Meet the Beatles

Last Saturday Pat, Loni, and I got to see the Beatles in concert. Not really, it was a tribute band called Revolution. You can read about their story here. The concert was sponsored by the Mount Dora Music Festival. You can read about the festival here. Mount Dora is renovating an old theater into a "concert boutique." They hope to extend the theater's seating and turn it into a really nice place for concerts.

This concert was unique in that probably 85% of the people were over 50. There were a few young adults and even some teens but mostly baby boomers trying to remember the glory years of the 60s. The band really did a good job of playing the Beatles' songs just the way the Beatles did. The first half of the concert was the early Beatles. Then they came out dressed in Sgt. Pepper outfits and did later stuff by the Beatles. What a great time we had listening to the Beatles.

Book Review - Biblical Preaching

With my last post I mentioned that I was planning on reading Robinson's book and trying to follow his methodology. My purpose was to regain some discipline in my preparation. I've read numerous books on homiletics over the years and think that I've tried to allow all of them to influence me so that I might find my own voice (style). I think in some ways that I've reached that goal but I don't think that I've figured out how to speak to my audience in my voice (style). So I'm going to follow Robinson's methodology and see what happens. Robinson has influenced quite a few people in the field of homiletics. I'm talking not only students and preachers but writers of homiletics as well. I will probably be reviewing some of those books in the future as well.

I read Robinson's first edition sometime back in the late 80s. I didn't really absorb the book and its details immediately. Things sometimes have to simmer on my back burner before I really understand how to use them. I think Robinson and other homileticians have simmered long enough. I picked up Robinson's book at a local Bible bookstore outlet center for about half price. There are 10 chapters in the book, as well as an appendix with a sample sermon. The chapters take the reader from text selection to finished product in 10 stages. The stages do not correspond to the chapters. Robinson opens with two chapters on an explanation about expository preaching and "the big idea." Robinson is saying that most preaching should be based on a coherent passage and a single idea. This single idea (a.ka. the big idea) is the heart of his methodology. Once he establishes these two points the book then explains how to reach the finished sermon.

There are several strengths to Robinson's book. One is that it provides a disciplined approach to sermon preparation. I believe that if one follows this approach, the finished sermon will be of good quality. Another strength is the "big idea" that has become Robinson's trademark. The "big idea" approach gives the sermon a focus and keeps the preacher from wandering and the congregation from wondering what in the world he is talking about.

The book also has its weaknesses. One is that his stage on studying the passage is not very clear. Tom Long (The Witness of Preaching) and Fred Craddock (Preaching) both have excellent sections on the study process. Robinson should have incorporated a better section on studying the passage with this second edition. Another weakness is application. Even though I believe that I do a fairly good job of trying to address how to apply my sermons, I still feel the need to find something that will help me make sure that I'm providing good application suggestions. Robinson talks about application but like most books on preaching really ends up short. There is a chapter in The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching that will help.

Robinson's book has echoes of Charles Koller (How to Preach without Notes), Lloyd Perry (Biblical Preaching for Today's World), and a host of others. His methodology has some similarities to Tom Long's. It is well worth your time as a preacher to invest in the book and to follow his methodology if only to see how it fits into your already established sermon preparation.
I'm trying to incorporate some of Long's and Craddock's study procedures into Robinson's overall approach. Maybe some day down the road I'll let you know how I've benefited from this approach.

Book Review - The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching

Several authors have collaborated to write a book that tries to further the idea that Haddon Robinson put in his classic homiletic text - Biblical Preaching. The contributors are trying to demonstrate that Robinson's style of preparing expository sermons is still relevant to our diverse culture.

The book is divided into three parts. Part One has two chapters and is geared toward showing why "the big idea" of the text and sermon packs a good homiletical punch. Part Two, with five chapters, focuses on the biblical and theological power of "the big idea." This section takes us through literary types and culture types. Part Three has four chapters and is dedicated to getting "the big idea" across in our sermons.

The weakest chapter was Chapter 6 (The Big Idea and Biblical Theology's Grand Theme) by Bruce L. Shelley. The chapter was weak because "the big idea" of the chapter wasn't really about biblical theology and the grand theme of the Bible. It was more about getting across the emotion (I would have preferred "mood") of the text. I agree with what the author said in his chapter, so it wasn't weak in the sense that what he said didn't relate to the theme of the book. It was weak because his chapter content and chapter title didn't match up. The chapter should have been called "The Big Idea and the Mood of the Text." Then another chapter should have focused on Biblical Theology and the Grand Theme of the Bible.

The highlight of the book was two chapters. Donald Sunukjian (doesn't anyone know how to pronounce his name?) in chapter 8 wrote about allowing the flow of the text to influence the flow of your sermon. It was such an excellent chapter that I have his book at the top of my "books to buy NOW" list.

The other great chapter was by Joseph Stowell III on "Preaching for a Change" (chapter 9). He made some excellent suggestions on how to build application into your lessons. I think trying to have effective applications in my lessons is my weakest part. Stowell's were the best I've read.

This is a highly recommend book for preachers. Your style will be enhanced by reading and incorporating the suggestions found here. I would also recommend that you find the books of the contributors and read them as well. I have several of their books on my list. I liked this book so much that I've decided to reread Robinson's book and try to follow his methodology for a while. I have read so many books on homiletics (and tried to incorporate way too many ideas) that I have felt I don't really have a style of my own. Or maybe it's just that I feel I lack good discipline. I like what I've read about Robinson's method so I'm going to try it for a while and see what happens.

I Vant Yur Blood!

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?

More Revelations about Bob!

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

I got an A!

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

My Mother and Wife should be very proud of me.

You are what you eat!

What Your Pizza Reveals

Your appetite is pretty average. You don't go overboard - but you don't deprive yourself either. You consider pizza to be bread... very good bread. You fit in best in the Midwest part of the US. You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods. You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices. You are cultured and intellectual. You should consider traveling to Vienna. The stereotype that best fits you is emo. You think you're special... and you kind of are.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

So here is what my pizza-eating habits say about me. I wonder what other foods reveal our personalities? So have you taken the test?