In Sermon Illustrations:

On Habits

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 7, 2012

ON HABITS Someone Once Said... * Thoughts produce acts, acts produce habits, and habits produce character.--Anonymous * If we realize the extent to which we are mere walking bundles of habits, we would give more heed to their own formation.--William James* * First we ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:2

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Baptist

Miracle Mandy

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 5, 2012

MIRACLE MANDY The doctor told Marsha Mark and her husband they would never have biological children. In their disappointment, Marsha clung to a friend's words: "Somehow, God is going to use your struggle with infertility for his glory." Marsha began to pray for a glimpse of that glory. "I asked ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:1-20

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Baptist

The Unending Wish

Contributed by Tim White on Mar 5, 2012

THE UNENDING WISH When I was a boy, my dad asked me if I could have one wish be granted, what would it be? We played that game as a family, and every time my brother or one of my sisters thought of a better wish than I thought about, I would change my wish. Then my dad unplugged all the fun by ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Baptist

Feeling God

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Mar 4, 2012

FEELING GOD When we try to measure time or weight or temperature or speed or any of a hundred other things, we normally rely on instrumentation. But we can try to tell the time by using our feelings, such as how hungry or tired we feel, and our senses, such as how light it seems, is crudely ...read more

Tags: Time

Denomination: Baptist

Martin Sheen's Faith

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 2, 2012

MARTIN SHEEN'S FAITH Former Hollywood bad boy Martin Sheen says watching his son, Charlie Sheen, lead a similarly decadent life fills him with remorse. He worries that he learned to be a father too late. He particularly regrets his failure to share his faith. "I never lost my faith," Sheen says. ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:7

Tags: Family

Denomination: Baptist

The Importance Of Family Meals

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 2, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY MEALS "Kids who dine with the folks are healthier, happier, and better students, which is why a dying tradition is coming back." That's what an in-depth study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University concluded after nearly a decade of ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:7

Tags: Family

Denomination: Baptist

Anyone Else?  PRO

Contributed by Ian Du Pisanie on Mar 2, 2012

ANYONE ELSE? A man falling off a cliff grabs a branch. It starts coming loose, so the man looks to heaven and begs, "Is there anyone up there who can help me?" A deep voice answers, "Yes, just let go and trust me." The ...read more

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Baptist

A Sacrifice Of Praise Hurts!

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Mar 1, 2012

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE HURTS! Several years ago, there was a song on Christian radio that said, "We bring a sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord." It had a happy, upbeat tune. Listening to it, I had the feeling that the singers were intrigued by the words but had not personally ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Baptist

The Substance Of Faith

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Mar 1, 2012

THE SUBSTANCE OF FAITH Example: Give some play-doh to 2 people and ask them to create something out of that "substance" In the millennia-old Aristotelian tradition, as well as early modern traditions that follow it, substances or ousia are treated as having attributes and modes or things. This ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Pray And Read Your Bible

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 29, 2012

PRAY AND READ YOUR BIBLE A man was in prison and was in need of some money. He wrote his mother and asked her to send five hundred dollars immediately. Soon after, he got a package in the mail. It was a Bible. On the top of the Bible, there was a letter that said, "Son, I love you. Pray and read ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Baptist

Aging: One Plus One  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 29, 2012

AGING: ONE PLUS ONE Three old men went to the doctor for a memory test. The doctor asked the first old man, "What is one plus one?" "Two hundred seventy-four," he said. The doctor asked the same question of the second man, "What is one plus one?" "Tuesday," he said. The doctor tried the third ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:31

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Baptist

The Importance Of Friends  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 29, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDS One of the most thorough research projects on relationships is called the Alameda County Study. Headed by a Harvard social scientist, it tracked the lives of 7,000 people over nine years. Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-15

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Baptist

Spiritual Acne

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 29, 2012

SPIRITUAL ACNE Have you seen ads for Clearsil, Proactiv, or other acne treatments? They usually exaggerate things and show the face before and aft the application of the "miraculous" product that makes you look good and perfect. They also make sure you get hooked to the remedy so they can bank on ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-27

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Wearing 30,000 Bibles

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Feb 26, 2012

WEARING 30,000 BIBLES Years ago a missionary returned to England for a brief furlough after many years of faithful service in India. He was invited to a dinner at a great summer resort where he met many women of prominence and position. After dinner he went to his room and penned a ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Baptist

The Rhythm Of Our Brain

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 25, 2012

THE RHYTHM OF OUR BRAIN Studies of mechanisms in the brain that allow complicated things to happen in a coordinated fashion have produced some of the most spectacular discoveries in neuroscience. Our brain uses different rhythms in order to do complex operations like memorizing or remembering ...read more

Tags: Heart

Denomination: Baptist

Spiritual Arrhythmia  PRO

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 25, 2012

SPIRITUAL ARRHYTHMIA The primary function of the heart is to supply blood and nutrients to the body. The regular beating, or contraction, of the heart moves the blood throughout the body. Each heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses traveling through the heart. In the normal heart these ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:2

Tags: Heart, Spanking Kids

Denomination: Baptist

God Has A Rhythm

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Feb 25, 2012

GOD HAS A RHYTHM God has a rhythm. Everything has a rhythm. The universe has a rhythm. The planets in our solar system have a rhythm. The earth has a rhythm. The seas have a rhythm. The four seasons have a rhythm. Our bodies have a rhythm. Our heart has a rhythm. Our lungs have a ...read more

Tags: Sabbath

Denomination: Baptist

About God's Love

Contributed by David Tack on Feb 25, 2012

ABOUT GOD'S LOVE Some Things about God’s Love: - Love is not just a virtue of God. It is God Himself. - Love is not something God begins. - God does not “extend His energy to maintain” love. - The love of God is as eternal as the nature of God. - The love of God is ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Baptist

The 40 Martyrs  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Feb 25, 2012

THE 40 MARTYRS "History knows them as the forty martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome’s imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10, Luke 12:4

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Baptist

Know The True From The False

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Feb 23, 2012

KNOW THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE I have heard and read several variations of this story. Some relate it to training bank tellers, some to treasury agents, and some to FBI agents. I don’t know which, if any, is true. The story makes a good point even if none of the stories are true. It is important ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Baptist