The nature of a preacher is that of a herald, one commissioned and sent by another to speak his message in his behalf to a recipient. The Weight of Preaching develops a workable theology of the preachers task in this role, commissioned by God to proclaim the Good News. Even in the Wests postmodern culture, where people have come to doubt the idea of objective truth, the preacher still serves to herald Gods enduring truth. Author Rick Harrington builds upon his service as a senior pastor, his doctoral study of preaching, and his exposure to multiple cultures to fashion a guide valuable to younger lay leaders, seminarians, and pastors alike, as well as for Christians engaged in the serious exploration of preaching. Speaking primarily to readers in the Reformed and Baptist traditions, The Weight of Preaching offers an approach that falls within the boundaries of The New Calvinism. This guide presents its theology of homiletics in three sections. The first, Biblical and Theological Foundations Revisited, delves into the theology of preaching. Next, Faithful Preaching in Practice guides the reader through crucial practical issues surrounding faithful preaching. Finally, A Lay of the Cultural Landscape surveys the diverse issues of contextualization that arise in a contemporary, pluralistic milieu. The Weight of Preaching seeks to lead you through the holy tasks of seeking to understand the Scriptures, grasping the message God reveals, and following your commission to herald the gospel of grace.

In the intriguing novel The Pimp and the Preacher, former hustler Clyde Robinson learns the inner secrets of pimping the church and vows to expose its devious ministers. After spending more than twenty years behind bars, Clyde Robinson, otherwise known as Pretty Boy, is being released from prison. When asked what he is going to do when he gets out, Clyde informs his fellow inmates that his plan is to go back to the only game he knows, running women a.k.a. "pimping". After much laughter, several inmates tell Clyde to update his game and get with the latest hustle. Clyde questions what that is and is told by another inmate that it is those five magical words that no one can contest, "I've been called to preach." After reading The Pimp and the Preacher, one may ask if this is just a scandalous novel or if it is possibly true. The real question is "Who's pimping who?"

Preaching, at its best, is God inspired and directed to and through a preacher. That preacher keeps feeling his need, keeps studying God’s word, and stays open to the spirit. In A Preacher’s Prayer, author Darel Boston shares the stories of his life—before he became a minister, during his long tenure, and the insights and lessons he gained throughout his many and varied experiences both in the United States and abroad. Beginning with his birth in 1936, Boston chronicles his journey, through his childhood and high school years, his college and seminary time, and ministries in Indianapolis, Norton and Junction City, KS. A Preacher’s Prayer offers keen insight into the unique life of a minister and a minister’s family. Boston’s life, ministry, and poetry show an enduring relationship with God that serves to inspire and encourage others in their Christian lives.

Preaching is a very personal process: a minister or speaker prepares his or her own sermon and presents it to the congregation. Sermons draw upon the Bible as a central source, and the source provides a basis of faith for the believing community. The preaching event is also personal for the individual members of the congregation, who receive the preacher's words, based on a biblical text, in their own unique way. In the synthesis of Biblical text, sermon, and listener response, many testimoniesare present. Preaching and the Personal is a collection of papers that have been presented at the Society of Biblical Literature. These papers encourage and nurture dialogue among scholars who share an interest in the unique theological problems inherent to the relationship between biblical interpretation and proclamation. Preaching and the Personal opens a stimulating dialogue in the field.

"The Unlikely Making of A Mennonite Minister," is the autobiography of Herman Myers. It is the account of his journey through life from a Pennsylvania farmboy to serving as a Mennonite minister for 52 years. A high school drop-out, growing up without knowledge of who Mennonites were, he followed an early inner call to ministry. Through many twists and turns he responded to God's call and was ordained to serve six Mennonite churches over a period of 52 years. He retired from pastoral ministry in 2010.

Transformational Preaching: Theory and practice is a comprehensive textbook for the beginning student of preaching, the graduate student in pulpit discourse, or the seasoned preacher. Seeking to reclaim the pulpit for biblical preaching, the book counteracts the popular "teaching" approach that is common today, and argues that preaching must be persuasive rather than informative, that the preacher is central to the act of preaching, and that through the preaching event, both preacher and listener together fashion the "message" and its meaning. Both theoretical and highly practical, the book offers a challenging look at all aspects of the preaching ministry. It contextualizes preaching in pastoral ministry and congregational worship, but, most significantly, argues that the practice of preaching must be informed and driven by theory. As such, the book draws from a wide perspective of disciplines, including biblical theology, classical rhetoric, contemporary human communication, public discourse, persuasion, linguistics, performance, and orality. The book's wealth of practical guidelines for every step of sermon development encourages students to apply general principles within their own contexts of ministry.

Craig Loscalzo gives down-to-earth advice on how to communicate clearly and compellingly to a world that does not want to hear about morality, sin, evil, judgment or commitment. He gives straightforward explanations of the changes taking place all around us, including brief sample sermons in each chapter.

For years Samai Collins has been a faithful Christian, devoted wife and loving mother. But suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a nasty divorce from her minister husband and struggling to find a job, with almost no work skills, in order to support her three children. As Samai tries to get back on her feet, loneliness and the deep longing for a man's touch cause her to stumble in her spiritual beliefs. Then an old high school crush reappears and Samai's life takes a wild new turn. She is seduced completely by Zane Blackmon's passion and zest for life and soon finds herself being led down a dark path that she never knew existed. An underworld of drugs threatens her life and the lives of her three children. But is love...and just a little bit of faith enough to save them all?

This book offers an excellent introduction to the mystery of God's call into ministry. Anyone who is struggling with a call, who doubts the call they have recieved, or are considering ministry as a vocation will benefit and be inspired by James Chatham's Is It I, Lord?.