Eighteen years ago I heard a guest lecturer in one of my ministry classes share one of the most helpful tips for preaching, speaking, and communicating that I have ever heard. That lecturer was Dave Stone (who is now the Senior Minister at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY). The tip...
KEEP AN ILLUSTRATION FILE.
To be honest, I have my good days and bad days when it comes to collecting and saving illustrations. There are times when I find and save at least one illustration per day; then, there are other times when I will go weeks and not intentionally collect any illustrations whatsoever.
Today happens to be a good day.
Before I begin sharing the 5 places, if you have not done so already, you need to come up with a system to collect, save, and subsequently file all of your stories, illustrations, quotes, news clippings, etc. It used to be we would use file folders, a filing bin, or filing drawers; however, now we have the luxury of technology (cue trumpet fanfare)...
It's called Evernote. Evernote is the youth communicator's best friend. If you haven't begun using it to collect, store, and organize your illustrations, you may want to strongly consider it.
Here are 5 places to find GREAT illustrations:
1. Your own life.
YOU have more illustrations and stories than you can count... Trust me. The key is to write them down and store them somewhere that you can easily access them (ahem... Evernote). Stories about growing up. Stories about victories you have had. Stories about failures and mistakes that you have made. Illustrations about how fixing your car is like... Well, you get the point. If you can spare 30 minutes of thinking time per week to just think about your own life's stories and illustrations, you will be miles ahead of most everyone else.
Read Part 2 here...
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