Four Preaching Lessons from Hurricane Harvey
Whether we're in the middle of our own crisis and feel overwhelmed about what to do next, or we want to do something, anything!, to help someone else who is, here are four responses we can offer in our sermons at the intersection of the Gospel and experience.
The Powerful Prep Tool Every Preacher Has But Rarely Uses (Guest Post)
We tend to consider the physical aspects of preaching only in the context of delivery:
- raising or lowering the voice to emphasize phrases
- using gestures to enhance a point
- breathing in sync with the flow of sentences
But when is the last time you used your body and voice in sermon prep?
Or before you climbed into the pulpit?
Have you ever?
5 Steps to Improving Your Preaching Life
We're 7 Sundays from Labor Day weekend. How do you feel about heading into the next program year?
Are you excited and confident in your routines and processes? Or are you dreading the increase in activity, the weekly scramble to get it all done, the seemingly endless demands on your time and energy?
If you're dissatisfied with the way your sermon preparation and preaching went last year, the slower pace of summer is a great time for reflection and change.
A small investment of time over these next few weeks could transform your preaching life for the rest of the year. How do you make the most of the slower days of summer to make lasting change?
"WOW!": How to Enter the Fall with Renewed Energy for Preaching
BsP is receiving more and more feedback that our ecourse is truly transforming the sermon prep process for preachers. Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday helps preachers not only preach better sermons but enjoy the prep, revitalizing their own spirituality in the process.
Thinking About Creating a Sermon Series? This Book Will Save You Time and Effort
hether you're new to creating a series or an old hand at it, A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series: Thematic Plans for Years A, B, and C * addresses these concerns, offering a thematic roadmap preachers can follow with little effort.
20 Tips to Increase Your Creativity Through Deadlines
It's a paradox.
Often, limits actually enhance creativity. Here are 20 tips to find and take advantage of your creativity/deadline "sweet spot."
A Surprising Lesson from Nadia Bolz-Weber about Vulnerability in the Pulpit
"Preaching to preachers has to be about the most delicious thing I can think of."
That's roughly how Nadia began her sermon to 1700 preachers, some of whom are the brightest luminaries of our vocation.
That one word stopped me short: "Delicious?!"
If you or I were preaching to 1700 preachers, would we use the same adjective, "delicious"? A word that connotes a feast, an indulgent treat, a delightful experience to be savored?
Or would we be more likely to choose an adjective somewhere between nerve-wracking and paralyzing?
Or is that just me?
Imagine, though.
What would make preaching to so many colleagues "delicious"?
Summer Preaching Reboot: How to take the stess, Tedium, & Procrastination out of your Preaching life
What if you knew you'd find new insights in the Scripture, even on your hundredth reading?
What if you knew what needed to be done each day to ensure your sermon was written by Friday?
What if you had a process and schedule you could count on every week to take the stress, tedium, and procrastination out of your sermon prep?
What if sermon prep became a joy—even a respite—rather than a weight hanging over your head all week?
An Easter Reflection for Preachers
Thank you, Preachers, for sharing the Good News of Easter.
From all of us at Backstory Preaching,
Micah, Cathie, Shaundra, Mary, Jessica, Taira, & Lisa
Ten Tips for Keeping Your Sermon Prep Out of Your Weekend
Don't want to do sermon prep on the weekends? You don't have to!
Here are ten ways to reclaim your weekends.
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Live Lectio for Sermon Prep (Free!)
Get an early start on your sermon prep by joining us live on Facebook (Mondays at noon Central) as we prayerfully discuss the coming week's gospel passage (RCL & NL).
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.
—Donna G.
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Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday
This downloadable eCourse teaches you effective techniques you can apply immediately to craft soul-filled sermons that connect with your audience.
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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.
I just have to say WOW. I'm so grateful that I made the investment and joined The Collective. These Thursday [workshops] are a game-changer for me.
—Andrea M.