THE PASTOR’S LIST OF LISTS
Michael E. Phillips
January 1, 1988
As I peered over the mountain of material cluttering my desk-calendar, desk pad, desk Day-Timer, electric pencil sharpener, filing baskets, reminder note pads, standing telephone directory, answering machine, calendar pen holder, future-planning scheduling diary-a strange thought occurred to me: Most of this junk is supposed to help me become more organized!
Since pastors run theirs lives by lists, I made a list of all the things on my desk I could do without. But then I didn't have the heart to part with any of them. All I produced was another efficiency list to clutter my desk
My desk inventory was not without gain, however. While rummaging I found several lists I had written years ago in an earlier attempt to get organized. Here, then, for your ready reference, are three basic lists a pastor needs. Read them, add to them, subtract from them-but please, don't leave them lying on your desk.
A Pastor's Ten Favorite Illustrations
1. Someone else's big mistake.
2. The bumper sticker I read on the way to church.
3. My last vacation.
4. My kid's darling, off-the-cuff remark.
5. Anything from Reader's Digest found while waiting for the doctor.
6. An old joke, which magically becomes "something that happened to a friend of mine."
7. The story of my only fishing trip, made to sound like an Audubon expedition.
8. The day I won "the big game."
9. The day I lost "the big game."
10. The day I finally told the truth about "the big game."
The Ten Most Overheard Comments at the Door on Sunday Morning
1. "Excellent sermon, Pastor."
2. "How do you keep coming up with those sermons?"
3. "There was a lot there to chew on."
4. "Better luck next week, Pastor."
...
6. "I liked the part where your toupee feel off [or you lost your notes, or your voice cracked]. ...
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