Lisa Cressman

December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas!

Lisa Cressman

December 25, 2018

Welcome!

This is where we share practical content you can use today to streamline your process and make preaching easier. To get this content delivered to your inbox—plus a free introduction to our 5-day sermon prep process for less stress and more joy—subscribe to BsP's weekly newsletter.

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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. Sign up!

—Donna G.

Current Offerings

The Collective/+

The preaching community you've been waiting for! Weekly sermon prep support, monthly master classes led by preaching leaders, seasonal planning sessions, and resources for the day-to-day work of preaching—all online so you can participate from anywhere.

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Live Lunch-Hour Lectio (Free!)

Join us online Mondays at noon CST as we prayerfully discuss the coming week's gospel passage—and get a head start on sermon prep for the week.

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Festival of Homiletics

I’d love to see you in Minneapolis May 13th to 17th! Use the link below for $10 off your registration.

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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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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.

Blog Archives

Risking Your Job to Preach The Gospel: Two Questions to Ask First

Spirituality

preach come what may, preaching politics

Risking Your Job to Preach The Gospel: Two Questions to Ask First

We often preach a message people already agree with, a message that reinforces what people already believe. When we preach to the choir, we probably don’t feel vulnerable about the anticipated reaction: we expect more kudos than pushback. But what happens when we preach against the choir?

Process

make Scripture relevant, human condition and Good News

A 4-Step Process to Connect Scripture to Your Listeners’ Lives

When the cultures and circumstances of Scripture seem irrelevant or unfamiliar, how do we help our listeners connect. How do we find the truth that transcends time and context? This 4-step process helps you look at the human condition beneath the circumstances to find the the ways God showed up then and continues to show up now.

the collective

One-Year Anniversary of Making Preaching Easier!

Discover a preaching community rooted in spirituality that makes sermon prep more efficient, more effective, and more fun!

Easter Retreat for Preachers (Free Download)

Holiday/Special Sermons, Spirituality

Easter retreat, self care, recover after preaching

Easter Retreat for Preachers (Free Download)

After you’ve poured yourself out through Holy Week and Easter, here’s our guided retreat for you and the Risen One. You don’t even have to leave home to enjoy it. It’s structured for your choice of ninety minutes, three hours, or six. Enjoy every slow, quiet minute of it.

sermon illustrations, how to find hook, how to find latch

How to Find The Perfect Sermon Illustration in Less Time (A Free Guide)

One of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of sermon planning is finding a good sermon illustration—or latch—for your sermon. How do you find one that truly resonates without spending hours and hours searching? To that end, I’ve created a 5-step guide to finding your latch. You’ll learn an efficient and effective process you can use every week to find a sermon illustration that connects (steps 1-4 take only 4 minutes total!). Click through to learn more!

Holy Week Sermons: Choose Your Words Wisely (A Guest Post)

Holiday/Special Sermons, Craft

guest post, tripp hudgins, holy week sermons, word choice

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.

Spirituality, Holiday/Special Sermons

lent, lenten preaching, preaching change

Lenten Preaching: Why Change is So Hard

We preachers often wonder whether our words have any effect. The people we preach to and the world around us pretty much look the same week after week. It doesn’t often look like the Good News has caught fire in people’s hearts. It doesn’t look like the reign of God is being built. For all our efforts to preach the Good News, how come it looks like nothing much is changing?

Lenten Sermons: Before You Preach, Mind the Gap

Process, Holiday/Special Sermons

lenten preaching, lenten sermons, theology

Lenten Sermons: Before You Preach, Mind the Gap

Preaching through lent requires significant theological knowledge. What do you know? What don’t you know? How do you know? Using this 4-step process, discover your gaps in knowledge so you can prep more efficiently and effectively for honest sermons that capture the true nature of God.

Write better sermons faster.