In Sermon Illustrations:

A Kiss That Changed A Prodigal Into A Preacher!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

The late Joe Bayly was a gentle, godly Christian leader. I once heard him tell how one of his sons rebelled back in the days of the hippie movement. He grew his hair long and moved into a communal flophouse. Late one night, Bayly received a call informing him that his son was being held at one of ...read more

Tags: Prodigal Son, Fathers, Fathers And Sons, Luke 15, Parables, Lost, Father's Love, Unconditional Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lost At Sea For Nine Months!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

LOST AND FOUND - Three Mexican fishermen who disappeared while on a short shark fishing trip were rescued in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, after spending 9 months on the open sea. The men said they survived by eating raw fish, ducks, and seagulls, drinking rainwater, and reading the Bible. They ...read more

Tags: Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son, Luke 15, Celebration, Parables, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Big Party Is Waiting For You At Home! (The Modern Prodigal Daughter)

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

I think you are all familiar with the parable that we call the “Story of the Prodigal Son.” Well, I want us to consider it again with a little different twist. Listen to the story in a modern setting as told by Philip Yancey in his book “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” Yancey tells of a prodigal ...read more

Tags: Prodigal Son, Luke 15, Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Parables, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lucky Dog

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

A family put the following ad in the "Lost and Found" section of the paper: "Lost Dog: Crippled in front paw, blind in left eye, mange on back and neck, tail missing. Recently neutered. Answers to the name 'Lucky'". He truly was a lucky dog, because in spite of all ...read more

Tags: Lost, Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son, Luke 15, God's Love, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Prodigal Son In The Key Of F

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 14, 2022

Feeling footloose and frisky, a foolish fellow forced his father to fork over his fourth of the family farthings and flew far to a foreign field where he fast frittered his father's fortune feasting foolishly with faithless friends. Fleeced by his fellows and folly, and facing famine he found ...read more

Tags: Humor, Repentance, Parables, Lost, Prodigal Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Greatest Singer!

Contributed by Tony Abram on Mar 13, 2022

J.S. Bach said, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub." He headed his compositions: "J.J." "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17

Tags: Joy, Singing

He's My Father!!!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman emperor was once enjoying a great victory. He had the privilege of marching his troops through the streets of Rome with all of his captured trophies, and his prisoners behind him. This emperor was marching with his troops; the streets were lined ...read more

Tags: Lord's Prayer, Heavenly Father, Father, Children, Worship, Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Praying The Alphabet!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

A father walked by his daughter’s bedroom door which was cracked just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused and listened. He was puzzled though to hear her reciting the alphabet: ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Humor, Lord's Prayer, Jokes, Needs, Children  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Live Like An Orphan When You Have A Father In Heaven!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

Said the Robin to the sparrow, "I should really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush around and worry so." Said the Sparrow to the Robin, "Friend, I think that it must be, That they have ...read more

Tags: Faith, Father, Prayer, Providence, Will Of God, Sovereignty Of God, Needs  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Things That Happened At Midnight In The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

"MIDNIGHT" — Did you ever notice how many things in the Bible took place at midnight?   A. It was at midnight that the Lord God passed through Egypt, killed all the firstborn, and brought Israel out of the land of bondage with his mighty hand and stretched out arm (Ex. 11:4; ...read more

Tags: Parables, Lord's Prayer, Persistence, Midnight, Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God The Father In The Old Testament

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

God is only referred to as "Father" fourteen times in the Old Testament's thirty-nine books, and even then, rather impersonally. In those fourteen occurrences of Father, the term was always used with reference to the Nation of Israel, not to individuals. In the entire Old Testament, ...read more

Tags: Old Testament, Grace, Father, Law, Prayer, Lord's Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Make Room For The Tide!

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Mar 12, 2022

"Years ago, a wealthy businessman from London chartered a bus to carry a busload of urban children to the coast. There, the children spent a wonderful day at the ocean. Many of the children had never left the city. Most had never seen the ocean. For one blissful day, they ran unfettered over ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18

Tags: Make Room, Spirit Filled, Ocean, Full, Tide  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Bring A Bigger Basket!

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Mar 12, 2022

"A missionary in Africa had a farm some miles from the mission station. The season had been very favorable, and he had a large crop of corn on the mission farm. When the crop was ready to harvest, he made a public appeal to the Africans, asking them to help him carry his corn from the farm to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:38

Tags: Harvest, Giving, Basket, Receiving

Denomination: Pentecostal

Laughter Is Not For Sissies

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 12, 2022

Since birth, I have been infected with a Laughter-Virus. I’m not sure which side of the family it came from, or it could’ve come from both sides. But the least little thing will make me laugh. Sometimes I have a hard time stopping laughing. I have yet to find a mask big enough to cover my face ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 126:2

Tags: Virus, Laughter

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Cipa (Congenital Insensitivity To Pain With Anhydrosis)

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Mar 10, 2022

Not far from my home lives a young woman who was born with a very rare disease called CIPA, congenital insensitivity to pain with anhydrosis. Imagine having a body that looks normal and acts normally, except for one thing: You cannot feel physical pain. That sounds as if it would be a blessing. But ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Pain, Prayer

Denomination: Brethren

It All Happened On A Subway

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Mar 10, 2022

Marcel Sternberger was a methodical man of nearly 50, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary. He always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, N.Y.., where he caught a subway into the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10

Tags: Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Chance, Divine Appointments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

Names

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 9, 2022

Our country boasts 18 doctors named Dr. Doctor and another called Dr. Surgeon. Yes, we have a dermatologist titled Dr. Rash, a psychiatrist who goes by Dr. Couch, and an anesthesiologist named Dr. Gass. But when it came time to name Jesus, the Hebrew name, "Yeshua" has the same sound ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21

Tags: Jesus, Name, Identity, Yeshua, Names  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Dieting An Old Tradition

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 9, 2022

How long have Americans been obsessed with dieting? I cannot answer that question, but I do have a CD of Eddie Cantor singing, “My Wife is On A Diet” from 1929. It features lyrics like, “No more gravy and potatoes, only lettuce and tomatoes! Where are the pies I adore?” And then there is my 1932 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:12

Tags: Diet, Vanity, Waistline

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Language Deficit

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 9, 2022

. As families become more dysfunctional, social skills decline. A number of school counselors are noting a rise in “language deficit.” Some parents rarely converse with their children but use the television as a nanny. The result: children recognize but do not grasp the meaning of COMMON words. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:29-32

Tags: Communication, Speech, Talking, Social Skills, Language Skills  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Jumping Jehoshaphat

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 9, 2022

Where does the expression “jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” come from? A reader wrote in to ask, and I had a lovely time trying to figure it out. No one is sure how Jehoshaphat’s name ended up in this interjection, or why he’s jumping, but there are several interesting possibilities. This mild oath first ...read more

Tags: Jehoshaphat, Judah, Kings, Slang, Expressions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible