These sermons need to be heard, not just read. I once attended a church where the pastor's sermons could have come from this book. You sat up and paid attention and felt like you were the only one he was speaking to just like the sermons in this book. I am always searching for books to read to help deal with the problems that life throws at you and this one did not disappoint. ( )

Each of these sermons does have a hard-hitting message, which could really be boiled down to a few words amid the author's retelling and interpretation of Bible passages interspersed with personal anecdotes. Some of them really made me sit up and take notice, especially the ones on suffering, hypocrisy, sin, trust in the CARE of God, the humanness of Jesus. The slangy style with vulgarisms did put me personally off a little. The author is a layman with some priestly seminary training, and these sermons are HIS thoughts but food for OURS. The title seemed a bit pretentious, but it does get one's attention. ( )

A collections of sermons about a myriad of topics in life. Touching personal stories about the authors' life experience.

Fifteen ‘sermons’ are presented on glossy paper and with many photos—both the paper and the pictures are unnecessary and add nothing to the value of the book or the message. Whether or not the sermons are the best that I have never heard is hard to say since there are none with which I can compare. I initially stumbled over the title but it came clearer after reading the last chapter. Sermons are meant to be lived and not heard. The sermons recorded here come mainly from the author’s personal experience.
Implicit in the title and made more explicit in the prologue is the unease DeFrehn feels about the presentation of the Gospel message—not the message but the way in which it is presented. It is an unease I share with him. But, what makes a good sermon; what are the criteria for judging the quality of a sermon? I believe that a sermon is ‘good’ if it forcefully prompts you to come closer to God. These sermons do so.
What makes for a ‘bad’ sermon? It is a sermon without force, it is one that spews forth the words that the congregation wants to hear rather than the message it needs to hear. A bad apple was thrown into my sample of sermons when I was introduced to a “How to build church growth” study guide that included an admonition to conduct a poll to determine what the proposed congregants wanted to hear and, oh yeah, dress down by a generation or so to appear casual when you echo it back to them. I have an uneasy feeling that many churches have heeded that tactic. That may be the source of much of my unease.
DeFrehn is able to deliver these sermons in a manner in which his imaginary congregation consists of one person—the reader. It is a gift that enables one to personally relate to the messenger as well as the message. In a few of the sermons, I feel he falls short in this regard by over-stressing the stormy seas he has crossed—alcoholism and seminary (LOL) which seems to say that some such ‘rite of passage’ is necessary to bolster faith. I think not.
True to his promise, doctrine unique to a denomination is avoided. The only lapse I noticed was when he equated ‘Heaven’ and ‘God’s Kingdom’. I am not alone but probably with a minority of believers who hold that “Thy Kingdom Came”. The belief in a ‘Realized Eschatology’ is not denominational but is contentious. Unless and until the mismatch between John 3:01-12 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 is resolved, I will contend that the two, heaven and God’s Kingdom, refer to different things. I also believe that a reviewer should not argue with an author unless it matters and, here, it does not.
The book is well worth the read. ( )

THE BEST SERMONS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD: FOR ALL PEOPLE by George A. DeFrehn, III

When I saw this book listed among the February Early Reviewers books, I was impressed by the audacity of the title. I like it when an author is bold enough to tell readers that what he has written is worth reading. Then when my review copy arrived in the mail, I opened the cover to find a personal note from the author addressed to me by name. That made me really want to write a positive review encouraging readers to buy a copy DeFrehn's book.

Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience do that. I will begin with the positives that I noted from reading a fair portion of the book. DeFrehn is a good storyteller and has a captivating writing style. I can imagine that if his speaking is as good as his writing, he would be able to hold people's attention quite easily. His personality comes through in his writing. I can imagine that he would be friendly companion to take to lunch and enjoy an hour conversing about all sorts of things.

Preaching, however, might not be the best topic for that pleasant talk. He mentioned in his introduction that he had heard about 5,000 sermons in his lifetime. Well, I have preached about that many sermons over the last 50 years of my ministry career. That gives me a basis for thinking that I might know as much as he does about what makes a good sermon.

And, frankly, we need to forget the idea that these are the "best" sermons anyone has ever heard. In fact, we cannot honestly call these even "good" sermons by most people's normal standards for evaluating preaching.

I'm not sure that these can even be called sermons - if we understand a sermon to be a presentation of gospel truth based on accurately understanding the teachings of the Bible. They are essays - and have some value as expressions of the author's opinions on the issues he discusses. He frankly admits that what he is saying is simply his opinion. Maybe he deserves some credit for trying to avoid dogmatism, but a PREACHER undertakes to be a spokesperson for God. What he speaks is admittedly filtered through his mind and vocabulary, but he is obligated to be a herald (proclaimer) of truth. The message needs to be presented within its biblical context if it is to be exegeted the way it deserves to be. Preaching that misinterprets the teaching of Scripture deceives the reader and can have the unintended consequence of leading hearers (or readers) away from the truth of the gospel.

Another strong criticism of DeFrehn's writing is his tendency to use vulgar (or at least salty) language that would not be welcome in most pulpits of churches that cared about honoring God and offering him reverent worship.

In fairness, I do recognize that credit is due for the readability of the book and for some very good illustrations that other preachers might find useful. Thus, I think two out of five stars is an appropriate rating. ( )