Winter 1993

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Sermons grow stronger by wrapping your mind around big ideas.

"I could never be a pastor," said the man in a small group Bible study.

"Why not?" I asked, hoping he would wax eloquent about the long hours or the agony of being with people in their most difficult hours of life.

No such luck.

"Because," he replied, "you guys must spend all your time trying to find a thousand ways to say the same thing. I couldn't stand that kind of boredom."

"Oh," I retorted brilliantly.

After twenty-something years of ministry, I have accumulated more than a thousand ways to say the same thing. Creativity, I've discovered, is neither a spiritual gift nor a trick to find the right reference materials-at least that's not my story. Nor have I found creativity a matter of one side of my brain working better. (I can never remember which side is the creative one; I've always speculated it was the side my morning coffee affected first.)

But my friend's comment indicated one felt need of most pastors: we all seek fresh ways to explain the gospel over the years.

As she walked toward the church doors, she flippantly remarked, "Well, time to get back to real life."

Those words stung.

I thought back over the years when I've been subtly chided for being a church professional: "As a pastor you could never know what 'real life' is." Sometimes I'm sure the comment is meant as a compliment, that the church is a haven from the harsh realities of life. More often, though, I've taken that comment to mean that the church has created a miniature world different from the rest of creation, another way of saying, "Pastor Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

I've received other subtle indicators my congregation is not making the jump from ...

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