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If we’re preaching the Most Important Message Of All, then it’s a tragic irony if the preacher is the biggest distraction from it’s contents.  In this episode, Smith & Southerland discuss the 5 big (very common) distractions preachers commit when delivering a message.

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Will you confess your own (past or present) here below?  Did we miss any?  Leave your COMMENTS below!

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In this episode, Smith and Southerland interview Pastor Brad Whitt about his amazing filing system that allows him to categorize and file everything:  illustrations, old sermons, digital audio files, books and even old preaching tapes.

And he can retrieve any of it by simply typing in a keyword or Scripture reference.

Mentioned in the show:

• The Paper Tiger (Free trial!)

• Evernote

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Have you used something similar?  Anything you would like to ask or add? Leave your comments.

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A big challenge for the preacher is to quickly connect with the congregation early in the sermon.

In this episode,  Smith and Southerland five proven ideas to instantly connect with your audience of sermon listeners.

(Don’t miss the special announcement at the end!)

Action Step: Pick one of these ideas that you haven’t tried before and go for it this Sunday.

What are some strategies that you use to instantly connect with your congregation? Leave your comment!

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In this episode we discuss an important principle of time management for busy pastors.  How many “inputs” do you have?  Are you controlling them or are they controlling you?  Smith and Southerland give three keys ways to manage what tends to overwhelm us and sap so much of our time.

Mentioned in the Show:

Sermonators Group on Facebook

What about YOU?

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Read the rest of The Sermonators Ep 6 – 3 Ways to Control What’s Controlling You (Managing Inputs) (36 words)

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Post tags: inputs, Organization, Time Management

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Is expository preaching the only way to go?  What about topical preaching and textual preaching?  In this episode, we share pretty strong opinions on this but we feel we have Scriptural backing on the issue.

We also spend some time clarifying what expository preaching really is.

Expository preaching as defined by some greats that are mentioned in this episode:

Expository preaching is the presentation of biblical truth derived from and transmitted through a historical,  grammatical, Spirit-guided study of a passage in its context which the Holy Spirit applies first to the life of the preacher and then, through him, to his congregation. — Haddon Robinson

Expository preaching is the Spirit-empowered explanation and proclamation of the text of God’s Word with due regard to the historical, grammatical, contextual and doctrinal significance of the given passage with the specific objective of invoking a Christ-transforming response. — Stephen Olford

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In this episode of The Sermonators, we discuss 3 key ideas for maximizing a personal assistant to streamline your workload and gain time in your week. Unless you already have these three ideas fully implemented, you could gain as many as five hours or more in your week.

Hey, bi-vocs… we also discuss how to find and use a volunteer assistant this week if you don’t have one yet.

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Read the rest of The Sermonators Ep 4 – Three Ideas For Maximizing A Personal Assistant (also McDonalds vs. Starbucks) (11 words)

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In this episode of The Sermonators, we discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in the pastor’s personal life, his sermon preparation and delivery.

Is effective preaching based on skill and technique or supernatural power from above?  Are The Sermonators unspiritual  because we teach skills and techniques?  At what point does your work in the study stop and the power of the Holy Spirit start?  As pastors and preachers, on what do we rely to transform the lives of congregation –  our work or His?

Items mentioned in this episode:

Spirit-Led Preaching: The Holy Spirit’s Role in Sermon Preparation And Delivery by Greg Heisler

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In this episode of The Sermonators, we discuss five tips to bulletproof your study time each week. Making sure that you block uninterrupted time to do your sermon preparation each week is crucial for effective preaching.

We promised the script for the phone message that Southerland (Joel) leaves on his cell phone as a “temporary absence” message while he is in his study. It reads like this:

“Hi this is [your name] and it is [date] and you have caught me in my study. I’m not able to take calls right now, so if it is an emergency you can call the church office at [your church phone number]. However, I will be returning phone calls later on, so if you would like, leave me a message and I will call you back later in the day. Or, you can email me at Pastor AT [whatever your church] DOT [com, net, org or we-hope-not-gov] & I will be checking those occasionally. Thanks for understanding and have a blessed day.”

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In this episode, Smith and Southerland walk backward to the beginning point for creating powerful, high-impact illustrations.  We give 2 audio examples of our own attempts from live sermons.

An illustration (as used in a sermon) is "a concrete analogy of an abstract spiritual truth."  An illustration appeals to the imagination of the listener because it, by its very nature, contains imagery.  That’s why illustrations are often given in the form of a story — a favorite technique of Jesus Himself.

A good illustration has a high "correlation factor" to the abstract principle that it illustrates.  We discuss how to insure that the picture you paint in the concrete analogizes well (man, we hope that’s a real word) with the principle that you’re illustrating.  It has to correlate as much as possible. 

Mentioned in this show:

• 12 Essential Skills For Great Preaching by Dr. Wayne McDill

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This is our pre-launch episode to introduce the format of The Sermonators Internet Radio Show (a.k.a. podcast) as well as introducing the hosts, Smith and Southerland, (a.k.a. Scott and Joel).  You can read about the guys on the Smith&Southerland page (a.k.a. the re-labeled "about us" page). 

Bottom line: Scott Newton Smith is the itinerant preacher; Joel Southerland is the pastor. 

Together we want to bring our unique and shared perspectives to the table in an effort to bring solid value to the lives and ministries of pastors everywhere.  We really believe the Lord put us together for this purpose:  to provide ongoing support to busy pastors in order to help them preach with ever-increasing effectiveness and live with ever-increasing balance and productivity.

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Read the rest of The Sermonators Episode 0 – The “Who and Why” of The Sermonators (499 words)

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Please check back often or better yet, subscribe so that you will be notified when we get our Sermonators Podcast up and running.  It’s going to be chocked full of tips and techniques… and enough humor to make your day.  Don’t miss it! 

And by all means, spread the word about this preaching site for preachers who want to preach more effectively and get their life back without quitting the ministry.

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