I just started reading What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. Love the way he writes. And I love his philosophy of writing. “Our instinct as humans is to assume that most things are not interesting. But if you want to be a writer, you have to fight that instinct every day.”

I think that is one key to being a preacher or writer. I’ve tried to take this approach to life: everything is interesting. Or to translate it into a preaching philosophy: everything is an illustration. You have to be careful. Obviously, you want to live your life. And your kids are your kids, not little illustrations running around saying cute things! But great preachers and writers see an illustration in everything. Why? Because they are interested in everything. And the driving motivation is a holy curiosity.

Gladwell says: “The trick to finding ideas is to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story to tell.”

Love that.