Sun 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.-7 p.m, Wed-Thu 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat 3:30-6:30 p.m. | 630 E. University Dr. Granger, IN 46530 | (574) 243-2020

Cart

Your Cart is Empty

Back To Shop

Preaching

  • Modern Age

    $84.99

    Explores the history of preaching from the words of Moses at Mount Sinai through modern times.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Proclaiming The Scandal Of The Cross

    $28.00

    20 Chapters

    Additional Info
    Introduces the need for contextualized atonement theology and offers creative examples of how the Cross can be proclaimed in culturally relevant and transformative ways.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Great Omission

    $27.95

    If Jesus were still alive and preaching in the United States today, would he be building a huge church structure? Would he be talking about the “trigger” issues, the hot topics that seem to dominate our pulpits? Would he be marching in the streets — either against or in favor of — abortion, gay rights, or repealing the death penalty? It is Robert Blair’s contention that Jesus Christ would not be politically active or trying to overtly influence the government. He believes Jesus would simply be preaching the same simple gospel that he preached 2,000 years ago. Should not his followers be doing what he would do? Should not it be our primary objective to preach the good news to every person on the planet? By doing that, and by personally assisting the poor, Reverend Blair believes that the followers of Christ would best glorify God.

    Hoping that every minister in the United States will “read and heed” this book, Blair believes that laypersons will also benefit from reading The Great Omission. Too often laypersons are wishing to honor God but they receive garbled signals from the church leadership about the church’s main purpose. This book will become a lightning rod for change in returning our churches to the biblical message, and suggesting the right methods to tell it.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching Words : 144 Keys In Homiletics

    $35.00

    Highlights the most important ideas in homiletics and preaching, offeirng short explanations of these ideas, what scholars of preaching are saying about them, and how they can help in today’s preaching.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching As Testimony

    $38.00

    By exploring the historical, theoretical, and practical elements of the tradition of testimony, Anna Carter Florence seeks in this much-anticipated book to establish the historical and contemporary validity of women’s preaching and to introduce testimony to a new generation of preachers and teachers.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Finding The Story

    $19.95

    In Finding the Story, James Ayers examines the art of narrative preaching and shows how storytelling can help people in the pews hear God speaking to their hearts through scripture. Ayers analyzes ways to illuminate texts that are difficult to preach, and provides a wealth of creative approaches for making them accessible ? such as looking at Psalm 137 through the eyes of a slave who watched his child dashed against the rocks, or seeing Matthew and Luke’s Christmas narratives through the eyes of a bitter man whose only son was killed in Vietnam. Finding the Story offers a dynamic avenue into some of the very thorniest texts and topics of the Bible ? enabling readers to find and share unique opportunities for encounters with God!

    Finding the Story is a must-have tool for all ministers who:
    ? long to connect with their congregations on a deeper level;
    ? struggle with how to preach doctrinally heavy passages without putting listeners to sleep;
    ? wonder how to relate the imprecatory psalms to modern-day situations; and
    ? want their people to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit rather than the droning of a shepherd who feels the same things they feel, but sometimes finds it difficult to share those feelings

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Forgiveness The Jesus Way

    $15.95

    Finding the Story, James Ayers examines the art of narrative preaching and shows how storytelling can help people in the pews hear God speaking to their hearts through scripture. Ayers analyzes ways to illuminate texts that are difficult to preach, and provides a wealth of creative approaches for making them accessible — such as looking at Psalm 137 through the eyes of a slave who watched his child dashed against the rocks, or seeing Matthew and Luke’s Christmas narratives through the eyes of a bitter man whose only son was killed in Vietnam. Finding the Story offers a dynamic avenue into some of the very thorniest texts and topics of the bible — enabling readers to find and share unique opportunities for encounters with God!

    Finding the Story is a must-have tool for all ministers who:
    long to connect with their congregations on a deeper level;
    struggle with how to preach doctrinally heavy passages without putting listeners to sleep;
    wonder how to relate the imprecatory psalms to modern-day situations; and
    want their people to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit rather than the droning of a shepherd i 1/2 one who feels the same things they feel, but who sometimes finds it difficult to share those feelings.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Graceful Speech : An Invitation To Preaching

    $35.00

    In this introductory text, Lucy Lind Hogan helps the reader understand the theological task of becoming a preacher, the craft of writing the sermon, and the importance of communicating the gospel in the present world. In doing so, she creates a book that is more holistic than any other homiletics text currently on the market.

    Hogan begins with a theological rationale for preaching, which serves as a basis for understanding the identity of the preacher. She then explores the context for preaching, showing how to interpret a scriptural text, design a sermon, and use illustrations and examples. She also discusses preaching for special occasions, the use of different technologies in preaching, and the importance of delivery. The book includes questions for reflection.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Choosing To Preach

    $24.99

    Traditional forms of ministry-including the sermon- are being scrutinized and challenged, leaving pastors confused over how best to communicate to today’s listeners. This forward-looking textbook delivers a strong call to ministers to indeed choose to preach biblical sermons. But while preaching itself is non-negotiable, the exact form it takes can be much more flexible. Several models of sermon preparation are provided, using questions to guide the way. As you discern your message from the Bible, will you begin with the text (deductive) or with the listener (inductive)? Will you focus on the idea (cognitive) or the image (affective)? The choices you make lead to five possible sermon structures (declarative, pragmatic, narrative, visionary, and integrative), each of which is described in detail and related to well-known contemporary preachers, including John MacArthur, Rick Warren, Eugene Lowry, and Rob Bell. Includes discussion questions, practical exercises, and accompanying CD-ROM.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching With Purpose And Passion

    $9.99

    The authority to preach comes by divine appointment from God and is one of the most fulfilling aspects of a leader’s ministry and life. This book will empower and encourage all leaders to reach for a higher level of love and achievement in preaching.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Fully Alive Preacher

    $28.00

    Mike Graves begins this book with the question “If preaching is intended to enliven the church, why is it killing so many ministers?” His answer? Because it has become divorced from the vitality and diversity of the preacher’s daily life. He invites preachers to discover how preaching can be renewing rather than draining.

    Graves includes four valuable sections on sermon preparation but also provides brief lessons, exercises, questions for reflection, and invitations to do such things as walk, read, and nap. In the end, the cure for homiletical burnout is life itself, especially the ordinary pleasures often ignored or pushed aside by the complicated job of ministry. This is a perfect book for both new graduates and experienced preachers.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Whatever Happened To Delight

    $25.00

    Preaching is an art, Barrie Shepherd argues, and the sermon is an art form, an exercise in creativity and imagination. But all too often preaching suffers from a lack of imagination and a loss of the joy, wonder, and delight that attracted the crowds to Jesus’ words two thousand years ago.

    In this book, based on his 2003 Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School, Shepherd hopes to encourage the preacher toward a more creative vision for the sermon. His approach is spontaneous, eclectic, intuitive, and daring. Shepherd’s purpose is to encourage the preacher to think of life as filled with God’s presence, to search for the presence, and to use images and words to unveil that presence. The end result is a sermon that is full of joy, wonder, astonishment, and delight.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Star Book On Preaching

    $16.99

    In the classic tradition of the #1, best-selling Star Book for Ministers, Judson Press offers a resource with a special focus on preaching. Starting with a biblical basis for preaching, McMickle discusses the “heart and habits” of a preacher-emphasizing the importance of time management regarding health, head, heart, and home.

    Without an emphasis toward any denomination and practical in its nature, the guide offers:

    keys to an effective preaching ministry, including goals and outcomes of preaching
    text and topic selection
    information on various types of sermons
    a look at different preaching styles such as narrative and first-person preaching
    suggestions for sermon preparation
    ideas for several sermon series
    a full list of preaching resources to use as references
    Featured are over a dozen sermon outlines on various topics. These outlines address developing key points and direction, provide suggestions for an introduction and closing, and give tips for determining style and delivery. Destined to become a new classic, The Star Book on Preaching is a portable resource no preacher should be without.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Experimental Knowledge Of Christ

    $16.00

    Biographical Introduction

    Sermon 1: The Danger Of Losing One’s Soul While Seeking To Gain The World
    Sermon 2: The Experimental Knowledge Of Christ
    Sermon 3: The Duty Of Listening To The Gospel As The Voice Of Christ
    Sermon 4: Praying For The Spirit
    Sermon 5: The Greatness Of The Peace Of God, Which Above Understanding
    Sermon 6: The Funeral Sermon Of King George III
    Sermon 7: The Coming Of The Son Of Man
    Sermon 8: Christ The Physician
    Sermon 9: God Attending To The Contrite In Spirit
    Sermon 10: God Choosing And Calling Men
    Sermon 11: The Saints Loving Christ And Delighting In Him

    Additional Info
    Print on demand

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Conversations With Barth On Preaching

    $30.99

    Readers of William H. Willimon’s many books have long discovered the influence of Karl Barth, one of the most significant theologians of the twentieth century. In this new book, Willimon explores that relationship explicitly by engaging Barth’s work on the pitfalls and problems, glories and grandeur of preaching the Word of God. This Swiss theologian, says the author, expressed one of the highest theologies of preaching of any of the great theologians of the church. Yet too much of Garth’s understanding of preaching lies buried in other sources. Willimon brings this material to light, introducing readers to Barth’s thought on both the meaning and the practice of preaching.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching And Teaching The Psalms

    $32.00

    Renowned and beloved psalms scholar James Luther Mays shares in this book some of his most influential ideas about the psalms and shows the reader how this rich Old Testament poetry can be taught and preached in the church. The book’s editors, Patrick Miller and Gene Tucker, have carefully brought together Mays’s best insights into the meaning of the psalms and shown us in his sermons how a master with a love for the church handles these beautiful texts.

    Mays begins by explaining the basic concepts needed to understand and interpret the psalms and reviewing the scholarship and trends in psalms interpretation. Throughout he treats the psalms not just as ancient texts for scholarly study but as the basis for prayer and faith in the church today.

    The book’s second section contains Mays’s expositions of nine different psalms, including Psalm 8, Psalms 22, and Psalm 23, and eight of Mays’s sermons on the psalms. The book is ideal for clergy who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the psalms, as well as further their skills in preaching and teaching the well-loved Old Testament poetry.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Stewards Of The Story

    $24.00

    In this insightful study, James Earl Massey offers an expanded version of the Twelfth Annual William E. Conger, Jr. Lectures on Biblical Preaching that he delivered at Beeson Divinity School in February 2004. Through a unique collection of informative lectures and illustrative sermons, the highly esteemed teacher and preacher considers four dimensions of the preacher as steward of the gospel story. Pastors will warmly welcome this book as it provides them with both practical guidance and insight about their identity as preachers.

    James Earl Massey is Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies and Preaching, emeritus, at Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, Indiana. Prior to moving to Anderson, he was for five years Dean of the Chapel and University Professor of Religion and Society at Tuskegee University. Prior to that, he served for twenty-two years as senior pastor of the Metropolitan Church of God in Detroit. For five years he served as speaker on the Christian Brotherhood Hour, the international radio broadcast of the Church of God, in Anderson, Indiana. He has preached and lectured at more than one hundred colleges, universities, and seminaries in the United States and on four continents. He is a life trustee of Asbury Theological Seminary and served on the editorial boards of Christianity Today, Leadership, Preaching, and The New Interpreter’s Bible. His several books include The Responsible Pulpit, Designing the Sermon, The Burdensome Joy of Preaching, and Sundays in the Tuskegee Chapel. He is a frequent featured speaker at national preaching conferences and workshops.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching Without Contempt

    $24.00

    Helps preachers to identify the ways the Christian preachers perpetuate the long tradition of Christian anti-Judaism.

    Addresses: supersessionism, portrayals of the law, pharisees, relationship between the testaments, preaching the passion, and misrepresentations of Judaism.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 8 Cycle C

    $47.95

    Creating a fresh sermon every Sunday that speaks to the people in your pews can sometimes seem like an overwhelming challenge — but if you have the all-new edition of CSS’ acclaimed Lectionary Preaching Workbook at your fingertips, you’ll never feel that way again! With penetrating reflections on Cycle C lectionary passages and a thorough discussion of preaching themes plus a rich variety of supporting illustrations, this comprehensive volume is the perfect starting point for your weekly homiletic research. Carlos Wilton combines a scholar’s deep insight into the biblical texts with a pastor’s practical understanding of how to connect them with modern life, and his astute commentary is sure to stimulate your thought process and provide plenty of seeds for developing messages with maximum impact. A handy, easy-to-use sermon planning template is also included to facilitate the process of building your sermon. The Lectionary Preaching Workbook is an indispensable tool that helps you to powerfully proclaim God’s Word while getting the most out of your limited preparation time.

    Each Sunday’s material includes:
    * a listing of applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts
    * a theme for the day
    * commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons
    * possible preaching approaches
    * a pastoral prayer
    * numerous illustrations to flesh out the message

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Hear My Voice Cycle A-C

    $29.95

    Of the four lectionary texts for each Sunday, the Psalms are the least frequently used as a basis for sermons — yet the Psalms are incredibly rich in the very life substance that makes preaching relevant. From personal suffering to the absence of God, from national failure to the burden of personal sin, the Psalms are filled with the pathos of the human struggle for and with God. If you want to tap into this abundant source of sermonic material, Hear My Voice is an invaluable tool that you won’t want to be without. It’s a comprehensive collection of informative homiletical commentaries on the Psalm texts drawn from the pages of the acclaimed preaching journal Emphasis. Covering the complete three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary, these brief explorations provide numerous starting points for developing solidly scriptural sermons that also speak to contemporary life. Convenient features include cross-referencing of multiple occurrences of the same text so that you can consider alternative approaches, plus a helpful index. While targeted primarily to preachers and homiletics students, Hear My Voice is an inspiring volume with accessible commentary for anyone who wants a better appreciation of the Psalms and how they speak to us today.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Voices Of Repentance

    $12.95

    This book offers busy pastors a complete package of thematically related resources for Lenten preaching and worship. With services for each week in Lent plus Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, as well as a Good Friday tenebrae service, Voices Of Repentance provides everything needed to create compelling worship throughout the Lenten season, either for a midweek series or for regular Sunday services. Each week’s resources feature a monologue sermon that tells the story of someone who sought redemption in the baptismal waters of the Jordan. These spiritual contemplations view the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion from a unique perspective — that of everyday people who lived through them. Each service also includes a children’s object lesson and a convenient order of worship.

    Monologues feature these characters:

    * John the Baptist
    * a Pharisee
    * a Sadducee
    * a well-dressed man
    * a well-fed woman
    * a tax collector
    * a Roman soldier

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • From Pew To Pulpit

    $18.99

    In recent years, many lay preachers and bivocational pastors have assumed responsiblity for weekly preaching in local churches. While many of these individuals can preach a fairly good sermon, they haven’t necessarily gotten detailed instruction in the how-tos of preaching. This practical guide addresses choosing the right text and topic; listening to one’s first impressions of the text; keeping liesteners in mind; making engaging use of stories; and delivering with passion. It also includes suggestions for resources, including Bibles, commentaries, other print resources, and websites.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Life We Claim

    $23.99

    Using the Apostles’ Creed as the “primary text,” this book explores what Christians believe and how these beliefs are relevant today.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Wondrous Depth : Preaching The Old Testament

    $34.00

    Ellen Davis is concerned by what she calls a “shallow reading” of Scripture–a reading of what we think we already know instead of an attempt to dig deeper for new insights and revelations. Wondrous Depth is a collection of essays in which Davis argues for a more engaged reading of Scripture that opens the reader up to new knowledge and understanding. Davis also demonstrates that preaching and biblical interpretation are essentially related to one another in that it is essential for preachers to engage in thorough reading and interpretation of Scripture from the pulpit and to encourage their congregations to read the Bible with depth and sensitivity as well.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Guide To Preaching

    $20.99

    Preaching can be an extremely daunting experience for many but is an essential part of any service or Christian occasion. It is so important for the preacher to engage with their listeners and present their message clearly. A Guide to Preaching will do just that – an authoritative, comprehensive yet immensely readable book containing a treasure chest of facts, styles, inspiration and lively examples from around the world for old hands or those new to preaching. A Guide to Preaching covers every aspect of the task of preaching, from planning a sermon that takes account of biblical, personal, church and liturgical background through to using stories, imagination, dialogue, drama, news bulletins and much more. An entire chapter is devoted to developing the skills of rhetoric, and it includes plenty of practical advice and examples to help you understand, develop and review your own style. Roger Bowen has edited this guide with contributions from David Edwards, David Gitari, Simea Meldrum, Esther Mombo and Vinoth Ramachandra. “”This is a helpful book from which most preachers will learn something.”” Stella Mills, Rural Theology (vol. 5, issue 68)

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Praying Congregation : The Art Of Teaching Spiritual Practice

    $29.00

    “I believe that God is calling all of us into deeper prayer and is longing for our congregations to become places of prayer,” writes Jane E. Vennard. Pastors and others who want to develop their skills as teachers of prayer and spiritual practices will find in this book not only wisdom for themselves but easily accessible lesson plans, so that they can share Vennard’s insights with others while infusing the activities with their own spirit and creative ideas.

    Readers are invited to gently explore questions such as, Who taught you to pray and how? What do you believe about prayer? What is your image of the God to whom you pray? And, What is prayer anyway? Through this book, readers’ hearts are made ready to explore the wonder of strengthening their relationship with God through prayer.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Empowering Your Preaching (Student/Study Guide)

    $24.99

    Revitalize your preaching ministry with “Empowering Your Preaching”. This one-day course is an intense spiritual, mental, and practical encounter. Find your spirit empowered as you work though each chapter and receive a fresh new hunger to preach the Word.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Your Faith Has Made You Well Cycle B

    $15.95

    This is an admirable example of pastoral theology at its best. Aaron’s discussions of the historical background and theological significance of each text are thoroughly informed and articulate. Equally helpful are the insights he brings to the understanding of the pastoral implications of each text and the strategies appropriate to preaching the text. This book proves that some of the best biblical theology for pastors can be written by a pastor.

    David Bartlett

    Lantz Professor of Preaching

    Yale University Divinity School

    The moving accounts of Jesus’ astonishing power to cast out demons and heal physical ailments are singularly compelling preaching texts with rich possibilities for proclamation — they have much to teach us about God’s grace and the ministry of the church, as well as the spiritual dimension of evil. But these passages are also fraught with homiletic peril, presenting preachers with a tangle of problems and conflicting beliefs. In light of modern scientific knowledge and technological sophistication, some Christians question if these miracles really occurred. Others wonder why only some people experience such healings, and there is a temptation to simplistically equate lack of healing with lack of faith. Should we expect similar miracles today? What is the link between faith and wellness? And most important of all, what do these strange yet fascinating stories mean for us today?

    Your Faith Has Made You Well helps preachers negotiate this minefield with a detailed exploration of eleven miracle narratives appearing in Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. It’s packed with stimulating ideas and illustrations for developing dynamic sermons, including a supplemental chapter with numerous examples of contemporary miracles and healings. Each miracle is examined from several perspectives to produce a holistic understanding:

    ? historical background — What Old Testament narratives or ideas are reflected in the story? What do we know about the understanding of medicine and health in Jesus’ time?

    ? literary analysis — How does the plot unfold? How are the characters developed? What literary devices are employed?

    ? theological reflection — What does the text affirm or imply about God, creation, the ministry of Christ, salvation, and the meaning of evil? What does it teach us about faith, the Christian life, and the mission of the church?

    ? pastoral reading — What insight does the text give us about the human condition

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • When God Speaks Through Change

    $30.00

    Anyone who has preached at a wedding and a funeral in the same week can attest to the power of the occasion to impact the preaching event. At times, a congregational transition looms so large in a sermon that it becomes the lens through which scripture is interpreted, the congregation is addressed, the preacher is heard, and God is experienced.

    Homiletics professor and parish pastor Craig Satterlee reflects in this accessible, provocative volume on how to integrate such significant events in a congregation’s life into the preaching ministry of the church. Rather than offering a blueprint for preaching, however, he walks alongside pastors, seminarians, and other congregational leaders who want to make sure the gospel, not an agenda, is preached.

    Issues considered include: (1) the benefits and risks of using preaching to address the transition, (2) how preaching collaborates with other congregational processes involved in the transition, (3) how scripture and the transition interpret one another, (4) how to incorporate the transition into the form, content, and delivery of the sermon so that the gospel and not a program or agenda is proclaimed and heard, and (5) how the transition affects the preacher’s ability to proclaim and the congregation’s ability to receive the message.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • More Alive Than Ever

    $12.95

    The Gospel of John has a unique function – unlike the synoptic Gospels, which provide chronological accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, John weaves the story and words of Jesus around seven miracles that he calls “signs.” These signs are the visible evidence that Jesus is the source of true life. Through his spoken words and healing power, Jesus’ inspiring life force flows outwardly to all who believe in him.

    This in-depth exploration of the miracle stories in John’s Gospel helps you discover how to tap in to this powerful life force and become more alive than ever. Each chapter studies the scripture text of a miracle to identify the quality associated with it, then offers numerous illustrative examples demonstrating how this “sign” or trait can positively influence daily living.

    With thought-provoking discussion questions included, More Alive Than Ever is an excellent resource for small group Bible study or adult Sunday school classes. Its convenient illustration index also makes this a rich source of meaningful metaphors and stories for preaching. But even more, it’s stimulating reading for anyone who wants greater insight into these marvelous accounts of God’s power at work.

    Chapters include:

    ? Joy Is Like The Rain
    John 2:1-12

    ? Trust Is An Umbrella
    John 4:46-54

    ? Hope Can Be Moving
    John 5:1-9

    ? Bread Is Always Needed
    John 6:1-14

    ? Peace Is Like A Flowing River
    John 6:16-21

    ? Seeing Is Getting The Mud Out Of Your Eyes
    John 9:1-41

    ? New Life Is Like A Grain Of Wheat
    John 11:1-44

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Retelling The Story

    $12.95

    Is the typical didactic sermon still an adequate vehicle for communicating essential biblical truth? In this provocative and enlightening volume, Larry Lange contends that story sermons are a far more effective way to proclaim the Good News in a modern world that largely communicates through narrative-driven multimedia spectacle.

    The powerful stories in the Bible don’t need to be turned into morals or ideas to convey the gospel. But because they were composed in a radically different cultural context, they may require additional explanation or interpretation to make them relevant for contemporary audiences. So how can a preacher add narrative elements to these stories without diminishing their dramatic impact or changing their meaning?

    Retelling The Story outlines an innovative process for retelling biblical stories that utilizes fictional elements and contexts yet remains faithful to the scriptural text. Several creative and homiletical issues are comprehensively examined, and six sample sermons are included to illustrate various aspects of this process at work. Inject exciting new life into the old, old story with this primer for developing dramatic sermons that touch hearts and minds and souls.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching As Pastoral Caring

    $24.95

    Preaching as Pastoral Caring is the thirteenth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church. This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of pastoral preaching as a kind of spiritual leadership in which compassionate healing and courageous confrontation are experienced not as polar opposites, but as inseparable.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Homiletic Of All Believers

    $32.00

    Preaching, says professor and author O. Wesley Allen Jr., should be considered as a form of conversation. The church, after all, is a community of conversation that exists in part to interpret God’s purposes for the world and to participate in those purposes. The idea of the sermon as a conversation, then, is not simply a style or form of preaching but an integral expression of the nature and purpose of the church. Allen proposes that the sermon should take on the character of a conversation with the congregation. The preacher does this by incorporating an exploration of a text, doctrine, or situation with the give-and-take among different voices that marks genuine conversation. Through attentive listening to multiple voices in the Bible, Christian tradition, congregation, and beyond, the preacher seeks to help the congregation come to the most adequate interpretation of God’s presence and purposes. Allen also proposes that sermons themselves, over weeks and months, can and should be in conversation with each other, thereby having a cumulative effect over time. Allen not only proposes this new concept of preaching but also carefully demonstrates its practical application. This helpful book for clergy and seminary students includes sample sermons.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Living Between The Advents

    $12.95

    As we prepare each year to celebrate the Incarnation, the Advent season reminds us that we live in an interim period between the First and Second Comings of Jesus Christ. In this book of twelve riveting sermons on a variety of Advent themes (all based on texts from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary), Michael Ruffin explores the challenges of Christian living in this time between the First and Second Advents — particularly the tension between the modes of patience and action. Though we await Jesus’ return with hopeful anticipation, Advent waiting is active waiting. Ruffin’s messages invite readers to share in the richly rewarding life of faith, while providing abundant comfort and inspiration for those who endeavor to live as disciples of Jesus in the modern world.

    Preachers looking for an imaginative illustration or observation to stimulate their sermons will find ample material in this book. But this is much more than just a reference for ministers preparing to preach during Advent — it’s also an excellent resource for spiritual reflections reminding us that the good news in these days between the Advents is that Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Celebrating Holy Week In A Post Holocaust World

    $28.00

    An ongoing issue for clergy as well as Christians in general is how to approach New Testament narratives about the crucifixion of Jesus in relation to Jews, Judaism, and the horrific events of the Holocaust. The popular movie “The Passion of the Christ” has brought one aspect of this problem into widespread public attention. The events of Holy Week pose particular challenges for clergy and congregations. In this book Henry Knight helps us deal with Holy Week texts in light of our post-Holocaust world and provides practical examples of prayers, liturgies, and resource material to help pastors prepare for and lead worship and teach during this important time in the life of a congregation.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching The Parables Series 3 Cycle B

    $18.95

    esus used his parables to teach ordinary people with common problems; yet because these simple stories contain universal truths that transcend time and culture, they still strike a powerful chord and provide us with important lessons about God’s kingdom. Preaching The Parables offers a gold mine of informative background material on each of the seven parables appearing in Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary. Dallas Brauninger probes these familiar texts with a fresh, imaginative viewpoint, revealing what they tell us about God and inviting further reflection on what they mean for modern living.

    Preaching The Parables is much more than just a sermon preparation resource — it’s also an excellent bible study tool, exploring questions like:

    ? What dimension of the soul that needs tending does the parable address?

    ? What is the parable’s surprise?

    ? What moves us into hope?

    ? How does its point become obvious?

    ? How do its characters relate to us today?

    Brauninger identifies points of action, examines significant terms, and engages in imaginary exchanges with a variety of characters. The complete text of each parable is also included, along with an analysis highlighting similarities and differences in parallel passages. And there’s a convenient “word study” index for locating key concepts from parables in all three lectionary cycles.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching Parables To Postmoderns

    $20.00

    Preface
    1.Postmodernity
    The Nature Of Change
    The Premodern And Modern Ages
    The Postmodern Experiment
    Characteristics Of Postmodernity
    2.Parables: A Window Of Truth For Postmoderns
    Definition Of Parable
    Relationship Of Jesus’ Parables To The Hebrew Tradition
    The Purpose Of The Parable
    Characteristics Of The Parables Of Jesus
    Interpreting The Parables For Preaching
    Steps In Developing The Homiletical Text
    Preaching Parables To A Postmodern Age
    3.A Study Of Parables For Sermon Preparation
    Parable One: The Sower (Matthew 13:1-23)
    Parable Two: The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
    Parable Three: Laborers In The Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)
    Parable Four: Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
    Parable Five: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
    Parable Six: The Friend At Midnight (Luke 11:1-13)
    Parable Seven: The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-14)
    Parable Eight: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-32)
    Parable Nine: The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
    Parable Ten: The Pharisee And The Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
    Conclusion
    4.Four Sermons
    Sermon One: The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
    Sermon Two: Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) Sermon Three: The Good Samritan (Luke 10:25-37)
    Sermon Four: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15-11-32)

    Notes
    Bibliography
    Index

    Additional Info
    Stiller argues that Jesus’ parables, through their narrative, personal, and oral dimensions and reversal of expectations, provide unique access to Christianity for those whose experience and hopes we label “postmodern.”

    Aligning contemporary scholarship with today’s cultural assumptions, Stiller offers preachers a working knowledge of postmodern sensibilities, an understanding of the parable genre, an analysis of ten parables, and a sample of how one might preach them effectively.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series 8 Cycle B

    $49.95

    The challenge of creating a fresh, incisive sermon every Sunday can sometimes seem overwhelming — but if you have the all-new edition of CSS’ acclaimed Lectionary Preaching Workbook at your fingertips, you’ll never feel that way again! With penetrating reflections on Cycle B lectionary passages and a thorough discussion of preaching themes plus a treasure trove of supporting illustrations, this comprehensive volume is the perfect starting point for your weekly homiletic research. Carlos Wilton combines a scholar’s deep insight into the biblical texts with a pastor’s practical understanding of how to make them come alive for the people in your pews, and his astute commentary is sure to stimulate your thought process and provide plenty of seeds for developing messages with maximum impact. A handy, easy-to-use sermon planning template is also included to facilitate the process of building your sermon. The Lectionary Preaching Workbook is an indispensable tool that helps you to powerfully proclaim God’s Word while getting the most out of your limited preparation time.

    Each Sunday’s material includes:

    ? a listing of applicable Revised Common, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal lectionary texts

    ? a theme for the day

    ? commentary on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel lessons

    ? possible preaching approaches

    ? a pastoral prayer

    ? numerous illustrations to flesh out the message

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching Paul

    $23.99

    Helpful and insightful strategies for preaching from the writings of Paul.

    Few biblical figures are more compelling to preachers than the apostle Paul. The story of his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus is a favorite example of the way that God turns lives around. His writings contain the earliest witness we have to the Christian gospel. His message of God’s offer of grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is deeply appealing. So why is it that when it comes time to choose a text for this Sunday’s sermon, preachers so often choose something other than Paul? When Brad Braxton asked himself that question, he realized that preachers are often daunted by the size and complexity of the Pauline corpus.

    Drawing on his expertise as a New Testament scholar and homiletics professor, as well as on his experience as a pastor, Braxton offers the reader tools with which to wrestle more effectively with the complex, yet essential, message of Paul. Eschewing either a solely historical approach or a completely spiritual one, the author brings the two together to explore the meaning of Paul’s message in its original context, as well as its contemporary application. Written with imagination and depth of understanding, this book is for anyone who wishes to know Paul better and to preach from his letters more effectively.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • More Profound Alleluia

    $23.99

    Two questions lie at the heart of this rich, suggestive book: What are the theological implications of worship? and What are the liturgical implications of theology? Convinced that worship and theology are integrally related, the authors of A More Profound Alleluia show in practical terms how liturgy and doctrine fruitfully illuminate each other.

    Each chapter pairs an element of the worship service with related Christian teachings, clearly demonstrating how the great doctrines of the faith find their natural expression in the drama of worship and how the liturgy in turn finds its corollary in doctrine. The interrelation of theology and worship is illustrated with anecdotes from congregational life, resources drawn from church history, and themes from novels and films. Each chapter also includes two hymn texts that exemplify orthodox doctrine communicated through song.

    A More Profound Alleluia will be a valuable text for courses in theology or worship, will help worship leaders to plan services with greater theological depth, and will enhance worship for Christian believers generally.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching Workbook

    $19.99

    This book is practical, packed with relevant exercises, clear, non-technical and often very funny!

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Seeds Of Heaven

    $22.00

    This wonderful collection of sermons by renowned preacher, author, and speaker Barbara Brown Taylor is based on the Gospel of Matthew. Each of the fifteen sermons, three of them appearing here for the first time in print, is based on a reading from Matthew, including Exceeding Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-20), The Problem with Miracles (14:13-21), Family Fights (18:15-20), Once More from the Heart (18:21-35), Beginning at the End (20:1-16), and On the Clouds of Heaven (24:29-44).

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Without A Net

    $16.95

    Does the idea of speaking without a manuscript in the pulpit make you feel like a trapeze artist trying to negotiate a high wire without a net? There you are, balancing delicately in the stratosphere and holding on for dear life with nothing but you and your ballet shoes, wondering “Why, oh why, didn’t I bring even a sliver of paper up here to catch me when I fall?”

    For many pastors, preaching without notes is a terrifying prospect — yet reading verbatim from a manuscript prevents a sermon from being natural and spontaneous. This book shows how you can learn to preach freely without needing the net of written reminders, while still retaining full control over your material. It presents a concise and workable method for creating memorable sermons that connect with listeners. By focusing on delivery, Shepherd casts the entire sermon preparation process, including both study and composition, in a completely new light. Using this approach will make it easy to preach sermons without notes, because they were meant to be preached in the paperless pulpit.

    Featuring a user-friendly design, Without A Net is a convenient, instructive text for both beginning and experienced preachers. In addition to a complete system for constructing and delivering a sermon from start to finish, there’s a brief outline of the entire process that allows you to quickly locate more details on specific topics. A concise “nutshell” summarizes each chapter’s highlights, and there are plenty of pithy “hints and tips” to help you with the essential steps. Several sample sermons are also included so you can see how this approach actually works.

    Preaching without a net may seem like magic to congregations. But there’s no real secret; the answer is right here in this book. With a little practice, one day they’ll be asking you too, “How do you do that?”

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Whats The Matter With Preaching Today

    $28.00

    SKU (ISBN): 9780664226329ISBN10: 0664226329Editor: Mike GravesBinding: Trade PaperPublished: September 2004Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Print On Demand Product

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Playing With Fire

    $16.95

    The discipline of homiletics can be undertaken via many approaches. In Playing with Fire, David J. Schlafer offers an invitation to the art of preaching by way of metaphor. Metaphors are perhaps the best teaching techniques at our disposal, and two–fire and play–dance together across the pages of this book. Fire is multisensory and mysterious, life nurturing and life threatening, and the history of preaching is a story of sacred fire sharing. How can those called to proclaim the Gospel tend and transmit this fire? Perhaps by playing with it, by participating in God’s own sacred play.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Jazz Of Preaching

    $20.99

    What if preachers were as contagiously joyful in their preaching as Louis Armstrong was in his playing and singing? As rich in their sermonic renderings as Sarah Vaughan was in her musical vocals? As honest about heartache as Billie Holiday was every time she sang about the blues of life? As alluringly clear as the angelic voice of Ella Fitzgerald? As tenaciously uninhibited in the action of creating as Duke Ellington?

    Of course, this is too much to ask of people, even those called by God. However, it is not too much to ask this question: Can preaching be enhanced through the metaphor of jazz? Can an understanding of the inner dynamics of jazz–its particular forms, rules, and styles–inform one’s practice of preaching as well? Can jazz’s simultaneous structure and spontaneity help preachers better understand their own art? The answer to these questions, says Jones, is an unqualified yes. He explains how one can dramatically improve one’s preaching through understanding and applying key elements of the musical art form known as jazz. No musical background is necessary; all examples are well explained and tied in with preaching.

    The key elements include innovation (what one commentator refers to as “the experimental disposition of jazz”), improvisation, rhythm, call and response, honesty about heartaches, and delight. After discussing the reality and role of each of these elements in jazz, and how they can be important for preaching as well, each chapter concludes with five exercises for applying the jazz element to preaching preparation and performance.

    Drawing on a deep love of jazz and enlivening the discussion with insights drawn from the realities of African American preaching, Jones introduces readers to rich and rewarding possibilities for constructing and delivering the sermon.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching To A Shifting Culture

    $23.00

    A challenge to preachers to proclaim the Scriptures with authority and power in a post-Christian world.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Preaching The Parables (Reprinted)

    $29.00

    This guide to how one might preach New Testament parables responsibly provides an introduction to interpreting the parables and exemplary sermons that point out key interpretive decisions.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Moderatism Pietism And Awakening

    $58.99

    The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church is a multivolume study by Hughes Oliphant Old that explores the history of preaching from the words of Moses at Mount Sinai through modern times. In Volume 5, Moderatism, Pietism, and Awakening, Old brings the story of preaching up through the eighteenth century, showing how, after the tumultuous age of the Reformation, preaching in the eighteenth century was driven in several very different directions. The book’s first chapter considers moderatism, an inevitable reaction against the high tensions of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. In the second chapter Old discusses pietism, examining the contributions of Philipp Jakob Spener, Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, and other preachers. The remaining seven chapters delve into a variety of national or denominational schools of preaching.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart
  • Word Made Plain

    $27.00

    Preaching mediates the word of God into a cultural matrix. And no American preaching has done so more effectively and powerfully than African American preaching, claims noted homiletician James Harris. Known for its rhetorical strength, social-justice orientation, and dead-on connection to the community’s lived experience, black preaching is here analyzed and proposed as a model for all preaching.
    Harris grounds black preaching in the self-understanding of the historic black church and its most prominent preachers, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Samuel Proctor. Harris also explores the hermeneutical and aesthetic dimensions of preaching, especially at the intersection of sacred text and the broader culture. He then lays out the specific distinguishing characteristics of black preaching, including verbal cadence and rhythm, use of gestures, and, most thoroughly, the narrative model of the sermon. His last chapter, “Preaching Plainly,” provides specific instructions on how to put the sermon together employing this model.

    in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

    Add to cart

Cart

Your Cart is Empty

Back To Shop