Editor's Intro: What's the hardest sermon you've ever preached? We posed that question to Rev. Lawrence Aker III, Senior Pastor of the historic Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Aker talked about preaching on a comforting text (Romans 8:28) during a painful time of loss (his father's funeral). Watch him tell his story and give some advice for preaching your own "hardest sermon" in our new "The Authentic Preacher" video series. Watch for more short videos from preachers across the country telling honest stories and real angles on the art and craft of preaching.

Lawrence Aker III is the senior pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.