Tough Passage? Preach What the Gospel Says (Not What You Wish it Said)
Sometimes the principalities and powers of this world need to be named because they are in need of God’s redemption. However, if we name the same principalities and powers every week people will tune out the urgency. Instead, help people hear the context and need for God’s redemption revealed by the text itself. Let people wrestle with angels through questions posed— without giving answers. Then trust God will convert any willing heart to love Jesus most.
Preaching and the Cornavirus/COVID-19
None of us has lived through anything similar to this before. Certainly none of us has preached into circumstances like these. But Jesus lived with the same kind of daily uncertainty that we’re living in. So as preachers in this new reality, we can follow the model of Jesus, who’s gone before us in crisis.
Resurrecting the Easter Story
You can resurrect the impact of Easter by learning to tell its story more effectively. By helping us empathize with a character’s desires, you’ll pull us in. When you tease out what’s at stake and the conflict it creates, you’ll keep us engaged. Add sensory details, and we’ll live the story with you. Then show us the resolution and the transformation so we’ll see change—a new way of living—is possible.
Save Time This Week With these Lenten Resources
Since this is a tight week with extra sermons, I'm sharing with you our resources for the First Sunday of Lent—for both the Revised Common Lectionary and the Narrative Lectionary. I hope these resources inspire your preaching and streamline your process.
Happy Preaching New Year! A Wish & A Challenge
If your preaching schedule in 2019 felt out-of-control, all-consuming, or even non-existent, this is the challenge—and year—for you. It’s likely a few strategic tweaks can help you enjoy (and improve!) your preaching life without feeling like it’s running your life. Begins January 7th. Join today!
10 Inspiring Gifts for Preachers (2019 Edition)
When someone asks you what you want for Christmas, you can send them this list. It’s curated by preachers for preachers and offers suggestions from the relaxing and fun to the super practical. Enjoy!
Five Strategies for Crafting Your Sermon in a Short Week
When the week is short and time is limited, you may need to shift your routine to finish your sermon AND have time to enjoy the festivities. Read on for five strategies to write your sermon in a short week.
Plan Your Advent Sermons & Life (A Free Workshop Offering Hope in the Overwhelm)
As Christmas approaches, many stresses become more acute and frequent—like the pressure to produce high quality (though not-over-the-top-perfect) sermons, liturgies, and music; pastoral care needs; disagreements between church leaders; and the expectations of parishioners, your family, and, perhaps, even yourself.
To that end, I’ve already started preparing for Advent. As a result, I have lots of healthy food ready to eat, my office is a place I enjoy again, my calendar and to-do lists are manageable, and there’s plenty of open space for sermon prep.
If this sounds too good to be true, I assure you it’s not. It simply takes a decision to spend a bit of time now to free up a lot of time later.
If you can spare an hour, I can help you strategize your December for a season of calm, connection, and clarity.
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.
Becoming a Better Preacher: A Case Study with Pastor Andrea Myers
I'm building a more robust toolkit, or artist’s palette, so that I can deliberately choose the right tool or style to communicate a given message. While I'm still writing on Saturdays (for now!), I'm never starting from a blank page, which has helped me to fall in love with preaching again.
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Live Lectio for Sermon Prep (Free!)
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.
—Andrea M.