My pen was poised and ready to go. To my left was Halley's Bible Handbook, and to my right was Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. I sat on my couch with a closed Bible on my lap, surrounded by all the tools I needed to prepare a great sermon. Unfortunately it was already Friday night and I was preaching on Sunday—and I was starting from scratch. It wasn't that I was swamped at work; there was plenty of time during my week to prepare for the sermon, but every time I went near my Bible I felt tired, unmotivated, and slightly depressed, so I carried on with my other duties at the church which had a quick return and an obvious purpose. Sermon preparation, on the other hand, was long, involved, and always took me about 20 places before I landed on one great idea.

Back on the couch I was getting the distinct feeling that something outside of my control was pushing in on me. I knew that, while homilies can become a rote discipline for the pastor, they are essential sustenance for the congregation. ...