In Sermon Illustrations: "Careful"

The Real Mccoy

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jul 18, 2010

THE REAL MCCOY It was about a seventy-two-year-old Baptist preacher names Charles McCoy. McCoy was pastoring a Baptist church in Oyster Bay, New York, when at age seventy-two he was told by his denomination to retire. A lifelong bachelor, he had cared for his mother for as long as she lived. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Following Christ

Denomination: Anglican

Getting Old Is Not For Sissies

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 9, 2019

I will not admit to being old, but I am older than I was 10 years ago. Those 10 years have been filled with all kinds of things helping me to get older. I saw an article that said that 60 is the new 40. I have no idea what that means, but I think out in our culture there is an obsession about age. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 145:7

Tags: Memories, Growing Old

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Please Don't Mess With My Peanut Butter

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 18, 2020

Normally, I'm a rather calm, cool and collected person. Actually, my creditors trying to collect things from me, mostly money, are responsible for this and I have been officially collected. If I could only collect my thoughts, but the pieces are too small and too few. Anybody who knows me ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4

Tags: Comfort, Happiness

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes: The Shepherds Of Bethlehem

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 14, 2020

Introduction: the Christmas story, the birth of Jesus Christ into this world, is one of the most beautiful ever told. Many believers and others are more or less familiar with Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and how Jesus was born in an inn and laid in a manger because there ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Mary, Birth Of Jesus, Shepherds, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

I Just Kissed Yesterday Goodbye

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 15, 2022

Focus is an essential part of getting something done. Sometimes my focus is more on yesterday than it is today. I waste a lot of time looking backward. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage often rebukes me because I look in the past. I talk more about yesterday than I do today. On the other ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:24

Tags: Blessing, Focus

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

My Oh My What A Nice Slice Of Pie

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 13, 2022

Whenever things go better than you can imagine, it is always a red flag to pay attention because something is wrong. I don’t always catch it, and I have paid the price. One day this past week, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and our daughters and granddaughters planned a girl’s day. I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:4

Tags: Together, Sharing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Why God Gave Me A Tongue

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 1, 2022

One thing about getting older is that you begin to understand the old saying that you don’t know what you don’t know. It has been so true for me. When I think I know everything, something comes up that I never even thought about. Sometimes The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage brings up something ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:4

Tags: Blessing, Tongue, Curse

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

See Cookie Will Sneak

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 29, 2022

For more years than I care to remember, I have been on a diligent pursuit, and I won’t stop until I reach my goal. My quest is to find a cookie I don’t like. Throughout the years, I have eaten every cookie I could find and loved them all. My biggest obstacle in this pursuit is The Gracious ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:38

Tags: Temptation, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Princess Hath Thus Spoken

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 22, 2023

In December of last year, our second great-grandchild entered our family. Our first great-grandchild was a boy, and this one is a girl. Like all our children, grandchildren and great-grandson, this great-granddaughter was a blessing to our family. If only children would stay young for the rest of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Training, Princess

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Another Jingle Bell Christmas In The Tree

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 23, 2023

It doesn't seem possible another Christmas has come and gone. They come and go so fast that I'm not sure I can keep up with all of this. Every year, our family has more people, which is never bad. One thing we do is gather as a family around the Christmas tree and enjoy a wonderful time of ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 32:23

Tags: Christmas, Jingle Bell

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Saint Arnold Janssen And His Mission Relevance Today

Contributed by Dr John Singarayar Svd on Feb 1, 2024

Saint Arnold Janssen and His Mission Relevance Today (The Feast Day is on 15th January) Scripture: Mark 1:14-20 The 19th century saw the birth of a visionary priest Saint Arnold Janssen, who devoted his life to evangelization and the promotion of the Christian faith. The following words will ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20

Tags: Saint Arnold Janssen, The Society Of The Divine Word

Denomination: Other

[074]. Poem Message – Excerpts Certain Psalms Part 5 – Psalms 9, 27, 100

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 4, 2025

[074]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EXCERPTS FROM CERTAIN PSALMS PART 5 – PSALMS 9, 27, 100 {{Psalm 59:16-17 “As for me, I SHALL SING OF YOUR STRENGTH. Yes, I SHALL JOYFULLY SING OF YOUR LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 59:16-17, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 9:9, Psalm 100:3, Psalm 100:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Gates, Light, Praise, Salvation, Thanks, Stronghold, Trouble  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What It Was, Was A Cookie

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 11, 2025

At least once a month The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and her daughter will spend a day visiting thrift stores in our community. I’m not sure, so don’t quote me, but I think there’s a 100-mile radius where they do their shopping. This past week was one of those days. As she was backing out ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:2

Tags: Desire, Cookie

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[204]. A Message From A Poem - Once I Was Lost – Now I Am Saved

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 17, 2025

[204]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ONCE I WAS LOST – NOW I AM SAVED (Shakespeare) When Macbeth heard that Lady Macbeth was dead these words were spoken – “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:5, Acts 4:12, John 9:25

Tags: Christian Poems, Name, Salvation, Cross, Testimony, Rejection, Natural Man  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fall Fell Way Too Soon This Year

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 22, 2025

This summer was the best I have had in a long time. I enjoy summer because the weather is always warm, sometimes even hot. I was so focused on enjoying my summer that I did not realize Fall had arrived. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came into my office the other day and said, “Do you ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 107:8

Tags: Thanksgiving, Holidays

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[249]. A Message From A Poem – Strange Doctrines Are Among Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 2, 2026

[249]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – STRANGE DOCTRINES ARE AMONG US [[ “Secernment” (third stanza) refers to the act or process of separating or distinguishing substances, often used in a physiological context to describe the secretion of substances in the body. It can also mean the ability to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:28, Acts 20:29-30, Matthew 7:15, 2 Timothy 3:13, 1 Timothy 1:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wolves Among Us, Perverse, Elders, Errors, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Strange Doctrines, Faith, Discernment, Fight, Fail, Vigilant  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[331]. A Message From A Poem - We Need The Lord Always

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 8, 2026

[331]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WE NEED THE LORD ALWAYS In the past, maybe 150 years ago, divers who dived for pearls in clams, would have a tube for air going from a boat on the surface and it was operated by a pump. I think the tube might have been made from rubber. There was no such thing ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:22-23, Hebrews 4:16, James 4:8

Tags: Walk, Faithfulness, Needy, Need, Draw Near To God, Walk With The Lord, Christian Poems, Closer Than A Brother, Pearl Divers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

John Powell, A Professor At Loyola University In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 9, 2002

John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago writes about a student named Tommy in his Theology of Faith class: Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was the day I first saw Tommy. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

I Declare You The Winner  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 29, 2004

I DECLARE YOU THE WINNER I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old, but they were playing a real game- a serious game- two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I didn’t know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Children, Anger, Rage, Parenting, Unconditional Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Goodbye Ginger!" 1 Corinthians13: 8-13: Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 13, 2004

“Goodbye Ginger!” 1 Corinthians13: 8-13: Key verse(s): 12: “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Yesterday, on a bright and sunny autumn day, Ginger died. Ginger was one of my ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Tags: Death Nearness, Death

Denomination: Lutheran