9. Talk about your content with anyone who will talk about it with you. Listen and take notes. This is similar to #4, but the difference is that you do more listening than presenting. Fish the idea out just enough to get them to comment on it and then listen carefully.
10. Do something kind for another human being. It’s amazing how serving someone can get you out of a rut.
11. Scroll your Facebook NewsFeed and read the first three articles your friends posted. Think through how you would use them as supporting material/illustrations. Even if you don’t end up using them, the exercise gets you thinking.
12. Ask a question on social media about something that relates to your sermon. This is a great way to get input from lots of people really quickly.
13. Explain your main point(s) to a child and ask them if they understand. The process of making your message understandable to a child helps to simplify it in your own mind. If you can’t explain it to a child, you’re not ready to explain it to anyone.
14. Summarize the entire message in one sentence. This is like #8 but one step further. This sentence usually ends up becoming my main point.
15. Listen to a sermon on the same text. Listen to how some other preachers dealt with the text/topic you’re studying. If you end up using their ideas, always give proper credit.
16. Check out some helpful posts and podcasts on sermon prep at PreachingDonkey.com. Preaching Donkey is all about helping you communicate better every time you preach.
