Shows
The Preaching Donkey Podcast113. The BEST Book on Leading Change In Your ChurchLet me take a wild guess here... There are things you want to change about your church. You have a list. You dream about what it would be like if you could make the changes you want to make. If only your leadership team, elders, staff, congregation, etc would just get onboard with you!! This episode will help you with that! I'm going to walk you through the concepts from my favorite book on leading change in your church. This book is a tried and true gem. I've used the principles it teaches for years, and they are tried...
2023-12-1527 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast112. Be a Pillar of Virtue (Pastor Expectations 7 of 7)Ahh, a pillar of virtue. One who floats on the clouds unaffected by criticism, temptation, angry congregants and everything in between. That is basically what is expected of you at all times as a pastor. Is this fair? Is this biblical? Who gets to define how a "pillar of virtue" behaves? And how does this intersect with the qualifications for pastors that Paul lays out in 1 Timothy? In our final episode of this series on the unrealistic expectations pastors face, we'll dive into it all and discover how we should deal with this particularly hard to fulfill expectation.
2023-12-0724 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast111. Be the Master of Ceremonies (Pastor Expectations 6 of 7)Can weddings, funerals and baptisms lead to burnout? It depends on how you manage the expectation of being the officiant of all those ceremonies. In this episode, we discuss how to set the expectations and manage the responsibility of weddings, funerals and baptisms - and any other rituals, ceremonies or sacraments you're expected to facilitate.
2023-11-3019 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast110. Be a Human Resources Director (Pastor Expecations Part 5 of 7)I would guess that when you signed up to be a pastor, the absolute LAST thing on your mind was that one day you'd be expected to manage HR at your church. That you would effectively be a human resources director on top of being the spiritual shepherd and preacher of your church. Nevertheless, the expectation to hire staff, fire staff, develop staff, and build a good workplace culture probably falls on you - if you haven't done something about that expecation. In this episode, I'm going to give you a three part framework for how to manage the...
2023-11-2117 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast109. Be a Fundraiser (Pastor Expectations Part 4 of 7)Your church needs money to operate. Almost nothing happens without it. And the expectation of raising enough funds for the church to meet its budget and fund special projects often falls squarely on you, the pastor. How do you manage such an important responsibility? In this episode, I'll give you a three part framework for fulfilling your role in your church's fundraising.
2023-11-1730 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast108. Be a Counselor (Pastor Expectations 3 of 7)How do you handle the expectation of pastoral care in your church? Too often the senior pastor takes on this burden nearly entirely. This can become a massive drain on you - spiritually, emotionally and physically. The people in your church have to be cared for, but it doesn't have to be you carrying that burden. In this episode, I'll lay out a framework for making sure that everyone is taken care of without you losing yourself in the process.
2023-11-0923 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast107. Be the CEO of Your Church (Pastor Expectations 2 of 7)When you signed up for ministry, did you know you'd be expected to function as a CEO? Oh, and you need to give a keynote address to the whole organization every Sunday. And, you better lead at a world class level. And bring the right team around you. And never let the church's attendance flatten or decline. And make sure you, your spouse and kids all remain pillars of virtue through every challenge. If you fail at any level as the CEO of the church, you will be replaced. Nothing to it, right? In this episode, we are examining...
2023-10-3021 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast106. Be a Professional Speaker (Pastor Expectations 1 of 7)If you preach, you know the pressure of making your sermons awesome. But it's not just your content that has to be impeccable. Your delivery has to be at an expert level as well. You simply "must" be: -engaging but not too confrontational -humorous but not glib -biblical but not a seminary lesson -entertaining but still substantive -thorough but not long-winded. Easy peasy right? Recently a pastor wrote an article sharing why he has decided to leave pastoral ministry for good. His article went viral as so many people resonated with his sentiments on the pressures, stresses and unrealistic...
2023-10-2618 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast105. The Tyranny of Unrealistic Expectations (Why Pastors Quit)Recently a pastor wrote an article sharing why he has decided to leave pastoral ministry for good. His article went viral as so many people resonated with his sentiments on the pressures, stresses and unrealistic expectations pastors face. In this episode, we'll dive into his article and see what we can learn from his experience. If you've ever felt as if they pressures of ministry are too great to bear, this episode is for you.
2023-10-1933 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast104. The BEST Way to Build Tension (In your sermon)When we preach, we need one thing from our listeners in order to get our message across to them: their attention. If they are not listening, the message is not making an impact. This is why building tension in the beginning of your message is so important. It signals to the listener that the message is worth listening to. There are many ways to approach tension building, but in this episode I'm going to show you the best way.
2023-08-0313 min
Speak With PeopleCan I Really Have My Own Space Online with Lane Sebring? | Episode 044Can just anyone build their own online platform? Do leaders need to figure out a space online where they can cultivate, encourage, inspire and lead? How is that even possible? What does it take to carve out a space online? What goes into an online platform? What can you use it for?
Today we start a brand new series on the Speak with People Podcast, ‘Speaking from behind a screen’. So much of our communication now happens online, how can we become a more effective communicator online? And since we’re online, as leaders, how can we build...
2023-06-2841 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast103. How to Preach One-Point Sermons (And why you'd want to)Recently I received a question from a subscriber who asked me about how to move from preaching messages with multiple points to preaching one-point messages. I love this question because it begs another question: Why would you want to preach a one-point message? In this episode, we'll explore how to prepare and preach a one-point message as well as why it can be a great way to go!
2023-06-2212 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast102. 10 Reasons Church Attendance Is Declining (even for committed Christians)Church attendance is in decline overall. But this is not just among those who have left the faith entirely. Even those who are committed Christians are attending church less and less. In an article on his website, Carey Nieuwhof explores why. In this episode, we'll dive into the ten reasons he gives for why church attendance is declining and what we can do about it in our churches.
2023-06-1524 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast101. Five DISTRACTING Habits of Preachers (Part 2)If you've ever watched a video of yourself preaching, you've probably noticed some things you're doing that are distracting to your listeners. All of us could use some coaching in this area. When I look back through videos of my sermons I notice more distracting tendencies than I care to admit! But there is hope and we can all overcome these by knowing what they are and working to eliminate them. In part two of this series, I want to offer five common distractions I’ve observed in preachers over the years. For each one I'll give simple solutions to...
2023-06-0816 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast100. Five Distracting Habits of Preachers (And how to fix them)Every preacher has physical tendencies that unintentionally distract the audience. Sometimes these are known by the preacher and other times they are ticks and habits that must be pointed out to be changed. All of us could use some coaching in this area. When I look back through videos of my sermons I notice more distracting tendencies than I care to admit! But there is hope and we can all overcome these by knowing what they are and working to eliminate them. In this episode, I want to offer five common distractions I’ve observed in preachers over the ye...
2023-06-0116 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast99. The Five BEST Books on Church GrowthLiving things grow. If something isn’t growing, it’s dying. This is why a church that is not growing is a cause for concern. A church should be alive and one way to know if a church is alive is to look at the numbers. Numbers aren’t everything, but numbers represent people and each person has a story and every story matters to God (I didn’t come up with that, but I love it). Every church leader should be intentional about positioning their church for growth. This is why I’ve pulled together my list of the best f...
2023-05-2515 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast98. Preach WITHOUT Notes (Here's how - Part 2)A few years into my preaching ministry, I began to be intrigued with this idea: What if I could train myself to not need notes when I preach? What if I could prepare in such a way that I could deliver a message and never look down, but maintain eye contact and physical engagement with my listeners from start to finish? What if you could, too? In part two of this series, we'll dive into more of how to train ourselves to not look at our notes when we preach.
2023-05-1819 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast97. How to Preach WITHOUT Notes (Part 1 of 2)We’ve all seen this happen. The preacher walks up to the stage with a Bible, some pieces of paper, and a binder. He spends the first few seconds placing everything on the podium. While he’s doing this the audience is mostly looking at the top of his head as he looks down. As he begins speaking he reads from one piece of paper, looks up, finds another one in his binder, reads it, looks up again, and then looks down for his next idea. Aside from the sloppiness and the seemingly un-prepared vibe this gives off – it also r...
2023-05-1126 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast96. The Best Five Books on PreachingIt amazes me the insights and wisdom available to us in great preaching books. My preaching ministry has benefited vastly from some of the books I've read on the topic. I’ve pulled together the books that have impacted my preaching the most. Each one of these books will help you improve your preaching in distinct ways. I love all of them for different reasons, and my copies are all marked up. In this episode, I'm sharing my list of the best 5 books on preaching.
2023-05-0416 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast95. This VITAL Step is Missing from Your Sermon PrepEvery time we preach we have an opportunity to fulfill our God-given calling to impact lives with the truth of God’s Word and the hope of the gospel. But the effectiveness of our preaching is impacted by a host of variables we cannot control, including distractions in the room. But there is something we can control, and that is how well we prepare. I find one of the most often neglected aspects of effective sermon preparation is rehearsing the sermon. By rehearsing I mean preaching the entire message by yourself (or to a handful of people) before you ac...
2023-04-2818 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast94. Why Your Sermon Points Don't Work (and how to fix them)You make points in every sermon you preach. You try to communicate at least one point. One idea. One bottom line. You may have one major point but a number of supporting points. The point is, you make points. Get the point? So, what do you do with every point you make? Is it enough just to say the words. “My main point is _________. Okay, let’s close in prayer.” Well, we both know that would be insufficient. We have to do more than just say a point for it to stick. But how do we do this? How do we...
2023-03-3118 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast93. How to Change Up Your Sermon Last MinuteHave you ever prepared a sermon, but when it came time to preach it, you felt led to preach something else? Or you felt led to change up entire parts of the sermon? It happens to all of us, and it's wise to be ready for those moments. There are a number of considerations to deal with, in this episode, I'm going to share seven with you. Seven things to keep in mind if you are going to switch things up last minute.
2023-03-2316 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast92. 3 Simple Ways to Preach for ApplicationOne of your jobs as a preacher is to teach your listeners how to live out the truths you preach from Scripture. Preaching, of necessity, requires application. We’re preaching for life-change. We’re preaching to make the written word become the living word in people’s daily lives. But the application part of the sermon is often the most difficult to execute well. I once listened to a sermon where the preacher concluded with a list of 13 ways to apply the message. Thirteen ways! Most people struggle to remember thirteen different truths from one sermon, much less apply them...
2023-03-1616 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast91. 3 MASSIVELY Encouraging Church Trends (That I observed at Exponential 2023)This week I attended the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL. This is one of the largest church leadership conferences in the world with over 5,000 pastors and church leaders in attendance. I observed some trends in the capital 'C' church that I found to be incredibly encouraging. In this episode, I'm going to share those three observations with you and what we, as church leaders, can learn from them and apply to our own contexts.
2023-03-1017 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast90. 4 Traits of Irresistible SpeakersYears ago my church hosted a conference to encourage and equip our lay leaders and staff. One of the speakers at the event impacted me with her engaging presentation. She spoke for nearly an hour training our leaders how to do ministry effectively in our context. About halfway through her presentation I had filled my page with notes and was eager for more. I started to think about what made the experience so captivating. Turns out, she had four key traits of irresistible speakers. In this episode, I'll share the four traits with you and show you how you...
2023-03-0213 minThe Preaching Donkey PodcastStrategic Leadership Bundle Closes TODAYLast chance to join Strategic Leadership Bundle! Get the full scoop at https://www.preachingdonkey.com/leadership
2023-03-0103 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast89. How to speak TO your church ABOUT your churchYears ago I met with a pastor in my area who led a thriving church that he had planted the in 2003. At the time, it had grown from three families to 2,500 people in attendance. He spent an hour sharing a lot of fantastic insights about casting vision, setting direction, and bringing people along on mission to reach the community. But of all the insights he shared, one still sticks with me to this day. I want to share it with you: "Tell your church what they are and eventually they’ll become that." These words rang inside my head as...
2023-02-2219 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast88. Asbury Revival (3 Vital Lessons for Pastors)For more than a week, there has been an ongoing, unplanned revival on the campus of Asbury University in Kentucky. It's been the talk of social media and thousands have even have made the trip to be part of it. In this episode, I want to draw out three lessons that we, as pastors can learn from this historic event.
2023-02-1617 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast87. 16 Ways to Get Un-Stuck in Your Sermon PrepDo you ever get stuck in a sermon prep rut? I know I do. Sometimes the sermon comes together like a beautifully crafted work of art. But other times I struggle to get any thoughts to come together. It’s hard to break out of sermon prep stuck-ness, but I’ve learned a few things that help me overcome these stuck times, and I want to share them with you. In this episode, we cover 16 things you can do this week to get unstuck in your sermon prep.
2023-02-1013 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast86. 4 Must Do's of Sermon Illustrations (To make your message come alive)As a preacher you want to make your ideas come alive. When you labor preparing a message and perfectly craft your points you’re not thinking, "I’m sure this will be altogether unremarkable, but I’ll give it a try!" No, you’re thinking, "How can I make them see this and feel it and be changed by it?" We all want this because, what good is it if you make a great point, but no one feels it? If no one does anything with it? An effective illustration is the secret sauce that makes your listeners grab onto you...
2023-02-0217 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast85. My 4-Step Sermon Outlining Method (It's great, trust me ;)There is almost nothing more important to sermon preparation than your outline. It is the structure upon which your sermon is built. Without an outline that takes people on a compelling, purposeful journey your sermon will seem aimless. If your sermon is aimless, people will not give it their attention. In this episode, I'm going to show you my four-step sermon outlining method. It will give you a framework for building sermons that take people on a meaningful path toward life-change.
2023-01-2616 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast84. How to Preach Multiple Services (A Survival Guide)Every church I've served has had multiple services, but no one ever took the time to explain best practices for maintaining energy levels while preaching all of them. Maybe they thought everyone was born knowing this stuff? Well, I am going to share so that there will be something in the world regarding this topic. ;) In this episode, I'm going to share my 7-step survival guide to preaching multiple services.
2023-01-1916 min
South Walton Podcast: Guide to 30A FloridaPodcast Listener to 30A Local: Lane Sebring | # 9It feels so good to be back ON AIR! And what better way than a chat with entrepreneur and recent local, Lane Sebring! Lane shares his family's incredible story of how adversity in his career paved the way for massive growth and achieving their dream of calling 30A home! - To learn more about Lane, please visit him online, & on YouTube • A huge thank you to this episode's sponsor, Hello Clementines - our go-to babysitting service in the 30A area! You can check them out online • Endless gratitude for Sowal House in Rosemary Beach for ho...
2023-01-1648 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast83. Why You Need a Preaching Team (Complete Beginner's Guide)Preachers do weird things. One weird thing we do is prepare our sermons alone. Every week you have to get up in front of a group of people and say words. Those words have to be engaging, powerful, motivating, encouraging, accurate, practical and spiritual all at the same time. Every. Single. Week. And you prepare alone. All by yourself. I think this started with Moses. He went up on a mountain and heard from God. He came down and told the people, “This is what God said.” We’ve never really changed the model. Preachers have been preparing sermons alone...
2023-01-1222 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast82. 4 Things Pastors Wish People Understood About ThemBeing a pastor is unlike just about any other profession. Because of the holistic nature of the work, we tend to take on “pastor” as an identity and not just a profession. Add to that the spiritual component that we are not just providing a service to people, but showing them how life is supposed to be lived for God’s glory (no pressure). Most people don’t quite know what to do with us because we seem like non-persons to them. They don’t understand us, but we really wish they did. We don’t feel any different than anyone...
2023-01-0527 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast81. Are you making ministry harder than it needs to be?If you're in ministry leadership, I don't have to tell you ministry is hard. You know it, you live it. There are unique challenges to church and ministry work. But, often we make ministry harder on ourselves than it needs to be. In this episode, I'm going to discuss a Carey Nieuwhof article where he shares five ways pastors make ministry harder than it needs to be. In this we'll discover ways we can avoid making ministry unnecessarily difficult for ourselves.
2022-12-2024 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast80. Three questions to ensure your sermon is ready to preachWith each sermon you preach, you should be absolutely crystal clear what you want your people to take away from it. If you are murky about how they’ll be able to use your message, then you can be sure they’ll be clueless. As preachers who want to communicate well, clarity must be a top priority in every sermon. But it’s easy, and sometimes necessary, to focus most of your prep time on your content and not your listeners. This makes it so crucial to think through how your listeners will receive and use your message. In this e...
2022-11-3014 minThe Preaching Donkey PodcastBLACK FRIDAY Special Offer: $200 OFF Ultimate Killer Sermons BundleTODAY through Monday we're offering BOTH Killer Sermons Academy and Preaching Jumpstart in The Ultimate Killer Sermons Bundle at $200 OFF when you use promo code: BLACKFRIDAY200 at checkout. This takes it from $497 to $297 this weekend only! The Ultimate Killer Sermons Bundle includes Killer Sermons Academy Platinum: our most comprehensive, flagship course on sermon preparation and delivery. It is a complete, end-to-end, proven system to consistently create and deliver messages that captivate and inspire your listeners toward life-change. With the bundle, you'll also get Preaching Jumpstart. This course is perfect if you are new to preaching or looking to develop...
2022-11-2502 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast79. Four things competing for attention when you preachIt’s more important than ever before to work on gaining and keeping the attention of your listeners while you preach. Capturing and maintaining attention is one of the most difficult things a communicator must do. The reason we have to work harder to gain and keep attention has to do with what competes for the attention of our people every time we preach. Our listeners are so distracted, and we need to know what we’re up against. Some of these distractions are new, and some are as timeless as humanity, but they are all present every time you...
2022-11-2318 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast78. Pastor: Stop cheating yourself out of your day offSo many pastors get burned out and fatigued because they lack balance. They are giving 100% of themselves 100% of the time. This is not sustainable and will lead to an inevitable crash landing. But there are two simple things you can do to keep yourself from burnout: Take a real day off; and have a real vacation. In this episode, we'll explore why it's so vital to guard your time off as a pastor, and even more importantly, we'll discover how to do it.
2022-11-1622 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast77. How to overcome preaching DISTRACTIONS (Five ways)There are many things that can distract you while you preach. Distractions can easily interrupt your flow, make you lose your train of thought and potentially derail your message. It’s important to prepare for potential distractions ahead of time so that you're ready when they come. All preaching distractions fall into one of two categories: internal or external. Internal distractions exist inside your head. Your mind goes a million miles an hour while you preach. You think about a lot of things in the moment: -you can’t decide what your next word is going to be -you wond...
2022-11-1019 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast76. Are we misunderstanding the Holy Spirit's role in sermon prep?Sermon preparation can be vexing. It's important to put in the necessary hard work and deliver a sermon that is worthy of a listen. But when I write about the importance of working hard at sermon preparation, well-meaning people sometimes respond with this argument: "Just let the Holy Spirit guide you! No need for all this work." It is their desire to protect the purity of the process and not tarnish it with technique. They see preaching as this otherworldly exercise that the Holy Spirit superintends. In their view, the work of the Holy Spirit is thwarted when the...
2022-11-0416 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast75. Two VITAL Questions to Ask BEFORE Preaching any SermonOften when I am preparing a message, I'm asking myself, "What is the point I'm going to make in this message?" Granted, that's a valid question. But there is a more important question to ask that goes a level higher than that: What's my objective for this message? To know if you were successful at something you’ve tried, you have to know what you were seeking to accomplish. This is true in every area of life but especially in preaching. This is why I nail down the objective of my message early on in the process of writing it...
2022-10-2013 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast74. How to Preach on Controversial Topics (9 helpful tips)As a preacher you should never shy away from tough topics. If the Bible addresses an issue, you should too. You want to help your listeners have a holistic view of how biblical truth intersects with every aspect of their lives. But the more controversial the topic the more important it is to handle it with care. I have preached on topics ranging from what the Bible teaches about alcohol consumption, to sex and sexual issues, to marriage, and financial giving. Along the way, I have learned a few things about how to approach these types of sermons, and...
2022-10-0620 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast73. Two DANGEROUS Motivations for PreachingAs preachers we must guard against a prideful spirit. It is a trap that can destroy our effectiveness and our ministries. But we need confidence in order to boldly proclaim God’s word. A tension exists between pride and confidence. Most of us would say that being confident in our abilities is generally good, but being prideful in ourselves can be detrimental. We know that the Scriptures contain harsh warnings against pride. You can be a confident person without being prideful, but it often seems like a fine line. A closely related character trait to pride and confidence is fe...
2022-09-2915 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast72. How to Get More Helpful Feedback on Your SermonsThere are few things more vulnerable than preaching. If you do it right, it is a moment when you bare your soul for the world to see. So it makes sense that you wonder what people think of your preaching. You want to know if your sermon worked. Sometimes you just want someone to tell you that you did great so you don’t feel as awful about your mediocre sermon (we’ve all been there). Most of us walk away from a sermon we’ve preached with this resounding thought: Validate me, tell me how great my sermon was be...
2022-09-2223 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast71. Five PRACTICAL Things Preachers Can Learn from PaulIn our effort to become better preachers we often learn from the best preachers in our generation. We watch our heroes and take notes gleaning all we can from them. This, by the way, is a good thing. While you should never seek to copy someone else or become them, you can always learn a great deal from studying best-practices. But we have a lot to learn not only from our contemporaries, but also from those who have gone before. One leader and preacher who we can learn a great deal from is Paul. Paul, the Apostle, was not...
2022-09-1520 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast70. Matt Chandler Steps Down - Here's what no one's talking aboutProminent mega church pastor, Matt Chandler, steps down for an indefinite leave of absence from his preaching role at The Village Church in Flower Mound, TX. This is due to "unguarded and unwise" interactions between him and another woman on Instagram. This comes in the wake of many scandals involving high profile pastors stepping down from their roles - some permanently losing their ministries. But this situation has some nuances that few seem to acknowledge. For far too long, we've seen a lack of accountability in the church. Is this situation different? Did the elders at The Village Church...
2022-09-0147 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast69. You Need a Sermon Prep Schedule - Here's why...The days leading up to a sermon can be very stressful for a preacher. Your sermon content is on your mind constantly. The responsibility of preparing a sermon can be daunting because when Sunday comes you have to deliver. This is why you need a plan, a guide, a schedule to keep you on track. In this episode, we'll explore the reasons you could benefit from a schedule and how to create one!
2022-08-2615 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast68. Alliterations Are Almost Always Absolutely AtrociousSome preachers alliterate their outlines making all their points begin with the same letter. Sometimes just the main points are alliterated, other times the sub-points are alliterated, still other times the sub-sub-points are alliterated. At one point it was taught as a great way to organize your message and really get your listeners to remember. To make it stick, alliterate! was the mantra. But we don’t see as much alliteration anymore - at least not to the extent it was happening in the 90s and 00s. But does it make a difference? Alliterate or not, does it matter? We...
2022-08-1812 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast67. Are You Killing Your Church's Generosity? (5 ways you might be)Churches rely on the generosity of their members to fund the church's ministries. It stands to reason that pastors would want to avoid doing things that end up reducing their members' giving. But many pastors and church leaders are unknowingly hindering their church's giving. This is according to an article on Carey Nieuwhof's site which we're diving into in this episode. Fortunately, every one of the five generosity killers is reversible and can be fixed. But you have to know what they are first. Let's dive into it in this episode.
2022-08-0418 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast66. How to Preach with Confidence When Pastors are Losing TrustThe environment in which we preach is not always friendly towards pastors. The trust that a person in ministry might have had three or four decades ago has been eroded. Rather than implicit trust, we are more likely to be met with distrust, doubt and skepticism when people find out we're in ministry. But we still are called to preach the gospel with confidence. How do we do this? In this episode, we'll be diving into an article by Ed Stetzer in which he lays out some ways to communicate with confidence in this climate.
2022-07-2815 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast65. The Best Preachers Balance Intensity and Relief (Here's how)For your sermons to be most effective you should have moments of great intensity balanced with moments of relief. I once preached a sermon on how to change. The sermon was intense because it dealt with the fallen human condition. I talked about addiction, abuse, pain, hang-ups, hurts and everything in between. The general feel of the sermon was intense. It was heavy. When I finished preaching the first of two services that day I could not shake the feeling that the sermon needed some relief. It was too heavy. It was overwhelming in a way that wasn’t pr...
2022-07-2112 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast64. Are Shorter Sermons Better?"Shorter sermons are almost always better." That was the title of one of the first articles I published at Preaching Donkey back in 2014. I felt strongly that a shorter sermon is a more effective sermon simply because there is less room for fluff and filler. Over the years I've adjusted my view, and I want to share my thoughts on this issue. Is a shorter sermon better? Is a long sermon preferable? What are some things to consider? We'll dive into all that in this episode.
2022-07-1414 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast63. Preach Better Sermons by Eliminating these WordsPauses are great. They can add emphasis and give more weight to your point. A well-placed pause is a powerful public speaking tool that you should know how to use. But the wonderful effect of a pause is destroyed by a terrible public speaking mistake preachers make: the audible pause. What’s an audible pause? Well, um, it’s uh, um, I think it’s uh… (Sorry, just had to do that). An audible pause is when you fill in the gaps of your speech with throw away words like “um” “uh” “you know” “like” and others. These throw away words are a huge di...
2022-07-0716 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast62. How to Preach a BORING Sermon!There’s nothing like a good snoozer of a sermon. We’ve all sat through them. We’ve all given them at one point or another (myself included). But what does it take to preach a sermon that makes your listeners fall sound asleep? What does it take to defy everyone’s ability to pay attention? If you aspire to give boring sermons that help your people catch up on rest while you preach, there are five easy steps which I'm sharing in this episode!
2022-06-3011 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast61. The One Thing Missing from Your Sermons: TensionAs a preacher, it’s easy to focus on your content and not really consider if your listeners are ready to hear it. You’ve been studying your material all week, and you’re totally energized by it. It’s all you’ve thought about for days. You are so excited to finally share these thoughts that are bursting out of you. But your listeners aren’t there yet. They walked into church with everything on their minds except your sermon. They have nowhere near the same level of enthusiasm about your topic that you have. That’s the way it works...
2022-06-2315 min2022-06-1617 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast59. Why Charismatic Churches are Growing - Lessons for PastorsWhy Charismatic Churches are Growing - Lessons for Pastors. Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days For the last several decades, attractional churches have reigned supreme. They've gone by different monikers. Sometimes known as seeker sensitive, modern, etc. The idea in many of these churches, and in evangelicalism at large, has been to make sure churches are as user-friendly and approachable to outsiders as possible. Nothing weird. Nothing awkward. That was the goal. And for good reason. The thought was, "Let's not make the gospel weird and scare away spiritual seekers." Like most...
2022-06-0923 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast58. Holographic Tech for Multisite Video Preaching (Too Much or Spot on?)Holographic Tech for Multisite Video Preaching (Too Much or Spot on?) Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days I've served on staff at multi-site churches as well as single-site churches. There are unique challenges and approaches to leading a church with more than one campus. When it comes to multi-site ministry, there are basically two approaches: 1) Video preaching at the campuses with one live communicator at a "main" campus; or 2) In-person preaching at each campus. But now there seems to be a third option: Holographic teaching. What? Yes, you read that right. At...
2022-06-0214 minThe Preaching Donkey PodcastBREAKING: Southern Baptists Refused to Act on Abuse, Despite Secret List of PastorsBREAKING: Southern Baptists Refused to Act on Abuse, Despite Secret List of Pastors | Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days A new report by Christianity Today's Kate Shellnutt details the results of an investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention's handling of abuse survivors within its churches. From the report: "Investigation: SBC Executive Committee staff saw advocates’ cries for help as a distraction from evangelism and a legal liability, stonewalling their reports and resisting calls for reform." It's a heartbreaking report that shows abuses and cover-ups going back decades within the SBC and its Ex...
2022-05-2337 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast57. TWO Ways to Approach Preaching (One is common but terrible)TWO Ways to Approach Preaching (One is common but terrible) Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days This week as I was preparing my message for this Sunday, something hit me. It would be so easy to preach this text completely detached from it personally. Hear me out, in any sermon, it would be so easy to stand up, teach through a text, boldly proclaim its claims and call people to obey it - all the while remaining completely unmoved by it myself! Unfortunately, this is all too common. I want to propose...
2022-05-1914 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast56. Four MISTAKES to Avoid when ENDING a SermonFour MISTAKES to Avoid when ENDING a Sermon Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days How you begin your sermon is vital. It can mean the difference between your listeners checking out or deciding to pay close attention. The things you say at the beginning of a sermon are what your listeners subconsciously use to build a framework for your whole message. If your thoughts are murky and unclear, you’re laying an unstable foundation. But the way you end a sermon is just as important. If the closing of your message is di...
2022-04-2915 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast55. Half of All Pastors OVERWORKED & Need TIME MANAGEMENTHalf of All Pastors OVERWORKED & Need TIME MANAGEMENT Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days A recent survey finds over half of all pastor say they're overworked and struggle with time-management. This is a topic I'm passionate about because I think churches can do so much better when the pastor is in a healthy place. In this episode, we'll dive into this issue and I'll give you some things that I have found to be helpful with overwork, overwhelm and time-management.
2022-04-2219 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast54. How to make your points stick when preaching (Sermon prep tips)One of the most difficult tasks we have as preachers is making our messages stick with people. We all want our listeners to walk out the door and take action on what they've heard from God's word. But this is not an easy task. People are distracted and there are many things competing for their attention when we preach. One way that we can help this problem is by making our points stick in people's hearts and minds. In this episode we're going to talk about how to do just that!
2022-04-1310 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast53. Simple Vs. Deep: Which is Better for Sermons?Simple Vs. Deep: Which is Better for Sermons? Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days When it comes to preaching, information transfer is not enough. We must aim for transformation in our listeners. But how to do preach messages that result in the transformative life-change we're seeking? Some say you gotta be super deep. Others say keep it really simple. So which is better? Which approach leads to life-change? In this episode, we'll dive into this question and explore the best way to preach messages that are geared toward life-change in our listeners.
2022-04-0617 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast52. American Church Attendance Still Plateaued Post-PandemicA recent Pew Research study finds post-pandemic church attendance in America is plateaued - What this means for pastors. Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days We are now solidly two years into the pandemic. With most restrictions lifted and churches back in full pre-pandemic operation, one thing is still lagging behind - attendance. A recent study shows that attendance patterns have plateaued over the last six months with very little increase even as churches are back in full swing. What does this mean for church leaders? What can we do about it...
2022-03-2415 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast51. Finding Your Voice with Mike AshGrab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days Developing your skills as a preacher is a lifelong endeavor. You never "arrive" and that's part of what makes preaching such a challenging, but incredibly rewarding task. This is why I love talking about how to find your voice as a preacher. Your voice is the only one God gave you. My voice is the only one God gave me. However, as preachers, it's tempting to try to fit someone else's voice into our own. This results in us being a less effective version of (insert...
2022-02-1055 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast50. Online Giving Vs Offering Plates (Funding your church in a digital world)Grab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days When it comes to fulfilling your church's vision and impacting your community, you won't get far without funds. This is why giving is so important to churches. But the method in which we receive donations has changed over the last few years - especially in these last two years of the pandemic. In most churches, we've seen a shift from a long-standing tradition of in-person, pass the plate style giving to some form of digital giving online. There are many benefits to this shift and some...
2022-02-0419 minThe Preaching Donkey PodcastDeconstruction Vs Deconversion: Why Pastors Should Know the DifferenceGrab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days It would be fair to guess that someone in your church or someone you know has been going through a deconstruction process. What is deconstruction and why does it seem like everyone is talking about right now? And what's the difference between deconversion and deconstruction? And how does this affect our ministries day to day as we're leading our churches? In this episode, we will dive into all of these questions and aim to get a better understanding of what's going on in our culture right...
2022-01-2719 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast48. Your Sermons are NOT Too Long: Study FindsGrab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days
When it comes to sermon length, how long is too long? How short is too short? Do people care how long the sermon is?
Someone should look into this! Well, they did. By "they" I'm talking about a recent survey conducted by Grey Matter.
They discovered what congregants think about a variety of factors affecting preachers from the length of sermons, to asking for tithes and offerings, to dealing with social issues.
There is much in this study...
2022-01-2020 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast47. How to be the Calmest Person in the Room | Lantz HowardIn this episode, Lantz Howard of Champion Hope joins me to discuss how to be calm. In a season of chaos and stress, as leaders we must manage ourselves well. Self-management and self-leadership include training ourselves to be calm even in times of stress. As 2021 is coming to a close and 2022 is right around the corner, putting into practice what Lantz reveals in this episode will serve you and your ministry well. Find out more about Lantz Howard's work at https://www.championhope.com/ https://www.championhope.com/links/
2021-12-2048 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast46. Worship songs don't have the shelf life they used to (Why this matters)According to a recent article in Christianity Today, worship songs do not last as long as they used to. Thirty years ago a worship song would be song in church for a decade or more. These days, that time is cut my two-thirds or more. Why has this changed and what does it mean for the way we select songs for our congregations? In this episode, we'll dive into all of the *fun* surrounding music, worship styles and song selection in church. CT article: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/december/worship-music-lifespan-shrinking-faster-study-tanner-ccli.html
2021-12-0914 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast45. Why 38% of Pastors Want to Quit MinistryGrab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21days
A recent Barna survey revealed that 38% of pastors want to quit ministry. Many of them would if they had any other way to make a living.
What has led to this trend? Why are so many pastors burned out, tired, frustrated and wanting out?
There are many facets to this, and we'll dive into all of it in this episode.
Article referenced: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/november/pastor-burnout-pandemic-barna-consider-leaving-ministry.html
2021-11-2417 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast44. Three Questions to Ask BEFORE You Preach Any SermonGrab your FREE 21-Day Guide to Creating Killer Sermons: https://preachingdonkey.com/21daysWhen you finish writing a sermon, it's important to make sure it's completely ready to go before you preach it.But this can be complicated if you don't what to look for or how to determine if your sermon is complete.In this episode, I'm going to give you three simple questions you can ask yourself before preaching any message to make sure it's 100% ready to go!
2021-11-0411 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast43. Mark Driscoll, The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill - Lessons for PastorsThe Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast by Christianity today has been the best podcast to come out in a long time. In it, host, Mike Cosper, profiles the story of Mark Driscoll who rose to prominence as the leader of Mars Hill Church, President of Acts 29 and #1 New York Times Bestselling author. The podcast holds nothing back in telling the story - the good and not so good parts of the journey and ultimate fall of Mark and his church.Listening to this podcast has been a journey for me in itself. I a...
2021-10-2120 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast42. How to Evaluate Your Own Sermon (Message Prep Checklist #10)It is important to evaluate every message you preach. Intentional evaluation can keep you from repeating distracting mistakes and help you know what's working in your sermon delivery.But, many preachers avoid evaluation altogether because there's not enough time or it just feels like a negative process.In this episode, I'll show you a simple, yet effective, way to quickly evaluate any message and gain the insights you need to make the next one better!
2021-09-1613 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast41. Preaching MUST-DO'S (Sermon Prep Checklist #9)Grab your FREE 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist: https://preachingdonkey.com/checklistWhen you have prepared your sermon well, it's important to make sure you are just as intentional about the delivery.How you preach your sermon can either make your hard work come to life or leave you and everyone else wondering what just happened!In this episode, we'll explore some important must-do's of sermon delivery.
2021-08-2614 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast40. What to put on your sermon handout (Sermon Prep Checklist #8)Just as important as what people see on the screens when you preach, is what people have in their hands as you preach.Your handout, bulletin, listening-guide - whatever you call it - should be intentional.There are three main ways to structure what's on the handout. In this episode, we'll explore all three and I'll let you know which one I think is most effective!
2021-08-1910 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast39. Making Your Sermon Slides (Message Prep Checklist #6)When it comes to sermon prep, slides and other supporting media can often become an after thought.But what your listeners see on the screens in the room while you're preaching can make a big impact on your sermon.It's important to be intentional about your slides, how they're designed, and what they display.In this episode, we'll explore some best-practices and some things to avoid in your sermon slides.
2021-08-0616 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast38. Rehearsing the Sermon (Message Prep Checklist #6)One of the most neglected aspects of the sermon prep process is also one of the most important: rehearsing.By "rehearsing" I don't mean memorizing like the lines of a script. Rather, you want to rehearse so that you fully internalize and understand the message BEFORE you preach it.Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a rookie, in this episode I'm going to make the case for why every preacher should rehearse and give you steps on how to do it.Download your 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist FREE: https://www.preachingdonkey.com/checklist
2021-07-3008 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast37. Utilizing Your Preaching Team (Message Prep Checklist #5)One of the things I've discovered over the years is the power of a good preaching team. What is a preaching team? If you're not familiar with this idea, it can seem more complicated than it is. A preaching team is simply a group of trusted people that you select to help you formulate your sermon at different points of your message preparation process.Utilizing your preaching team is a vital part of the sermon prep process, and in this episode we will dive into exactly how to form a team and best...
2021-07-2310 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast36. Building Out Your Sermon Content (Message Prep Checklist #4)Just as important as outlining is in the sermon prep process, so too is building out that outline with the right content.A skeleton with no muscles and skin is not very useful. An outline by itself is left lacking as well.This is why in this episode we will spend some time looking at how to build out the content in your sermon specifically around your bottom line and points.Download your 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist FREE: https://www.preachingdonkey.com/checklist
2021-07-1509 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast35. Outlining Your Sermon (Message Prep Checklist #3)Outlining is a crucial part of the sermon prep process. Just like a body needs a skeleton, a sermon needs an outline to provide a framework for the message.In this episode, we will dive into the most effective way to outline your message every single time.Download your 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist FREE: https://www.preachingdonkey.com/checklist
2021-07-0815 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast34. Studying the Bible for Sermon Prep (Message Prep Checklist #2)Every sermon should be rooted and grounded in Scripture. This means that the way you study the Bible for a sermon is important to get right.In this episode, we will dive into a simple, systematic approach to studying the Bible for a sermon that will serve you well as you prepare your sermons.There's a lot packed in this one! I can't wait to see what you do with it!Download your 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist FREE: https://www.preachingdonkey.com/checklist
2021-07-0119 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast33. Your Sermon's Topic, Title & Hook (Message Prep Checklist #1)Sermon prep can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be! The key is to have a good process where you know exactly what steps to take along the way.In today's podcast, we're starting a new series on sermon prep where we'll be walking through the ten essential steps of a good sermon prep checklist.We begin with determining our topic, title and hook. Download your 10-Step Sermon Prep Checklist FREE: https://www.preachingdonkey.com/checklist
2021-06-2408 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast32. Kyle Smith on Speaking to Teenagers and What Leads to Life-Change in Student MinistryI was a youth pastor for several years and I still believe this to be true: If you can communicate clearly with teenagers and children, you can communicate with anyone. Kids and students only pay attention if you have something worth listening to. And by the way, this is actually the case with adults too - it's just that adults are more subtle about ignoring you.So whether or not you speak to students on a regular basis, knowing how to communicate truths to them is vital.This is why I'm so excited to...
2021-06-1729 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast31. Kevin Max, Deconstruction & the Rise of ExvangelicalsYou may have noticed, but over the last few years, there has been a number of influential Christian leaders renounce their faith, or "deconstruct" as some call it.Deconstruction has a spectrum. For some it means a complete abandonment of Christian thought and practice, while for others it's merely a departure from some tenants they used to hold and believe.The latest in this trend is Kevin Max of DCTalk. He let his followers know in a recent tweet that he has been on a decades long journey of deconstructing but still believes in the "...
2021-06-1029 minThe Preaching Donkey Podcast30. Why Your Character Matters MOST as a PreacherWhat's the most important attribute a pastor can have? Some might say competence - they have to know what they're doing.Others might say charisma - they're charming and dynamic enough to speak persuasively and powerfully.While I agree that competence is important and charisma definitely helps, there is an attribute that is more important than either of those: character.This is sobering: If we are not people of character, our ministries will suffer for it.In this episode, we explore the importance of character, how it relates to preaching, and...
2021-05-2715 min
Preacher Boys PodcastYour Opinion is NOT Doctrine | Lane Sebring🔥 "...in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." – Ephesians 1:12 (NIV) 🔥In Lane Sebring's interview on the Preacher Boys Podcast, he shares the moments that helped shatter his legalistic theology as a pastor and reframed his relationship with God, sparking a journey out of shame and insecurity.Connect with Lane Sebring:https://www.preachingdonkey.com/https://www.youtube.com/c/PreachingdonkeyblogBuy a copy of Lane's book, Become a Preaching Ninja, h...
2021-01-1553 minPreacher Boys PodcastYour Opinion is NOT Doctrine | Lane Sebring🔥 "...in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." – Ephesians 1:12 (NIV) 🔥In Lane Sebring's interview on the Preacher Boys Podcast, he shares the moments that helped shatter his legalistic theology as a pastor and reframed his relationship with God, sparking a journey out of shame and insecurity.Connect with Lane Sebring:https://www.preachingdonkey.com/https://www.youtube.com/c/PreachingdonkeyblogBuy a copy of Lane's book, Become a Preaching Ninja, h...
2021-01-1553 min
Hope Church LancasterI BELIEVE IN PREACHING - With Lane SebringA live and interactive interview from the Something More Podcast with Lane Sebring. Lane is a multi-site pastor, the founder of preaching donkey.com and a preaching coach who has extensive experience with church online.
2020-08-031h 14
The Something More PodcastI BELIEVE IN PREACHING - With Lane SebringA live and interactive interview from the Something More Podcast with Lane Sebring. Lane is a multi-site pastor, the founder of preaching donkey.com and a preaching coach who has extensive experience with church online.
2020-08-031h 14
The Preaching and Leadership PodcastLane Sebring on Preaching, Systems, and Becoming an XPLane Sebring is the Executive Pastor at One Life Church in Knoxville, TN. He is the founder of PreachingDonkey.com and the author of Preaching Killer Sermons. We talk about the lessons he’s learned in his own preaching from dissecting and teaching others to preach well. We dive into his journey of becoming an XP and I pick his brain on healthy church systems. Full show notes can be found at www.rookiepreacher.com/plp14/. Big thanks to our ministry partner, Discible Labs. Learn more about how they can help you make disciples better at www.rookiepreacher.com/disciplelabs/.
2018-08-071h 05
The Kelly O ShowEPISODE 64: Dr Lane Sebring Hormones 101 Part 2 FFR116 Dr Lane Sebring Hormones 101 Part 2 Dr. Lane Sebring specializes in natural anti-aging and regenerative medicine. His practice puts heavy emphasis towards lifestyle and dietary modifications that have produced positive results in his patients over the last 18 years. He advocates the Paleo Diet and how it’s the type of diet the human body was designed for, and thus, meant to live on. In part 2 of our series, Dr. Lane Sebring continues to share his wisdom regarding hormonal problems and why traditional treatments do more harm than good to our hormones. He discusses how...
2018-07-0138 minThe Kelly O ShowEPISODE 63: Dr Lane Sebring Hormones 101 Part 1 FFR115 Dr Lane Sebring Hormones 101 Part 1 Dr. Lane Sebring has been practicing medicine for over 18 years. He specializes in primary care and anti-aging medicine that is rooted in nutrition and lifestyle changes. He advocates the Paleo Diet as well as alternative ways to heal the human body without the use of strong drugs or harmful antibiotics. He believes the human body wants to heal and conventional treatments are healing it in a way the body does not recognize. In this episode, Dr. Lane Sebring shares his extensive knowledge and experience regarding hormonal treatments. H...
2018-06-3041 min
Driving While AwesomeSebring It On - #332Art went to Sebring as a guest of Michelin, Lane drove a Falcon, Warren got some E30 M3 parts and Bryan did Corvette stuff. We answer a few questions from listeners on Instagram Live, and we wrap the show up with the trivia.Thanks for listening!Please rate and review the show on iTunes. If you really love what you hear, you can sign up for our Patreon at www.patreon.com/drivingwhileawesome
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/driving-while-awesome/message
2018-03-221h 51
Breaking Ordinary with Andy Petranek104: Dr. Lane Sebring—Paleo Plus Ketosis for Super-HealthDr. Lane Sebring is founder and director of the Sebring Clinic in Wimberley Texas. His practice focuses on healing people who are at the end of the line, have no hope, don’t know where to turn, and have exhausted all other options. The root of his philosophy - a no-sugar, paleolithic approach. People come to see Dr. Sebring because they are desperate for help. This is, in part, why they heal. They listen (since nothing else has worked, why not?). They do what they’re told (remember, they’re desperate). They trust him (he is, af...
2017-07-291h 33
unSeminary Mobile MP4Lane Sebring on Elements of Killer Sermons
Hey, everybody, and welcome to the unSeminary podcast. This week’s guest is Lane Sebring of the website PreachingDonkey.com and author of the new book Preaching Killer Sermons.
Coming out of seminary, Lane saw that much of the focus was on having a biblically accurate sermon about the life and teachings of Jesus, but there wasn’t much help for how to best communicate those teachings. Too many people aren’t really hearing the words their pastor is saying so the point of the sermon doesn’t quite hit home. Preaching Donkey started from an idea Lane...
2016-05-0528 min