Using Money for Good: Preaching Tips & Tools to Grow Conscious, Ethical Consumers (A Guest Post)
It’s rather surprising we don’t find ourselves preaching a lot about money since fully 1/3 of the parables are about money and one in ten verses in the Gospels are connected to money. Getting money situated in its right relationship with our lives, and the world around us, is an important spiritual topic. And we need to tackle it.
"Preaching God's Economy": A Panel Discussion Hosted by Faith+Finance
To help the people in our pews deal with the very real challenges, impacts, and opportunities of their money, we have to find a way to have difficult conversations about finance. Preaching about money is a good start. Listen in on this panel discussion to discover how you might approach these conversations in your own church.
Preaching on money and finances: the Church's role in shaping our economy (A Guest Post)
Money shapes all of life. We—and our congregants—need to think about how we spend our money, how we invest our money, and how we relate to our money. As uncomfortable as these topics are for preachers, I believe we need to be willing to put our personal anxieties aside and walk into the deep waters where our parishioners live to launch some hard conversations. Our people desperately need that from us, and the Church must become a place where these necessary conversations can find a home.
"Resilience": A Panel Discussion for Preachers
I spoke with three preachers about how they’re maintaining hope on this roller coaster of personal and collective tragedy and joy we’re on. As preachers, how do we handle our own feelings so we can call our congregations to hope in their moments of despair?
A Free, At-Home Retreat for Preachers: "Resilience"
Due to our strange circumstances, many of us will not get away on a spiritual retreat for silence and contemplation this year. But we can still find spiritual renewal with this flexible retreat designed for ninety-minutes, three-hours, or six. I pray we emerge from this retreat at home filled with the Spirit’s gift of “holy resilience” to continue to minister well in Christ’s name.
Saved by the bell: the power of monastic practices to rescue us from burnout (a guest post)
Willpower is far less effective when we’re tired and worn out. And right now, we’re emotionally and mentally exhausted. We literally don’t have the mental energy to make more decisions—even when they’re in our best interest. This is the role of practices: to take the activities that will nurture, strengthen, and renew us, and make them routine rather than a decision to make.
Panel Discussion: "Preaching in a Time of Pandemic" with Cressman, Gunn, Jefferson, and Wells
Wondering how to keep preaching into this strange new world? Hosted by Bexley-Seabury Seminary, The Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes, and the Anglican Theological Review, and moderated by Micah Jackson, a panel of theologian-preachers discuss what it means to preach into a pandemic. Panelists include Scott Gunn, Mark Jefferson, Sam Wells, and Lisa Cressman.
Self-Guided Easter Retreat for Preachers
As you come down from the monumental work of offering not only Holy Week services, but Holy Week services in a format brand new to most, Backstory Preaching offers this self-guided, at-home retreat to renew your spirit. Download it free and allow God to minister to you as a beloved child of God who happens to lead other beloved children.
Holy Week & Easter Preaching Inspiration
As you preach this Holy Week and Easter, may you find the words your listeners need in this season of this year. To that end, we’ve put together this collection of wisdom and inspiration to nourish and refresh your own spirit. May you be good news to preach good news.
Before Preaching Lent, Go on Retreat—At Home!
Take time before Ash Wednesday to reflect, to sort your thoughts, to let Christ bring you wholeheartedly and single-mindedly into those forty days with this free Lenten retreat for preachers.