A wise old preacher who had experienced dynamic growth in his Church over his tenure was once asked what advice he would give young preachers. I will never forget his response. He said simply, “Don’t be boring.” To clarify, he said that he meant preaching, as it is always a good practice not to be boring. But, he primarily meant, “Don’t be a boring person.” 

Then he told the story of a woman in his Church who collected doorknobs and was an authority on the topic. She would research them, travel to shows to learn more, visit displays, and keep a catalog of all the types that had existed for the last several hundred years. Then he explained how people would want to stop her and talk everywhere she went. She had taken something seemingly mundane and made it into something with which everyone wanted to talk to her. 

He then talked about his life. He had simply gotten dull with age. He did the same things, in the same way, every day, and when people talked to him, his life was boring. Conversations dried up, and people did not want to be around him. Then he went out and bought a Harley. He and his wife began to rediscover a passion from their early years of marriage. They joined a motorcycle club. Suddenly, he noticed that people wanted to talk to him about his “bike” and his next trip. This finally gave way to talking about Jesus and the Christian life.

Now, as he looked back on his life and ministry, he saw that boring is the enemy of Jesus. It lulls people to sleep. It makes people think that the goal of every believer is to quietly sit in Church each week and share polite conversations about the weather. Instead, God gave us this one and only life to be used to enjoy his creation and do some exciting things. The more we use it, the more it opens up conversations that lead others to Jesus. 

One way to impact this world for Jesus is to maintain an exciting life. It will give you wonderful experiences and stories to tell. Those will open the door for so much more if you let it.