faq

Chuck uses a simple method of Bible study that he learned years ago from Dr. Howard Hendricks, Chuck’s beloved professor and mentor at Dallas Theological Seminary. It’s based on three concepts: observation, interpretation, and application. Dr. Hendricks and his son William Hendricks have compiled their ideas for Bible study in an excellent and easy-to-read resource, Living by the Book (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1993), which we highly recommend.

How does Chuck prepare his sermons?

The key ingredients to Chuck’s sermons are his well-crafted principles and applications that he bases on the biblical text. These are the pillars upon which the message is built, and he spends the bulk of his study time in the quarry, chiseling out and polishing these statements. As you listen to his sermons, you may want to pick out the “principle and application” statements and note how he uses them in the sermon.

Does Chuck read a manuscript of his sermons?

Chuck types all his sermon notes on about five or six half-sheets of paper and attaches his illustrations to the back. He almost always preaches from an expanded outline and rarely reads a manuscript from the pulpit. The outline stimulates his thoughts and keeps him on track. Sometimes he will read key sentences and quotes from his notes, but mostly he lets his thoughts flow from his heart naturally in order to preserve a conversational, down-to-earth tone.

What is Chuck’s filing system?

Chuck’s administrative assistant places his sermon notes (including illustrations) in packets and files them by series in alphabetical order. At Insight for Living, we transcribe all of his sermons and store them in a computer database so we can easily search for key words or phrases. Interestingly, Chuck doesn’t use his own database to find illustrations or sermon material; he remembers them. Sometimes we have to ask him for the source of a certain illustration, and usually he can recall the book and author, even though it’s been ten or fifteen years since he used the illustration. Quite a memory!

How does Chuck keep track of the great illustrations that he uses?

Chuck has a small, dark-brown cardboard box that he calls his “goody box,” and whenever he reads something he likes (he is an avid reader), he copies the page and tosses it in the box. That’s it! When he reads, he underlines sections that stand out to him and makes notes in the margins of his books. He puts the best stuff in his goody box, and he shelves the rest in his library.

How does Chuck organize his library?

Chuck essentially has two libraries. He keeps his working books—commentaries, character studies, word study books, and so forth—in his office, where he organizes them by topic. He organizes the rest of his books alphabetically by author. Chuck loves old, beautifully bound books. One of his favorite pastimes is to collect early editions of books by classic Christian authors and pastors. He also has a large number of biographies of influential leaders, such as Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill.

What books would Chuck consider his favorites?

When we asked Chuck who his favorite writers are and what books have made an impact on his life, he said that the Bible, of course, and the following list has had significant meaning to him:

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
Winston Churchill, various writings
Everett Harrison and Charles Pfeiffer, Wycliffe Bible Commentary
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (and other works)
J. I. Packer, Knowing God
Eugene H. Peterson, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work
A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (6 volumes)
Charles Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine
J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership
Francis A. Schaeffer, True Spirituality
C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (and other works)
A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (and other works)
Alexander Whyte, Bible Characters from the Old and New Testament (2 volumes)
Warren H. Wiersbe, Listening to the Giants: A Guide to Good Reading and Great Preaching
Philip Yancey and Paul Brand, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Common Questions

How can I book Chuck to speak at our church, conference, or event?

Chuck is always honored to be asked to speak, and he wishes he could accept each invitation. However, due to his 100 percent commitment to Insight for Living, to Dallas Theological Seminary, and to Stonebriar Community Church (as well as to his book-writing schedule and to his family), it is impossible for him to add one more thing to his already overflowing plate. Also, as you might imagine, he receives many requests for his involvement in all sorts of worthwhile projects, organizations, events, and so forth; if he were to accept only some, the ones denied would understandably be offended or hurt. So in the interest of integrity and fairness, he has made it a firm policy to decline all invitations not directly related to the three ministries mentioned above.

Will Chuck endorse or help publish my book, song, or poetry?

As a fellow author, Chuck knows the incredible effort that goes into any creative endeavor. Although we wish that we could assist you with publishing or evaluating your writing, we cannot. You see, Insight for Living is not a publisher in the commercial sense of the term. The only materials we publish are those written by Chuck or other Insight for Living staff members for the purpose of supporting the broadcasts. Time and space prevent us from being able to read and/or store all of the unsolicited materials sent for our enlightenment, enjoyment, or consideration, as much as we would love to. Keeping the broadcast and printed materials going out on a timely basis really keeps us hopping and takes the majority of our time and funds.

Can Insight for Living contribute financially to me or my ministry? Can Insight for Living give scholarships for your events and tours?

We regret that we are unable to provide you with a financial contribution. The funds we have at Insight for Living are provided through donations from our radio audience. These dear donors send funds specifically to help us pay the bills for our radio broadcasts and other ministry-related costs. We cannot divert those monies to support any other cause, no matter how worthy. To do so would simply be unethical. Another aspect to consider is that we would never be able to help everyone who asked for donations; saying yes to some and no to others understandably causes offense to the ones denied. So in the interest of honorable business dealings, Christian stewardship, and fairness to all, we have had to establish a firm policy of declining all requests for financial aid.

May I talk with or be mentored by Chuck in person, on the phone, or via e-mail?

Chuck won’t be able to meet with you, call you, or correspond with you personally for mentoring. Due to his 100 percent commitment to Insight for Living, to Dallas Theological Seminary, and to Stonebriar Community Church (as well as to his book-writing schedule and to his family), it is impossible for him to add one more thing to his already overflowing plate. What little free time Chuck does have, he usually spends with his family. However, Insight for Living has a Pastoral Ministries department dedicated to counseling our listeners. You can contact these staff pastors and women’s counselors by mail, phone, or through our Web site.

Insight for Living
Pastoral Ministries Department
Post Office Box 269000
Plano, TX 75026-9000
972-473-5097 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Central time
www.insight.org/contactapastor

How can I meet Chuck in person?

Check the Events tab on our Web site for Insight for Living tours and future events. He would also be happy to meet you at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. Please come by after one of the morning services and introduce yourself to him. He usually stays up at the front every Sunday, which gives folks a chance to speak with him and shake hands. Prior to your visit, you may want to call the church at (469) 252-5200 to find out whether or not he will be preaching on a particular day.

Rights and Permissions

May I quote from one of Chuck’s books in the book or Bible study lesson I am writing?

If the source you are quoting is one of Chuck’s books, your permission request should be directed to the respective publisher. Following are the names and addresses of the publishers of Chuck’s books:

Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Attention: Permissions
Post Office Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214-1000

W Publishing Group
Attention: Permissions
Post Office Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214-1000

J. Countryman
c/o Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Attention: Permissions
Post Office Box 141000
Nashville, TN 37214-1000

Zondervan Publishing House*
Attention: Rights and Permissions
5300 Patterson Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

*Effective July 1993, Zondervan Publishing House assumed rights to any books of Chuck’s that were formerly published by Multnomah Press.

May I reprint excerpts from Insight for Living printed works?

If you need to reprint excerpts from any of Insight for Living’s printed works, please follow this link to our request for permission form. Kindly allow four to six weeks for a response.

In the case of a Bible Study Guide, Workbook, Bible Companion, or other Insight for Living publication, please check carefully to see whether or not the excerpt is marked to indicate that it was originated by someone other than Chuck or published by a company other than Insight for Living. Such information would be shown in a footnote adjacent to the use, in an endnote at the back of the publication, or in the front of the publication on an “acknowledgments” page or copyright page. In that case, as with Chuck’s books, Insight for Living would not have control of the material, and your inquiry would need to be sent to the publisher whose name is given in the acknowledgment.

Please note: A reprint is not to be presented, published, or sold as a separate article, newspaper byline, or tract. Also, none of our works may be transferred or downloaded to any computerized database, to the Internet, or to any Web site, e-mail system, blog, or the like without specific permission from the ministry.

May I reprint an article from the Insights newsletter in my church newsletter or church bulletin?

Permission to use Insights articles or excerpts is limited to ten uses per year for weekly publications and three uses per year for monthly publications. Consecutive uses are not permitted. A request for each use must be submitted in writing; please follow this link to our request for permission form. Kindly allow four to six weeks for a response.

I would like to use an Insight for Living Bible Study Guide, Workbook, or Bible Companion in teaching my Sunday school or Bible study class. May I make photocopies to distribute to members?

In certain circumstances, specified portions of a Bible Study Guide, Workbook, or Bible Companion may be photocopied for distribution/use in a study group. The particular details of your request must be submitted in writing through our request for permission form. If permission is granted, be aware that the copies may not be sold and all must include an acknowledgment that is assigned at the time the permission is granted. Kindly allow four to six weeks for a response.

May I make duplicate copies of Chuck’s recorded messages?

As our audiotape and compact disc labels clearly indicate, none of the tapes or compact discs may ever be duplicated under any circumstances.

May I record one of Chuck’s messages from the radio broadcast?

You are permitted to record Insight for Living broadcasts from the radio for your own personal use, but only on a short-term basis. After your review of each message and within two weeks, you must erase each message or record something else over it. Such recordings are not to be circulated, duplicated, or sold; they may not be retained for long-term use or permanent storage.

May I make duplicate copies or burn onto compact disc one of Chuck’s messages that I downloaded via the podcast feature on www.insight.org?

You may download the podcast to listen to at a later time, and you may burn the message onto compact disc for your own personal use. However, you may not duplicate copies to distribute or sell.

May I get a written copy of one of Chuck’s messages?

We absolutely cannot release written copies of Chuck’s messages because we have to protect the copyrights. If anyone were to print anything from the message, it would prevent Chuck’s use of that material in his books. Our publishers have warned us against releasing written copies of the messages.

May I translate any of Chuck’s materials into a language other than English?

We cannot grant translation rights for any of Chuck’s materials, including the Bible Study Guides, Workbooks, and Bible Companions. As an alternative, many of Chuck’s books are available in foreign languages from other book publishers. If you are interested in obtaining these editions, please contact the International Ministries department at Insight for Living for details.

May I reprint an article or daily devotional from the Insight for Living Web site in my church newsletter, bulletin, or other study materials?

The extent of our permissions is limited to printing whatever is written in the article as it appears on our Web site. You may not retype it; it must simply be printed and photocopied as is. The particular details of your request for each use must be submitted in writing through our request for permission form. If permission is granted, be aware the copies may not be sold, and all copies must include an acknowledgment that is assigned when permission is granted. In addition, you will be allowed to make only the number of copies you need for a one-time distribution to your congregation or study group. Any extra copies should be discarded. Kindly allow four to six weeks for a response.

May I post an article from the Insight for Living Web site on my church’s Web site?

We prefer that you provide a link on your Web site directing your constituents to the article as it appears on the Insight for Living Web site. Please follow this link to our request for permission form. Kindly allow four to six weeks for a response.

Giving to Insight for Living

How can I include Insight for Living in my will or trust?

To include Insight for Living in your will or trust, simply pass the following information to your attorney:

Insight for Living Tax ID Number
95-3392299

Insight for Living Mailing Address
Insight for Living
Post Office Box 269000
Plano, TX 75026

How do I make a stock donation to Insight for Living?

To ensure that your stock gift is properly received at Insight for Living, please direct all stock donations to:

SmithBarney Citigroup
1901 Main Street
Penthouse
Irvine, CA 92614
800-533-3402
949-955-7521
949-833-3542 fax
Contact names: Cal Meade or Judd Azoulay

Insight for Living account #561-25977-15-009
DTC#0418 for transfers

After making your transaction or if you have any questions concerning your transaction, it is important to notify us by e-mailing to stockdonation@insight.org or by calling (972) 473-5044.

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