Posted by Scott Newton Smith

The showdown.  The “early service.”  You know… the get-it-over-with crowd.  They sat there, droopy eyed and lifeless.  They had barely survived the song service.  The music guy, bless his heart, had done the best he could.  Just before I went up, he glanced at me as if to say, We’re fallin’ back, Cap’n, troops are demoralized.  We gav’er all we had.

I took the pulpit with a twitch in my eye and a bit wider stance than usual. Anticipation was rising in me.  Moisture began to form on the back of my neck.  (Click “play” now below for effect and keep reading.)

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They looked at me — or through me — I couldn’t tell.  I had been here before… and had been beaten before.  But not this time.  I was ready.  When I drew, it would all be over.  They’d be hooked.  I’d be sure of it.

What was my secret weapon?

It wasn’t anything I took with me into the pulpit.  It was something I took with me into the study.

It was an assumption.  It was the assumption that they would come into the service with no desire to listen. It was the assumption that they expected me to be boring, low-key and dry, that they would tune me out before giving me a chance.

So, I did my sermon development with the mindset that I have to help them listen.  I have to make them listen.  I have to provide irresistible, interesting content.

That one mindset trick alone boosts my creativity every time by at least 50% or more.  While it doesn’t always guarantee that every sermon will be a zinger, I always at least get better ideas faster and with greater ease.  I always start thinking outside the box more.

I work harder than most might, but it’s because I’m going for a bigger expected payoff in audience interest.  The result will tend to be far better than just passing the sermon time hoping the congregation will be spiritual enough to grab a nugget or two, rather a life-changing message that grabbed their attention and therefore, gripped their heart.

How ’bout you?  Do you have a mindset that helps you boost your creativity when preparing for delivery time?

If they don’t listen, is it their fault or ours, preacher?  What do you think?  Leave your comments below.