Sermonsmith

AJ Sherrill is the parish pastor of Trinity Grace Church in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. AJ describes how his philosophy of preaching led to a five step prep process, how he sees preaching as primarily an act of compassion, and how he mines his own private blog as he prepares each sermon. Resources and links mentioned: Philosophy … Read More →

Aaron Graham pastors the District Church deep in the nation’s capitol. Aaron describes how he works alongside others to develop the preaching series at District Church; how he tries to tie each sermon to the story of self, us, and now; and how he got schooled in preaching during a two hour lunch with Mark Labberton. Resources and links mentioned: … Read More →

Alice Shirey joins us from Iowa while sitting near her actively maintained files of illustrations and outlines. Alice describes her unexpected journey to being a teaching pastor, why she keeps every draft of her sermons, and how she keeps her sermons fresh even as she preaches them multiple weeks in a row Resources and links mentioned: Orchard Hill Church Live … Read More →

Dave Lomas is the founding pastor of Reality San Francisco. He tells us how he gets started by reading and more reading, how his best ideas come by verbally processing his thoughts with others, and how he’s learned to preach by listening to others who do it well. Resources and links mentioned: Poets, Prophets, and Preachers RealitySF.com Follow @davidlomas About … Read More →

The ever thoughtful Winn Collier joins me from his home office in Charlottesville, VA. Winn talks about the interplay between preaching and writing, describes how running is his best time for ruminating, and explains how his best sermons leave plenty of room for the listeners to continue the conversation in their mind. Resources and links mentioned: All Souls Charlottesville WinnCollier.com … Read More →

Eric Russ is the pastor of Mack Avenue Community Church. In our time together, he talks about his journey from preaching in the suburbs of Ohio to the urban core of Detroit, how he fits deep theology into his category of ‘light reading’, and why it’s important to keep staring at the fishes. Resources and links mentioned: Bible Gateway Mack … Read More →

Tara Beth Leach is a teaching pastor and looming Nazarene church planter in the greater Chicago area. As we listen to her story, we learn about her journey to realize her call to preach, we discover why Scot McKnight told me “she has something to say”, and we hear why she thinks bright and decorative journals are the best. Resources … Read More →

David Sparks joins us for a unique show format where we learn from the content development practices of those in other fields. David shares how he goes about developing his many writing projects and presentations for his work as a lawyer and his side work passion for making the most of technology. Resources and links mentioned: MacSparky Systematic Podcast #91 … Read More →

Phil Nellis joins us from drizzle drenched Seattle, though he claims the sun was shining. He describes how growing up in Mexico shaped how he prepares sermons, why he finds great value in the lectionary study group he helped form, and how his preparation varies one Sunday a month for a community midrash rather than a sermon. Resources and links … Read More →

TJ Luoma joins us from the heart of Gallipolis, OH. He has advanced degrees in theology, but he seems to know just as much about technology. He tells us about how both of those interplay in how he shapes his sermons. Resources and links mentioned: TextWeek What is the narrative lectionary? Preaching Moment 012: Walter Brueggemann Mac Power Users 181: … Read More →