In Sermon Illustrations: "Come Back To This"

Embracing The Interruptions (Fatherhood Thoughts)

Contributed by Matthew Redder on Jun 8, 2018

As a young Father I remember being frequently awakened in the middle of the night by my son. I would open my eyes to see him standing next to my bed, staring at me. It was startling and honestly, a little bit creepy. I would ask him what he needed and it was always something like, "I had a bad ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:10-12

Tags: Father, Listen, Fathers Day, Father And Son

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When I Was First Allowed To Mow The Lawn, My Dad ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hiehle on Jul 20, 2001

When I was first allowed to mow the lawn, my dad taught me how to mow between our yard and our neighbor’s yard. The goal was to mow in a straight line between our two yards. He told me that in order to mow a straight line, I was to first pick a point at the upper corner of our property. At that ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Nazarene

When I Was First Allowed To Mow The Lawn, My Dad ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hiehle on Jul 20, 2001

When I was first allowed to mow the lawn, my dad taught me how to mow between our yard and our neighbor’s yard. The goal was to mow in a straight line between our two yards. He told me that in order to mow a straight line, I was to first pick a point at the upper corner of our property. At that ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Discipleship

Denomination: Nazarene

I Once Heard A Story Of A Man Who Was Walking ...

Contributed by Scott Bounds on Dec 20, 2009

I once heard a story of a man who was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf’s edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Denomination: Church Of God

Born Again Tree

Contributed by Erik Stadler on Jan 6, 2011

BORN AGAIN TREE Back when I was growing up we had a tree in our back yard. And is often the case after a storm the tree’s trunk cracked and blew down. There wasn’t anything we could do to save that tree. So my father borrowed a chain saw and cut down the tree right at the bottom so that all ...read more

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Lutheran

I Want You To Walk

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

“I WANT YOU TO WALK” -Arthur Gordon (A Touch of Wonder) relates a story that graphically describes the impact that one life can have on another. The man Gordon spoke of had been stricken with polio at the age of three and his parents had abandoned him in the Depression era. Taken in by a foster ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-36

Tags: Peace

Never Go Hungry Again

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 14, 2011

NEVER GO HUNGRY AGAIN Fred and Cheryl went to Haiti in 1985 to bring a child home that they had adopted. Addie was five years old. Her parents had been killed in a traffic accident that left her without a family, but as she walked across the tarmac to board the plane, the tiny orphan reached up ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: God's Provision

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE CONSCIENCE A. Quotes on the Conscience J. I. Packer—There are two sorts of sick consciences, those that are not aware enough of sin and those that are not aware enough of pardon. Anonymous—‘Let your conscience be your guide’ is only valid if God’s Word is guiding your conscience. Elton ...read more

Scripture: Acts 24:14-16

Tags: Conscience

High Society: The Princeton Society Directory

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Sep 1, 2009

HIGH SOCIETY: The Princeton Society Directory When Katie and I were in Seminary years ago, we were broke. So we did whatever we could to get by. One of the things we did was housesitting for people in town when they were on vacation. What we looked for most was folks who would let us use their ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Saving Grizzly Adams  PRO

Contributed by Rick Stacy on Mar 15, 2002

SAVING GRIZZLY ADAMS Rick Stacy, Pastor in Okemos, Michigan tells a story about Ken Bailey. Ken was a laborer on the Alaska Pipeline back in the mid 70’s. He worked up in the icy cold for a year and came back with $30,000. That was a lot of money 30 years ago! He blew it all in a month. He ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Basics Of Christianity, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Incredible Damage Of Gossip

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 6, 2024

There was a woman in a village who maliciously gossiped about another lady and her family in the village. One day she found out that she was wrong about this lady and her family and had a change of heart. She went to the village’s wise man and asked how she could take back all the wrong she had ...read more

Tags: Mouth, Words, Tongue, Gossip, Division, Wisdom  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gossip Is Like Scattering Feathers

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 18, 2024

There was a woman in a village who maliciously gossiped about another lady and her family in the village. One day she found out that she was wrong about this lady and her family and had a change of heart. She went to the village’s wise man and asked how she could take back all the wrong she had ...read more

Tags: Words, Speech, Tongue, Gossip, Division, Mouth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cookie Monster Has Returned

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 11, 2023

Sitting in my office working on some projects, I was suddenly surrounded by a familiar aroma. This surprised me because I had no idea what was happening. That aroma was familiar, but I couldn't identify it. I’m like that most of the time. My nose doesn't work quite like The Gracious ...read more

Scripture: James 4:17

Tags: Stealing, Cookies, Sneaking

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Soap Isn’t Always Soap

Contributed by James Snyder on May 16, 2026

After several months of mayhem in our house, things began to quiet down. It was beginning to get back to our normal way of life. Of course, because of the mayhem, many things that needed to be done did not get done. That made The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage jump in line to try to catch up ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 27:14

Tags: Helping, Washing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

His Last Convert  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Apr 21, 2003

HIS LAST CONVERT There where a lot of notable wealthy people on the Titanic in 1912. But the most notable passenger on the Titanic was someone that most of the world has never heard of before. He was a man by the name of John Harper. He was a plan ordinary Pastor from the city of Glasgow, ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To, Evangelism Urgency, Sharing My Testimony

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pete O'brien Played First Base For The Texas ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 6, 2001

Pete O’Brien played first base for the Texas Rangers for several years & did so well that he was given a contract with the Seattle Mariners for multi-million dollars. He now plays first base in Seattle, but still lives in the Arlington area. Dennis Slaughter, minister of the Valley View Christian ...read more

Tags: Humility, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Early 1930s A Man By The Name Of Peter ...

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Sep 29, 2009

In the early 1930s a man by the name of Peter Strudwick was born in what was quickly becoming known as Deutsches Reich ("German Reich.") During her pregnancy Peter’s mother contracted Rubella. As a result, Peter was born with legs that ended in stumps just past the ankles, a left arm that only had ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties, Trials Of Life

Denomination: Church Of God

Beginning Again  PRO

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 29, 2016

BEGINNING AGAIN The opening lines of a poem by Louisa Fletcher express this plaintive wish: I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the "Land of Beginning Again," Where all our mistakes, and all our heartaches, And all of our poor selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat ...read more

Scripture: John 3:3-8

Tags: Resolution, Born Again, New Year, New Start

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[094]. A Message From A Poem – Forgetting The Past, Look Ahead

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 30, 2025

[094]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORGETTING THE PAST, LOOK AHEAD Someone posted to a Christian forum I was on, a four line stanza once, that in effect said that you can not go back and fix the past, i.e. to go back and alter the beginning but you can start from here and make a brand new end. I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Regret, Hope, Past, End, Failure, Start, Look Ahead  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Feeling, Faith & Fact  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2002

Feeling, Faith & Fact Three men were walking on a wall, Feeling, Faith and Fact, When feeling got an awful fall, and faith was taken back. So close was faith to feeling, he stumbled and fell too, But fact remained ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:19-25

Tags: Faith General, Emotions