Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to John Stott for the immeasurable impact he has had on my life, preaching, and opportunities for ministry. He was my preaching teacher for one quarter at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where I now teach. He was my mentor and example at All Souls, Langham Place, where I was a pastoral intern and staff member. He was the pastor who preached at my wedding. He led a reading group I attended in London. He remains my friend and inspiration. I currently chair the United States partner of the Langham Partnership International of which he is the founder. So my gratitude goes well beyond my thanks that he originally wrote this book.
But I am especially grateful that he did write it. As I worked, with his encouragement and blessing, on this abridgement and revision of his original book, I realized that his impact on my own preaching was far greater than I had recalled. The concepts had so made their way into my bloodstream that I assumed many of them were my own!
I am also grateful to Isobel Stevenson who skilfully edited what I sent her to preserve John Stott’s voice while making room for the updates and adjustments that needed to be included. Several esteemed colleagues from the Evangelical Homiletics Society made suggestions that greatly helped my thinking. Many prayer partners contributed significantly though indirectly, as did my favourite prayer partner and encourager, my wife Ruth. To all these, and many others who played crucial parts, I am grateful. I thank God for giving me the strength and opportunity to see this project through to completion and trust that he will use it for his glory.
Greg Scharf
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School,
Deerfield, Illinois
January 2011