Can an old dog learn new tricks?

Can an old dog learn new tricks? I think I am evidence that it’s possible.

I never enjoyed writing until I was seventy years old. I didn’t like writing term papers in high school and college. I put off starting the research until the last week, and wrote them the night before they were due. On the Thursday before they were due, I’d go swimming on Thursday night. I’d buy one Coke to split between Gail and me. I’d start writing about 10:00 p.m. I’d write a page, and Gail would type the page. That process went on until about 5:00 a.m. I’d go to bed and sleep until Gail finished typing that page. At that point, she woke me up. She refused to type the bibliography. I typed the bibliography, went to classes that day, and turned in my term paper. I’d play tennis, come home, and go to bed.

In my preaching, I enjoyed studying, preparing sermon outlines, and delivering the message. I didn’t like writing one sentence after another and one paragraph after another.

However, throughout my ministry, I wrote an article for the bulletin each week. For the eleven years I preached in Dalton, Georgia, I had an article in the newspaper office by 5:00 p.m. each Wednesday and never missed a week.

I read somewhere years ago that a person should do something every week that they didn’t like doing but needed to do. Those were my two projects each week that I didn’t like doing but needed to, and I found them profitable.

J.C. and Betty Choate visited Central in Dalton. He asked me what I was writing. I told him I didn’t like to write. He asked me about bulletin articles or newspaper articles. I described both of those. He asked me to send copies of my newspaper articles.

He printed the book What Does the Bible Say? in India in 1981. He did the second printing in the United States. Brother Choate printed volume two with the same title, with more articles in 1999.

I led my first New Shepherds Orientation Workshop for the Fairlane church in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in November 2013.

I started a blog, New Shepherds Orientation and Seasoned Shepherds Revitalization, in January 2015 to promote and supplement that workshop. It was at that point that I began to enjoy writing. Many people encouraged me, commented on different posts, and suggested topics to discuss.   

Gail and I started doing interim ministry in 2007. That was a new concept for our brethren at that time. Many people told me I needed to write a book about interim ministry. I would reply to each person who suggested that, “I don’t have time to write a book.”

I learned about a book called How to Blog a Book, by Nina Amir. https://amzn.to/3LmK4rY

What I learned from that book – I don’t have time to write a book, but I could write 500 words every two weeks. I outlined what I’d like to discuss in a book about interim ministry. I started the Between Preachers blog in January 2016. That book was published in January 2020. It’s available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. I’ll put links to these in the show notes.

A couple of years ago, our daughter, Christi Parsons, and her son, Braden Parsons, suggested that I start a podcast. My first reaction was that I didn’t want to do it. But after taking an online course, Audiobooks Made Easy, I decided I’d enjoy podcasts. This is episode 78 of something I at first didn’t think I wanted to do.  https://audiobooksmadeeasy.com/

Incidentally, I do much of my writing for blogs and podcast scripts by dictating into a word processor. I use Apple Pages. I say what I want written and have to do relatively little editing. I can speak faster and easier than I type.

My experience is that an old dog (eighty years old) can still learn new tricks.

What Does the Bible Say, Volume 1: https://www.worldevangelismlibrary.org/what-does-the-bible-say-vol-1-jerrie-barber/

What Does the Bible Say, Volume 2: https://www.worldevangelismlibrary.org/what-does-the-bible-say-jerrie-barber/

Between Preachers: You Can Grow Through Interim Ministry, Paperback: https://amzn.to/43cOQP1

Between Preachers: You Can Grow Through Interim Ministry, Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4oseaZV

Between Preachers: You Can Grow Through Interim Ministry, Kindle: https://amzn.to/47VE81P

Between Preachers: You Can Grow Through Interim Ministry, Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3Jw2dDg