We were hanging out at the church, waiting for the afternoon service. An unidentified woman pulled up. She was there to pick me up for the service I was schedule to preach at her church that afternoon. My father had told her pastor I would preach the meeting. But he forgot to tell me! So there I was. On my way to preach. Barely in my teens. Scared out of my wits. I preached the story of David and Goliath. This was my introduction to preaching without notes. A baptism by fire. More than twenty-five years later, I am used...

The scribble to my left are the preaching notes from my sermon this past Sunday. Typically, I write out a complete sermon manuscript for preaching. I usually do not have to bring any notes to the pulpit. But I am not neurotic about it. If I need the entire manuscript, I take it (having an iPad has made this easier for me). Or if I need an outline or specific notes, that is what I created. I do not really set the entire sermon to memory. I basically internalize it over the course of writing and editing the manuscript. But I...

It was youth Sunday afternoon. I was hanging out on the church grounds with my dad, waiting for the youth musical to begin. A car pulled up and a woman got out and walked up to me and asked, “Are you ready?” She was the lady assigned to pick me up to preach the youth service at her church that afternoon. The service my father forgot to tell me about. As a boy preacher, just into his teens, this was an indescribable crisis. But I got through it. Barely. This early experience taught me to always be prepared to preach....