Matt Woodley

Jesus displayed incredible compassion and then he told us to do likewise.

Preaching is worth the weight.

The key to Christ-centered preaching.

Leaning into the wisdom and humility of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

What preaching is all about.

What to do when you feel vulnerable, afraid, and powerless.

What to exegete, and what not to exegete.

Why every message should have one central idea.

Practical and creative ways to rekindle and then integrate prayer into your preaching routines and rhythms.

Standing up for the gospel in hostile regions of the world.

Confronting the real issues that people face everyday.

What preachers can learn from the prophets.

The Preacher as Sermon

A tried and true method, to deliver your message.

Making room for God to do his transformative work in us before we preach.

Preaching on the Resurrection of Jesus with conviction.

A challenge from Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi this Easter!

Matching your tone with the content of the Biblical text.

Practicing the embodied spiritual practices of fasting, praying, and giving.

Who needs your fierce civility?

Preaching through the lens of the cross of Christ.

Honoring the form and emotions of the Biblical text.

Are you preaching with Monday through Saturday impact?

How to craft an effective opening that wins attention.

Conduct a spiritual audit with four questions.

Create a sense of longing for Christmas.

Navigating the muddy waters of preaching on politics.

Eliciting emotions that the Biblical text intends.

Preaching Professor says pastors are curators, not creators when it comes to scripture.

Shifting the margins in your preaching to all people.

Are success and faithfulness mutually exclusive?

Three ways to do it, using the imagination.

The core principles of a Biblical sermon.

Pastors Lawrence Aker III, and George E. Hurtt weigh in.

Facing spiritual warfare with prayer and humility.

Back to the basics: what the sermon is about, and why your listeners should care.

How do you provide what previous Christians called the “cure of souls” when we can’t be with our sheep?

What we really need is more of God.

How do we protect against slipping into moments of depression, isolation, discouragement, and temptations that come with the stress of these challenging times.

COVID-19 has forced a shift in preaching. How can we adapt our sermon prep and preaching during this digital church age?

COVID-19 crisis as a crash course in “Trust God 101.”

Ideas and encouragement to adapt your craft, care for your soul, and shepherd your people during this challenging season.

In the midst of life’s woundability, what is your foundation?

Why secularism has no answer for the fear produced by the COVID-19 crisis.

Debunking the false belief that personal pain disqualifies you from preaching.

Why Easter Changes Everything

How to land the plane successfully.

How your love, conception of the body, and sexuality fit into God’s plan.

Sermon illustrations can illustrate a vision for your church.

How to distinguish between good pressure and bad pressure.

The church should offer itself as a zone of radical hospitality, to all, but especially to unborn children.

An Interview with Lee Eclov

Rather than focusing on “outputs (i.e. giving money),” focus on our response to the “inputs (i.e. spiritual resources)” we receive from Jesus.

Jesus is the treasure that is worth sacrificing everything else for.

Jesus sets the ultimate beautiful example of a life of sacrifice for others.

Just like Jesus called Nicodemus to be born again, so must we.

Billy’s nervousness before preaching, how he recovered after preaching, and his utter reliance on prayer to overcome spiritual opposition.

‘America’s Pastor’s’ preaching was formed by letters, African-American leaders, and listening.

Recovering a lost art and applying it to our weekly sermon prep process.

These 10 Christmas sermons will ignite your creativity as you develop your Christmas series this season.

These sermons series will give you ideas for devloping your own Christmas series.

The pros and cons of the three primary approaches of what to take into the pulpit.

The birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of your sermon.

Tips to become a multi-pitch preacher.

Always stay curious when looking for illustrations.

Neither death threats nor tepid response discouraged two pastors from praying over every murder site in their city for years.

Asking for, seeking out, and receiving feedback that will help you grow as a preacher.

Got glory-hunger? Meet Jesus at the Cross

3 ways to proclaim the message of God coming to earth.

God uses our variety, so find your own voice.

Will anything capture people’s attention and keep it long enough for God to do his work?

An interview with Stewart Ruch III.

What does it mean to have a global Christmas message?

Sermons, Illustrations, and Skills Articles that model Beautiful Orthodoxy.

A Video Interview with Jacob Kwashi

Welcome people as Jesus has welcomed you.

In Nigeria we saw the light of heaven pierce the shadow of evil.

Jesus challenges the dominant myths of our culture as he call us into his version of the abundant life.

Opening the gift of illustrations.

How farmers, scientists, teachers, doctors, and a furnace repair man taught me to see all callings as holy.

Your quick but essential guide to the big idea in expository preaching

Three women share how they’d like you to deal with Mothers’ Day

Find the right story for your people.

The Lord’s Supper is a meal that transforms sinners, not a ritual for the “righteous.”

No matter how many times you have preached on a particular Bible text, there are new riches waiting to be discovered and proclaimed.

If you’re stuck in a rut, this is how to mix things up.

Being with Jesus in a World of Noise and Hype

Expanding your range can help your people grow.

How a near-fatal climbing accident forced me to rethink ministry–and the rest of my life.

No one wants a preacher who’s a know-it-all, or just going through the motions. The antidote is something to marvel about.

The ministry of apprenticeship: If you are one step ahead of anyone, you have something to offer.

In our celebration of justice and mercy, did somebody get left off the guest list?

There’s a renewed passion for justice and mercy–with an exciting new twist.

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord.” How about you?

On learning to trust unlikely leaders and mentors

Can’t know everyone? “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”

Four “golden calves” that we’re tempted to worship.

Top reasons to “Be Present”

Congregations are trading short-term “love ’em and leave ’em” missions for long-term partnerships

The world was created through Christ and for Christ.

The work of Christ: from separation to reconciliation

Through Christ’s death on the cross we are offered acceptance, forgiveness, and victory over evil.

A review of the book ‘The Elements of Story’

The Magi remind us of God’s shocking offer of grace to spiritual outsiders.

How church planting networks assess and verify whether candidates are, indeed, “called.”

If you haven’t found the unexpected, you haven’t fully understood the text.

Humans grow by receiving the truth told in love.

Humans battle and give into sin.

Humans need to experience intimacy with a Holy God.

Humans need to lament their losses.

Humans need to find grace in our folly.

Humans need friendships.

God’s willingness to step into our mess comforts us—and calls us to a new standard of living.

Zephaniah paints a picture of love.

Malachi bring assurance and warning.

Jeremiah prophesies the movement of God.

Micah predicts the coming Messiah.

What would you do in this case?

Surrender Your Life

Living as a Servant

Freeing Your Heart

Receiving God’s grace

Experiencing God’s strength in our weakness

True worship results in justice.

All of life is an act of worship and an opportunity to serve and please God.

Finishing well is just as important as starting well.

Fight well for the right things, in the right way and with the right motive.

We must remember who we are and that we belong together.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Without the redemptive memory of God, we are nothing.

Finding favor in the eyes of the Lord

Divine judgment is sprinkled with the tears of divine pain.

We’re bad, too, but not beyond the loving reach of God.

God’s persistent, loving question to lost people

How believing a cosmic lie shattered paradise

How I came to terms with my role in the church.

How and why the Trinity draws us into Christian community

The breaking and healing of a pastor’s marriage.

I struggled as a leader; did that make me a spiritual failure?