The feature positive effect (references: Ahrens-2017, 117) is the natural tendency to give greater importance to information that readily comes to mind or to information that has been more recently acquired despite the fact that it might not be the most relevant information. This is a powerful argument against just preaching whatever comes to mind first in sermon preparation. Awareness of this defect in our thinking does make us less prone to engaging in it. But the classical process of inventio (discovering things to say) sought to combat this by asking questions to find the most relevant facts and argument. We force ourselves away from the feature positive effect and toward discovery by distinguishing Law and Gospel, the fivefold applications of Scripture, and by asking questions like: What is not meant? What is excluded? What is interesting? Relevant? Why? So what?