We’re continuing with the theme of discipleship.

​Last week​, I encouraged you to think about discipleship through the lens of “growing in grace.” This is where discipleship must begin.

One of the ways I’ve tried to do that over 20 years of pastoring is by ending every sermon at the cross.

Action steps can be helpful, but if we’re not careful, people can walk away thinking the Christian life is mainly about their own work rather than Christ’s finished work for them. You’ll never live at your best until you believe God accepts you at your worst.

I’ll give you an example. This past week, my pastor preached a fantastic sermon on “​taking the high road​” using the story of Abraham and Lot splitting ways. His point was simple: be more like Abraham and less like Lot.

It really was a great sermon. But afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he missed an opportunity to bring me back to the cross.

The truth is, I’m often much more like Lot than Abraham. I’m selfish. I’m inclined to choose what benefits me most. That’s exactly why I need a Savior.

And thank God Jesus took the high road all the way to the cross. Because Jesus did not do what was best for himself, I’m now able to approach the throne of grace.

Do you see the difference?

When you end with grace, you remind people that Christianity is not about earning God’s love, but receiving what Christ has already accomplished.

What if David and Goliath was not just about defeating the giants in your life, but also a reminder that Jesus has already defeated the greatest giants of sin and death?

What if Jonah was not just a warning about running from God, but also a reminder that another man was thrown into the storm for us and spent three days swallowed by death so we could be saved?

I believe with enough prayer and study, you bring every sermon back to the need for grace and the beauty of the cross. Every time they hear it and receive it, we help them grow in grace.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on grace.

After taking a few weeks to rest and recharge with my family, I’m back with more stats, quotes, and stories to help you manage the pressure of weekly preaching.

This week, I want to help you preach on discipleship.

We’re a few weeks after Easter, and people are typically more spiritually aware and eager during this season of the year. Not to mention anyone who began a relationship with God on Easter.

So how do we preach on discipleship without making it legalistic?

I’m reminded of the words in 2 Peter where he told them to “grow in grace and knowledge.”

In general I think we do a good job of emphasizing the “growing in knowledge” part of discipleship. But how do we help people “grow in grace?” How do we teach them to live the Christian life feeling completely loved and accepted by God?

Sadly, our human nature is more motivated by guilt and shame than love and acceptance. So we end up making spiritual habits requirements instead of invitations.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on discipleship.

Easter weekend is here!

For some pastors, this is the easiest message of the year. For others, it’s the most pressure-filled Sunday on the calendar.

Each Easter, I tried to remind my congregation that they are a part of something much older and bigger than they probably realize.

After the resurrection, 120 people attended the first “church service.” But those 120 turned into:

• About 5,000 people by 40 AD
• Over 5 million by 300 AD
• And today, it’s estimated that there are 2.3 billion Christians (and that number is growing)

We don’t usually think of it this way, but when Christ ascended to Heaven, Zeus was the prominent God. But no one worships Zeus anymore.

Two thousand years later, empires have fallen, and philosophies have faded, but Jesus is still being worshiped.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach Easter.

I hope you have an amazing Easter weekend.

The final week of our Lent series brings us to Palm Sunday.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell how Jesus enters Jerusalem as king.

We hear the cheering of crowds (Luke 19:38-40) and the weeping of Christ (Luke 19:41–44). Joy and judgment. The waving of palm branches and a whip. Preaching on Palm Sunday works best when people can feel this tension.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach Palm Sunday.

We’re continuing our Lent series this week with the theme of suffering.

We live in a world of pleasure and indulgence that would have been unfathomable to our ancestors. We have at our disposal more options for food, entertainment, travel, and luxuries than former kings.

Bored? Travel. Want it? Buy it. Hate it? Change it.

But for thousands of years, Christians have become more like Christ through self-denial.

Sometimes our suffering is self-imposed, but other times it happens to us. In either case, suffering provides the opportunity to “perfect our faith,” as James says.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on suffering.

We’re continuing our Lent series this week with the theme of forgiveness.

Traditionally, we think of Lent as a time when you give up pleasures. But that’s not the only thing you can release. Lent can also be a time to give up deep hurt, resentment, and the weight of old wounds.

Lent is a season where people confront sin—both the sin they’ve committed and the sin committed against them. And Scripture makes something clear: a person who cannot give grace struggles to truly receive grace.

Forgiveness sits at the center of the Christian story. We are forgiven people who are called to forgive.

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on forgiveness.

Also, I want to remind you about the new tool called ​Sermon Assessment.​ This is a way to get honest and helpful notes that will help you write more impactful sermons.

You can ​click here​ to find out more.

We’re continuing our Lent series this week with the theme of surrender.

It’s easier to preach on faith, courage, and blessing, but sometimes we must talk about surrender, because many people in our church are trying to live a life God did not create them for.

Surrender is simply telling God: “You can have it. I can’t carry this anymore.” But it’s scary to lay something down that you’d rather control.

Lent walks us straight to the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prays, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on surrender.

Also, I want to tell you about a new tool I’m offering called ​Sermon Assessment.​

Since launching Sunday Ready, pastors have asked me for feedback on their sermons. So that’s what ​Sermon Assessment​ is. I provide honest and helpful notes that will help you write more impactful sermons.

You can ​click here​ to find out more.

During Lent, it’s necessary to preach on repentance.

Repentance is not a popular word in our culture. You don’t find many people admitting they were wrong. Instead, you find defensiveness, blaming, spin, or strategic public statements.

The conventional strategy now is: double down. Never admit weakness.

That makes it hard to pray. How can you receive grace when you never feel you need it?

At its simplest, repentance is admitting: “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Today, I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on repentance.

We are entering the season of Lent on the liturgical calendar.

Not every church formally follows a church calendar, but it can be helpful to think about the next few weeks as a 40-day journey toward Easter.

Lent slows us down. It invites reflection and repentance.

Over the next 4 weeks, I’m going to provide resources to help you preach during the season of Lent. We’ll cover themes of temptation, repentance, surrender, and the cross, culminating in Easter.

Today I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on temptation.

So far, this month, I’ve provided resources on parenting and dating. This week we’re talking about marriage.

It’s a commonly quoted statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce, but that’s not completely accurate. While it’s true that nearly half of marriages end, for spouses who are committed practicing Christians, the chance of divorce drops dramatically.

For example, ​one study​ found that regular church attendance has been linked to nearly cutting divorce risk in half.

Preaching life-giving, hope-filled, and practically helpful sermons on marriage is one of the most important things you can do for your church.

Today I’m giving you 1 stat, 1 quote, and 1 story to help you preach on marriage.