Putting Spirit into the Sermon

Spirit, Word, and Story: A Philosophy of Preaching by Calvin Miller, Word, $14.99

Reviewed by Grant Lovejoy, instructor in preaching, Southwestern Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

Every preacher knows the experience: The sparks fall on damp tinder, or perhaps there are no sparks at all. Frequently, we can finger the trouble: hasty preparation, uninspired delivery. But even sermons grounded in Scripture and fervently delivered can fail.

As senior pastor at Westside Church in Omaha, Calvin Miller knows the struggle. But across twenty-four years there, he has found a way to feed a congregation that has grown from ten members to twenty-five hundred, most of whom were added by baptism. He also has crafted two dozen volumes of verse and prose, including the Singer trilogy. In Spirit, Word, and Story: A Philosophy of Preaching, he writes to share the philosophy of preaching that has kept him and his congregation alert, creative, and growing. He organizes it around ...