A month in Maui sounds pretty good to me, especially living in Chicago in February. But as Mark Mitchell shows in this week's sermon—"A Journey of Hope"—the Christian life is one long journey of enjoying God's presence—even when we're a long way from Maui. This sermon is chockfull of ideas for helping your people grow deep in their desire for God.

At PreachingToday.com we talk a lot about developing one Big Idea for your sermon. Notice the thoughtful flow of Mark's sermon: from the text's big idea → the sermon's big idea → the sermon outline → application. It's clear, simple, and memorable. People won't leave scratching their heads and asking, "Nice sermon, but what did he say?"

This week we also feature:

• Illustration: Church Sells a CD Filled with Silence
• Article: "The Preacher's Dialogue" with the "Dean of Preaching," Dr. Gardner Taylor
• Video: Karen's Story

In Christ,

Matt Woodley
Managing Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

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