Keep It Simple, Stupid

In my Bible reading notes this morning, Cliff Keys wrote, ‘Personally I have found the children’s address in many services is often the only bit of the service that everyone understands – but that may say more about my preaching than I care to think about.’

The mnemonic ‘KISS’ reminds us ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’. It’s seen it applied to educators, doctors, politicians, theologians, psychiatrists, musicians… Folks with a significant understanding and expertise need to be able to communicate effectively in words that can be understood by ordinary people.

Yesterday…

…I chatted to …a gent with significant mental health concerns, someone with a family issue involving legal action, a teenager considering her future, a young woman starting a new job, a friend concerned about a Christian leader making unwise decisions… Each situation is complex; ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’ is easier said than done.

…Paul explained how the organisation that he worked for, is now a government agency. There are new acronyms to learn, new guidelines to follow, new bureaucracy to get tangled in. What had been simple of inter-personal work – helping, supporting, mentoring, meeting people face-to-face, has been lost in impersonal screens and governmental requirements.

…Thea preached on Malachi. She explained the historical background… theological context… book’s structure… challenging questions that Malachi asked… applications to us today. All was very good. The bit I shall remember is Thea’s illustration… Her middle school woodwork teacher… making a box for her pencils… using sandpaper… How we need our rough, sharp edges removed by a divine sander…

Cliff was commenting on Acts 4… Peter and John are challenged by the rulers, elders and religious teachers in Jerusalem… ‘The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.’

Peter and John kept it simple. It’s a lesson that Cliff, friends, Paul, Thea and me are still learning.