In Sermon Illustrations: "Answering Honestly"

A Few Years Ago Calvin & Hobbes Were My Favorite ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Aug 14, 2001

A few years ago Calvin & Hobbes were my favorite cartoon characters - Calvin, the hyper-active little boy with a wild & vivid imagination, & his companion, Hobbes, a tiger. Well, in one cartoon Calvin & Hobbes were lying in the shade of a tree on a summer afternoon discussing the important ...read more

Tags: Restoration, Government

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

: Prayer Life Of General Stonewall ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Oct 10, 2001

Illus.: Prayer Life of General Stonewall Jackson General Stonewall Jackson had in his service a man who had become so accustomed to his ways that he was able to discern whenever the General was about to start on an expedition. Someone asked him how he knew the General was about to depart without ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Story Is Told That In The Latter 1800's, ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 13, 2001

The story is told that in the latter 1800’s, Alfred Lord Tennyson invited a Russian nobleman to his estate. And early one morning this nobleman took off with dogs & guns & servants to go hunting. At mid-day he returned & Lord Tennyson asked him how he did. He answered, "Not very well. I shot ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Anger

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Two Ministers Were Talking About The Kind Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Wood on May 29, 2002

Two ministers were talking about the kind of Sunday morning we all have sooner or later. The alarm did not go off. Various domestic crises occurred. The traffic was unusually heavy. Finally, when he arrived at the church, he was late and someone had his parking space. With his frustration level ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Denomination: Baptist

Have You Been Good?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2002

My pastor friend, Danny Moss, recent- ly told about the time he ’played Santa’ in a mall in Meridian, MS. Danny said he had children come through with up to thirty things on their ’want list.’ But one small boy really got his attention. Danny said, "I asked him if he’d been a good boy?" It’s a ...read more

Tags: Christmas

A Man Passed By A Cage At The Zoo And Noticed ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Nov 8, 2003

A man passed by a cage at the zoo and noticed that in the cage was both a large lion and an active monkey. He saw a zoo worker nearby and asked, ‘How does that work having both a lion and a monkey in the same cage? It works ok for the most part. Do they ever not get along? Every once in a ...read more

Tags: Peace

People Refuse To Believe That Which They Don't ...

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Oct 18, 2004

People refuse to believe that which they don’t want to believe, in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck. Upon their return to England, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:10-21

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Baptist

Grumbling Because Of Lack Of Soap

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Nov 11, 2004

Illus.: “Grumbling Because of Lack of Soap” In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side. And because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon, the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Wesleyan

When We First Came To Jesus, We Might Not Have ...

Contributed by John Stevenson on Dec 26, 2004

When we first came to Jesus, we might not have understood just how big He is. We came to see a winsome Galilean rabbi, but we found that He is so much more. C.S. Lewis makes this point in his Chronicles of Narnia when Lucy returns to the magic land and sees Aslan, the Christ figure. "Aslan," said ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Evangelical Free

A Man Thought That By Being Baptised He Could ...  PRO

Contributed by Stephen Wright on May 7, 2005

A man thought that by being baptised he could find salvation. A friend of his tried hard to explain that this was not so. But this man insisted that, as water would purify the body, so water consecrated by a minister or priest would purify the soul. Finally the friend used an illustration. "Suppose ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Baptist

I Read A Story Involving The Butterball Turkey ...

Contributed by Pat Cook on May 16, 2005

I read a story involving the Butterball Turkey company, which set up a hotline to answer consumers’ questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to ask about cooking a turkey that had been in her freezer for 23 years. The operator told her it might be safe if the freezer had been ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

Forest Gump's Momma Said, "Life Is Like A Box Of ...

Contributed by Richard Burkey on May 19, 2005

Forest Gump’s momma said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.” Anybody know the secret code for a box of See’s candy? I can figure out the ones with the nuts and the nougat, but crème fillings are always a mystery to me. Now if I made the chocolates and placed ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships, Endurance

Denomination: Lutheran

Never Really Connected  PRO

Contributed by Ervin Kimrey on May 21, 2005

NEVER REALLY CONNECTED One night I saw my 7 year old daughter walking around with a cell phone. She was talking away. She would ask questions, wait for a reply, and give answers to apparent questions: "Yes...no...maybe...I’ll have to check on that..." and so on. Finally, worried about the bill ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Baptist

What Does Freedom Mean?

Contributed by Kenneth Hampton on Jul 6, 2005

This is a story I came up with- A little girl asked her father what freedom meant. Her dad answered by saying, "Darling, freedom is something you can’t hold with your hands but that people have fought and died to protect. Freedom is something you can’t have without someone shedding their blood, ...read more

Tags: Political Freedom

Denomination: Baptist

During Wwii The 101st Airborne Division ...

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 21, 2005

During WWII the 101st Airborne Division spearheaded some major battles in Europe. They fought in places like Bastone where they were pounded with heavy artillery--then asked to advance toward Berlin against fierce opposition. Many lives were lost. Many who survived were highly decorated ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Charismatic

Source: Gonzalez, Justo, The Story Of ...

Contributed by Chris Tiller on Nov 15, 2005

(Source: Gonzalez, Justo, The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, HarperSanFrancisco, 1984.) In the year 155 A.D., Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna was arrested. The proconsul tried to persuade him to recant and save himself. Surely given his advanced age it would be better for him to avoid torture ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Visiting A Village School One Day, King Oscar Ii ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

Visiting a village school one day, King Oscar II of Sweden asked the pupils to name the greatest kings of Sweden. The answers were unanimous: Gustavus Vasa, Gustavus Adolphus, Charles X. Then the teacher leaned over to one little boy and whispered something in his ear. “And King Oscar,” ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

People Refuse To Believe That Which They Don't ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2005

People refuse to believe that which they don’t want to believe, in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck. Upon their return to ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Since ‘80 U.s. Mega-Churches Have Grown From A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

Since ‘80 U.S. mega-churches have grown from a few hundred to over 20,000. Peter Drucker calls this “the most important social phenomenon in American society in the last 30 years.” They have been successful because they asked, “What is value?” to nonchurch-goers and found answers older churches ...read more

Tags: Church General

Visiting A Village School One Day, King Oscar Ii ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

Visiting a village school one day, King Oscar II of Sweden asked the pupils to name the greatest kings of Sweden. The answers were unanimous: Gustavus Vasa, Gustavus Adolphus, Charles X. Then the teacher leaned over to one little boy and whispered something in his ear. "And King Oscar," volunteered ...read more

Tags: Christian Love