My Latest Column in The Pastor’s Workshop: Preaching Living Water When Your Well Has Run Dry, Part 2

My most recent column in The Pastor’s Workshop, my domain in The Preachers Portal, is up. Here’s the beginning:

In my previous column in The Pastor’s Workshop, I began with the question: How can you as a preacher offer living water even when your own well is bone dry? I talked about how common it is for preachers to get to the place where they are “sucking the muck from the bottom of the well.” When we get to this familiar but uncomfortable place, perhaps it’s time (or past time) for us to take a break from preaching to be refreshed.

But, often this is just not possible. If you’re the primary preacher in a multi-staff church, you may be able to hand off the pulpit to an able substitute. But most preachers do not have this convenient option. Moreover, regular preaching is probably central to your job description. When I was pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I was blessed with a fine staff, but they already had more than enough on their plates. Besides, I was expected to preach most of the time when I was not on vacation or study leave. So I often found myself wanting to dispense living water when my inner water bottle was empty.

What should a preacher do in this all-too-common situation?

Here’s where you’ll find my answer.