Revitalizing Your Ministry: How the Wheel of Life Can Help Preachers Thrive in Their Work (A Guest Post)
If you were thriving in your preaching life, how would you know? I define thriving as feeling a sense of vitality, confidence and peace despite whatever might be swirling around me. And that means bringing life into balance so that ministry does not swallow up the other meaningful and necessary elements of a vibrant existence. The Wheel of Life helps us quickly diagnose where life may be out of balance so we can make conscious choices to shift our attention and energy for a thriving ministry AND preacher.
The Power of Reflection: How Preachers can use 2022 as a Springboard for Growth and Joy in 2023
2022 is over, but the year behind us offers rich insights to nourish the year ahead. In today’s blog, we offer a simple, 3-question examen you can conduct for the three components of your preaching life—process, craft, and spirituality—and invite you to make use of those insights for a more effective and joyful ministry in the year ahead.
At-Home Christmas Retreat for Preachers (2022)
Merry (Early!) Christmas! After tending to everyone else's spiritual and celebratory needs, it will finally be your turn! Inside is your free, downloadable, at-home Christmas Retreat to rest, reflect, and renew your spirit.
X Marks the Spot: Blocking Time for Yourself (A Guest Post)
We’re tempted to believe the spirit moves by whim in un-scheduled and unpredictable ways. But Peterson models, and I’ve experienced, that the inspiration and insights of preaching are more often rooted in practices that make space for us to invite and hear the spirit.
When the Mystery is Magnified: the Gospel and the Microscope (A Guest Post)
“The main thing I remember about the microscope was the mystery of how changing the magnification could make the object I was looking at appear completely different, even though it was the same leaf or seed or bark or flower.” The same is true when we examine the biblical narratives. We can use three different lenses to understand our lives as followers of Jesus.
Christmas Quotes for Reflection and Preaching
The Advent season is filled with preparation, talk, and often the stress of gift-giving for Christmas, so this year’s collection of Christmas quotes focuses on gifts, and THE gift of Emmanuel that puts all other gifts into perspective.
2022 Annual Christmas Gift List for Preachers
This year’s suggested gift list is an eclectic mix your loved ones will be delighted to give you to help you relax, grow, and tend to your spirit in the coming year.
Advent quotes and inspiration for your Advent sermons
Download your copy of this year's Advent Quotes to inspire you and your sermons: "Advent: The Season of Longing."
Sermon Themes for Advent & Christmas
This guide to potential Advent and Christmas sermon themes will jump-start your sermon prep inspiration for the Advent season.
Adaptive Leadership for Preachers (Part 4): 10 Steps to Lead Creatively, Effectively, and Pastorally (A Guest Post)
To preach is to lead. Preachers lead by proclaiming how, where, when, and why the gospel influences and guides our hearts, decisions, and actions, individually and corporately. The need for preachers to lead their congregations through change is always difficult, but perhaps it has never been more difficult than it is now. Today’s guest post by Backstory Preaching Mentor and Leadership Coach, the Rev’d Dale Matherly, offers ten steps we can apply to lead faithfully, authentically, and skillfully.
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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.
—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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