IDEAS THAT WORK--STORING & RETRIEVING SERMON MATERIAL
Gordon MacDonald
July 1, 1987
STORING & RETRIEVING SERMON MATERIAL
Most of us who speak regularly know the terrible feeling that somewhere we heard a great illustration or read a pointed quote that would make our presentation much more powerful-if only we could find it. So with time running out, we launch a frantic search through our minds and through dozens of books, periodicals, and sundry notebooks. Usually, we search in vain. The mistake here, of course, is looking for supportive material only when we are in the process of preparing the sermon. The solution is an effective storage and retrieval system for speaking material, a system much like a library, fed with material long before we need it, and capable of providing that material whenever we need it. Many have asked how I have approached this process. Although my system is adapted to my own way of thinking and studying, I offer it in hopes that what's worked for me may spark ideas for others. Simple and portable
I long ago determined any storage-and-retrieval system I adopted would be simple and portable. As I looked over various commercial filing systems, I found them admirable but often too complex. It also seemed to me that, while they were comprehensive, they did not reflect the fact that each of us has certain themes that seem to prevail in our thinking and leadership over the years. These themes will predominate in a filing system while many others will be virtually ignored. Without realizing I was developing a system of storage and retrieval, the first major decision I made, while still a seminary student, was to adopt a size of paper as standard for every outline, quote, illustration, and sermon note. Typewriter paper seemed too large for my purposes, while most index cards were too small. Ultimately ...
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