What makes some preaching gripping - unforgettable even? What can we learn from the best preachers? How can we appreciate great preaching, often at the click of a mouse, without devaluing the role of the local church minister? 'Without creating a guru mentality, I focus on one positive aspect from each preacher and offer hints on how other preachers might emulate them.' says author Simon Vibert. He also looks at the Bible's own take on good preaching, and focuses on the exemplary models of Jesus and Paul. This is not a how-to manual, nor a biblical theology of preaching, nor even a critique of the subjects. Rather, it is a focus on modern-day practitioners, from whom all preachers can form a composite picture of excellence, and from whom all preachers would do well to learn.

We long for control, but cannot attain it. We aim for perfection, but it keeps eluding us. We want to be productive and creative, but if we're honest, we spend too much time on unfocused, mind-numbing activity. No wonder we're stressed. But God is not stressed. He knows the end from the beginning. All things are under his wise and sovereign control. However, the glorious world that he made is in rebellion against him. We desperately long for control, but we were never meant to live that way. It is the author's conviction that it is only by realigning our desires and purposes with God's good plans that we can ultimately know relief from underlying stress. The author writes as a Bible teacher,a caring pastor and also as a fellow sufferer who has road-tested the lessons in this book. He firmly believes that the best way to live the Christian life is by working out the practical implications of good Bible teaching.

Through the joys and sorrows of life, we can often lose sight of what the Bible has assured us: we are at war, and must be ready, continually standing firm against the world, the Devil and even our own flesh. The Perpetual Battle is a training manual, helping us know our enemy and understand what it means to live in enemy-occupied territory as we learn to fight the good fight.