In this elegantly written and well researched book, We Speak Because We Have First been Spoken: A Grammar of the Preaching Life Michael Pasquarello shows that before we speak the Word of God in preaching and therefore participate in the divine witness to humanity of God's Word in Jesus Christ, we must be first formed into a life that reflects with integrity that relationship with the divine that we communicate. When we know God in this way, it inspires a personal love that in turn points us towards 'loving contemplation' and 'joyful proclamation' of God's word. This is what preaching was meant to be. An excellent and refreshing book on preaching and the life that accompanies it. Pastors will enjoy its insight, and students will find how their life should reflect that of their savior.