Accidental Preacher
Accidental Preacher

Author: Will Willimon

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2019-07-16

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 1467457450

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The lively, inspiring memoir of an eminent Christian preacher and leader In this book one of today’s best-known Christian leaders recounts—with his signature wit and humor—memorable moments from his rich and full preaching life. A personal and vocational memoir, Will Willimon’s Accidental Preacher portrays the adventure of a life caught up in the purposes of a God who calls unlikely people to engage in work greater than themselves. Beginning with his childhood in a segregated South and moving through his student years, Willimon gives candid, inspiring, and humorous testimony to his experiences as a seminary professor, rural pastor, globe-trotting preacher, bishop, and popular theologian and writer. Above all, he shows how God has constantly had a call on his life. By turns poignant, hilarious, and thought-provoking—but always irresistibly engaging—Accidental Preacher is sure to join the well-remembered, classic memoir of our time.

Leading with the Sermon
Leading with the Sermon

Author: William H. Willimon

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2020-02-04

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1506456383

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In this addition to the new Working Preacher Books series, prolific author William H. Willimon makes the compelling case that two key pastoral tasks--preaching and leadership--complement, correct, strengthen, and inform one another. Preaching is the distinctive function of pastoral leaders. Leadership of the church, particularly during a challenging time of transition in mainline Protestantism, has become a pressing concern for pastors. This book shows how the practices, skills, and intentions of Christian preaching can be helpful to the leadership of a congregation. It will also show how leadership is an appropriate expectation for sermons. In preaching, pastoral leaders can help a congregation face its problems and coordinate its God-given resources to address those problems. Sermons can be an opportunity to articulate, motivate, and orchestrate God's people in doing God's work in the church and in the world. Leading with the Sermon includes chapters on why pastors must be leaders, why preaching is such an essential task in telling the truth about the gospel, how preaching makes better leaders, and how better leaders make better preachers.

Preachers Dare
Preachers Dare

Author: Bishop William H. Willimon

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1791008062

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Preachers Dare is adapted from Will Willimon’s Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale and is inspired by a quote from the great theologian Karl Barth. In a world in which sermons too often become hackneyed conventional wisdom or tame common sense, preachers dare to speak about the God who speaks to us as Jesus Christ. Willimon draws upon his decades of preaching, as well as his many books on the practice of homiletics, to present a bold theology of preaching. This work emphasizes preaching as a distinctively theological endeavor that begins with and is enabled by God. God speaks, preachers dare to speak the speech of God, and the church dares to listen. By moving from the biblical text to the contemporary context, preachers dare to speak up for God so that God might speak today. With fresh biblical insights, creativity and pointed humor, Willimon gives today’s preachers and congregations encouragement to speak with the God who has so graciously and effusively spoken to us.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Author: John Mark Comer

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2019-10-29

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0525653104

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ECPA BESTSELLER • A compelling emotional and spiritual case against hurry and in favor of a slower, simpler way of life “As someone all too familiar with ‘hurry sickness,’ I desperately needed this book.”—Scott Harrison, New York Times best-selling author of Thirst “Who am I becoming?” That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.

The Accidental Pastor
The Accidental Pastor

Author: Melissa O'Brien

Publisher: Blurb

Published: 2016-12-14

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 9781366627063

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Melissa O'Brien is the pastor of a small Congregational church in Vermont. These are stories from her life as a preacher, hospital chaplain and hospice chaplain.

The Essential Forde
The Essential Forde

Author: Gerhard O. Forde

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2019-07-02

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1506448356

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No twentieth-century American understood Luther's law-gospel distinction better than Gerhard O. Forde, who was professor of theology at Luther Theological Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Because Forde kept this Lutheran distinction razor sharp, his theological writings are an essential inheritance for us today. This volume, The Essential Forde, aims to provide the essence of Forde's writing centered upon Luther’s and Scripture's essential distinction, that is, the distinction between law and gospel. The editors of this volume have chosen some of the most definitive writings of the renowned Gerhad Forde, whose influence continues to grow. The list of works trace the contours of Forde's theological argument. Organized around "Law and Gospel," the selections start off with some historical background on that doctrinal locus, but for the most part express Forde's own views of the law and the gospel, including death and resurrection, the bondage of the will, good works, preaching, and the sacraments. Besides these essential writings, the book will provide a definitive introduction by the editors, which includes a brief biography of Forde, an essay regarding his doctrinal interpretation, and a sketch of the Forde legacy. Also contained in the volume will be a comprehensive bibliography of all of Forde's published works plus work published about him.

A Peculiar Prophet
A Peculiar Prophet

Author: William H. Willimon

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 0687000610

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"In this book, editors Michael A. Turner and William F. Malambri III make Willimon's role as a mentor to preachers more available than ever. Both former students, they provide detailed and practical tools for learning from this "peculiar prophet." They offer samples of Willimon's sermons and commentary on them by other leading preachers and homileticians such as Tom Long. Marva Dawn, Peter Gomes, and Fleming Rutledge. The point of this examination of Willimon's work is not to simply praise it, but to assess both its strengths and its weaknesses, and to help the reader learn in the process how Willimon can be a model of what to do and, at times, what not to do in the pulpit."--BOOK JACKET.

Pastrix
Pastrix

Author: Nadia Bolz-Weber

Publisher: Jericho Books

Published: 2013-09-10

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1455527068

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Now a New York Times bestselling author, Nadia Bolz-Weber takes no prisoners as she reclaims the term "pastrix"(pronounced "pas-triks," a term used by some Christians who refuse to recognize female pastors) in her messy, beautiful, prayer-and-profanity laden narrative about an unconventional life of faith. ​ Heavily tattooed and loud-mouthed, Nadia, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious leader material—until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor. Using life stories—from living in a hopeful-but-haggard commune of slackers and her unusual but undeniable spiritual calling to her experiences pastoring people from all walks of life—and poignant honesty, Nadia portrays a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way. Wildly entertaining and deeply resonant, this is the book for people who hunger for a bit of hope that doesn't come from vapid consumerism; for women who talk too loud and guys who love chick flicks; and for the gay person who loves Jesus and won't be shunned by the church. In short, this book is for every misfit suspicious of institutionalized religion but who is still seeking transcendence and mystery.

Accidental Saints
Accidental Saints

Author: Bolz-Weber Nadia

Publisher: Canterbury Press

Published: 2015-10-27

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1848258259

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What if the annoying person you try to avoid is actually an accidental saint in your life? What if, even in our failings, holy moments are waiting to happen? Nadia Bolz-Weber demonstrates what happens when ordinary people meet to explore the Christian faith. Their faltering steps towards wholeness will ring true for believer and sceptic alike.

Pastoral Pause
Pastoral Pause

Author: Greg Pimlott

Publisher: Upper Room Books

Published: 2024-08-01

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 0835820572

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Take a break before you shatter. In the demanding realm of pastoral ministry, where energy fades and the threat of burnout is ever-present, pastor Greg Pimlott offers a lifeline. With disarming humor and refreshing honesty, Pimlott invites us into his own transformative journey from burnout to spiritual revitalization, providing encouragement, inspiration, and practical tools for other pastors on the brink of exhaustion and considering a renewal leave. From his candid account of the moment he realized he needed a break, to a life-changing encounter deep in the New Mexico desert, Pimlott shares poignant glimpses of life before, during, and after his leave to inspire his fellow clergy. Along the way, he provides spiritual and practical resources such as renewal leave checklists, budget-planning tools, book lists, reflection prompts, liturgies, and devotions to equip others on their journeys. Pastors, facing the challenges of strained relationships, waning creativity, and diminishing spiritual reserves, will find solace and guidance in this invaluable and relatable resource. Take a break before you shatter — Pastoral Pause is your indispensable companion on the journey to self-renewal.