-
The Jim Twins. ...
Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Dec 18, 2012 (message contributor)
Maybe you’ve heard the story of the Jim twins. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were twin sons of a fourteen-year-old Italian girl. She gave birth to them in a small town in Ohio and then disappeared. They were adopted into two separate loving families, but after 39 years of life had never seen one another. They knew they had a twin somewhere.
Jim Lewis had always been haunted by a desire to find his twin brother. One lived in Lima, Ohio and the other in Dayton. Through the activities of a probate court, they found one another.
Picture the scene in your mind. Lewis drove to Dayton to meet his brother for the first time in 39 years. When he found the house he was so nervous he drove around the block three times. Finally, he stopped, walked up to the house and knocked on the door. All their families were with them. When Jim Springer met his twin brother Jim Lewis for the first time they stood staring at one another, speechless. They said it was like looking in a mirror. They talked, looked, thought, and acted alike. It was almost spooky.
Both men’s first wife was named Linda. Both had divorced and remarried. Both men’s second wife named was Betty. Both had just finished building wood furniture because both had the same hobby of woodworking. Having never seen one another, they were so much alike.
Would it sustain your joy and preserve your faith to know that after the trials of this life when you see Jesus there will be a surprising resemblance to Him? Does it do something for your attitude and response to life to know that these trials can actually result in your being wiser, more peaceful, more full of joy, and cause those watching you to have an improved opinion of Jesus? It is living hope that produces joy and faith.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Pastor Tells Of Standing By His Father's ... PRO
Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 10, 2002
"A pastor tells of standing by his father’s tombstone and reading the words, "Born 1884 - Died 1970." It suddenly occurred to him how much the little dash between those two dates symbolized". (Herb Miller. Actions Speak Louder Than Verbs. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988, p. 124). It is what we ...read more
-
A Couple Of Years Ago, Newsweek Magazine Ran An ... PRO
Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 6, 2005
A couple of years ago, Newsweek magazine ran an article on “Faith and Healing.” The article began with this unsettling story: “On a quiet Saturday afternoon, Ming He, a fourth-year medical student in Dallas, came across a man dying in the VA Hospital. Suffering from a rare cancer and hooked up ...read more
-
The Dictionary Defines ‘accident' As "An ... PRO
Contributed by W F on Sep 21, 2004
The dictionary defines ‘accident’ as “an unforseen event or one without apparent cause.” Any Christian who understands the sovereignty of God will immediately determine from this definition that there is no such thing as an accident. It’s like the cowboy who goes to buy some life insurance. The ...read more
-
Patience Makes It Happen PRO
Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 10, 2002
PATIENCE MAKES IT HAPPEN "The history books are full of stories of gifted persons whose talents were overlooked by a procession of people until someone believed in them. To name a few ... "Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read". Einstein became ...read more
-
Have You Ever Seen A Straight River? Canals Are ... PRO
Contributed by W F on Sep 21, 2004
Have you ever seen a straight river? Canals are straight, but all rivers seem to be crooked. We call it “meandering.” Why are rivers crooked? Because the natural tendency of a river is to take the easiest way around any obstacle. So rivers are always crooked, and they always run downhill. Some ...read more
Related Sermons
-
I Won't Complain Series
Contributed by Bishop Talbert Swan on May 29, 2010
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. The Lord wants us to speak life.
-
Wade In The Water
Contributed by Harold Miller, Jr. on May 6, 2013
An appeal to have a deeper walk with the Lord
-
Heart Is Where The Home Is Series
Contributed by Pat Damiani on Aug 13, 2007
24th in a series from Ephesians. How to make my heart a place where Jesus can be at home.
-
The Power Of Transformation Series
Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Oct 16, 2012
The Gospel has the power to radically change us from the inside out.
-
Matthew Levis To Wranglers Series
Contributed by Kevin Landis on Dec 9, 2006
Out of the clear blue sky, Take Aim, God is looking for some approved workers