Birthing the Sermon (Chalice Press), edited by Jana Childers, offers the insights of a dozen women in ministry as they consider how they approach the creative process for preaching. Each chapter also includes a sample sermon from the contributor. Childers (who also contributes a chapter and sermon) is professor of homiletics and speech-communication at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

As preachers we observe with both gladness and trepidation the growing conversation about corporate worship. Among the new books which deal with this issue is The Dynamics of Corporate Worship (Baker Books) by Vernon M. Whaley. A minister of music (at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL) and former college professor of music, Whaley seeks to clarify the principles behind worship which can lead people to an appropriate and dynamic experience with God. A related book by Brad Berglund is Reinventing Sunday: Breakthrough Ideas for Transforming Worship (Judson Press). Berglund provides a practical resource for pastors and church leaders who want to think more deeply about the worship experience. Filled with useful ideas and timely quotes, this book would be an excellent resource for personal study or even for a church staff to discuss together.

Each year brings with it some new published collections of sermons, though not nearly as many as once graced the shelves of Christian bookstores, back when "Amazon" referred to a river in South America! Two recent offerings from a frequent contributor to Preaching are Wedding Sermons and Marriage Ceremonies and Let's Get Committed (both from CSS Publishing) by Derl G. Keefer. The former volume -- co-authored with Cheryl Rohret -- contains 14 fiveminute wedding messages which cover a variety of life situations faced by pastors as they minister in this setting. The latter book contains a selection of excellent sermons based on Old Testament texts. (The texts are drawn from the lectionary Cycle A for Sundays after Pentecost.)

Another contributor to Preaching, Rick Ezell, is author of Cutting to the Core (Kregel), a book on "the seven components of Christian character" drawn from sermons preached at Naperville (IL) Baptist Church, where he serves as pastor.

Judson Press continues to provide the excellent series Outstanding Black Sermons, edited by Walter S. Thomas. This year's Volume 4 contains messages from H. Beecher Hicks, James C. Perkins, Alfred A. Owens, Jr., and 13 other contributors.

Yes to Peace: Sermons on the Shalom of God (Chalice Press) contains 24 sermons on peace, many of them preached at the beginning of the millennium. The collection is edited by R. Scott Colglazier, senior minister of University Christian Church in Fort Worth, TX.

Another source of sermons and sermon ideas are the various annual handbooks produced by various publishers. (As the former editor of the Abingdon Preaching Annual, I can testify to the hard work that goes into producing these volumes!) A new publication in this area is the Nelson's Annual Preacher's Sourcebook, 2002 Edition (Thomas Nelson) by Robert J. Morgan. Morgan, a Nashville pastor, has done an excellent job of gathering a large collection of sermons and worship resources into a single volume, which comes with a corresponding CD-ROM. In addition to 52 regular sermons, the volume contains additional sermon outlines, special occasion sermons, weekly worship plans, and a variety of other materials. This is a fine addition to the field of ministry resources.