View From the Pulpit Podcast
Conversations about
expository preaching.
Conversations with pastors about faithful preaching, sermon preparation, and life in the local church. For those behind the pulpit and those in the pew.
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Why a Podcast about Preaching?
Start with Ben’s introduction to the purpose and heart of the podcast.
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Episode 33: A Conversation with Dr. Gerald Harris
Episode 33 of the "View from the Pulpit” podcast, hosted by Ben Smith, with guest Dr. Gerald Harris. In this episode of View From the Pulpit, Pastor Ben Smith sits down with Dr. Gerald Harris, longtime pastor, author, and former editor of The Christian Index. Together, they reflect on Dr. Harris’s decades of ministry, the lessons learned along the way, and the challenges facing churches today.
Episode 32: A Conversation with Dr. Jerry Vines
In this episode of “View From the Pulpit”, host Ben Smith talks with Dr. Jerry Vines, who is often credited with "literally writing the book on expository preaching". Dr. Vines recounts his personal journey from topical preaching in his early ministry to embracing expository preaching and how this shift transformed his approach to teaching God's Word. He shares his three-step sermon preparation process—investigation, interpretation, and application—and discusses the importance of "passion-driven preaching" where the preacher's emotion reflects the passage's pathos. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Vines offers profound wisdom for young and seasoned pastors alike, emphasizing the primacy of preaching and the necessity of a strong devotional life.
Episode 30: A Conversation with Dr. Heath Lambert
Episode 30 of the "View from the Pulpit” podcast, hosted by Ben Smith, with guest Dr. Heath Lambert, pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL. In this episode, Dr. Heath Lambert reflects on the unique experience of pastoring First Baptist Church, which boasts a remarkable, nearly 100-year history of strong, expository preaching. He shares how he navigates the significant legacy of his predecessors, embracing God's unique plan for his own ministry rather than attempting to replicate others.
Dr. Lambert delves into the intensely challenging period of leading his church through a major transition, which he also chronicled in his podcast "What Happened at First Baptist". He details his unwavering commitment to protecting the pulpit during this time, ensuring that sermons remained faithful to the biblical text despite immense personal and congregational pressures, including his own health crises. He shares powerful testimonies of God's grace and encouragement that sustained him and his family through these trials. The conversation touches on the distinction between faithfulness and fruitfulness in ministry, especially when dealing with declining attendance, and how God uses difficult seasons to refine and strengthen the church.
Episode 19: A Conversation with Mitch Jolly
In this helpful and honest episode of “View from the Pulpit,” host Ben Smith talks with Mitch Jolly, pastor and founder of Three Rivers Church, Rome, GA, on how God taught him to study the word and how he has led his church to be rooted and grounded in God’s word.
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