In Sermon Illustrations: "big decisions" showing 2,361-2,380 of 2,742

When Steve And I Went To Germany To Live, I ...

Contributed by Amanda Wilson on Oct 20, 2007

When Steve and I went to Germany to live, I didn’t know any German, and I knew so little about what it was like to live in Germany that I set out to live there with what I now see as an unbelievably naive optimism that was close to sheer stupidity in its ignorance. Sure I’d seen Germany on TV, and ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Comfort In Captivity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

COMFORT IN CAPTIVITY We all want our lives to have some semblance of control. We want to feel safe and secure. We want to have victory in our lives over our troubles. Jesus, the triumphant King, has come to enter your life to do just that. You must give up your power and control over your life. ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Pastor John R Ramsey Once Wrote, "For Some Time I ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 1, 2008

Pastor John R Ramsey once wrote, “For some time I have had a person provide me with a rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not think much of it. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but it became routine. ...read more

Tags: Kindness

Denomination: Wesleyan

A Girl's ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A GIRL’S PRAYER When in college Robert J , Morgan came across a poem written by a teenage girl looking for a husband. It was written as a prayer, and this is what she said: Dear God, I pray all unafraid / As girls are wont to be I do not want a handsome man / But make him, Lord, like Thee. I do ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Brother Like That  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

A BROTHER LIKE THAT A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. Paul nodded. "My brother gave ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Christmas

Christian One Liners  PRO

Contributed by Tony Abram on Aug 22, 2008

Christian One Liners Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited, until you try to sit in their pews. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Many folks want to serve God, but ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:2, Luke 4:1-13

Tags: Change, Transition, Obnoxious, Rest, Christian Disciplines  (view more)  (view less)

Loving Without Agreeing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

LOVING WITHOUT AGREEING We can love others without totally agreeing with them. Often love is worked out by agreeing to disagree. We can offer love and care for people who are different from us and people we don’t agree with. This fact is illustrated by a true story that took place in the state of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Christian Love

A Few Years Ago I Had The Opportunity To Travel ...

Contributed by Tyler Edwards on Sep 22, 2009

A few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Italy on a Mission trip to work with some local missionaries and help them get their church developed. It was a great trip we got to go to Rome which I was really excited about. On our way back we had an 18 hour layover in Munich. So rather than ...read more

Tags: Misconceptions

Denomination: *other

Loving The Outcasts  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

LOVING THE OUTCASTS One of the more remarkable movements of modern times is Alcoholics Anonymous or AA, a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they might solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Although it is ...read more

Scripture: John 4:9

Tags: Action, Thirst, Common Ground, Christian Love

Spiderman Pajamas Don't Attract Attention, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

Spiderman Pajamas Don’t Attract Attention, Disappointing a Little Boy Last January, Kristy and I took the boys up to Big Bear on a little vacation to play in the snow. We had lots of nice snow cloths for the boys, but no thermal underwear. So, we figured their pajamas resemble thermal underwear, ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Shoes Pave The Way To The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

SHOES PAVE THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM Because Vance is an African American living in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, he stands out. But what really sets Vance apart is that he is a servant-hearted father who cares not only for his own kids, but also for the many other kids who play in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism How To

Same, Same

Contributed by Scott Wakefield on May 17, 2010

Found at http://www.christianstandard.com/articledisplay.asp?id=783 In an article for Christian Standard magazine, preacher and college president Matt Proctor reflects on the Incarnation: My 5-year-old, Carl, and my 3-year-old, Conrad, love it when I dress like them. After they put on jeans and a ...read more

Tags: Incarnation, Humanity Of Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Parable Of Parables  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

A PARABLE OF PARABLES The content of belief is important: Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?" "Well, I believe the same as the church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, Luke 22:24-27

Tags: Doctrine

Temporary Castles  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

TEMPORARY CASTLES "A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. "All afternoon he will work. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17, Luke 12:15-21, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Death

Grant And Custer  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Apr 21, 2011

GRANT AND CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point -- Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. ...read more

Tags: Humility, God's Humility

Denomination: *other

The Wizard Of Oz: Getting Home

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 10, 2011

THE WIZARD OF OZ: GETTING HOME I remember watching the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is trying to find her way home, and along the way she runs into a scarecrow with no brain, a tin man with no heart, and a lion with no courage. But they learn that there is a wizard in the land of Oz who can help them ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Methodist

Forgive Means "Let Go"  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 14, 2011

Forgive Means "Let Go" In the last few days there was an item on the news about residents in a local neighborhood finding a bobcat in their yard. A story we sometimes hear is about an alligator being found in a drainage ditch. We haven’t heard that this year, with the drought, but sometimes we ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Tags: Forgiveness, Stand, Grievances, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

Just Wanted To Tell You I Love You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU Paul Powell tells the story of a well-known preacher from years ago. His name was Carter Jones. Carter had a small room in the attic of his home that he used as a place of prayer. When he was especially burdened, he would make his way up the winding staircase to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31

Tags: Love For God

The "Regard For Others" Ethic

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Jan 24, 2012

THE "REGARD FOR OTHERS" ETHIC John Sommerville currently teaches history at the University of Florida. He has been carrying out an exercise with his students for years. He challenges his students with the following thought experiment. Imagine that you see a little old lady coming down the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

Follow Instructions: Rafting The Rio Grande

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS: RAFTING THE RIO GRANDE A few years ago, my family climbed aboard a rubber raft for a ride down the rapids of the Rio Grand River. We had never been on such an adventure, but all of us were experienced swimmers, and the river seemed to be fairly shallow. It seemed to be a ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Obedience