“Preaching on your feet” is the phrase public speaker and pastor Fred Lybrand uses to describe his unique method of pulpit communication. In layman’s terms, it involves being “in the moment,” not solely relying on pre-written notes (though they can still be helpful), and staying open to what God might have in store during any given preaching appointment. It all adds up to a heart-to-heart style of delivery that makes preaching a joy for both the orator and listener time and again. Aspiring and veteran pastors alike will find much to consider and implement in this refreshing new volume on homiletics.
Lucy Winkett is a gifted communicator, engaging preacher, popular broadcaster and rector of one of London’s most vibrant churches. In this new collection, her first book since 2010, she explores the lived reality of faith through fifty reflections on scripture that span the Christian year. Her gift is to bring ancient texts to bear on contemporary experience and to tease out their wisdom for living with authenticity and joy today. Reflecting a ‘head, heart and feet’ approach to understanding scripture, this collection will delight those who preach with an abundance of wisdom, and inspire all readers to embody a living faith.
Shares uplifting advice about the virtues of forgiveness, offering strategic and biblically based advice on how to achieve peace and personal fulfillment by letting go of past wrongs.
Come Matter Here is a call to stop putting your life on hold until "someday" and start digging your heels into the here and now to build the life God has designed for you. Life is scary. Adulting is hard. When faced with the challenges of building a life of your own, it's all too easy to stake your hope and happiness in "someday." But what if the dotted lines on the map at your feet today mattered just as much as the destination you dream of? Hannah Brencher, TED Talk speaker and founder of The World Needs More Love Letters, thought Atlanta was her destination. Yet even after she arrived, she found herself in the same old chase for the next best thing…somewhere else. And it left her in a state of anxiety and deep depression. Our hyper-connected era has led us to believe life should be a highlight reel—where what matters most is perfect beauty, instant success, and ready applause. Yet, as Hannah learned, nothing about faith, relationships, or character is instant. So she took up a new mantra: be where your feet are. Give yourself a permission slip to stop chasing the next big thing, and come matter here. Engage the process as much as you trust the God who lovingly leads you. If you are tired of running away from your life or tired of running ragged toward the next thing you think will make you feel complete, Come Matter Here will help you do whatever it takes to show up for the life God has for you. Whether you need to make a brave U-turn, take a bold step forward, or finish the next lap with fresh courage, find fuel and inspiration for the journey right here.
The Steps from Text to Narrative SermonPresenting biblically centered sermons in a new,creative genrePastors and teachers are always on the lookout for newways to expand the effectiveness of their preaching.Sermons delivered in the first-person point of view canweave the power of story and drama into the biblicalteaching, making familiar—and not-so-familiar—characters and situations come to life. This book helpsstudents and pastors understand how first-personsermons can be preached with biblical integrity. Itextends Haddon Robinson’s “big idea” philosophy ofpreaching to this new genre.J. Kent Edwards takes a practical approach as he walksreaders through the steps needed for creating sermonsthat are faithful to the text and engaging to the listener.Examples and worksheets enable readers to apply thisunique approach to one of their own sermons. The bookincludes a CD-ROM with a video sample of first-personnarrative preaching.
J. Kent Edwards recalls a story that late pastor J. Vernon McGee told about seeing children in South Africa playing a game of marbles in the dust with real diamonds. The precious stones were being handled with no regard for their true worth. Edwards fears the same thing happens today when preachers offer Scriptural truth to listeners without being completely overwhelmed by its greatness themselves in the process. Deep Preaching is his call to "rethink" preaching. Edwards helps preachers learn to preach the word in ways that will powerfully change the lives of hearers. He contends that sermons "need not settle comfortably on the lives of the listeners like dust on a coffee table." He encourages preachers to join him in casting off the lines that moor their ministries to the status-quo and make every effort to steer their preaching out of the "comfortable shallows." He urges them to preach deep sermons rather than superficial ones, moving "beyond the yawn-inspiring to the awe-inspiring, from the trite to the transforming."
C. S. Lewis excelled at plumbing the depths of the human heart, both the good and the bad, the beautiful and the corrupt. From science fiction and fantasy to essays, letters, and works of apologetics, Lewis has offered a wealth of insight into how to live the Christian life. In this book, Rigney explores the center of Lewis's vision for the Christian life—the personal encounter between the human self and the living God. In prayer, in the church, in the imagination, in our natural loves, in our pleasures and our sorrows, God brings us into his presence so that we can become fully human: alive, free, and whole, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
This new volume in the Preaching With series reveals how pastors can preach in a way that employs--with creativity--the six writing genres or forms found in the Bible. Readers will learn how to expand their repertoire of creative, interesting, and relevant sermons.
In this complete guide to expository preaching, Bryan Chapell teaches the basics of preparation, organization, and delivery--the trademarks of great preaching. This new edition of a bestselling resource, now updated and revised throughout, shows how Chapell's case for expository preaching reaches twenty-first-century readers.
Break the cycle of doubting yourself, take God at His word, and talk back with truth - a new message of freedom from bestselling coauthor of Wild and Free Hayley Morgan. We know Christ came to speak life, but then how come our inner critic keeps showing up and stealing the mic? If we’re honest, she’s a harsh one, saying things we’d never dream of saying to others: You’ll never measure up, you’ll fail again tomorrow, you just can’t get it right. It has been said that the eighteen inches from head to heart is the soul’s longest journey. Our head knows the good news is true, but our heart struggles to believe it, and it is in this gap that we battle to believe the promises of God. Hayley Morgan, coauthor of bestselling book Wild and Free, has wrestled with this tension her whole life. In Preach to Yourself, she tackles it head-on to discover how we can renew our minds to renew our lives. For every woman who struggles with repetitive, negative self-talk, this book will show you how to identify the toxic loops where you get stuck and replace them with the truth of God we can believe with our whole selves. This is not a “try harder” reprimand, it’s a “believe better” invitation: to take God at His word when He tells you who you are. Come along and learn a simple practice to break free from the lies holding you back, and step forward into the fullness of life God has planned.
