Want to Preach Better? Write Better. (A Guest Post With a Giveaway & a Request)
As a writing instructor, I’ve discovered that preachers struggle with the things all writers struggle with. Purpose and audience, clarity and specificity, development of ideas, organization and structure. Planning their writing process. Generating ideas. Re-visioning their drafts. Polishing their sentences. And out of my experience teaching writers, I’ve created a free guide for preachers to help you generate more ideas and write more effectively.
Offer What You Know & Make Your Listeners Work: Lessons from Yo-Yo Ma & Bach
How can we, as preachers, approach our craft with the wisdom of Yo-Yo Ma and the genius of Bach in order to better engage our listeners?
Holy Week Sermons: Choose Your Words Wisely (A Guest Post)
There is a temptation, I feel, during seasons like Lent, Holy Week, or Advent, to lose our own way of communicating God's truths, in favor of covering all of our theological bases. We sometimes wish to be right more than we wish to be ourselves in the pulpit. One can do both. But it all depends on the words we choose.
Conversational Preaching: You have more sermon partners than you realize (a guest post)
Conversational preaching can mean many things for preachers. But, scholars of language have studied this topic and identified several necessary features that distinguish conversation from other kinds of speech. One obvious quality of conversation is that there is more than one participant. And while this may sound outlandish in a sermon, the the truth is, you already have more preaching partners than you realize.
Bridging the Language Gap in Sermons: Four Ways to Ensure “Church Words” are Meaningful to Your Listeners
There is a risk of misunderstanding when we use certain “church words.” We say a word, intending one meaning, but our listeners hear or interpret something else. How do we ensure our listeners actually understand what we mean? Consider these four approaches to bridge the divide.
"Really—How Hard Can Preaching Be?"
Why do so many parishioners find themselves in pews, week after week, listening to sermons that are vague, confusing, boring, discouraging—or that simply don’t connect? And what can preachers do to change the dynamic?
How Our Failure to Preach on the "M" Word Damages More than Parish Budgets
The “M” word consistently makes preachers squirm, perhaps because it’s so wrapped up in our livelihood and the sustainability of the church. But money impacts so much more than our salaries and budgets. It’s a critical influence in nearly every aspect of a parishioner’s life. So our silence on matters of finance may be hurting the very ones we wish not to discomfort.
9 Ways to Ensure Your Last Sermon of the Weekend is as Strong as Your First
When you preach the same sermon across multiple services, there can be a drop in energy, enthusiasm, or presence as the morning wears on. How do you maintain focus and attention so that each event receives the fullness of your abilities?
How Kurt Vonnegut's Failed Thesis Can Make You a Better Storyteller
Why do we care about a story’s shape? If Christ has redeemed all, ensuring every story ends above baseline, what is the purpose of exploring what comes before? We ask different questions—and discover different answers—when we're honestly following the story's shape into every moment.
"You Have Heard it Said...": The Power of Identifying and Breaking Patterns
Jesus was a pattern-breaker. A disrupter of norms. He recalled the familiar in order to subvert or transform standard ways of thinking. How can preachers use this same approach to craft sermons that usher in God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven?
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I participated in the Lectio study today with a complicated and double-speak Gospel (John 17:6-19) and WOW! I received so much great insight and am headed in a direction I feel really good about. Thank you to all my colleagues! If you are wondering if this is worth it, wonder no more. It is.
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The Gospel People Don't Want to Hear: Preaching Challenging Messages was written to aid preacher’s in understanding what’s at stake for their listeners so they can craft sermons their audience can receive, even if they challenge cherished beliefs.
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