I am one month into a new pastoral role, and one of the most notable differences is the increase in email I now receive. Having previously served as a junior high pastor, I didn’t receive many of the emails that circulated around the offices. In my new role as an associate pastor and an elder, I am now part of the church-wide conversations. The result is that my email load has tripled.

It is bad enough how long work processes take at the beginning of a new job, since I’m just learning the ropes. Combine that with a ton more email, and you have a recipe for not getting off to the best start.

To deal with the deluge, I have adjusted some of my email processing habits. I am starting to tread more and drown less.

Here is what is working for me. Maybe if you are drowning in your inbox it will help you, too.

1. It’s an inbox, not a staybox. Don’t store email in your inbox. It is a good place to receive information, but a bad place to keep it. Delete old emails that don’t matter, and file ones that do.

2. Zero is not the goal. Don’t try to keep your inbox at zero. That is a sign of unproductivity, not productivity. Check it several times a day, not continuously throughout the day.

3. Silence. Turn off notifications for your email, whether audible, visual, or both. This will prevent you from being tempted to dive back into your inbox.

4. Separate quick replies from long ones. Batch process your emails based on how long they take to reply to. First, go through your inbox and reply to everything that requires only a quick response. Then go back through and reply to emails that require more thought.

5. Don’t clean out your email first thing in the morning. Get started on high level projects first. If you have to check your email first thing, only reply to the emails that require a quick response (see tip #4). Save the longer responses for another time of the day so can get to your priorities right away.

6. Oldest to newest. Are procrastinated emails starting to pile up? Process your email from oldest to newest. This will force you to deal with emails you have been neglecting.

7. Delete without reading. If you can tell from the subject line that the email isn’t relevant to you, delete and don’t even read it.

8. Save attachments. Create folders on your computer for attachments. Or print them. Don’t keep emails in your inbox just for the attached file.

9. Get rid of junk mail. Unsubscribe like nobody else’s business.

10. Use your email’s search capability. A lot of people store emails in their inbox so they will know where it is for later reference. But even if you delete the email, you can always search for it. In fact, deleting or saving emails is a win-win. You’ll find the email faster through a search than looking through each email in your inbox, and  your inbox will be cleaner and more current.

11. Lean into your priorities, not email. Never check email as “one last thing” before starting a project that will take a lot of focus and time. You’ll get sucked into the email vortex, and you won’t get your most important work done.

12. Delete emails, even if the conversation is live. Delete emails you have replied to, even if the conversation is still going. You will be reminded to continue the conversation when your email partner replies back to you.

13. What to do with links. When someone sends you an email with a link to a website, click the link and bookmark it in your web browser or save it to Instapaper, and then delete the email. Now the content is stored in a place where you are in “online reading” mode (which is more reflective), rather than “email reading” mode (which is more reactive).

Those are my tips. What are yours? Share your productive email tips in the comments!

Many pastors have written and spoken concerning the ways expository preaching benefits your congregation, but few talk about how it benefits the soul of you, the preacher.

I say this as one who sometimes loses sight of the blessings of expository preaching because of the exhaustion of week-in, week-out teaching ministry. Pastors can succumb to the mindset of Grandma on Thanksgiving Day, who eats a cold plate because she was so busy cooking for everyone else. It fills the stomach, but lacks the celebration and joy.

The celebration and joy of preaching God’s word will return to you when you remember the blessings that God has in store for preachers who give themselves wholly to the task of expository preaching. What are those blessings? Here is a list of five.

1. You will maintain your integrity as a preacher

We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:2)

Based on Paul’s logic in this verse, someone who does tamper with God’s word is not able to commend himself to anyone’s conscience in the sight of God. Someone who uses the Bible to say something that it doesn’t mean – whether from good motives or ill, accidentally or on purpose – makes a breach in his integrity.

If the structure of your sermon is aligned with the structure of the passage, and if you derive your sub-points from the author’s sub-points, then it is difficult to tamper with the message of the passage. You dramatically increase your odds of getting at the author’s intended meaning if you follow his logic.

2. You will grow in passion for Jesus

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself…“Did our hearts not burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:27, 32)

When you commit to expository preaching, eventually you will hit an obscure or difficult passage. Some pastors get frustrated by trying to derive a sermon from such texts.

But seasoned expository preachers know better. They have wrestled with such passages and have come away seeing the gospel and the work of Christ in a new light. These new insights will fan the flame of your passion for Jesus.

The clincher here – and with the next two benefits below – is the all part, as in Moses and all the Prophets. Only when you commit to preach the entire Bible, tough passages and all, will you get this joy of a fresh look at Jesus’s person and work.

3. You will be innocent of the condemnation incurred by those who reject your preaching

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27-28)

You will be held to account for your ministry, and you will even be judged with more strictness than others (James 3:1). One way to ensure that you will be found faithful on that day is by preaching through all of Scripture. That doesn’t mean you have to pull a MacArthur and go through the whole New Testament verse by verse. You can go Dever style and preach book by book, too.

The point is that you are not leaving out anything in your preaching, whether in terms of content or theology. You will be innocent of anyone’s blood if you preach all the Scriptures, no matter how offensive, irrelevant, or uninteresting it might seem.

Are you shrinking from declaring the whole counsel of God? You know you are supposed to as a preacher, but for some reason – perhaps you cater to your listeners’ felt needs, you don’t feel qualified to teach difficult passages, or you are trying to be tolerant – you are consciously minimizing your use of the Bible. Realize that your hands are red. You are not innocent. Wash the blood off at the foot of the cross, and go preach straight through Galatians.

4. You will experience Jesus’s eternal presence

…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

Again, that pesky word all. In order to teach all that Jesus commanded, you have to preach all of God’s word, since the whole thing is the word of Christ (Colossians 3:16). Only expository preaching specifically intends to do this, by preaching through entire passages and entire books.

The benefit to expositors comes in the second half of the verse: “I am with you always.” Jesus’s eternal presence goes with those who teach all of his commands. That’s not to say Jesus’s presence leaves those who preach topical sermons, since he certainly enters the heart of those who believe in him (Ephesians 3:17).

But there is a sense where those who preach the whole counsel of God especially experience Jesus’s presence, even when they suffer for not editing out the offensive parts. Paul wrote, “But the Lordstood by me and strengthened me [‘I am with you always’], so that through me the message might befully proclaimed [‘all I have commanded’] and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17)

Now, theoretically, someone could preach all Jesus commanded without preaching straight through passages and books of the Bible. But even my four year-old daughter knows that hopscotch is easiest when you toe each square sequentially.

5. You will persevere in salvation

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16)

I have to be honest, I am frightened by the thought that I might be an instrument by which God saves others, without actually being saved myself. How tragic would that be? How do I make sure that I don’t find my assurance of salvation in my call to ministry, but simply in the gospel of Jesus? I preach through passages of the Bible and try to apply them to myself, not just my hearers.

Some might contend that there are many pastors separate their self-watch and teaching-watch. They keep a close watch on their teaching, but not their life, and therefore fall headlong into sin and eventually ditch the faith.

I say they stopped watching their teaching first. They stopped preaching to themselves and thus stopped watching their life. Notice that Paul does not say, “persist in these,” as if keeping a close watch on yourself and the teaching could be divorced. He says, “persist in this,” because they are two components of one activity.

What does expository preaching have to do with this? When you closely tie your preaching style to the Scriptures you put yourself in a position for the word to work on you as you do your work in the word. This will open your eyes to areas of your life – not just your congregation – that need to change, and will strengthen you in fighting the good fight of faith.

Why wouldn’t you commit to expository preaching?

The question remains: what do you, the preacher, gain by preaching topically or textually? I can think of some practical benefits: less time consumed by sermon prep, appealing to a broader audience, and being relieved of having to show why what you’re teaching is relevant.

But the ways your soul benefits from expository preaching far outweigh temporary conveniences.

It takes more work, but God will reward you with eternal rewards. So commit to expository preaching, not only because it honors God’s word, and not only because it feeds your flock nutritious meals for their soul, but because it feeds your soul, too.

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8 Reasons We Preach There are so many factors involved. I don’t want to ponder issues of pay (many preachers receive less than minimum wage for what they are doing). I don’t want to dwell on inappropriate motivations, even if they are significant for some. I will just mention some of them in passing. Let’s take stock of some of the good reasons we preach.

Mobius Strip Reason Doug Wilson uncovers self-defeating premises of scientific materialism.

Priest Links

Lies Ministry Wives Believe From Christine Hoover: “As a pastor’s wife, I find myself fighting the same old internal battles that have plagued me from year one, only now I recognize them more quickly and have tools to combat them. Do you think or believe these lies, too?”

Good Friday and the Death of Same Sex Envy Another one from Doug Wilson: “The same sex marriage crusade has nothing whatever to do with what people can do sexually in private, and it has everything to do with what you will be allowed to say about it in public. We are not talking about whether private homosexual behavior will be penalized, but whether public opposition to homosexual behavior will be penalized. Further, there is only one effective response to this, which is the cross of Jesus Christ.”

King Links

3 Lessons Learned from a Pastoral Mentor From Chris Castaldo: “When most people hear the name R. Kent Hughes, they probably think of homiletics. His many expository commentaries, long tenure of preaching at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and leadership in The Simeon Trust have rightly earned him the reputation. But I think of something else. Having served alongside of Kent for a number of years, I see him primarily as a mentor.”

10 Ways to Have a Reproducing Culture From Ron Edmondson: “Finding new leaders is critical to the successful growth of any church or organization.  Kingdom growth is greatly impacted by the numbers of leaders we can recruit. With that in mind, we must strive to recruit more leaders and we do that by having a culture of reproduction. How do we develop that type of culture?”

Can you do accountability with strangers around?

You can read the whole comment here, but to summarize his point, he asked how can we apply the gospel to each other (a.k.a., do accountability) if there is a constant influx of new people, which rocks the relational consistency of the small group.

This concern doesn’t come from a separatist attitude, but from the desire for small groups to actually challenge members toward holiness, rather than just intend to. I think that is fantastic. But I think it falsely assumes a couple things.

First, just because a group is open to new visitors, it does not necessarily follow that there will be “a constant influx of new people.” Churches that are growing at rates that are off the charts might, but most will not. Slow and steady growth of the small group should give ample time to acclimate new attenders with previous ones so that the relationships are enriched rather than made awkward. Even if there is some awkwardness at first.

2 ways to do accountability in an open small group

But, second, even if there was a constant influx of new people, you can still do accountability, in two ways:

One way is to pair off members of the small group for one-on-one accountability. There are some things people don’t want to share even in a small group they are comfortable with. Depending on schedules, this can be done in another meeting face to face, over the phone, via Skype, or whatever works. In this way, the small group at least provides structure for accountability for each person in the group, even if the accountability doesn’t take place in the small group meeting.

Another way – one that I particularly like – is for small group members to do accountability with new people present. A friend of mine once told me about a time when someone visited his small group out of the blue. It was a coed small group, and at the end the study the guys and gals split up for accountability and prayer. My friend simply told the new guy, “This is a time when we confess our sins to each other and pray for each other. You can share or pray, or you can just watch and listen. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” And then the guys went on to share as normal, even though a stranger was in the room.

This can powerfully demonstrate the gospel to people who are exploring Christianity. It shows visiting unbelievers that Christians don’t find their security in covering their sin, because Jesus has already covered them. It breaks down the holier than thou stereotyp. It also shows, rather than just tells, the freedom that we have through forgiveness in Christ. We can confess our sins because Jesus has been faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Embrace as many both/and’s as you can in your small group

Do I think that it is sinful for small groups to only aim at edification? No, of course not.

But I am trying to break down the either/or categories that people place on small groups. I think you can both edify and evangelize. I think you can both go deep relationally and invite new people. I think you can both disciple and make disciples.

Once you commit to these both/and’s, the ways to make them happen begin to materialize.

Many churches believe their small groups must choose either an edification focus or an evangelistic focus.

This argument goes that for small groups to be a place where mature Christians grow there needs to be deep theological conversation and regular accountability. These both require time and trust, which are hard to come by if new non-Christians drop in with any frequency.

Furthermore, some suppose, if you want to share the gospel with unbelievers, you need to focus on the basics. This is stuff that longtime Christians already have “down” and, quite frankly, will be bored with.

So if you want to have a productive small group, aim it at one or the other. Mature Christians or non-Christians.

As you can tell by the title of this post, I disagree. This is not an either/or. It’s a both/and. There is a way to evangelize unbelievers and edify mature believers at the same time, in the same small group.

The false dichotomy between evangelizing and edifying assumes some things about Christians and non-Christians that are false. Are we really willing to say that unbelievers are such a hindrance to the growth of longtime Christians that they should be segregated? Do we really think thoughtful unbelievers can’t contribute to an in-depth discussion about a passage of the Bible? Is their contribution pointless just because they haven’t put their faith in Jesus yet?

When you raise the magnifying glass to the edifying/evangelizing distinction, you realize it has too high of a view of people who have followed Jesus for a long time, and too low of a view of people who might be on the cusp of becoming a new creation in Christ.

Therefore, I’m arguing that you adopt a balance in your a small group to benefit mature Christians, new Christians, and hopefully-new-to-be Christians simultaneously.

Why do I think this balance can be effective for everyone? Here’s three reasons:

1. The “short-term missions trip” effect

Have you ever heard someone share about their short-term missions trip experience? They often share about how much they grew in their faith because they were thrust into situations outside their comfort zone and God showed up and did an amazing work. They are left glorifying God – they certainly couldn’t accomplish those things on their own strength – and they trust him more than ever.

Instead of having that experience every other summer, why not go for every other week in your small group?

Small groups are a great place to foster this same kind of growth. You will not grow less if turn the academic level of your Bible study down from 11 in order to accommodate people who are new to the Bible. As you see them come to faith through your discussions, you will grow even more.

2. The contagious excitement of watching people grasp basic theology for the first time

One of the ways my wife and I got to know each other during our dating months was by watching each other’s favorite movies together. I remember the renewed sense of enjoyment I experienced when she laughed hysterically at my favorite Bill Murray movies What About Bob (“I sail now! On a boat on the lake, very far away from the dock, into the wind with the sky and everything…Ahoy!”) and Groundhog Day (“Sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist”). It was fun to watch movies I practically knew by heart with someone who was seeing them for the first time.

As you see people get excited about the gospel for the first time, you will gain a renewed excitement for the basic truths of our faith, too. I dare say that it will give you more joy than winning a debate about infralapsarianism vs. supralapsarianism, as important as the distinction between the lapsarianisms is.

3. Breaking down Christian stereotypes by going deep in heart and hand, not just the head

Don’t hear me say that you need to slam the breaks on how “Christian” your small group is so that unbelievers feel more comfortable. I am, in fact, arguing the exact opposite. I am saying put even more of what Christianity is into your small group – more than “deep Bible study and discussion.”

When you put true Christianity on full display in your small group you will break down barriers and stereotypes that hinder people from believing the gospel.

When your group meets, show unbelievers the love Christians have for each other by praying the most mature prayers you can. Think of Paul’s prayers, where he prays for others rather than himself. And when he does ask for prayer, it is that he would be able to share the gospel with others. That kind of selflessness is a hallmark of Christian maturity, and it will be winsome to people who are kicking the tires and peeking under the hood of Christianity.

Show unbelievers the love you have for God by having raw conversations about sin and temptation. You will surprise a non-Christian in (at least) two ways: they will be shocked to learn that you struggle with similar temptations to them, and they will be even more shocked to hear you freely mention in conversation what they are so desperately trying to hide. This, Lord willing, will show them that true security is only found in the forgiveness offered by the cross of Jesus.

Multiplying onramps for your church

This is Holy Week, and many people are more inclined to attend church this week than any other week of the year. Inviting someone to church may be an effective way to bring someone to Jesus.

But there are other people who will never, ever, ever step foot in a church. But they will sit down on the couch in your living room.

There are those who would never listen to a sermon from a “Bible basher” on Sunday morning. But they will engage in a conversation about the Bible on Sunday evening.

So I suggest that you open your small group to such as these. You will be edified. The lost will be evangelized.

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12 Types of Sermon Introductions A quick video from David Murray that is sure to help you avoid getting stuck early in your sermon writing.

Beware These Preaching Shortcuts From Erik Raymond “We like shortcuts assuming that they get us to where we are trying to go. If they do not then they are dangerous, unproductive detours. In his book The Priority of Preaching, Christopher Ash argues that there are no shortcuts for preaching with authority.”

What Is the Soul? Does It Really Exist? How Does It Relate to the Brain?? From Justin Taylor “A fascinating philosophical exchange between J. P. Moreland and Robert Lawrence Kuhn, host of the PBS show Closer to the Truth, who has a doctorate in brain science.”

Priest Links

An Astonishing Message from a Gay Sister in Christ This will break down some stereotypes Christians have toward believers who face same sex attraction.

King Links

Ten Ways Ordinary People Became Good Leaders Thom Rainer broke this encouraging and convicting article into two posts (part 1, and part 2).

How Many Hours Should Pastors Work? From Darryl Dash: “Pastors should work hard. The pastorate is a place where lazy people can hide. I’ve met some lazy pastors, and they do need a kick in the posterior. And yes, we shouldn’t expect more of others than we ourselves are ready to give. And for some, they will be able to work 50-65 hours and still live healthily. Imposing this advice across the board, however, is less than helpful.”

Commonly Asked Questions about the Minister’s Housing Allowance It’s that time of the year again! If you have tax questions that are particular to clergy tax status, this page may help you out.

What does this change mean for this blog? It means that this blog will be even better, I hope. My new role contains many church-wide responsibilities, which should increase the breadth of pastoral issues I can speak to. Particularly I will be leading the Bible Church’s small group ministry, so I will share thoughts and resources on that topic especially.

I know I haven’t written much lately. This is because I have been in process with the Bible Church, doing my best to finish well at College Church, and preparing my family for a big transition. That doesn’t leave much time for blogging! My goal is to get back the frequency you longtime readers have been used to. However, I will post as often as I can in the transition.

I would appreciate your prayers as my family and I make this move!

Without further ado…

Prophet Links

9 Things You Should Know About the Papacy

Sermon Disconnect: Six Questions to Assess Your Preaching

How to Plan a Preaching Schedule

Priest Links

4 Ways We Need to Grow in Evangelism

How Does a Pastor Deal with “Carnal Christians” in His Church?

Multisite Church: Come-and-Get or Come-and-Give?

King Links

Top 200 Leadership Resources

7 Reasons I Picked Feedly to Replace Google Reader

10 Laws of Productivity

Prophet Links

Top 200 Preaching Resources Awesome collection from David Murray (longtime readers of this blog will recognize several!).

We MUST Be Theologians

7 Ways to Do a Bad Word Study

Priest Links

Getting Real with Personal Sin (Interview with Matt Chandler)

The Local Church is THE Place for Biblical Counseling

What Practical Tip about Hospital Visitation Do I Find Myself Coming Back to Over and Over Again?

King Links

How to Go Paperless

More Time Doesn’t Mean More Creative

Practical Ways to Culturally Engage

Many preachers are like a light switch when it comes to passion, it’s either flipped on or off, either talking or yelling. To more effectively use passion in your preaching, think of it as a dimmer switch with various levels of passion and smooth transitions from one to the other.

Calvin Miller, in his book Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition, points out six ways to preach with passion, each with its own spot on the dimmer switch:

Ask yourself how [the six purveyors of passion] must be used in your preaching to convince your audience that you feel strongly about your subject. Consider how these six elements of passion might be used to connote how you want your audience to feel the resurrection  Let us take the account of John 20:1-2, 11, 16-17.

1. Silence

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was dark” (John 20:1a).

They said nothing as they walked. Silence. Aching silence. Heavy, breaking, agonizing silence. He was dead – dead – dead.

2. Tears

“Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance” (John 20:1b).

Tears, hot, cutting, desperate. He was not there.

“But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb” (John 20:11).

3. Urgency

“So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John 20:2).

They have taken the Lord!

4. Volume

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabonni!’ (which means Teacher)” (John 20:16).

Mary cried out at this point. The volume must keep pace.

5. Velocity

“So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved…” (John 20:2)

Mary came running (let the rhetoric pick up speed).

6. Poetry

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

This is but a tiny model of the aspects of passion but is valid in all the rhetorical aspects that compose passion. Use each aspect only when the text or your feeling about it connotes passion.

But anywhere you suspect that you’re saying things louder than you feel them, then you need to rein in your rhetoric with conservative humanity and let the other aspects of passion show their stuff. But getting loud and staying loud is neither true humanity nor good homiletics.

What I appreciate most about Miller’s model for passion is that it takes its cues from the text. It is not so much a response to a disinterested audience - I’m losing them, I better whip up some passion to get their attention back – but a response to the passage. When you respond with passion to what the passage says, your congregation will respond to God’s word, not to you. Which I think is the goal of preaching in the first place.

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Why the Afterlife Bores Us From Russell Moore: “We’re glad we’re not going to hell or to oblivion. But most of our songs and sermon mentions are about that first few moments in heaven: when we see Jesus, when we’re reunited with our loved ones, and so on. It’s like the happy ending of the story. And that’s the problem.”

Why Pastors Should Read Over Their Heads From Kevin DeYoung: “Very, very, very (did I say “very”) few pastors are called to engage in the highest levels of scholarship at the same time as pastoring a congregation. It’s just not possible, at least not for very long. But most pastors should still make it a point to jump into the deep end of the pool and get in over their heads once in awhile. Let me give you a few reasons why.”

Notes On Pride and Preachers From Colin Adams: “Pride is a problem for every “son of Adam.” But lets be frank: it is a peculiar peril for preachers. Not only are we ‘leaders’, with all the potential kudos that entails; but we are ‘preachers’, in some cases standing quite literally above the congregation in preaching God’s Word.”

Priest Links

Pornography There were a few posts last week on porn that should help us minister to people with this addiction. The short video The Science of Pornography explains the physiology of the addiction. A study has shown that pornography use is connected to our culture’s acceptance of adultery and homosexual marriage. This article from Brian Croft shows how a husband should move forward after revealing his porn addiction to his wife.

25 Years of Evangelizing My Husband How one woman’s attitude toward her husband was changed despite the difficulty of being unequally yoked.

Books for Ministering to Others Westminster Books has a 55-55% sale on CCEF books, good till 2/26. On that note, here is a list of top ten books on grief and loss.

King Links

Respect Yourself and Take Back Control of Your Calendar “This may seem improbable if you’ve lived at the mercy of other people’s whims for years. But as a time coach, I’ve seen that you can take back control by carefully setting expectations. Try out these tactics to avoid being overbooked.”

In (Abashed) Praise of Diligence From John Stackhouse: “Yeah. Well. The history of everything shows that daily diligence, not rare flashes of creativity, is the way most things get done. Diligence is the real world. Diligence is the Adult Fact that some children learn already through hobbies, music lessons, or sports, while many grown-ups never learn it at all.”

How Pastors and the Business Leaders of Their Church Can Work Together Two articles from the latest 9 Marks Journal: Businessperson, Help Your Pastor Build Trellises and 7 Things Pastors Should Teach Those in the Marketplace.