Podcast
Especially the Preaching
Hosted by Ben Ratliff · EN
On Especially the Preaching we meet preachers of God’s Word and through simple, honest interviews, shine a light on their work—their calling, their struggles, their joys. We aim to encourage preachers, those who wish to preach, and those who want to understand the preacher’s life. This is gospel ministry, not in the high places, but in the quiet corners where Christ’s kingdom grows strong.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Posture of a Teachable Heart
Aug 1500:12:40Tap to summarizeBen discusses the concepts of meekness and readiness of mind, explaining how these attitudes can transform the way individuals engage with biblical teachings. Includes practical steps to cultivate these qualities, encouraging listeners to approach sermons and scripture with expectation and humility.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Brian Cosby
Aug 800:48:11Tap to summarizeBrian Cosby shares his journey into ministry, emphasizing the importance of preaching as faithful exposition of biblical texts. He discusses the spiritual elements of sermon preparation, the influence of pastoral care on preaching, and the challenges of shepherding in a busy world. Cosby also addresses the spiritual requirements for preachers, how to navigate cold seasons in ministry, and the importance of guarding against pride. He offers valuable advice for aspiring ministers and recommends resources for effective preaching.Lectures to My Students by Charles SpurgeonBryan Chappell on illustrationsJohn Flavel sermons Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Pray for the Preaching
Aug 100:22:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode Ben discusses the often-overlooked role of the congregation's prayers in the ministry of preaching. Powerful preaching is not solely dependent on the pastor's skills but also on the active participation of the congregation through prayer. He outlines specific ways church members can pray for their pastors, including preparation, heart, delivery, and the congregation's reception of the sermon.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Derrick Brite
Jul 2500:40:44Tap to summarizeIn this conversation, Derrick Brite shares his journey as a pastor and theology professor, discussing the distinctions between preaching and teaching, the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching, and effective sermon preparation techniques. He reflects on his upbringing in Ringgold, Georgia, and how it shaped his ministry in a rural context. Derrick emphasizes the importance of theology in pastoral work and offers practical advice for aspiring pastors, including the significance of prayer, avoiding procrastination, and the value of learning from both contemporary and historical theologians.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Jason Helopoulos
Jul 1100:39:12Tap to summarizeJason Helopolous shares his journey into ministry, the call to preach, and the essential elements of faithful preaching. He covers the importance of spiritual preparation, the mechanics of sermon preparation, and the need for pastors to guard against pride. He also offers valuable advice for young preachers, highlighting the significance of connecting pastoral care with preaching.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Ryan Biese
Jun 2000:30:01Tap to summarizeBen sits down with his longtime friend and fellow RTS alum, Rev. Ryan Biese, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. The two discuss the difference between preaching and lecturing, the place of Christ in every sermon, and how to structure a week around two full sermons. Ryan offers a candid look into his preparation process, including why he writes 4,000-word “outlines,” how application often lands in the final hours, and the surprising insights that come during prayer—or in the shower.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →The Minister’s Work & Message: On Preaching and Preaching Christ
Jun 1300:34:53Tap to summarizeIn this roundtable-style episode, Ben is joined by friends Job Dalomba and Stephen Spinnenweber to discuss two weighty themes from Pastoral Theology by Thomas Murphy: Preaching as the Minister’s Chief Calling, and Christ as the Sum and Substance of All Preaching.“The minister ought, by all means, to cultivate a very high appreciation of the importance of preaching, and to concentrate on it all his energies. The hour in the pulpit he should look upon as the harvest hour of the week. Everything else in the life, studies, and other duties of his office should be made to centre upon this his most momentous work.” -Thomas Murphy“If we do not preach [Christ and His great salvation], our ministry is nothing. It is without authority, without spirit, without power, without an adequate object, and will be without any substantial results for good.” -Thomas Murphy"Don't you know, young man, that from every town and from every village and from every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London? And so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And, my dear brother, your business is when you get to a text, to say, 'Now, what is the road to Christ?' And then preach a sermon running along the road to the great metropolis, Christ. I have never yet found a text that had not a road to Christ in it; and if ever I do find one that has not, I will make one. I will go over a hedge and ditch but I will get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there be a flavor of Christ in it." -Charles Spurgeon“Christ, and him crucified, was the one theme for the preaching of which the ministry was appointed. There is no other conceivable object which was worthy of the establishment and perpetuation of such a sacred office. And it is with us either the preaching of Christ or nothing. We have no title to our ministry excepting what is involved in this.” -Thomas Murphy(Quotations taken from 2025 Log College Press edition of Pastoral Theology pages 161-166, 179-187)Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Matt Adams
Jun 6, 202500:48:17Tap to summarizeMatt Adams joins Ben to explore the significance of preaching, focusing on Matt's personal journey from a Pentecostal background to becoming a Presbyterian minister. They discuss the philosophy of preaching, emphasizing the importance of explaining and applying biblical texts in a Christ-centered manner. Matt shares his sermon preparation process, detailing how he maps out sermon series and the mechanics of writing and delivering sermons, highlighting the need for personal engagement with the text. Adams even shares a story from his exciting Pentecostal upbringing.Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Christ Still Speaks
May 30, 202500:23:36Tap to summarizeBen walks through Romans 10:1–15—a passage that not only clarifies how sinners are saved, but how that salvation reaches them: through preaching.Paul gives us a chain of logic that leads to a staggering conclusion: salvation depends on the preached Word. We explore the implications of that truth—for hearers of preaching and for those who do the preaching. Romans 10 raises the stakes of every sermon and frames the pulpit as a place where Christ Himself addresses His people.Rom. 10:14-15 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”Send me a text!Support the show
Transcribe →Logan Almy
May 23, 202500:42:55Tap to summarizeBen sits down with Logan Almy to explore the heart of a preacher’s calling, the mechanics of sermon preparation, and the necessity of unction in the pulpit. Logan shares his story—from a Southern Baptist upbringing and powerful high school conversion experience to a Presbyterian pulpit shaped by personal trials, theological clarity, and a longing for power in preaching.Together, they discuss the theology of preaching, the role of seminary and pastoral mentorship, and how personal godliness fuels faithful ministry. Logan opens up about preparing sermons in dry seasons, preaching through criticism, and his deep conviction that Christ continues His prophetic office through fallible men by His Spirit.Send me a text!Support the show
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