In one of my seminary classes on preaching in the late 1970’s, the professor said we should start a little file of things we hear or read that might be useful in a sermon sometime: stories, quotes, illustrations, memories, prayers, poems, song lyrics, and jokes. He also had some suggestions on how we might organize what we save in a format that would be useful in our future ministry. I thought that was a good idea, so I bought a little recipe box and some 3×5 inch index cards, and started jotting things down. That filled up fast, so I bought some file folders and an expandable cardboard folder organizer. By the time I graduated from seminary, that was full. My first church office had a file cabinet, so I moved my folders into the top drawer, and my collection continued to grow. By that time, I was also filing away articles I had read, newspaper clippings, and any old sermons I thought were worth saving. About halfway into my ministry I entered the computer world, and that made writing, collecting, and saving much easier and more efficient. I have been drawing on all of that for fifty years, and I still have a closet full of folders and a computer full of digital data.. The idea from that old professor was some of the best advice I received in seminary, and I am still using it today.
Today, I am posting five good songs from my song folder.
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“FORGIVENESS” by Matthew West, 2012.
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“THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC” performed by The United States Army Field Band in 2016.
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“WELL DONE” sung by The Afters, 2018.
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THE NEW LORD’S PRAYER SONG, by Heart of Worship, 2022.
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WHEN HE REACHED DOWN HIS HAND FOR ME, performed by Johnny Cash.
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