Illustrations - How Do YOU Capture Yours?
April 24, 2008When tackling the topic of sermon illustrations at last week’s Preaching Course, I mentioned that I capture illustrations using an A-Z subject file on my computer.
(Downstairs, mainhall: where our Preaching Course has been taking place)
Using 300 hundred categories I note down stories, analogies and quotes that I may find useful for some future sermon. Contrary other’s experience, I have discovered that I rarely come across illustrations ‘just when I need them.’ This means that I must constantly store up in summertime for winter. Alongside the illustration file, my other illustration store is my own memory banks and experience!
So fellow preachers: I’d be very interested to know how you capture illustrations. What do you do?
I had a (somewhat) premature senior moment.
I saw this post and was thinking, “You know, he’d probably appreciate the post I recently saw about the 7 Commandments regarding illustrations.”
Then I found it odd that the header on that webpage was the same as this.
D’oh!
I have about a half dozen sermon illustration books on my shelf, half have never been opened. The other half fell into disuse because they had nothing I found helpful.
I am no help here. I tend to rely on my memory and sit and think about what might work, but I’ve never taken the time to organize anything.
I tried the 3″x5″ card system in seminary, but that was a bust.
Really, I need a research assistant to whom I can say, “Find me a good whammy on X” and he can do that for me in 20 minutes.
How sweet would that be?!
I created a simple database in FileMaker Pro with two fields - Subject and Content. The Subject field is two lines in which I type any possible word I might use to search for a quotation or illustration. The Content field is a scrolling field that can contain (at least in theory) any size quotation.
Generally, when I am looking for an illustration, I simply search the Subject field. But I occasionally will search the content field as well.
I just … don’t. I think it is a good idea though. I have been preaching regularly now for two years and I suppose I might be beginning to see the need!
As with everything in life it comes with practice. I try to read the passage for next Sunday at least a week beforehand so that it is at the forefront of my mind and then find myself automatically filtering all news / tv / books / conversations etc. for illustrations of what I’m chewing over.
BTW - Jonathan, not as much as your congregation is seeing the need!!!??
Honestly, he’s a very rude man. I didn’t mean that I don’t use illustrations - just that I have no organised system for recording or storing them. I always use illustrations - in a similar way to that which John ’scared of spiders’ Smuts does.