Sondra Willobee

This book by a practicing preacher explores the joyful process of crafting effective sermons. Gathering the strategies of good writers, Sondra Willobee shows how to capture and keep listeners' attention, how to generate suspense through structure, and how to increase impact with vivid language. A variety of examples, exercises, and reflections turn each chapter into a preaching workshop. The book will rekindle the creativity of experienced preachers while helping new preachers develop a compelling voice.

"For the workaday homilist who must bring forth forty or fifty sermons into being every year, The Write Stuff is an indispensible guide to good habits and best practices for accessing all the gifts of language." -- Thomas Lynch

"Never mind my aversion to the term 'write' associated with the art of preaching. This book is dynamite--fresh, yet not an orphan! It will be difficult to read this book and not be a better preacher." -- Eugene L. Lowry

This is a Lectionary-based Adult Bible Study for Year B. Weekly session plans are included that can be used by a Sunday morning class on either the preceding Sunday or on the Sunday when the lections are read. This resource may also be used by a worship planning group to plan the liturgical elements of the service. Study groups at times other than Sunday morning will find it useful in preparation for Sunday worship.

"What a rich collection of reflection and profound thought that not only celebrates fifty years of full clergy rights for United Methodist women but also witnesses to the depth of commitment that has brought us to this place. Each fall a new group of women come to [seminary] on their way to ordination. This collection will be a great resource to fill their heads with the words of those who have gone before them." -- Maxine Clark Beach, Drew Theological School

"Liturgy has been called 'the work of the people.' With this collection of pieces that speak to different kinds of 'women's work,' I hope to convey the sense that all of our daily work is liturgy. Through the voices of biblical and contemporary women, I celebrate the work of women who tell the truth of their lives while they bake bread, heal wounds, clothe children, clasp lovers, lead meetings, sing songs, grieve losses, breathe prayers, write stories, build bridges, and light candles for justice. Though the phrase 'women's work' has traditionally confined women to house and home, I use it as a description of the worship women do when they offer their gifts to God wherever they are." -- Introduction