Sometimes, when delivering a series of messages at a conference or even a single presentation, I suggest a technique for applying lessons learned. Often people are inspired when they hear a speaker and are tempted to try to put several things into practice at once. I discourage that attitude with a little talk about focus. I show a picture of Clyde Beatty, the great circus lion tamer, and I ask:

What’s the significance of the chair?

The simple answer is that the lion is looking at the tips of four chair legs, which confuses the lion. He doesn’t know where to look. Too many things to focus on. I explain that this is what happens if you try to apply more than one thing from a sermon, a presentation at a conference, or even a book. We can do only one thing at a time.

So I encourage folks, even if they have three or four things they feel they need to work on, to pick one. Just one, and work on that.

Interestingly, Jason Gay, sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal, recently did an interview with baseball great Rod Carew, now in his 70s. Rod is a batting coach with the Minnesota Twins. Rod teaches what I just said:

The bad thing about video today is a lot of kids look at themselves and want to correct everything. Pick out something, work on it and then something else, and maybe the next day, you go back and work on that. – Rod Carew, as reported by Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal, August 18, 2022, emphasis mine

Rod had another comment worth sharing that applies to our Christian walk. Stay tuned.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. (Isaiah 28. 9 – 10, KJV)

This one thing I do… (Philippians 3.13)