In Sermon Illustrations: "Dig Deep"

[061]. A Message From A Poem – Do You Love Me More Than These?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[061]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DO YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE? How sound is our love? How enduring is it? How sturdy is it – does it flicker on and off like some lights? Is your love for the Lord, your Saviour, prepared to go to a martyr’s death? The inspiration for this poem came from that ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:4-5, 1 John 4:19, John 21:15-17

Tags: Love, Friendship, Poetry, Poem, First Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[182]. A Message From A Poem – Marys At The Cross (An Easter Poem)

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 3, 2025

[182]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – MARYS AT THE CROSS (An Easter Poem) This is an Easter poem about 4 women, precious ones in the life of the Lord during His time on earth. Some people find it confusing to work the Marys out, especially at Easter time. What the Marys speak of is total devotion and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:55-56, John 19:25, Mark 15:40-41

Tags: The Virgin Mary, Christian Poems, Easter Poem, Mary Wife Of Clopas, Easter, Cross, Devotion, Mary Magdalene, Salome, Jesus Crucified  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Monk Story  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Hamilton on Sep 29, 2002

Monk Story There is a story told of an old monastery that had fallen upon hard times. It was once a great order, but as a result of waves of anti-monastic persecution in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the rise of secularism in the nineteenth, all its branch houses were lost and it ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Romantic Love

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Loving Your Enemies In Rwanda  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2010

Loving Your Enemies in Rwanda Rwanda is a tiny country in Central Africa, a bit bigger than Northern Ireland, with a population of over 8 million people, and thousands of hills. Rwanda is a beautiful country of hills, mountains, forests, lakes, laughing children, markets full of busy people, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

The Parental Challenge Of Helping Teenagers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

The Parental Challenge of Helping Teenagers Face Their World And I wanna share a story with you. It’s a traumatic one and one that actually happened. I did a funeral about four or five years ago and in this funeral it was really bizarre, because as the high schoolers came in about a third of them ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Tags: Death, Parenting

Guidance Behind Enemy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2012

GUIDANCE BEHIND ENEMY LINES Every Monday night, when I was not sacking groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, we would go to the library in Dothan. One Monday evening, I “accidentally” found a paperback copy of William C. Anderson’s book, BAT-21. It was a story about Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, a U.S. Air ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:105

Tags: Golf, Christian Disciplines

The Power Of Presence

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Jun 12, 2017

Long before I became a Dad, I had strong opinions about fathering. Perhaps it’s because I came along quite late in my father’s life. He was 47 years old. To say I was a surprise would be an understatement! But, my Dad rose to the challenge! Like my sister and brother before me, I became his pride ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:3

Tags: Parenting, Legacy, Fatherhood

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

From One Turkey To Another

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 23, 2019

As a child, my favorite holiday was Christmas, second only to my birthday. These holidays were important because of the gifts I received. Oh, did I look forward to those holidays and all the presents I was going to delight in. And delight, I certainly did to the extreme. Then slowly things ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:10

Tags: Thanksgiving, Hoiliday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Difference Between A Fool And Being Full

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 7, 2019

One thing truly amazing to me is how fast Thanksgiving goes. Here I am in the living room relaxing in my easy chair just one day after Thanksgiving. My ears are still ringing with all the chatter that went on around our Thanksgiving dinner table. It is so beautiful to get together with family to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:20

Tags: Thanksgiving, Holiday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

There’s Always Tomorrow

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 11, 2020

For almost four weeks now, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly have enjoyed some exceptional time together. It has been the rich experience I never thought I would experience until I retired from everything. But, if this is retirement, “Lord, let it be so.” Nothing to complain ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:8

Tags: Together, Rest, Pajamas

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Love Bugs Are Really Not That Loving

Contributed by James Snyder on May 16, 2020

Here in Florida, we have what people call "Love Bugs." I know exactly why they are called “Love Bugs,” but I am not fond of these little critters. Why don’t they just get a motel room? Being shut down at home for quite a while it is not that exciting. You can only be shut down for so ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Humor, Love Bugs

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

My Thoughts Are Worth More Than A Penny

Contributed by James Snyder on May 30, 2020

Dr. James L. Snyder I must admit that I do gravel a lot in thinking about my thoughts. It has been a habit of mine down through the years. Thinking is what really makes life worth living, or so I believe. My father had a saying whenever he saw me staring off into the distance, “A penny for your ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:17

Tags: Thoughts, Thinking, Penny

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If Only My Fishing Rod Could Talk

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 5, 2020

It has been a busy week, more so than any other week. Just when I thought I was caught up, something else presented itself without my permission. That seems to be what life is all about. I remember my father telling me when I complained to him how busy my life was and how my employer wanted me to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:32

Tags: Humor, Fishing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Junk Is A Matter Of Personal Definition

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 10, 2020

I thought I had everything organized and in order. It just shows how useless my thinking is these days. There are many piles in my office and on my desk, and I know what is in each pile. Everything is organized to my specifications. My rule is: if I can't find something, I don't need it. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3

Tags: Work, Humor, Planning, Office Space

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If It Was Up To Me

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 13, 2021

Fifty years ago, I was a teenager. Boy, do I miss those Days of Yore. It's not that I would like to relive them, but I was a much different person back then. As a teenager, I knew everything, and all you had to do was ask me. Even if you didn't ask me, I still would tell you what was on my ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:19

Tags: Wisdom, News, Politics

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

New Normal: If It's Free, It Ain't For Me

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 13, 2021

Once when I wore a younger man's suit I would take anything free. I assumed it was my right to get something free. Then I had a conversation with my grandfather. If anybody knew how to squeeze a buffalo out of a nickel, it was my grandfather. But you couldn’t trick him by offering him ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 7:1

Tags: Free, Scam

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Epitome Of Boredom

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 25, 2021

I have never considered myself to be boring. I may be boring to other people but not to myself. As you get older, you find out that there are many boring things in this world. When younger, I can't ever remember being bored except when my father was lecturing me on how I should behave. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 19:15

Tags: Generational, Technology, Boredom

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What Would Life Be Without Mistakes?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 9, 2021

Let me be clear from the beginning. I have made a lot of mistakes during my life. I have made mistakes that I don’t even know about to this day. Even the ones I do know about, I cannot remember very clearly. Mistakes are a part of life. Unfortunately, some people believe they live their whole life ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:12

Tags: Mistakes, Cleansing, Errors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

A Switch In Time On My Behind

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 2, 2022

Recently, I was reminded of my father’s passing 12 years ago. It’s funny how time quickly goes by, and then something happens to remind you of the past. When I was growing up, spankings were normal. And, for someone like me, those spankings were quite regular. Today my father would be arrested for ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Humor, Discipline

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It’s All In The Script

Contributed by James Snyder on May 14, 2022

Everybody is concerned about details in various aspects of life. I like overseeing the details of my life to make sure I'm going in the right direction. I'm not always going in the right direction, as you can imagine. However, everybody's idea of detail management is not always the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:5

Tags: Script, Commercials

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance