Sermon Central
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Opening Illustration With Marshmallows: Invite ... PRO
Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Aug 12, 2004 (message contributor)
Opening illustration with marshmallows: invite three or four from congregation who really like marshmallows - give each one a marshmallow.
Ask them to hold it, wait until you’ve walked all the way around the auditorium. If they can wait until you’ve walked all the way around the auditorium, they’ll get a second marshmallow.
Or, they can eat that one right away......
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We’ve just illustrated an actual experiment that was conducted at Stanford University in the 1970s. They used pre-schoolers in that experiment, and they had to wait 15 minutes to get the second marshmallow. But you get the idea.
The experiment at Stanford was designed to investigate the power of temptation. Preschoolers were left alone with instructions that they could eat one marshmallow right away, or wait 15 minutes and get two marshmallows.
Some went for the immediate payoff; others held back, distracting themselves from the puffy white treat by singing, trying to sleep or covering their eyes.
A decade later, researchers tracked down the children and, according to news reports, found that those who had waited for the second marshmallow...
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Sometimes Small Churches Look At Themselves And ... PRO
Contributed by Wes Richard on Apr 11, 2005
Sometimes small churches look at themselves and say, “Oh, we can’t do this and we can’t do that because we are too small. We don’t have the resources.” And their vision gets limited by their circumstances and instead of taking giant steps of faith, they take baby steps. I’m reminded of the story of ...read more
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Jim Cymbala Discusses The Importance Of Prayer In ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 16, 2005
Jim Cymbala discusses the importance of prayer in his new book Break Through Prayer: He states, "Everywhere I travel, I keep hearing the defensive teaching that fervent prayer, heartfelt prayer is really overrated and not necessary today. Since God is love, some people reason, we just have to ...read more
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From "The Quickening"
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 16, 2005
Opening Illustration: From the Quickening Our clip illustrates from history and current day stories the power of revival to transform individual people and who in turn then help transform an entire nation from ungodly nations to godly nations. Clip is 35 minutes long covers the history of ...read more
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Lordship Is Like "Leader" Or "Director." I Think ... PRO
Contributed by Jason Powers on May 3, 2003
Lordship is like "leader" or "director." I think of it like a personal piano teacher. Your teacher knows your skills and knows how to get you to the next level because they’ve been there before. They may have you do drills or exercises that will help you get stronger or more dexterity in your ...read more
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I Remember Hearing The Director Of The George ... PRO
Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Oct 18, 2000
I remember hearing the director of the George Muller Foundation telling of God’s perfect timing in the provision of guidance and resources. The Foundation had been requested to commence a new child-care project which would require a great commitment in time and resources. The trustees decided ...read more
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