1. Seemingly domestic or mundane stories can shed light on theological truths. John Ortberg, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, and Editorial advisor for Preaching Today, teaches the art of exegeting life—finding insights in the events of life around us—in this article: Illustrating with Slices of Life.

2. Bill White, outreach pastor at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, promotes using the personal testimonies of people in your church to illustrate what is being taught from the pulpit each week. White maps out strategies for finding and using real-life stories of congregants in Creating a Culture of Belief through Personal Stories.

3. In his article Illustrating from Pop Culture, Kevin Miller provides a thorough look at why having knowledge of pop culture is necessary for connecting with non-Christians and Christians alike. Even the apostle Paul and Jesus himself used the known things of the world to shed light on the unknown truths of God. Kevin Miller is a Featured Preacher for PreachingToday.com and a pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

4. Oh, that we all had the ability to illustrate of a Max Lucado or John Ortberg. Illustrating is a talent, but one that develops through discipline. Learn the skills that can help in Craig Brian Larson's article, Illustrate Like Max and John (pt. 1) . In this first segment, Larson reviews the discipline of continual searching and the pyramid of abstraction.

5. Larson continues his summary of effective illustration practices in Illustrate Like Max and John (pt. 2). Here he addresses keywords for illustrating abstract ideas, the art of storytelling, and the use of figurative and literal speech.

6. Larson wraps up his list of skills for developing illustrations in Illustrate Like Max and John (pt. 3). He expounds on the use of metaphor and the power of positive vision and imagination.