Thoughts 8.13.2026

     I mentioned last week that when I need refreshed that thinking and reading help me to get my edge back. Five novels in the last 4 days. Check! Now, about the thinking. Stuff happens. I had hoped to spend some sequestered time in the easy chair in my study. Alas, there were places to go and people to see. Where and when does one find time to let the mind wander? How does one find the opportunity to ease the mental tension. Briefly, a couple of suggestions.

    First, you can think when you are driving. I had to make a trip to the city (Evansville) last Monday. I worked through some preaching and pastoral issues that needed thought through. The only caveat is that one should not take notes when one is driving. I was able to mentally review some of the highlights that would be written up in my board report and even to “game plan” some approaching sermon/writing issues. 

Second, I did some personal reviewing. I’ve spoken and written about this periodically, but I did a deeper, more specific dive this week. The longer you preach and teach the more of your own material you squirrel away. I know that I will be writing a funeral sermon over the next couple of days—and I’m not interested in repeating entire sermons. I am, however, culling my previous sermons for turns of phrase, expressions, sequence of words that can be used in other contexts. In some contexts, this would be called “boilerplate” text. I’d like to think it is a bit more than that. What I am trying to assemble is well-written prose that can be re-purposed. If I was looking at the work of others, I would be clipping usable quotations that could be used and cited. The only difference is that it is my own work that I’m considering. Here is an example from a previous funeral message that will be suitable in many other contexts. 

“The Goal: 

       Guide you with Scripture,

            Focus on Christ, 

                  Give you hope,

                       Provide perspective,

                           Remind you of the Promise

                                   of Eternal life.”

    That’s exactly how it looks on the page. It is a transitional section; I’m simply stating to the congregation what my purpose is in preaching this (funeral) sermon at this moment. An additional goal is to ensure that I don’t promise too much. I’m there to use scripture to talk about the hope we have in Jesus. That’s the focus of a funeral message. 

    I know that there are many other well written phrases in the thousands of pages I have written. It is a more direct and practical sort of thinking than I had originally intended but it is different in focus than weekly work. The fact is that we have to relax as best we can. Sleep in a little, find a satisfactory diversion, get a good night’s sleep and continue with the mission.