Lisa Cressman 8/12/18 Lisa Cressman 8/12/18

9 Ways to Ensure Your Last Sermon of the Weekend is as Strong as Your First

When you preach the same sermon across multiple services, there can be a drop in energy, enthusiasm, or presence as the morning wears on. How do you maintain focus and attention so that each event receives the fullness of your abilities?

Lisa Cressman 8/6/18 Lisa Cressman 8/6/18

How Kurt Vonnegut's Failed Thesis Can Make You a Better Storyteller

Why do we care about a story’s shape? If Christ has redeemed all, ensuring every story ends above baseline, what is the purpose of exploring what comes before? We ask different questions—and discover different answers—when we're honestly following the story's shape into every moment.

Lisa Cressman 7/3/18 Lisa Cressman 7/3/18

Pick 1: Try Shifting Something Small for Big Change (a Roundup of Our Most Useful Posts)

This holiday week, we've rounded up some of our most popular and useful blog posts to help you find the encouragement and strategies you may need to try something new. Pick one thing to shift this week and see what happens.

Lisa Cressman 6/26/18 Lisa Cressman 6/26/18

Eight Tips to Preach Across the Divide

If your experience is like mine, you’ve never preached in a political and cultural climate as volatile and unpredictable as the one we face in the U.S. right now. How do we preach the unifying love of Christ when many are divided? How do we preach peace in the face of vitriol? How do we preach dignity when displays of disrespect are paraded as badges of honor?

Lisa Cressman 5/27/18 Lisa Cressman 5/27/18

I Do Not Think "Amen" Means What You Think it Means: 5 Ways to Better End Your Sermon

Ending a sermon with “Amen” is both redundant and ill-fitting with the purpose of a sermon. In truth, though, most preachers aren’t worried about these technicalities when they finish with “Amen.” They simply don’t know how else to conclude. Consider these five types of conclusions for a more effective close instead.

Lisa Cressman 4/2/18 Lisa Cressman 4/2/18

Was Your Easter Sermon Effective? 6 Elements to Help You Evaluate and Know

Now that the the candy's eaten, the dishes are washed, and the schedule has settled back into something resembling normalcy, take a few minutes to reflect on your Easter sermon. Was it effective? How would you know? Using BsP's 6-elements of an effective sermon, see where you excelled and where you can grow for your next sermon.

Lisa Cressman 1/9/18 Lisa Cressman 1/9/18

How to Reach Hearts on Both Sides of an Issue

Not since the Civil Rights era have preachers been so called upon to discern and proclaim what it means to follow Jesus Christ and love one’s neighbor as oneself.

With so many competing viewpoints, so many people unwilling to dialogue, and so much fear driving people apart, how can preachers proclaim the dignity of every human being in a way it can be heard by people on both sides of the divide?

Guest User 11/13/17 Guest User 11/13/17

Ask a Supply Preacher: What's it Like to Preach in a Different Context Each Week

As churches increasingly struggle to maintain full-time preaching staff, Cathie Caimano of Free Range Priest sees opportunity for a new model. In this guest post, she discusses supply preaching and what it's like to preach in a different context each week.