Editor's note: As preachers develop their signature method of sermon preparation over the years, they often enhance their process by "cherry picking" from the sermon prep schedules and checklists of others. When someone preaches in a way that consistently intrigues and speaks to us, and we wonder how they do it, the answer may well be found in those schedules and checklists.

PreachingToday.com: Are there key questions you normally answer, or paths of thought you typically take, as you study a text and write the sermon?

Bryan Wilkerson: Some important questions I regularly ask are

• What's the purpose of preaching this sermon?
• What do I want people to think, feel, or do as a result?
• How would a seeker hear this? I try to imagine one of my neighbors or a seeker I've spoken with recently sitting in the service.
• What's funny about this? I'm always on the hunt for humor that flows naturally out of the text or theme of the message. Does it bring to mind any funny stories or experiences I've had? Does a truth get comical if taken to an extreme?