Most pastors aren’t good at self-care, so says Dr. Doug Talley. My conviction is that a good sermon requires a healthy pastor. This episode takes a peak at practices that address the issue.

Good self-care forces us to answer questions like these:

When was your last vacation?Do you protect at least one day off per week?Are you building boundaries and margin into your life?

Doug defines the terms for us.

“Balance is the routine you follow to replenish emotional, relational, spiritual & physical energy. Margin is the energy you reserve to allow for unexpected emergencies and demands.”

Doug will touch on these and other topics in this episode:

Pay attention to balance, margin and pace so the you have time for God, time for the important people in your life, and time for renewal.

Lily Foundation research show that a lack of friends and mentors knock us out of ministry. Do you schedule opportunities to enrich your life with mentors and friends?

Do you have a plan for congregational care?

Preaching runs us down. Energy drain. Spiritual drain caused by spiritual warfare. Mental drain. We get stale when we don’t renew ourselves.

How many Sundays do you preach? 38-42 per year. We refresh. The congregation gets to hear other voices.

Calendar and protect days off, vacation time, etc.

Here's Doug's blog post:

Best Sermon Ever welcomes Jeff Barclay. Jeff is Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Lawrence, Kansas. He brings a wealth of experience from his diverse background as a pastor, family man, school teacher, athlete, and much more.

Jeff's desire is "to share God's Word in all it's truth without watering anything down, but to do it in love, and in ways that are interesting, engaging and relevant to your daily life." He chooses to preach from a position of victory rather than being a reactionary.

In this episode Jeff reflects on learning styles of the listener, studying the culture, and staying in a learning posture. He reminds us that Sunday morning is not the end result.

As a father of 7 and grandfather of (soon to be) 15, he gives advice on keeping balance with family.

Jeff breaks out of the "cul-de-sac of our experience" by keeping in touch with culture. He especially encourages pastors to listen to the culture by reading blogs and listening to podcasts. Here are a few of his suggestions:

BreakpointThe Daily Article PodcastThe Denison ForumGravity LeadershipCarey Nieuwhof Blog and PodcastAuxano

Great sermons are made by creating great moments. In Episode 008, Rev. Steve Chiles shares several helpful ideas to deliver great moments as we preach.

A couple of his standout ideas include learning to tell good stories, developing a researching team, watching yourself preach, and feeding your creative fire through collaboration.

Steve has been in ministry for 39 years. Currently he serves as Senior Pastor of Shartel Church of God in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Dr. Rolland Daniels talks about his sermon preparation process, Preaching and brokenness, and more in episode 007 of Best Sermon Ever.

The secret to his preparation process is found in three practices:

Read the text every day.Study commentary resources on Wednesday afternoon.Give all day Thursday to sermon preparation.

Rolland's Recommended Resources:

Church in the Middle, Rolland DanielsDismissing God, D. Bruce LockerbieBeyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend, Ravi Zacharias

Dr. Jeffrey Frymire highlights detailed insights on the public reading of scripture. Learn about using emphasis, pauses, pace, body language, and eye contact.

He also suggests that we can learn from politicians, newscasters, and comedians.

Suggested Resources:

Public Reading of Scripture, Clayton J. SchmitPreaching the Story, Jeffrey FrymireEat This Book, Eugene PetersonThe Cross and the Lynching Tree, James H. Cone

The Scorre Method is a powerful preparation tool to build all kinds of talks. Herb Shaffer joins today's episode to share the nuts and bolts of Scorre.

Do you know that 75% of people leaving a speech or sermon have no idea what was communicated? Even more telling, 50% of speakers cannot articulate the objective of their talk in a simple sentence.

The Scorre Method was created by Ken Davis. He once said "If you don't know where you are going, neither will the people riding with you." Scorre will help you solve that problem.

What is The Scorre Method? It's an acronym to guide you through the development of your talk. Ken Davis shares that the primary functions of the process are:

It will serve as a scope to help you focus on a single objective just as the scope on a gun blocks out all but the very center of the target.It will provide you with a logical framework so you can construct a single bullet of truth that will not miss.

Here's the acronym:

S = SubjectC = Central ThemeO = ObjectiveR = RationaleR = ResourcesE = Evaluation

Information About The Scorre Method

Secrets of Dynamic Communications: Ken Davis

www.scorreconference.tv

Herb's Suggested Reading

From Where God Sits: A Quest to Discover God's Perspective, Herb Shaffer

Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track-And Keeping It There, Les McKeown

When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Wacred Questions, Sue Monk Kidd

Unlocking the Bible: A Unique Overview of the Whole Bible, David Pawson

Websites referenced in this episode:

www.herbshaffer.com

www.kendavis.com

Preaching and testimony go together like bread and butter. It's a powerful combination. In Episode 003 you will hear how a testimony is used as an introduction to the sermon.

The testimony was included in the weekly sermon podcast from New Hope Oahu and posted in 2004. As far as I know it is no longer available online.

Please share these episodes with your friends if you find them helpful.

A good sermon planning process is crucial to good preaching. A good process will identify what you need to preach, when to preach it, how to present it, and how to improve it.

In this episode Jim Feirtag shares his method for developing an annual preaching calendar. He also talks about the how he works on his weekly sermons.

Book Jim references:

Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication, Andy Stanley and Lane Jones

How Christianity Changed the World, Alvin J. Schmidt

Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Timothy Keller

The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms, Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

Jim is Senior Pastor of Parkgate Community Church in Pasadena, Texas.

Eric Livingston talks to us about Brene Brown's 5 Rules for Speaking, timing his sermons and using Andy Stanley's Preaching Map for mentoring a bullpen of preachers.

Eric is the Regional Pastor for the Church of God in Illinois. In recent years he has also served as Lead Pastor at New Covenant in Peoria, Illinois.

Read Brene Brown 5 Rules for Speaking.

Eric references these books:

Communicating for a Change, Andy Stanley and Lane Jones

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight

I Will Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills: Learning from the Great Prayers of the Old Testament, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.

Welcome to the introduction of Best Sermon Ever, a podcast dedicated to helping pastors improve their preaching and communication skills.

Your best sermon is yet to be preached.