What I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Preaching
I trust you are as capable as I was at finding your way and learning the lessons about preaching that you need. But learning by trial and error takes a long time, and I wish I hadn’t lost so much of mine. Alas, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. So I’m sharing the main challenges I faced along with what I wish I’d known: suggestions to make this preaching life easier—no matter how many years you’ve been in the pulpit!
How to Cultivate a New Preaching LIfe
When your preaching life feels overgrown with last-minute scrambles, the tyranny of the urgent, insecurity about your sermons, or frustration that your sabbath feels ever out of reach, it may be time to pull up the old and plant something new.
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.
The 3 Steps You're Missing When Planning Anything—Including Sermon Prep
When we envision ourselves undertaking tasks under the “worst”—or, ahem!—realistic circumstances, we’re far more likely to get closer to reality. Sermon prep is no different. Consider these three strategies to bring your idealistic expectations in line with the realities of life.
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?
7 Ways to Become a More Compelling Preacher
In an increasingly unchurched and biblically illiterate society, preaching is the only biblical education many ever get.
Preaching is also a primary factor in many newcomers' decision about whether to return for a second visit.
As a result, the quality of your sermons matters both to your congregation's spiritual growth and to your church's ability to become a spiritual home for those seeking one.
That sounds like a lot of pressure, particularly when preaching is only one part of the job. Fortunately, it is possible to improve and grow in your craft.
The Key to Overcoming "Preacher's Block"
When ideas elude us and the page stares blankly, we may worry we're stuck. Discover the two roots of "preacher's block," and learn the simple key to overcoming that feeling of having nothing to say.
Preaching Wisdom for lay preachers (a guest post)
You know the Bible well. You have been asked to preach because others have seen something in you. Let the confidence of others give you the peace to proclaim God’s promises of endless forgiveness, hope, and life.
Beyond Candles & Icons: 5 Items to Inspire Your Sermon Prep
These items help us to be more mindful of the Spirit’s presence, remind us that our preaching really does make a difference, widen our creative pipelines, speed our sermon prep, and add considerably to the fun and joy of our vocation.
The Surprising Key to Writing Your Sermon Faster
There are times when muscling a sermon from the blank page through gritted teeth is actually counter-productive. When more is actually less. And when effort is not proportional to results. When we find ourselves dreading the blinking cursor at the top of our empty document, we may want to try a different tool than pure effort.