Get back hours of your week. Keep your voice.
Study Desk turns Claude into a careful study partner for sermon and homily preparation. It works through the passage with you, lays out the interpretive options in your tradition, sharpens your main idea and outline, and drafts the small-group guide and Sunday email so you have more time for people.
Get Study Desk Pastor Prep for $29 See the church year dates
- One-time $29
- Instant email delivery
- 14-day refund
- Works on any Claude plan, even free
Study sheet: Luke 15:11–32
Series: Lost and Found, week 3 · NIV · 25 min expository
Within your traditionNo invented quotesSmall-group guide ready
- ContextThird of three "lost" parablesAnswers the grumbling in 15:1–2: the older brother is the pointStudy
- StructureTwo sons, two ways to be far from the father15:11–24 the younger · 15:25–32 the older · open endingStudy
- Main ideaThe Father runs to the lost and pleads with the foundOption 1 of 3 · rewrite in your own wordsDraft
- IllustrateYOUR STORY: a time you waited for someone to come homePrompt only. Never an invented anecdoteYour story
The study partner every pastor wishes they had
One skill for the whole week of preparation. Claude picks the right part from what you ask.
Passage study
Context, genre, structure, key words, background and cross-references, with how certain each claim is.
Interpretive options
Where Christians differ, the main views laid out fairly, labelled by tradition. You decide.
Main idea and outline
Expository, narrative or lectionary homily structures that flow from the text, with a time budget.
Illustration prompts and application
Prompts for your own stories, true illustrations to verify, and application for every age.
Series and lectionary planning
Series across the church year, with Revised Common Lectionary and other cycles handled.
Groups, kids and communications
Small-group guides, children's messages, liturgy elements, bulletins and the weekly email.
Ask it like you'd ask a trusted colleague in the study
It reasons from the text and respects your tradition and your voice.
Start with the context: 8:28 is part of an argument, not a slogan
The verse sits between the Spirit interceding "with groanings" (8:26–27) and the chain of God's purpose (8:29–30). Paul isn't saying everything that happens is good; he's saying God works in all things for the good of those who love him, and 8:29 defines that good: being conformed to the image of his Son.
Two things to note in the text
- Translation: some manuscripts and translations make God the explicit subject ("in all things God works"), others read "all things work together". Worth a sentence if your translation differs from what people have heard.
- The surrounding verses are full of suffering (8:18–23, 8:35–36). Paul holds pain and hope together.
Main idea options
- God doesn't waste our suffering; he works in it to make us like Jesus.
- Romans 8:28 isn't a bandage for grief; it's a promise for the long road.
Illustration prompt: a time you saw someone hold grief and faith at the same time. Your story, told your way.
Integrity built in
Study Desk is designed for pastors who care how their sermons are made.
- No invented quotesIt never fabricates quotations from theologians or commentaries. It tells you where to check.
- No invented storiesIllustrations are prompts for your own stories or true ones to verify, never made-up anecdotes.
- Your traditionIt works within your denomination and confession, and lays out other views fairly when they differ.
- Careful with Greek and HebrewWord meanings in context, without the common word-study fallacies.
Up and running in two minutes
No app to learn and nothing to install on your computer. It lives inside Claude.
Buy once
Pay $29 by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your download link arrives by email in about a minute.
Add it to Claude
Upload the ZIP in Claude under Customize, then Skills. It takes about 30 seconds. No setup, no accounts.
Just ask
"Study sheet for Psalm 23." "Plan an 8-week series on Philippians." "Small-group guide from Sunday's sermon."
Start with the free Passage Study
A small skill that builds a one-page study sheet for a single passage, ready for sermon prep or a Bible study.
- Context, genre and structure
- Key words and cross-references
- Main idea options to rewrite
Get Study Desk Pastor Prep
Pay once, use it every week, with a year of updates. Includes the free Passage Study too.
How to add it
- Claude on the web or desktop: don't unzip it. Open Customize, then Skills, click +, choose Upload a skill and pick the ZIP. It works on any Claude plan, including the free one: just turn on code execution in Settings, Capabilities.
- Claude Code:
unzip study-desk-pastor-prep.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/ - Start a new chat and try: "I'm preaching on Luke 15:11-32 this Sunday, 25 minutes, expository. Help me study it."
Study Desk Pastor Prep
Study, outline, plan and communicate, every week.
$29 one time
- In-depth passage study sheets
- Interpretive options by tradition
- Main idea, outline and time budget
- Illustration prompts and application
- Series and lectionary planning
- Small-group guides and children's messages
- Liturgy and weekly communications
- Updates for a year
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New to Claude?
Claude is an AI assistant made by Anthropic, like ChatGPT. Study Desk is a skill: a set of expert instructions you add to your own Claude account, so Claude answers like a study partner who knows the text and your tradition who knows the craft.
- Make a Claude account at claude.ai. Skills work on every plan, including the free one; paid plans give more usage.
- Turn on code execution in Settings, Capabilities (skills need it).
- Try the free Passage Study skill first. If you like it, the full skill is one purchase.
Not ready for Claude? The free church year calculator on this site works in any browser, no account needed.
Questions
Will it write my sermon for me?
It's built as a study partner: research, structure and first drafts of supporting material. If you ask for a manuscript draft, it marks places for your own stories and encourages you to make it yours.
Which traditions does it work with?
Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and others. Tell it your tradition, confession and translation and it works within them, and lays out other views fairly where Christians differ.
Does it use the lectionary?
Yes. It knows the church year and the Revised Common Lectionary cycle, and asks you to confirm readings with your denomination's lectionary where they differ.
Is it only for Sunday sermons?
No. Bible studies, small groups, youth talks, children's messages, liturgy, devotionals and newsletters all work.
What do I need to use it?
A Claude account on any plan, including the free one, with code execution turned on (Settings, Capabilities). Free accounts have lower usage limits, so long planning sessions go further on a paid plan. It works in Claude on the web, the desktop app and Claude Code.
What if it doesn't work for me?
Email hello@whatiflabs.ai within 14 days of buying and we'll refund you in full. No forms, no questions.