Many churches today have lay ministers or bivocational pastors. These dedicated leaders often work at secular jobs yet must prepare two or three sermons a week. This can be a real challenge.

Most of the brief compositions in this book can stand alone as quick devotionals, or they can be used as "sermon starters" by providing suggested topics and outlines that include extensive scriptural research. This saves leaders and teachers time, but still allows them to add their own special insights, develop their own applications, and adapt the material to their own personal style.

All of these "starters" were originally used in a small rural church where we served as bivocational pastors for more than fifty years.