The most bizarre thing is happening: my 92 year old mother has become intensely interested in the presidential campaign this year for the first time in anyone’s memory. Is it because her husband of nearly 74 years died last November and this is the first election she’s endured without him? Dad watched it all and had convictions on everything and everyone. (I still recall sitting by the radio with him listening as Harry Truman campaigned against Thomas Dewey in ’48.)

Dad was the dyed-in-the-wool labor Democrat and Mom the Republican-because-that’s-how-I-was-raised. Now, without Pop to interpret the debates and comment on the political shenanigans, she keeps up with them and wants to discuss them with her children. She thinks women are jealous of Sarah Palin and that’s why they’re not supporting her.

As I say, it’s totally strange and unlike anything we’ve seen from her all these years. And, we think it’s absolutely wonderful.

How many 92-year-olds do you know who don’t have a clue which century they’re living in? We’re more than blessed and know it.

Watch yourself, Governor Sarah and Senator Biden; Lois is watching.

Mike Murphy, GOP political consultant, writes in the October 6 issue of TIME about how the candidates prepare for these debates. In a word, the strategists work with them to plan every detail, even down to preparing the off-the-cuff remarks.

For several days prior to the debates, the staffs hold practice runs with the candidates. “The first trick,” Murphy writes, “is to practice with a stand-in who has memorized the opposing candidate’s likely answers.” After all, he says, there are only about 20 “typical” questions. Who knew that? I didn’t.

It is crucial that your candidate not hear his opponent’s answers for the first time when on stage for the debate. If that happens, he will be caught unawares and runs the risk of thinking, “Great answer. I’ve got nothing that good. I’m a loser.” And then he’s really sunk.

Murphy says one of a consultant’s biggest tasks is helping the candidate master one basic rule: never ever make the rookie’s mistake of actually answering the question you are asked. How’s that?

As any observer of political fights for a few years has noticed to his frustration, the idea is to make a bee-line as quickly as possible to your key campaign message.

That could go something like this:

Question: “Governor, tell us your wife’s name and the names of your children.”

Answer: “I have a wonderful family. Nothing is more important to America’s welfare than our homes and our families! That’s why our platform has blah blah blah.”

Another irritating trait of these debates is the result of candidates taking the advice of their consultants: keep on talking until the moderator forces you to stop. “Airtime is gold,” Murphy writes.

If you strike gold in these debates, Murphy indicates, it may mean you have come up with a devastating one-liner. Like Reagan telling Carter in 1980, “There you go again.” Or Lloyd Bentsen telling Dan Quayle, “You are no Jack Kennedy.”

And so, they try to anticipate everything that might come up, everything the opposition could say, any eventuality that could occur–and feed their candidate possible quips that are appropriate.

The poor candidate, however, only has so much mental capacity. Along about now, he/she is crying, “Leave me alone. That’s it. I’ll handle it.”

Pastors might learn a lot from these debates, yes, but particularly from the preparation for debates. Anticipating what might be asked and planning one’s answers is a great way to walk into any meeting confidently.

Soon after you are called into the ministry, you will be sitting before an ordination council. They will throw questions at you, some harder than others. Some will be trick questions, designed to see if you know how to say, “I don’t know.” So–get someone to practice with you.

You will be interviewed by pastor search committees. They’ll want to know your personal testimony, your thoughts on women in ministry, the interpretation of Matthew 24, and what to do about children chewing gum in the worship center. Get a pastor friend who has been-there/done-that to prep you. If nothing else, you’ll find avenues of discussion you want to avoid, detours you do not want to take, subjects you want to avoid.

Always remember Mike Murphy’s advice to political candidates: when asked a question, as soon as you can, move on to your central message and hammer home what you want your audience to know and remember.

Someone once said of Winston Churchill that he spent hours planning his spontaneous remarks for the House of Commons.

What’s this—we’re suggesting that a preacher invest some time and effort in planning his announcements for Sunday? his welcome to visitors? the introduction to his sermon? his prayers? his concluding remarks? his presentations in business meetings?

The very idea–planning! How revolutionary!

How positively refreshing.