The Sermoneer Blog
Devotionals, guides, and essays for pastors.
How to Make a Sermon Highlight Reel From Two or Three Moments
How to make a sermon highlight reel: pick two or three moments that build one idea, put them in order, join them cleanly, and caption the result.
More articles
- Devotional
Romans 8:28 Devotional: What This Verse Does and Doesn't Promise
A Romans 8:28 devotional: what all things working together for good means in context, what the good is, and what the verse does not promise.
· 5 min read - Devotional
Matthew 11:28-30 Devotional: Rest for the Tired Pastor
A Matthew 11:28-30 devotional for weary pastors: what Jesus' yoke is, why he calls it easy, and what rest for your soul looks like in a heavy week.
· 5 min read - AI & Ministry
Why AI Can't Know Your Congregation (and Shouldn't Try)
AI can't know your congregation, because knowing a church comes from being among its people. Why that gap should stay, and what it means for sermon prep.
· 7 min read - How-To
How to Make Sermon Clips for Instagram Reels From a YouTube Video
How to turn a YouTube sermon into Instagram Reels: pick a moment that stands alone, cut on full sentences, crop to vertical, add captions and a title.
· 7 min read - Devotional
Isaiah 40:28-31 Devotional: Strength for the Weary
An Isaiah 40:28-31 devotional for tired people: what it means to wait on the LORD, why the promise ends with walking, and a prayer for the weary.
· 5 min read - Pastor's Life
Small Church Pastor Schedule: Where the Hours Actually Go
Why a small church pastor's week never matches the plan, what a LifeWay survey found about pastors' hours, and how logging one week shows where time goes.
· 5 min read - AI & Ministry
Is It Plagiarism to Use AI in a Sermon? The Real Question
Using AI in a sermon usually isn't plagiarism, since no single author's words are taken. The better test is older: are you preaching without deception?
· 6 min read - Devotional
Philippians 4:6-7 Devotional: Prayer for an Anxious Heart
A Philippians 4:6-7 devotional on anxiety and prayer: what Paul meant by "be anxious for nothing," how God's peace guards the heart, and a prayer.
· 5 min read - How-To
How to Write a Sermon Recap for People Who Missed Sunday
How to write a sermon recap people will read: the big idea, the passage, two or three takeaways, and one next step, plus a template and where to send it.
· 8 min read - Pastor's Life
Monday Blues for Pastors: Why You Feel Low After You Preach
Why pastors feel low the Monday after preaching, and one rule that helps: make no verdicts on Monday about your sermon, your church, or your calling.
· 6 min read - Devotional
Psalm 23 Devotional: The Lord Is My Shepherd for a Hard Week
A Psalm 23 devotional for a hard week: what the shepherd image meant to its first readers, why the psalm turns to "you" in the valley, and a prayer.
· 5 min read - AI for Pastors
ChatGPT Prompts for Sermon Prep: 15 That Actually Work (by Stage)
Most prompt lists are 50 generic one-liners. These are 15 sermon-prep prompts organized by stage — study, outline, illustration, application, delivery, and repurposing — each with why it works and what to double-check.
· 9 min read - Sermon Outlines
How to Make a Sermon Outline With AI (Without the Made-Up Verses)
AI sermon outline generators are fast — and quietly full of invented cross-references, misattributed commentary, and Greek that doesn't mean what it claims. Here's how to get a grounded outline and verify it before Sunday.
· 6 min read - AI for Pastors
Using AI for Sermon Prep Without Losing Your Voice: A 6-Step Workflow
The real risk of AI in the pulpit isn't that it replaces you — it's that your sermon slowly stops sounding like you. Here's a 6-step workflow that uses AI for the mechanical work and keeps the sermon yours.
· 6 min read - Social Media
Church Instagram in 90 Seconds: 7 Cardnews Slides Your Sunday Sermon Already Has
Most church Instagram accounts die because the pastor doesn't have time to design weekly graphics. The fix isn't a Canva subscription — it's a 7-slide format your Sunday sermon already contains.
· 6 min read - AI Ethics
AI for Pastors in 2026: What's Helpful, What's Risky, and Where to Draw the Line
AI is in every pastor's office now, invited or not. A practical 3-tier framework — helpful, risky, off-limits — written for pastors, not technologists. Plus 5 questions to draw your own line.
· 7 min read - AI for Pastors
Best AI Tools for Pastors in 2026: An Honest Comparison
There are 30+ AI tools for pastors now. This is a working pastor's comparison — what each tool actually does well, where it falls flat, and a simple stack that saves about 4 hours a week without overlapping subscriptions.
· 8 min read - Small Groups
Small Group Discussion Questions From Your Sermon: A Pastor's Workflow
Wednesday small groups die when the questions are bad. Here's a 4-block question structure that turns Sunday's sermon into a discussion the group will engage with — plus a 20-minute pastor workflow.
· 7 min read - Devotionals
How to Turn Sunday's Sermon Into a 5-Day Devotional (Free Workflow + Template)
Most weekly devotionals fail because they have no source. Use Sunday's sermon. Here's a 5-day template, a 30-minute workflow, and a worked example you can copy.
· 7 min read - Sermon Repurposing
Why Your Sermon Dies at Noon on Sunday (and 7 Ways to Resurrect It This Week)
Most sermons end at the benediction and never get heard again. Here's why that happens, and seven concrete ways to keep one Sunday alive for seven days — without burning your week to do it.
· 7 min read