Rewiring Your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons
$4.99 USD (HK$39.01)
What preachers preach is not necessarily what hearers hear. Have you ever wondered why some hearers are affected by a sermon but not others? The issue may not necessarily be the content or delivery of the message. It may be how your hearers' brains process what you say. Modern neuroscience illuminates how our brains understand and hear sermons. Verbal stimuli can be accepted or rejected depending on the context of how they are received. The brain processes new information differently than information that reinforces already-held beliefs. To have long-term effect, new information must connect with previous memory. Psychologist, physician and preacher Richard Cox shows that better understanding of the brain can help preachers be more effective in their preaching. Intentional, purposeful preaching can actually produce new neural pathways that change how the brain thinks and how its owner acts. Our brains are intimately connected with how our bodies work, especially in how brain stimuli produce behavioral responses and how people experience comfort and healing in times of pain. God is at work in our brains to enable his people to hear him. Preach with the brain in mind, and help your hearers grow in mental, physical and spiritual health.
TOC
2. Linking Brain and Sermon
3. The Brain Sees Preaching As Unique
4. The Brain Uses Preaching For Healing
5. The Core Process of Preaching is Brain Work
6. Preaching Provides Brain Energy
7. Brain Stimuli Produce Behavioral Responses
8. Preaching and Pastoring Are Different
9. Getting To the Brain with Theology
10. Preaching and the Brain in Pain
11. Brain Healing and the Soul
12. Brain Healing and the Mind
13. Brain Healing and the Body
14. Brain Healing and the Community
The Dénouement and Benediction
A Little Handbook for Preachers: Ten Practical Ways to a Better Sermon by Sunday
$10.99 USD (HK$85.93)
No function of the pastor is as visible and stress inducing as preaching. Being a good preacher requires learning the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical skills needed to effectively share God's word with a congregation. It demands a commitment to the craft of preaching. But few pastors feel adequately prepared for this high-stakes responsibility when they begin their ministries. Mary Hulst knows what it takes to preach well. Forged by her experiences as a pastor, preaching professor and college chaplain, she recognizes the challenges of the pulpit. In this uniquely practical book, Hulst provides foundational concepts and tips that all pastors can use, whether they are ministry newcomers or seasoned professionals. Preaching can bring both you and your congregation great joy and satisfaction, week after week. And A Little Handbook for Preachers can help you deliver a better sermon by Sunday.
Foreword by Mark Labberton
Introduction
1. Biblical Preaching
2. God-Centered Preaching
3. Grace-full Preaching
4. Compelling Preaching
5. Imaginative Preaching
6. Contextual Preaching
7. Relevant Preaching
8. Embodied Preaching
9. Self-less Preaching
10. Getting Feedback About Your Preaching
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Resources for Inspiration and Education
Notes