JT Holderman

Discouraged I stood up and began the short walk from the pew to the pulpit. There was a sour taste in my mouth and words of discouragement in the back of my mind, “This is a poor sermon; it is not worth preaching, give up JT.” Doubt had slithered into my mind like a snake. Preachers repeatedly experience discouragement; it is an inevitable reality. How often we plant our feet one after the other as we climb the steps to the pulpit and hear a nagging word of doubt regarding o

Studying Homiletics at Gordon-Conwell has been a great experience over the past few months. God is shaping me as a man and as a preacher through the program and I am already indebted to the school and faculty for what I have learned. However I find myself reading texts that are primarily associated with Homiletics  I’m feeling a bit starved for theological works (I attended Princeton Theological Seminary initially to study theology with hopes of pursuing a Ph.D. in Systematic

Here are two sermons that were recorded in class at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. There are some things I believe I did well and many more things that I’m sure were done poorly. The class gave helpful feedback to continue to sharpen my skills as a preacher. If you would like both sermons from PR 602 (Preaching to Modern Listeners) and PR 722 (Preaching, Persuasion and Leadership) are below. Relationships of Grace: The Remedy for Worry: #Love #Homiletics #Anxiety #Gordo

Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century[1] by John Stott Synopsis John Stott’s Between Two Worlds has been a classic work in homiletics. Though it is somewhat dated and engages the British context more so than the American, it is nonetheless a classic for a reason. Stott centers on Scripture as the grounds for our preaching, God has spoken and therefore we must speak. It is a highly winsome text chalked full of timeless quotes on preaching spanning f

John Piper’s The Supremacy of God in Preaching[1] Synopsis: John Piper’s call for God saturated preaching is a much needed word to us all, regardless of our theological orientation and views of him. His text is a vivid plea to all preachers to make God supreme in every preaching endeavor, highlighting and exalting the grace of God in Christ Jesus. He calls the preacher to highlight the need for God by encouraging a “gladful submission” (28) in which we take pleasure and delig

1) My biggest hope for the year is for my relationship with God. The seminary has been very clear that this is also a hope for them as well. President Hollinger spoke at Convocation about this very topic. It is his wish that Seminary would be a place for personal growth in relationship with God. I agree. If my relationship with God has not grown or matured within my year here, it will have been a failure. This is my deepest hope for the year, that I would come to love God mor

Day two of Gordon Conwell’s National Preaching Conference did not disappoint. Few Fridays can live up to the expectations that this day set for all other Fridays. I am still relishing in Gordon Conwell’s orientation week genius. There is in my mind no better way to start off a  semester studying Homiletics than to sit for two days under the instruction and preaching of some of the greatest preachers in the field. I was blessed. Session Four began the day with a powerful sermo