Joe Thorn

Take a break from what you're doing and join us live as @racheljwelcher and I talk about writing and publishing in about 30 minutes (1 pm Central). As an author, poet, and editor, Rachel knows stuff. I just have opinions. open.substack.com/live-strea…

I broke an unwritten rule in my last proposal. It was risky, and I don’t recommend doing it. But it felt right, and it worked. substack.com/home/post/p-215…

The greatest weakness of most good preaching today is that preachers work hard on what they want to say but not hard enough on how they want to say it. It’s easy to spend too much time on exegesis and not enough on homiletics.

I’ve been eager to share the news—my next book is going to be with @readbakerbooks. I’m encouraged by their support and honored to be working with them. Latest update on this new book is here: joethorn.substack.com/p/sign…

“I don’t think lament just slipped through the cracks of American church life. I believe it was replaced with superficial, sanitized, and safe expressions that are more palatable and easy to manage, if not manufacture.” joethorn.substack.com/p/doom…

How do you stay motivated to write when it becomes challenging or impossible? Here are four things I turn to, and what I do when they don’t work. joethorn.substack.com/p/what…

If you’re thinking about writing a book but the idea of putting together a book proposal feels overwhelming or just tedious—I have some thoughts for you. joethorn.substack.com/p/make…

As a preacher and writer, I have no interest in saying something new. I want to say something true in my own voice. I want to be creatively unoriginal.

Five reasons a publisher may reject your proposal... joethorn.substack.com/p/from…

First in a series of brief posts sharing the journey of writing a book. open.substack.com/pub/pastor…

Do you guys give names to your Bluetooth devices? Whachoogot?

I’m excited to be working on my next book, and I’m inviting you to follow along as it all comes together (Lord willing). (Subscribing to my Substack is free) open.substack.com/pub/pastor…

I wrote this back in January for Redeemer but never got around to posting it online. You can check it out at the link. Or… TL;DR: Piety good. Pietism bad. joethorn.org/articles/piety-…

One of the most powerful tools the devil uses to make a writer want to quit is Microsoft Word. I'm not saying he invented it, but he definitely uses it.

"No chorus is too loud, no orchestra too large, no Psalm too lofty for the lauding of the Lord of Hosts." - Charles Spurgeon

Our summer series starts on 6/7: Songs of the Saints. We will hit 8 psalms that show us how to trust, worship, suffer, hope, and rejoice before God. Related: Here's a download of Lewis Bayly’s "5 Rules for Singing the Psalms." joethorn.org/downloads/psalm…

“Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself.” – Atticus Finch