Ken, the leader of our elder board, would often establish the following rule for our meetings: "Let's end by 10:30, unless there's a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit." I'd respond by saying, "I'm certainly open to that, but I've been here over eight years, and the Holy Spirit has never moved after 10:30 p.m., except to say, 'You're all tired, so go home, see your families, and get some sleep.'" We're learning that God often works through supernatural power and ordinary human things like bodily rest and common sense. The first duty and delight of the preacher focuses on love.

In the same way, the craft of preaching depends on the Spirit's power and ordinary human things, like clear writing and good delivery. That's why one of my favorite books on preaching is a non-preaching book written by a non-preacher. It's called The Elements of Story by Francis Flaherty, an editor at The New York Times. Based on his twenty years of editing experience, Flaherty has collected 50 principles of good writing.

As I read through his list and substituted a few words (like preacher for writer, or listeners for readers), I was amazed at how many elements applied to preaching. For example, consider two of my favorite "preaching" quotes from Flaherty's book:

• A [sermon] is a tree. No one ever looks at a tree and puzzles over what is trunk and what is branch. Just the same, there should be no confusing the main theme of a [sermon] with all the subsidiary stuff.
• Look [at your biblical text] until you see something new, for the [preacher] is the watcher of the world …. But if [preachers] are the watchers of the world, some of them … bound about just as fast as their [listeners], and consequently offer only wafer-thin, forgettable [messages]. They fail to gaze [at God's word] …. The fact is, most of [preaching] is good thinking.

Flaherty's most helpful "preaching" advice centers on his discussion about viewing the story (or sermon) through "theme-colored glasses." In Element 5 he warns, "A [preacher] who is the jack of all themes will be the master of none." And in Element 12 he states, "A [preacher] must be a sensitive gatekeeper, for every tidbit she puts into her story is a burden on the [hearer]."

In other words, preachers must be vigilant about focusing on the sermon's main theme. Flaherty quotes the Russian writer Anton Chekov, who advised writers, "Don't put a gun in Act 1 if it doesn't get used by the end of the play." Flaherty adds, "A [preacher] is like a gardener who knows that one tree can serve as a focal point in a garden, but that many trees just muck up the impact of each. Also, a good [preacher] realizes that [hearers] have the mental room to store just one large thought from a [sermon]."

For example, let's say I'm preaching on the Book of Ruth, and my main theme (the one tree in the garden) is God's sovereignty in our suffering. Of course there are also many other fascinating themes in Ruth—gleaning laws, levirate marriages, the kinsman-redeemer concept, and so on. But if I start focusing on more than one interesting theme, I will become the insensitive gatekeeper, burdening my listeners with multiple good themes. Their attention will flip from one tree to the next.

Another major section focuses on highlighting the human element in every [sermon]. In Flaherty's world an article on the tight housing market in New York City should focus not just on statistics but on the "the old lady evicted with her four cats."

Certainly, every biblical text leads us to Christ, but every text also contains a very human story. For example, as I preached through Philippians, I continually reminded myself and my congregation that this joyful little letter was written by a particular man named Paul, who was chained to a prison guard as he awaited his possible execution. The recipients of this letter, his friends and loved ones for whom he had the "affection of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:8), had sent Paul a beautiful gift, and Paul responded with love and gratitude. This human story, with powerful and sometimes raw emotions, doesn't detract from a Christ-centered focus; to the contrary, good preaching reads and tells the human story and thus enhances Christ's story.

Flaherty's book also provides solid advice on sermon delivery. Writing and preaching strike a balance between these two elements:

• Good [sermons] are a brisk journey, and the [listener] can always feel the breeze.
• Breathless [preaching] exhausts the [listener].

I've certainly heard preaching that clunks along about as fast as a bicycle with two flats, but my preaching tends to exhaust people. Parishioners repeatedly tell me, "Pastor, slow down; I can't keep up with you." One woman even interrupted me mid-sermon, yelling from the back pew, "Hey, would you repeat that last sentence one more time?"

Flaherty even helps preachers by providing some practical advice on constructing our sermon introduction (in the world of non-fiction writing, it's called the lead). Element 36 states, "Good leads come in many shapes. But the common measure of their worth is their power to evoke curiosity." Before the lead, a reader stands on the outside, still uncommitted. "If, from a quick glance at the doorway, he sees nothing of quickly absorbing interest, he will proceed on his way, nothing lost." So every preacher must ask, "What [introduction] will prompt in the [listener] the most irresistible questions, questions powerful enough to propel him through the doorway and into the [sermon]?" Good sermon introductions will charm, rivet, provoke, and intrigue, but they must never promise something they can't deliver.

In Element 31, Flaherty exhorts: "[Preaching] is an act of assertion and judgment. Do not evade that part of the job by hiding behind bland language or other's words." In other words, don't play it safe with your words. Be bold. Be daring. And be yourself. "A [preacher], in other words, must take risks, must 'dare the lightning.'… If you dare the lightning, might you get burned? Yes. But don't forget that not to decide is to decide, and therefore may also be risky."

Perhaps the best advice for preachers is Flaherty's challenge to keep our love burning strong and pure. On the book's last paragraph, Flaherty advises his readers, "Go find the stuff you love to death. When you find it, many wondrous things will happen. Time will fly. Work will become play. You will feel stoked …. Of course, the room you walk into may be the wrong one. But you can just walk out, nothing lost, and try another door. If you are in love with writing (and not just the idea of writing), there is almost certainly a door, and it is waiting for you."

Once again, Flaherty preaches to preachers. He's right: the essence of good preaching boils down to love. If we love deeply—God, church people, lost people, the craft of preaching—"many wondrous things will happen." So perhaps the first duty and delight of the preacher focuses on love. Because if we're in love, a door will open for us, and the Holy Spirit will move among us.

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.