For the past 25 years, I have had the honor of standing in a pulpit and preaching to those who would gather for worship. I have never overestimated, nor underestimated, the place of preaching in worship. I have always known that preaching was my part; but it was only a part, of the whole worship experience. There have been many days, I am sure, that God spoke as much through the hymns, prayers, musicians or even the silence, as much as God spoke through my words. On the best of days, God’s voice could be heard from the Prelude to the Postlude. In fact, maybe it was even heard during the offering. Yes, on the best days, when the church gathers for worship, God speaks from beginning to end.

This book is an adaptation of a sermon series I preached to my congregation, Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. The original setting was the beginning of a New Year. This series encouraged us to begin the New Year with God and end with God. It reminded us not to go into the New Year alone. This sermon series encouraged us to remember that the journey is as important as the destination.

-from the Introduction

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Jeff Roberts is the Senior Pastor of the 3,000-member Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, his “blood runs a bright Tennessee orange.”

He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.) He has been the pastor of churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. He and his wife, Robin, are the proud parents of their grown children; Tyler, who lives with his wife, April, in La Jolla, California; and their daughter, Jordan, who lives in New York City.

His sermons have appeared in Preaching Magazine. Weekly, the church publishes The Trinity Pulpit.