An article I recently wrote was published this week at Preaching Today entitled “Let the Message Live in You: May we be preachers who bring a word of life to others because it has become a word of life first in us.” This article arose from some of my recent work as part of my Doctor of Ministry, and I hope what I write here is thought-provoking and helpful for other preachers. The article is open for now, but will likely be behind a paywall in the future (although I’d encourage preachers that the resources from Preaching Today are well worth the price). Here is the first section of the article to whet your appetite.

One of my favorite things to do is to get outside, whether it’s walking through the neighborhood in the afternoon, hiking out in the woods, going for an early morning run, or just sitting somewhere to watch the wind blow through the trees and carry the clouds across the sky.

When I hike, there are certain seasons when it’s hard not to notice the beauty of what’s growing. In early spring, crocuses bring the first signs of new life, sprouting up amidst the last vestiges of snow. The yellow, white, and purple petals of their flowery forms draw the eye’s attention, standing out against the drab gray-brown of their earthy surroundings. As Spring’s warmth spreads, the first flowers and leaves begin to stretch forth from bare branches, whether magnolias, birches, or maples.

This slow expansion of new growth is a tell-tale sign seasons are changing, but also a reminder that something significant is happening behind the bark and under the ground. In places where our unaided eyes cannot see, life is brewing something new that will eventually surge forth in ways we can behold.

There is a resonance between the development of spring and the work of the pastor. Fruitful ministry arises from the overflow of our own life with God. In pastoral ministry, enduring fruit will flow forth naturally from a life cultivated in hidden ways with God. The ministry work of discipleship, visitation, and public prayer is the visible flower, fruit, and leaf of the underground life with God. And, for our purposes here, the fruitful ministry of powerful preaching overflows from the unseen life the preacher cultivates with God.

From “Let the Message Live in You,” Preaching Today, February 2024.