Preaching on Your Feet: Connecting God and The Audience in the Preachable Moment (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: practiced thinker, preaching without notes, expository preaching, Word of God, Grand Rapids, New York (more...)

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Product Description

“Preaching on your feet” is the phrase public speaker and pastor Fred Lybrand uses to describe his unique method of pulpit communication. In layman’s terms, it involves being “in the moment,” not solely relying on pre-written notes (though they can still be helpful), and staying open to what God might have in store during any given preaching appointment. It all adds up to a heart-to-heart style of delivery that makes preaching a joy for both the orator and listener time and again. Aspiring and veteran pastors alike will find much to consider and implement in this refreshing new volume on homiletics.

About the Author

Fred R. Lybrand is executive director of Free Grace Alliance (connecting and encouraging Free Grace leaders and ministries to design, promote, and implement strategies to advance Free Grace truths) and pastor of Northeast Bible Church near San Antonio, Texas.

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Product Details Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: B&H Academic (May 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0805446869 ISBN-13: 978-0805446869 Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,386 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #87 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology > Pastoral Theology

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
practiced thinker, preaching without notes, expository preaching, thick outline, thick notes, effective preaching

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Word of God, Grand Rapids, New York, Spirit of God, God's Word, Phillips Brooks, Advantages of Preaching, Frequently Asked Questions, Holy Spirit, George Whitefield, The Master Keys, Could Preaching, Logos Research Systems, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Old Testament, Extemporaneous Oratory, Marsh Fisher, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Karl Barth, Ken Howard, Act Natural, Three Essentials of Effective Preaching, Joy of Preaching, Preaching Essential

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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	6% buy Preaching Without Notes 4.6 out of 5 stars (11) $10.20
	4% buy Preaching to a Post-Everything World: Crafting Biblical Sermons That Connect with Our Culture 4.5 out of 5 stars (2) $12.23
	4% buy How to Preach without Notes 4.0 out of 5 stars (6) $11.55

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for preachers, September 25, 2008 By  Scot McKnight - See all my reviews What is the best way to preach? To use notes -- even to the point of reading a sermon -- or not to use notes? Fred Lybrand, a Southern Baptist preacher who seems to be cutting his own path, opts for the "not to use notes" approach in his new, useful, handy, clear book <em>Preaching on Your Feet</em>. I should perhaps tell my own story before I go any further. What do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of preachers. And, what do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of folks listening to preachers: do you prefer that they read a more carefully stated sermon or have more eye contact? But to my story. Why? No use talking about preaching if you don't back it up with how you do things. When I began preaching I had no idea what I was doing so I imitated, quite unconsciously, those I admired. Some of them were pastors and others of them were professors. That led to the use of fairly complete notes, including quotations. Then I read John Stott's book <em>Between Two Worlds</em> where he urged young pastors to write out their sermons and then, after ten years if I remember right, to begin preaching from notes. So I did this, but I wasn't comfortable doing this. Teaching for a decade or so became my teacher and it led to being more comfortable with an outline. To this day I tend to speak from a sketchy outline. I now use a "Journal" for all sermon notes (and all kinds of other things) and I preach from that. But I cheat when I say this: I don't do the weekly preaching thing where I am asked to give a new sermon every week. Instead, I can have ten sermons in a row where a church asks me to do something on Jesus Creed. And I never really give the same sermon twice because I speak from notes and adjust as I go along and as I see what is happening ... and this leads me to Lybrand's theory. Preaching on your feet is his studied expression on the basis of years of preaching: it involves deep study, strategizing your sermon and then preaching. But without notes. I know there are many against this approach, but -- as long as one can have a few notes (and I tend to have less than a small page of notes) -- I think he's right. Here are his reasons for "preaching on your feet" (I've italicized what I consider most important): 1. Time management: you save the hours it takes to write out a sermon or write out thick notes. 2. Connection with the audience: eye-to-eye is better than eye-to-manuscript-to eye. The struggle here is palpable for those who sit and listen. 3. Remembering: if you can remember it, they can remember it. 4. Humility: struggling to find the best word is normal human existence. 5. Adaptability: good preachers read the eyes of those who listen and adapt and adjust to the levels of comprehension. 6. Holy Spirit led. Obvious and potentially a source of abuse and an excuse for lack of preparation. Still, Lybrand gets this right. Preaching on the feet is more susceptible to Spirit guidance -- in the moment -- than reading the ms. But, Spirit guidance occurs as well in the writing of the ms. But it is not in the moment. 7. Personality trumps plagiarism: Lybrand is big on each preacher having personality, that person's personality and not someone else's. 8. An act of faith. 9. Growth in confidence. 10. Readiness. 11. A walk with God is more intimate to preaching ... 12. You become sharper (if not smarter). 13. Fresh delivery. 14. Joy in preaching. 15. Audience is expectant. Lybrand covers it all, but this point might be the most significant: there's no example that anyone was using notes or reading a sermon or (he argues) preaching an "expository" sermon in the Bible. The only method we see is preaching on one's feet. And he has a chp listing the great preachers whose studied practice was preaching on their feet: Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc.. And he says something important: too many preachers today are using their seminary professors' lectures as models for preaching. The differences in context, purpose, audience, content, etc, are obvious. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars PREACHING ON YOUR FEET: Connecting God and the audience in the preachable moment, October 10, 2008 By  David T. Mcpherson (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Lybrand has brought a much-needed challenge to today's evangelical seminary graduate. His well written answer to detached and boring sermons is like a fresh wind. The chapter on the "Three Essentials of Effective Preaching" reminds us pulpiteers of what we supposed to be able to do! If you are a sermon-builder, get this book! If your pastor is passionless and too analytical, buy him a copy. I've been building sermons for 41 years and found this book to a valuable addition to my studies. Dave McPherson, a pastor 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A new day for preaching, December 22, 2008 By  Charles Bing (Burleson, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Ask me or many other preachers to preach without notes and our first response will probably be "I'm too scared!" Notes can be helpful depending on the content you wish to communicate, but more often, they are probably harmful to the effectiveness of the sermon. What I like about Lybrand's book is his unwavering passion to see preachers preach from their heart. The more sermons I hear, the more I see that this is crucial. If I want to read or be read to, I can pick up a book. Tell me what God has laid on your heart! Yes, it can be scary to stand with your heart exposed before a congregation, but another quality of Lybrand's book is that it minimizes fear by showing how to prepare fpr preaching without notes. When it comes to preaching, one style may not fit all, but it is hardly arguable that the more we prepare, the more passion we communicate, and the farther we get from reading our notes, the better preachers we will be. This book will move every preacher in those directions.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars Not really much information At first I thought that this book was actually going to be full of information, but I quickly found out I was wrong. Read more Published 28 days ago by C. Mannie 5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now This is a great book on the subject and the skill of preaching without a manuscript and notes. It gives insights in why you should preach without notes. Read more Published 1 month ago by Niklas Nordmeister 2.0 out of 5 stars More content please.... Lately when I read these pastoral helps, I feel the authors spend way to much time trying to "preach to you" with what I call "filler chapters. Read more Published 4 months ago by David Kenney 5.0 out of 5 stars Preaching Truth from the Heart - to the Heart I picked up this book at the last conference. Being a methodical type theologian, I had always memorized my sermons. Read more Published 5 months ago by Ken Wilson 4.0 out of 5 stars Permission to be Present while Preaching! Early in my ministry I preached from a fully prepared manuscript believing that, as one seminary professor put it, I needed to not only ask that the Spirit be present Sunday... Read more Published 6 months ago by William B. Jones 5.0 out of 5 stars From the Heart - and those in front of you know I just finished. This book is more than it shows. The real connection for those not in the field of being a pastor but beliving in helping others is how it shows you have to work... Read more Published 9 months ago by Brian Weatherly Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: B&H Academic (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805446869
• ISBN-13: 978-0805446869
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,386 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #87 in

  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology > Pastoral Theology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for preachers, September 25, 2008

By	Scot McKnight - See all my reviews

What is the best way to preach? To use notes -- even to the point of reading a sermon -- or not to use notes? Fred Lybrand, a Southern Baptist preacher who seems to be cutting his own path, opts for the "not to use notes" approach in his new, useful, handy, clear book <em>Preaching on Your Feet</em>. I should perhaps tell my own story before I go any further.

What do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of preachers. And, what do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of folks listening to preachers: do you prefer that they read a more carefully stated sermon or have more eye contact?

But to my story. Why? No use talking about preaching if you don't back it up with how you do things. When I began preaching I had no idea what I was doing so I imitated, quite unconsciously, those I admired. Some of them were pastors and others of them were professors. That led to the use of fairly complete notes, including quotations. Then I read John Stott's book <em>Between Two Worlds</em> where he urged young pastors to write out their sermons and then, after ten years if I remember right, to begin preaching from notes. So I did this, but I wasn't comfortable doing this. Teaching for a decade or so became my teacher and it led to being more comfortable with an outline. To this day I tend to speak from a sketchy outline. I now use a "Journal" for all sermon notes (and all kinds of other things) and I preach from that. But I cheat when I say this: I don't do the weekly preaching thing where I am asked to give a new sermon every week. Instead, I can have ten sermons in a row where a church asks me to do something on Jesus Creed. And I never really give the same sermon twice because I speak from notes and adjust as I go along and as I see what is happening ... and this leads me to Lybrand's theory.

Preaching on your feet is his studied expression on the basis of years of preaching: it involves deep study, strategizing your sermon and then preaching. But without notes. I know there are many against this approach, but -- as long as one can have a few notes (and I tend to have less than a small page of notes) -- I think he's right. Here are his reasons for "preaching on your feet" (I've italicized what I consider most important):

1. Time management: you save the hours it takes to write out a sermon or write out thick notes.
2. Connection with the audience: eye-to-eye is better than eye-to-manuscript-to eye. The struggle here is palpable for those who sit and listen.
3. Remembering: if you can remember it, they can remember it.
4. Humility: struggling to find the best word is normal human existence.
5. Adaptability: good preachers read the eyes of those who listen and adapt and adjust to the levels of comprehension.
6. Holy Spirit led. Obvious and potentially a source of abuse and an excuse for lack of preparation. Still, Lybrand gets this right. Preaching on the feet is more susceptible to Spirit guidance -- in the moment -- than reading the ms. But, Spirit guidance occurs as well in the writing of the ms. But it is not in the moment.
7. Personality trumps plagiarism: Lybrand is big on each preacher having personality, that person's personality and not someone else's.
8. An act of faith.
9. Growth in confidence.
10. Readiness.
11. A walk with God is more intimate to preaching ...
12. You become sharper (if not smarter).
13. Fresh delivery.
14. Joy in preaching.
15. Audience is expectant.

Lybrand covers it all, but this point might be the most significant: there's no example that anyone was using notes or reading a sermon or (he argues) preaching an "expository" sermon in the Bible. The only method we see is preaching on one's feet. And he has a chp listing the great preachers whose studied practice was preaching on their feet: Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc..

And he says something important: too many preachers today are using their seminary professors' lectures as models for preaching. The differences in context, purpose, audience, content, etc, are obvious.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PREACHING ON YOUR FEET: Connecting God and the audience in the preachable moment, October 10, 2008

By	David T. Mcpherson (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lybrand has brought a much-needed challenge to today's evangelical seminary graduate. His well written answer to detached and boring sermons is like a fresh wind. The chapter on the "Three Essentials of Effective Preaching" reminds us pulpiteers of what we supposed to be able to do! If you are a sermon-builder, get this book! If your pastor is passionless and too analytical, buy him a copy. I've been building sermons for 41 years and found this book to a valuable addition to my studies.
Dave McPherson, a pastor

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new day for preaching, December 22, 2008

By	Charles Bing (Burleson, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ask me or many other preachers to preach without notes and our first response will probably be "I'm too scared!" Notes can be helpful depending on the content you wish to communicate, but more often, they are probably harmful to the effectiveness of the sermon. What I like about Lybrand's book is his unwavering passion to see preachers preach from their heart. The more sermons I hear, the more I see that this is crucial. If I want to read or be read to, I can pick up a book. Tell me what God has laid on your heart! Yes, it can be scary to stand with your heart exposed before a congregation, but another quality of Lybrand's book is that it minimizes fear by showing how to prepare fpr preaching without notes. When it comes to preaching, one style may not fit all, but it is hardly arguable that the more we prepare, the more passion we communicate, and the farther we get from reading our notes, the better preachers we will be. This book will move every preacher in those directions.