Doug's Stuff

This week I want to introduce you to another one of my mentors; one I never met. He died when I was five-years-old, yet his influence on my preaching has few peers. His name is Donald Grey Barnouse. He used to say, “If you can’t illustrate it, don’t teach it, because you don’t know it.” And if you’ve listened to me preach over the years, you know I’ve taken his advice to heart. There have been times over the years that I’ve put off teaching some biblical truth until I discovered a fitting illustration of it. This mentor used to say, “All of life illustrates biblical truth.” He couldn’t have been more correct. Often people have asked, “Where do you get all the stories you use?” Some have said, “Do you make things up?” Others say, “Do you spend a lot of time on the internet searching for stories?” The simple fact is, I live my life looking for stories. I try to pay attention and analyze what I see and hear. Sure, reading is a great source. So are stories told by others. But the best ...

I first heard Steve Brown speak in 1974 at a college convocation on the north shore of Boston. At the time he pastored a church on Cape Cod. When I moved to Miami four years later I went to Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church where Ben Haden and John Huffman had served, also the church President Nixon attended, and I was surprised to find Steve Brown as the Senior Pastor. During those few years we became friends. Over the following nearly 40 years our paths have intersected on numerous occasions. He has been my thesis advisor and good friend. What's more, Steve has had the biggest impact on my preaching. Two years ago he spoke at a convocation at Liberty University. I've provided a link to his compelling message below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yI4ZT8qdFw

Back in the 1980s I was given a solemn responsibility that I’ve never forgotten. Seven of us were vested with the authority of approving or disapproving others for ordained ministry within the Presbyterian Church. Throughout my tenure nearly 80 people came before us for scrutiny. After examining only a few of them I became convinced of the veracity of two questions for determining the success or failure of a candidate’s future pastoral ministry. First, “Who are your mentors?” And second, “When it comes to preaching, who are your models?” Would it surprise you to know that very few could answer either of those questions? Now, after 36 years of ordained ministry, and more than 1,600 sermons, I am more convinced than ever that one’s answer to these questions will largely shape the effectiveness of one’s ministry inside and outside the pulpit. In these weird days of CV19, and the waning months of my time at Hebron, I thought it might be a good time to share with you a few...

Psalm 18 is one I've referred to over the years to highlight the powerful place metaphors can have for the believer. From verse 1 to verse 19 David uses a variety of metaphors that widen and deepen his appreciation of who God is and what He has done for him. Moreover, each metaphor focuses his attention on a different attribute of God. But it wasn't until recently that I came to appreciate what he says in verse 35. And one of the reasons I missed it is because the ESV doesn't translate these words in a way that arrests one's attention. See what David says in a more literal translation: "You have given me the shield of Your salvation; and Your right hand holds me up; and You stooped down to make me great." It's this last line that stops me in my tracks. "You stooped down to make me great!" The word translated "stooped down" can also be rendered, "goodness" or "gentleness"; but I like "stooped down" better...

Yuri Smolenski was a Jewish engineer in the former Soviet Union. Though he had been allowed to live and work in Leningrad for years, one day the order came that he was being transferred to Siberia. His parents were in tears as they watched him pack. “I’ll write every day,” said Yuri. His mother wailed “But the censors, they’ll watch your every word.” “I’ve got an idea,” said his father. “Anything you write in black, we’ll know is true. But anything you put in red ink, we’ll know is nonsense.” A month passed; then a letter came from Siberia – all in black. “Dear Mama and Papa, I can’t tell you how happy I am here. It’s a worker’s paradise! We are treated like kings. I live in a fine apartment – and the local butcher has meat every single day! There are many concerts and theater plays – all free. And there is not one tiny bit of anti-Semitism! Love, Your son, Yuri. P.S. There’s only one thing I can’t find here: red ink.” According to the Roman statesman and orator, Cicero, it w...

It was a cold January morning in Washington, and a man sat on a chair in a subway station playing his violin.  For 45 minutes he played six pieces from Bach.  During that time it was calculated that some 8,000 people passed him, but almost no one stopped to listen.  After 20 minutes an old man slowed down, dropped a few bills in his open violin case, and kept going.  Minutes later, a woman dropped in a few coins.  A little later someone stopped, leaned against the wall to listen, but after he checked his watch, he was off again, late for work.  The one who paid the most attention was a three-year-old boy.  While his mother tried to corral her other three children, he just stood there listening.  But once his mother was successful, she grabbed him by the back of the coat and dragged him away.  In 45 minutes only six adults stopped. Two days earlier, Joshua Bell had sold out Boston Symphony Hall at an average of $100 a ticket.  ...