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May 7, 2013  David Murray   2 comments

A Biblical Basis for the Multi-ethnic Gospel
Multiple verses from the Psalms and prophets could be added.

The new legalism
How the push to be ‘radical’ and ‘missional’ discourages ordinary people in ordinary places from doing ordinary things to the glory of God. Along similar lines is The Radical Nature of a Quiet Life.

When can mother relax?
Kim Shay: “This is the reality of parenting; it’s a life long vocation. And we can be thankful for it, because it causes us to draw closer to God, and it gives us opportunity to grow.”

How should we teach our children about the Trinity
Here’s something I wrote on the same challenge: How can I explain the Trinity to a child?

21 skills of great preachers
“For most of my life, when sitting under a great preacher, I’ve taken dual sets of notes, including content on one list, and a separate set of notes on their communication skills. What have I discovered in these 40 years worth of notes? Here’s my summary.”

Want to talk to non-Christians?
Here are six tips from an atheist!

  • Dan N

    Dr. Murray, I’m curious as to what you think about the list of 21 skills of great preachers. For my part, I’d have to say that for as much experience as the writer says he had, I was not terribly impressed.

    Certainly, some oral communication skills can aid the delivery of a sermon; but while I found myself to agree with some items on his list, one could learn many if not most of these same things from Toastmasters. Unless it is implicit within the writer’s use of the word “content”, where on the list is the preacher’s handling of the Word, and his ability to convey biblical truth to his people? Sadly, my former pastor told me that at his seminary, there was quite a lot more attention paid to presentation than to content, even though from my understanding it is a fairly reputable school that has produced some very good pastors.

    • http://headhearthand.org/blog/ David Murray

      I know what you’re saying Dan. I agree that the content is the most important. However, I’m increasingly seeing that there are really basic communication skills that are lacking in men that have all the content you could want. The result is that the content is not being received. It is quite simple, and yet it’s the lack of the simple basics of communication that is having a detrimental effect on preaching and hearing.