How Do We Preach When Values Conflict?
We regularly preach our values without stopping to name them. Of course, our listeners have their own values: their own running themes they take from Scripture and uphold as most important. What happens when the preacher’s cherished values differ from our members’ cherished values?
Three Types of "Political" Sermons Your Listeners Will Be Glad to Hear this Sunday
Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s midterm elections, if the stories I’ve heard from preachers in recent months are any indication, merely reading the Scripture will be interpreted by listeners as “political.” And they’re right. But not for the reasons they think.
4 Kinds of Support Preachers Miss When They Work in Isolation
There are times preachers need a community beyond their own congregations. And often, other preachers are invaluable when wrestling the challenges of parish life—from handling a delicate conflict to finding something new to say in your sermon…again. Check out four times you need other preachers in your life, and consider ways you might cultivate that community for yourself.
What Matters Most When the World Is Falling Apart
This woman facing certain death learned not only to manage her fear but to embrace it until it no longer consumed her or directed her actions. In these times where there is much to worry us, consider these lessons on how to preserve humanity—yours and others’.
Bridging the Language Gap in Sermons: Four Ways to Ensure “Church Words” are Meaningful to Your Listeners
There is a risk of misunderstanding when we use certain “church words.” We say a word, intending one meaning, but our listeners hear or interpret something else. How do we ensure our listeners actually understand what we mean? Consider these four approaches to bridge the divide.
"There's a joy in delivering the good news better": A Case Study
Ever feel like you’re missing something in your preaching life? You’re not alone. And you’re not without options.
There’s a ’T’ Missing from Your Time, Talent, & Treasure Stewardship Sermons
The three T’s of stewardship are treasure, time, and talent. But perhaps there should be a fourth.
2 False Premises When Preaching a Stewardship of Time—and One Question to Ask Instead
When preaching on the stewardship of time, it can be tempting to preach either scarcity or sentimentality. Neither helps our parishioners. There is one question, however, that can.
How Our Failure to Preach on the "M" Word Damages More than Parish Budgets
The “M” word consistently makes preachers squirm, perhaps because it’s so wrapped up in our livelihood and the sustainability of the church. But money impacts so much more than our salaries and budgets. It’s a critical influence in nearly every aspect of a parishioner’s life. So our silence on matters of finance may be hurting the very ones we wish not to discomfort.
Do Your sermons Suffer from a "Vitamin C Deficiency"?
We often fail to understand the ways our everyday choices impact our environment and, in turn, our neighbor's quality of life. As preachers, we have an obligation to illuminate this reality and invite our listeners into a new dimension of relationship with their neighbors through creation. And not just on Earth Day.
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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.
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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.
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