How does the minister stay focused on the holy when the daily demands of the church seem relentless? How do we come to a preaching event with a sense that God is working in us and through us? In Preaching that Connects, Charles Bugg and Alan Reddit explore the balancing act of a minister’s authority as preacher, sharing what the congregation needs to hear, and the communal role as pastor, listening to God alongside congregants. How is their message heard and understood? Does the minister know what it is to be a human being and care about their congregants as fellow strugglers? Through conversation and practical step-by-step guidelines, Bugg and Redditt also explore the minister’s connection to the Holy, to themselves, and to the texts they hope to bring to their listeners, understanding all the while that preaching is not writing on the blank slates of listeners’ minds and hearts.