You know, people by then are chuckling and they’re rolling their eyes and they are wide awake. At that point to try to find the right timing to say: it is important to talk to the maker. There it is: “Bing.” You kind of get that zinger in there. You’ve got to talk to the maker. Those are my favorite kind of stories.
I really enjoy making people laugh; I’ve discovered that’s a great technique. That’s as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that befriends you to them. It engages you with them and then you can come in; they will remember that point. Why don’t you talk to your maker? I would guess that about 75% of my stories are like that -- personal experiences that I probably over-milk. I try to be honest though, Michael; I really do try not to exaggerate the story. I try to be accurate. I have caught myself -- I’ll confess -- I’ve caught myself a time or two adding or embellishing. I don’t think that pleases the Lord. I don’t think He needs my dishonesty to convey His gospel. So I’ve confessed it to Him. I’m pretty good right now. In my younger years, you know, I would kind of embellish and I would feel a stroke of guilt; I think it was from the Holy Spirit, saying you don’t have to be dishonest to communicate the gospel.
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I remember Bob Russell saying whenever he had a story he was going to tell in which he was the hero, he always tried to precede it with a story in which he was the goat. Have you ever think about that kind of thing in terms of these personal stories?
Lucado: I think you have to be very careful about any story that puffs you up. You cover 50 yards on the playing field of faith with a story that downplays your success. You cover 3 yards, or you may even end up backward, with anything that up-plays or promotes you. The pulpit is no place for self-promotion. It is a great place for self-deprecation.
Preaching: And they do enjoy that don’t they?
Lucado: They do, they do. (Laughing) And you know, I’m their pastor. They know me. I mean I’ve been there 19 years. They know my strengths and weaknesses. I don’t ever mention if the books are selling well. I don’t ever tell them about trips I’ve been on. That disconnects me from them. That puts me in a world in which they don’t live, and I don’t want to be there.
Preaching: We’ve been talking about story, and that’s maybe part of a broader area of creativity. What do you think of the place of creativity in preaching?