Having to speak doesn't always mean you have something to say.

Fundamental is the task: preaching. Fundamental, therefore, is the need: to have something to say.

Fundamentals-and fine points-of preaching have been Haddon Robinson's lifetime focus. He has written enough books (including Biblical Preaching [Baker, 1980]), preached enough sermons, talked to enough pastors, and taught enough homiletics students to know the difference between having to say something and having something to say.

This article is excerpted from A Voice in the Wilderness, co-authored by Steve Brown, Haddon Robinson, and William Willimon. The book, which deals with handling the pressures of preaching, is the latest volume in the series Mastering Ministry's Pressure Points, co-published by the editors of LEADERSHIP and Multnomah Press.

Preaching well is hard work. We're expected to be witty, warm, and wise. And then next week, we have to do it again.

The great science fiction writer H. G. Wells reportedly said most people ...