Brief Spiritual/Emotional exercise
DOCTRINE, DOCTRINE, WHERE IS THE DOCTRINE
Here is a brief, simple exercise that can pay good benefits in several ways.
Stick a couple of three by five cards in your pocket for use throughout the day. Use them to play the theological identification game. As you move through the day, pause every once in awhile and try to name a theological issue that is germane to what you are experiencing. For example, you stop for a Starbucks coffee and you might recognize that the issue of stewardship is at hand. Later you happen to read in the paper of a corruption trial of a government official and you identify the doctrine of the total depravity of humanity. Later you unexpectedly are treated with great generosity by a total stranger and you name the experience of grace. The idea is to see how many doctrines and theological truths you can identify throughout a day or a week.
INVITE A FRIEND
On the one hand it sounds simple but I think you will discover several benefits from this simple act. First, it will stimulate your creative juices and remind you of the value of your theological training. Second, your world will become theologically alive and you will see connections that previously you over looked. From a pragmatic viewpoint, you will begin to find all sorts of theological illustrations that will enrich your preaching. The game like quality of the exercise will also lift your spirits. If you want to increase the fun, invite a friend to also engage in this activity and then meet a few days later for lunch and see who has identified the most theological connections in your lives.
Have some fun and sensitize yourself to the value of your theological training at the same time.
