excited about the initial interest in the upcoming Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference. It...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find interesting and helpful. You can sign-up for email updates of future post in the side panel.   Happy Mother's Day to my wife, Crystal! I love you! Thank you for everything you do for me and our three Terrorists... I mean, children.   A big shout-out to Dr. Fred Luter for the opportunity to preach at the great Franklin Avenue Baptist Church this week. What a pastor! What a church! What a meeting! Check out this week's post: Three Keys to Effective Sermon Preparation...

“So what do you do for a living?” I have a new answer to that question: “I write sermons.” Occasionally, an alert listener will reply, “You only write sermons? Do you preach them?” Then I give the punchline. “Sure, I do. But it’s hard to remember that part. As soon as the sermon is over, I have to start writing the next one!” That’s the life of a pastor. We have the joyful burden of weekly preparation. To keep your head about water and become effective you have to learn to hack the process. You need a system for Bible...

My new book came out this week, entitled, On Preaching. I hope you will pick up a copy. And thanks to all of you who have already bought it. I pray you find it helpful! Shout-out to the Antioch District of St. Louis for the opportunity to preach during your revival service this week! I hope to see you at the National Conference on Preaching in Atlanta (May 13-15). I also hope to see you at the Moody Pastors Conference in Chicago this month. I am scheduled to speak Wednesday evening, May 21. Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight...

Today is the National Day of Prayer. We are blessed to live in the United States of the America. In fact, God has so smiled on us that it is impossible to count our blessings. Yet these are critical times. Many good changes are taking place. But there are disturbing trends that mark a deliberate and obvious turn from God. America is not, and has never been, “a Christian nation.” There is no such thing. The church is a sign, herald, and foretaste of God’s present-but-not-yet kingdom, not any nation. Yet there was a day when this nation respected God's...

I am excited about the release of my new book, On Preaching: Personal & Pastoral Insights for the Preparation & Practice of Preaching. (Moody Publishers. Official release date: May 1, 2014). This is my second book, the first being It Happens After Prayer. I wrote this book without knowing it. Desiring to grow in my preaching, I began to read and think about preaching. I also started writing brief articles that summarized my views on various practical areas of sermon preparation and pulpit work. I was more than fifteen articles into the process before it dawned on me that these collected...

Every workman needs tools. It does not matter the nature of the work. He can be a carpenter that needs a hammer and nails. Or she can be a computer programmer that needs a laptop and software. The truth still applies whatever the task. No laborer can do his or her work without good tools. The same goes for preachers. If you are going to be a faithful expositor of the scriptures, you need to learn and practice the principles of Bible interpretation and sermon preparation. But you cannot practice the principles without the necessary tools. My father had a...

It was a joy to participate in the 70th annual Simultaneous Revival in Oklahoma City this week. My father used to preach this meeting. And I first preached it when I was 16-years-old. Thanks to Pastor John Reed and the Fairview Baptist Church. Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference that will take place at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, September 24-26, 2014. I pray this event becomes a moment that increases the tribe of faithful, Bible preachers and teachers. And I hope to see you there! My new book, On Preaching, will be released on May 1....