I love the word “apprehend.” I still remember a speaker from about thirty years ago giving the visual for this word by making the common-sense connection with a monkey’s prehensile tail. The fact that a monkey can grasp a branch with its tail and hang from it is a fascinating trait, as it also provides entertainment for onlookers at the zoo. When we apprehend something, we can grasp it well enough to hang from it.

At the speed of the 21st century, we are picking up and putting things down faster than we can apprehend. Speaking from my primary genre of work in conservative theology, much of the work produced today is superficial. Any work that appears to be knowledgeable, the unwitting public gobbles up because it seems to be exceptional.

This pseudo-intellect has swayed parishioners and sparked debates between them and their pastors because someone who sounds knowledgeable has written a book, published an article, or posted a fancy video with infographics. Although access to information is plentiful and beneficial, the average person does not appreciate it enough.

Since college, I’ve been fascinated with systems that organize information. It has been painful to watch over the years as pastors labor to write messages, investing so much time in their study, only to relegate their work to digital archives that are hardly retrievable. If you are a steward of all the resources that God has given you, you should include stewarding your knowledge. Then it will be repeatedly useful as you grow in your ministry.

In recent years, I’ve looked into the Zettelkasten system, which knowledge workers have popularized as a result of Niklas Luhmann’s work. Zettelkasten is a German word that means “slip-box.” Luhmann took every piece of information and wrote it on an index card. He would assign an ID to the card, allowing him to locate and index the piece of information. Once he noticed he had accrued a substantial amount of information on a subject, he would review that collection of information and write a permanent note. Since he collected information over a prolonged time, he could compare and contrast a host of bits of information for a well-written piece.

Beyond a direct connection, you will find that information from one topic will help illustrate or enlighten your understanding of a different topic. All of this is possible if you can interact with information. Your information can coalesce into knowledge. Your knowledge builds understanding. Your understanding becomes wisdom.

One of Luhmann’s goals was to collect a set amount of “slips” every day, which turned into a physical knowledge database of about 90,000 cards. Luhmann rose from obscurity to hold one of Germany’s most prestigious academic positions. He attributed his success—58 books, hundreds of articles, and several posthumously published works—to his system.

Just think of the impact you could have if you stewarded information! Since I have studied this system, I have made it my goal to collect seven pieces of information every day that I can store and steward for whatever purposes I may encounter as I serve the Lord.