I visited San Francisco for the first time in July 1978. Eager to see the sites-Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, and Lombard Street-I took a three-and-a-half hour minibus tour.
At Coit Tower the tour guide described the great quake and fire that reduced San Francisco to rubble on April 18, 1906. According to her, “It had been another dry year. When the quake hit at 5:03 A.M., it not only leveled many of the old city’s reinforced buildings, it also ruptured underground water sins. This enabled the raging fire to burn virtually unchecked.”
‘Since then,” she said, “the city has worked diligently to build strategic water reservoirs throughout the Bay area should another catastrophic quake
Preachers, too, need strategic reservoirs for emergencies. Few things panic speakers more than facing dry sermon on Saturday night, with nothing coming out of the homiletic spigot.
Yet how does one go about building these reserves? Finding answers to that question has been a lifelong interest of mine. As a preacher and adjunct professor of preaching, I’ve searched for down-to-earth ways to help both budding and experienced reachers dig cisterns for holding illustrations for night emergencies.
Stories and anecdotes
I’ve found one key is a system for filing illustrations.
By accident I discovered the simple, expandable, and inexpensive system described in Dan Baumann’s book, An Introduction to Contemporary Preaching, and over the years I’ve modified it.
To start, I would gather some letter-size file folders, a packet of four-by-six index cards, a three-ring notebook, lined three-hole punched paper, and a set of 26 dividers for alphabetic thumb tabs.
Let’s say the first illustration I decide to save deals with the topic of theology. I take a file folder and label it ILL.A, A meaning the first folder. When the ILL.A file has 25 illustrations, I start a second folder, named ILL.B, which will hold the next 25; ILL.C for the next 25, and so on.
Back to the theology illustration. I record it on a four-by-six card (or staple the clipping or copy to a card) and at the bottom of the card print A-l. In other words, this is the first illustration placed in the ILL.A file folder. Subsequent illustrations in the file will be labeled A-2, A-3, on through A-25, without regard to their particular theme.
Next, I title a sheet of notebook paper THEOLOGY, and place it in the three-ring notebook under T. I write A-l in the left margin, and then describe the illustration in one brief sentence. I think through this sentence clearly because it will be used to jog my memory later.
A key filing principle is “the longer it takes to store the information, the faster the retrieval.” The opposite is also true. Failure to carefully file illustrations at the outset leads to wasted time in recovery.
Since, like a multifaceted jewel, good illustrations often shed light in several directions, I consider whether the illustration speaks well to any other subject and usually cross-reference an illustration at least once. The theology illustration could probably also illuminate the doctrine of God. So I take a second sheet of paper, write the word GOD on it, write A-1 and the same one-sentence description, and file it under G in my notebook.
Many illustrations can be cross-referenced in more than two places. For example:
A theologian met an astronomer. The astronomer was frustrated with the theologian for making religion too complicated. He said, “Why are you fellows so obscure? You talk about supralapsarianism this, and traducianism that. You quibble over fine points of predestination and God’s omniscience. For me, religion is simple; it’s the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you..’ “
“I understand your frustration,” replied the theologian. “You astronomers often confuse me with your talk of expanding universes this and exploding novae that. You’re always talking about astronomical perturbations and galactic anomalies. For me astronomy is simple: it’s ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star.’ “
This story could apply not only to theology and God but also to religion, the Golden Rule, and doctrine. But I’ve discovered that two cross-references are sufficient for me to track down a particular illustration quickly, so I don’t complicate the process.
I’m ruthless when choosing “fileable” illustrations. Lame materials waste space and don’t get used. They take time to insert and later to wade through-and pass over-on a hectic Saturday night. I restrict my filing to bell ringers.
Saving an illustration is akin to selecting a piece of quality art. I like to think about it a while before buying. Through trial and error I’ve learned it’s wiser to collect patiently a limited number of masterpieces than scores of mediocre pieces.
Quips and quotes
Many have said to me, “That’s a great way to store illustrations and anecdotes, but how do you go about saving one-liners?” I used to use the same method, but it simply didn’t work. It was too cumbersome and time consuming for quips and short quotes. Now I simply carry a spiral note pad in my briefcase at all times. Whenever I read or hear a provocative thought, I immediately record it, including the date and the source.
Since I find my best quips and quotes while reading books or magazine articles, I often jot them down in sequence, always carefully noting the page num- L ber and identifying the source after the last entry from a single source. You can fit a huge number of one-liners and even sizable quotes into a single eighty-page spiral notebook.
Illustrations and quotes from books
Years ago I discovered the retrieval value of indexing my books. Whenever I find a memorable illustration, I bracket it and write ILL in the margin. Then I turn to the blank pages at the back of the book and write ILL at the top of the page. There I record trigger sentences and page numbers for future reference.
Whether you do any more than that depends on your memory. In years past I would finish a book, index it as described, and pass it on to my secretary for recording and filing. But I have since concluded that for me that was both time consuming and unnecessary.
I usually remember where to find a book illustration. I’ve discovered that even with a personal library of 2,000 volumes, I can quickly recall in what book a particular illustration or quote is located. I’ve also found that I identify with the style and storytelling methods of certain authors, and as a result, a relatively small number of writers generate the lion’s share of my book illustration stash.
If, however, you find yourself forgetting good material, tying those book illustrations into the system has the advantage of keeping all your illustrations indexed in a single place (the three-ring notebook). Instead of indexing in the back of the book, in your three-ring notebook write the book title and page number and then a trigger sentence. There is no need for a four-by-six card in the file folder.
When in doubt about whether to file, I remember the words of the Chinese philosopher: “The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest memory.”
-Gary Gonzales
Spectrum Ministries
Upland, California
Copyright © 1992 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
