Have you ever listened to a sermon and felt your heart soar as a fresh insight is given or a long-forgotten emphasis is brought back to you?

Have you ever preached a sermon and felt your heart sink as you see the lack of impact it is making on those blank faces listening to you?

Preaching, that long neglected and much required skill, has two competing the strains. On the one hand preachers need to hold onto the truth of the message, striking the line of truth cleanly, never adding or removing anything from it. On the other hand preachers need to communicate - to reach out and with the help of the Spirit grab the heart of listener.

It's not an easy balance to find, but Stephen McQuoid brings a refreshing dose of sensible and thoroughly Biblical advice to help us.