Sheesh. I’m way overdue posting this one. Listen in, and you’ll get the impression that Tim could have talked another two hours about the creative process of sermon prep. And I would have gladly listened.

Like so many Sermonsmith interviews, I could help but get caught up in JR’s energy and passion. And like so many, I’m left hoping for a chance to meet in person someday. Maybe this one we can pull of since he’s only a couple of hours away!

After 95 interviews, it’s not often that someone brings something that feels very new to the conversation. Pastor Steph did with her fantastic document called The Homiletical Oath which can be found in the show notes. Of course, she had plenty of other great things to say too, and her passion was contagious.

A.J. was one of my first guests on Sermonsmith, and it was a treat to have him return. This time, we focused more on his new book, Subversive Sabbath, and the role of rest and Sabbath keeping in the rhythms of sermon prep.

I wasn’t familiar with John Mark until a few years ago, when multiple requests to interview him started rolling in. Since then, his church podcast is one I keep in my own listening rotation, because I’m not learning about preaching when I listen to him, but growing as a human too. It was a pleasure to have him on, and I expect the conversation could have gone another hour without losing steam.

Jim was recommended as a friend of a friend. Jim pointed out to me as we setup the interview that he’s just ‘doing his own little thing in his own little church.’ But that’s exactly the kind of conversations I hope to have. People who are dedicated to doing the work week in and week out, shaping words to shape a community. Jim does the work.

After moving the site because of outgrowing traffic allowances on two different servers, and some code fixes along the way, I was way overdue for posting another Sermonsmith interview. But this one, like most, reminds me why I love doing this podcast. Getting two people together to talk shop about a shared passion is never tiresome.

Extras that I couldn’t get to in the sermon from the Sunday before. This one focus on some musings about the problem of evil.

I took a brief planned hiatus which turned into a longer unplanned hiatus. But it was good to get back to the fancy mic with Rich Villodas on the other end. Too bad I forgot to make sure my fancy mic was actually turned on in the settings, instead of my MacBook’s dinky sad mic.

I’ve known Nick for a long, time since he was a teenager, and that made this one fun. Of course, it’s been a long time since I last talked to him so that made this one all the more fun.

Ken surprised me with a sermon prep workflow that no one else has mentioned before — dictating the first manuscript using speech recognition software. Makes so much sense since most of us have differences in in style between how we talk and how we write.

I believe I had more people suggest an interview with David Guzik than any other guest I’ve had. I even had one suggestion come in an hour before we were scheduled to record.

In talking with Jorge, I found a lot of respect for how many new things are always starting around the edges of their church community. And also a great deal of respect for how he sees the role of the sermon being so closely tied to all of it.

Last year, I met Josh at a conference where he was sporting a big old iPad Pro and keyboard. He proudly claimed it was his everyday device. My subconscious told me to get him on the podcast and my conscious finally got on board a year later.

Good one here. The Rev Dr Luke is the affable dean of the Duke University Chapel and a thoughtful practitioner and teacher of the sermon as an art form. He’s also written a few books on the role of lament in the sermon which were probably of great value after this past basketball season.

Right after I interviewed these guys, they interviewed me. They have better mics, better radio voices and better questions. Still trying to figure out which podcast came out the winner, then, in our interview swap.

Two fellow podcasters share how podcast collaboration leads to sermon collaboration. Always intriguing, after 80+ interviews, to learn new things about how people prepare sermons.

Long walks on an Oahu beach with an iPhone to compose thoughts. You know…just your ordinary sermon prep in Hawaii.

Between scheduling conflicts, technical barriers and at least one sickness, this interview took a long time to come together. It was worth the wait.

What a pleasure to have a second go around with Tara Beth Leach after her context has changed so much. I’ve spent a good amount of time reflecting on her statement that every sermon is a love letter to her congregation.