In a recent article for Pastors.com, Ed Stetzer talks about ways to “love God with your mind” and sharpen your preaching skills. One of the most important: Keep asking questions.
“The best pastors don’t settle for competency or bare familiarity. The inquisitive mind is the mind that will communicate life-changing truth, because it’s always asking questions. The more questions you ask, the further you go in your curiosity, the better equipped you will be to captivate the spiritual imaginations of the people who come into your ministry. An ever-inquisitive mind results in an ever-interesting message.
“Read, read, read. Books and magazines, journals and blog posts. Big heavy theological ones and short light applicational ones. Venture into new genres and listen to new voices.
“The best pastors can’t get enough of people, concepts, ideas, theology. They stretch themselves. They test the boundaries of the ‘same old same old.’ They want to know how things work, what makes things tick, how to take things apart, what happens inside, where things are going, and why things are the way they are. They don’t take information for granted but squeeze information for all the juice it can give.
“This isn’t about getting puffed up with knowledge but rather keeping one’s mind sharp to better communicate and minister. The best leaders do the heavy lifting necessary to keep their brains from atrophying.” (Click here to read the full article.)