Two questions

I caught up briefly with my friends Chad and Amber at the EMC event in Kansas City. Chad sent me these questions, which I thought others might find helpful:
1) What are your favorite resources for preparation to preach or teach? I am a pastor and always seek insightful and healthy resources, commentaries, authors, etc.
— On preaching/teaching: The best thing, I think, is to listen to good preachers. There are so many good resources for doing this. White people should be sure to listen to good African American and Latino/a preaching. Podcasts and youtube make this easier than ever.
I think Doug Pagitt’s book on preaching raises really important questions …
— Commentaries: I consult a lot of commentaries, but I keep coming back to Walter Brueggemann on the Old Testament and N.T. Wright on the New Testament.
— Fiction and Poetry: I think it’s good for people who make their living using words – preachers, teachers, writers, etc. – to expose themselves to great authors, and especially poets. I always try to have a work of fiction along with me, and I have a handful of poets whom I read again and again. Lately, I’ve been reading the poetry and fiction of Wendell Berry and Chris Abani, and the poetry of Mary Oliver.
2) You referenced a website that lists different retailers and companies that pay fair wages and are environment friendly. What are some sites that list the companies to stay away from and those to buy from?
— You can find more on this at everythingmustchange.org.
See especially Planet:Act:Ethical Buying