What's Offensive? Preaching in the Language of Dignity
It might feel like we can’t say anything without offending someone. You’re right. Language evolves and therefore so does what is deemed offensive. To preach the dignity of every human being, we need to keep up with the changes in language so that in our sermons and writings, we are honoring and seeing our neighbors. Because when a person’s experiences, preferences, and identity are dismissed, they are rendered invisible. And that is offensive.
The "Bento Box" Preaching Prep Approach (or how I learned to embrace an ideal schedule)
What I’m beginning to discover is that thinking of my schedule as a “bento box” is decreasing stress because the decisions about what to do next are pretty much already made. Instead of feeling emotionally claustrophobic, it actually feels kind of safe. Kind of cozy when things fit juuuuust right. Most of all, thinking of my schedule like a bento box helps me visualize whether something will fit.
5 Essentials to Preach Sermons People Can't Stop Talking About
Based on the science of memorable speeches, the neuroscience of memory, and the factors that make a social media post go viral, content that keeps people talking has five things in common. Incorporate these essentials in your sermons, and see what kind of conversation follows.
Best Sermon Prep Practices for Preachers—By Preachers!
I asked preachers who are members of Backstory Preaching’s Collective what their best practices are? What have they found effective in getting a meaningful sermon written week after week? And how have they created respite in the process? Their ideas may inspire you to try something new or more effective this week. And we’d love to hear your suggestions, too!
Do You Believe the Sermons You Preach?
We’re not writing sermons to get a job done. Nor are we looking for a topic the same way we do for a term paper. Instead, having engaged the text prayerfully—vulnerable and open to the Holy Spirit—we have been changed. We encountered the living God, and that encounter transforms us. A sermon, then, serves as a public declaration of faith: yours.
Be Fed That You May Feed
Consider how we feed people with the Word week in and week out:
- Sermons
- Bible studies
- Prayers
When we're only using the Word as a necessary tool for ministry, yes, we get fed on the side. But we don't eat the main course. When we don't sit at the banquet table and feast daily ourselves, we slowly starve ourselves.
We know we're starving when:
- Preaching becomes a test of strength, willpower, and adrenaline.
- Preaching doesn't give us life, it drains it.
- Preaching hangs over our heads all week.
Crafting Sermons Like a Photographer (A Guest Post)
Photographers know the quality of a photo is determined less by the beauty of the surroundings and more by their choice of what to include—and exclude. Widen the lens, shift angles, zoom in or step back, turn up the green, soften the highlights—every choice changes the focus and final image. Shoot without paying attention to these details and you end up with an image that may be real but doesn't capture the deeper truth of a thing. The photo leaves the observer on the outside. "I guess you had to be there..."
This effort to bring your listener into the gospel as you see it is your work in sermons, as well.
Preaching about Racism: Three Tools (A Guest Post)
What do preachers need to preach a faithful sermon that names the depth of sin known as racism that is experienced across the United States and elsewhere? And how do I, as a white person, talk about something that I’m complicit in?
Finding Courage to Preach in "The Purple Zone" (A Guest Post)
Here’s the truth many clergy have shared with me: they are afraid to preach about issues of public concern. They know their sermons should in some way address things like racism, homophobia, climate change, sexism, economic issues, or hatred of foreigners, for example. But fear holds them back, keeps them quiet, and muzzles their prophetic voice. How can you preach when you are afraid?
How Jesus Confronts Scapegoating
One of the most foundational truths about scapegoating is that the people with power—those in the center of society—single out people on the periphery in order to lay unsubstantiated blame on them. It is a hidden, even unconscious ritual that focuses the violence of a society onto a singular victim. When a community accuses that victim, turns against him, and eventually kills or expels him, it brings peace. More often than not, scapegoats are innocent of the crimes they are accused of but the community does not realize it. They believe the guilt of the scapegoat because to accept the victim’s innocence would make them face the evil and violence in their own hearts, at the heart even of human society. So what can we do when recognize scapegoating in our midst? Jesus offers an effective example.