A Preacher's Meditation for Wednesday of Holy Week
"One only has explored
’The deepmost; but he did not die of it."
A Preacher's Meditation for Tuesday of Holy Week
"The women gather round the cross, fall to their knees in the wet sand and pray. Then they dance round the cross, the symbol of this folly. These women have lost everything—their homes, their families, their jobs and their possessions. They have nothing more to lose—only their chains, but everything to win."
A Preacher's Meditation for Monday of Holy Week
"God of goodness give me yourself for you are sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less, to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should always be in want. In you alone do I have all."
Four Ways a Preaching Community Improves Your Sermons
One of the most effective ways for preachers to grow and improve is to participate in a collaborative community. Discover how one church builds collaboration and feedback into their staff's weekly rhythm, and see what this kind of support can do for you.
A Ninth Grader's Open Letter to Preachers after the Florida Shootings
How will we address Abram and others like him in our sermons? How will we preach in and out of the pulpit so that our actions are congruent with our words? How will we build Shalom in a way that young people see and trust in God's resurrecting work?
Overcoming Sermon Procrastination: How to Get to Work When You Don't Know Where to Start
Sometimes, what looks like procrastination is actually failure to make a decision. After all the decisions we have to make, What am I going to preach? can feel like the Everest of decisions. As a result, we put our sermon prep off. But we can anticipate this difficulty and plan for success.
How do we overcome the fatigue that causes us to put off our sermon prep? How do we just get started?
A Christmas Message of Hope for a Cynical World
In the midst of disaster, crisis, and discord, how do we preach hope to a world that desperately needs it? More importantly, how do we find hope when our own outlook is jaded by the challenges around us?
The Key to Preaching in a "Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous" World
Perhaps many of us don't need Dr. Johansen to tell us what already looks to be a frightening and chaotic world is only going to get worse.
What may be more surprising is to hear Dr. Johansen's outline for a counter-narrative: hope. The upside, he says, is that this time of chaos is fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and a world that can become better than it is now.
So how do preachers participate in this counter-narrative?
How to Avoid Compassion Fatigue when Preaching About Crises
When natural disasters, political crises, and social injustices occur week after week, compassion fatigue can set in. What are we to do in the face of overwhelming need?
Preachers can help their listeners avoid becoming numb, irritated or unresponsive, though. Read on to find out how.
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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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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.
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