The reality of ministry is that pastors often struggle-they struggle with the week-to-week demands of ministry that often sap the physical and spiritual energy that could be devoted to sermon preparation and presentation. The result is that many pastors feel "burned out" in their preaching. For some, the only cure is a move to a new church that hasn't heard the same message twice.

Bruce Mawhinney is senior pastor of New Covenant Fellowship in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He received his M.Div. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and his D.Min. from Westminster Theological Seminary

Foreword	p. 8
Preface	p. 9
The Board Meeting	p. 11
The Return of Dr. Vickerson	p. 16
The Preacher's One Business	p. 25
The Importance of Starting Early	p. 34
Planning the week for sermon preparation
Planning three weeks in advance
Planning one year of sermons in advance
Redeeming the Time	p. 50
Conducting a detailed self-study of your use of time
A Day in the Life	p. 57
Logging your use of time throughout the day and week
Rifles and Shotguns	p. 65
The importance of a clear purpose aimed carefully at its target
The danger of "word association sermons"
The purpose statement as the sermon's destination
Introducing the use of aphorisms in preaching
Preaching with Aphorisms	p. 73
The definition of aphorism
Jesus' use of aphorisms in his preaching
Jonah Snoring	p. 78
Using "non-dictionary" sounds to enliven preaching
Shaping the Purpose into an Aphorism	p. 82
Rewriting the purpose statement into a succinct, memorable aphorism
Learning to listen for the use of aphorisms around you
Rewriting worn cliches into fresh, aphoristic statements
Vary the Vehicles	p. 88
Developing clear, easy-to-follow sermon outlines
Using different kinds of outlines for variety and freshness
Persuasion and Procedure	p. 95
Sermons aimed at persuasion
Attacking difficult and controversial topics from the pulpit
Procedural sermons: how to change, how to face difficulties, etc.
Surprise Power	p. 102
Tapping into the power of the surprising statements of Scripture
Creating Internal Dialogue	p. 109
Using questions to cause the audience to carry on an "internal dialogue" with the preacher
The use of puzzles and riddles to hold interest
Using the apparent contradictions of Scripture to anticipate the responses of the congregation and to challenge their thinking
The Nehemiah Project	p. 117
Overcoming the tyranny of the urgent
Working with the Church Board to redefine the pastor's job description and to rearrange the congregation's expectations
Surprising Requests	p. 127
Entering into Paul-Timothy relationships with other pastors
Reservoir Power	p. 132
A reservoir of Scripture, scholarship, and prayer
Study that goes beyond week-to-week sermon preparation
The importance of studying the sermons of powerful preachers
A Visit to Forest Hills	p. 142
The Three R's of Preaching	p. 147
The importance and right use of reminding in preaching
The importance and right use of repetition in preaching
The importance and right use of reiteration preaching
The Six Fold Path	p. 157
Reading and gathering illustrations and insights from six different categories of books at a time
Turning the Light on the Sermon	p. 165
Sermon illustrations
Snob Appeal or Sense Appeal	p. 172
Avoiding words that only boast of the preacher's vocabulary
Employing words that appeal to the five senses
Creating vivid, fresh images
Light from Fog	p. 179
The importance and place of application in preaching
Campfire Reflections on Preaching	p. 187
Using similes and metaphors
The place of humor in preaching
The use of puns
The Tale of the Tapes	p. 195
Using the second person "you" for greater urgency
The importance of sermon analysis
Writing out introductions, conclusion, key thoughts
Home at Last!	p. 202
The dangers of repeating old illustrations
The importance of using fresh illustrations of the Gospel's power today
The Late Night Phone Call	p. 213
A Promise Kept	p. 222
Aftermath	p. 229
The importance of the preacher's life "adorning" the Gospel
The importance of mutual encouragement in the ministry
A Seminar on Fresh Preaching	p. 240
The importance of keeping a checklist of principles as a reminder
Preaching-with-Freshness Checklist	p. 245
One-Page Checklist	p. 248
Paul's Seminar on Preaching	p. 249
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