Contributed by Dan Waite on Dec 1, 2005
based on 2 ratings
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In the TV series Firefly, in the episode “The Great Train Robbery,” the captain has agreed to a job to steal something. After finding out that it is medicine, which is badly needed, he decides to break his contract and return the stolen medicine. The sherif catches him returning the medicine and
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007
Religion Switch 72% of Americans have maintained the same religious preference throughout their life. 15% have changed from one religious preference to another. 10% moved away from religion altogether. American’s have a relatively stable religious identity. Yet, the most common reasons for changing
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Contributed by Greg Bond on Dec 28, 2009
OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN...
Jesus says that every time we come to God in prayer, we should begin with this pattern of recognition. Coming to Him in this way encourages and increases our expectations because we see Him as He is. Coming to Him in this way establishes our faith because we see
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Pentecostal
Contributed by Timothy Brown on Jan 23, 2010
Illustration for Bible Knowledge (The Apostles’ Doctrine/Teaching) - Think of the Scriptures as an absolutely accurate map. A map tells you how to get to a certain destination. But just looking at a map won't automatically transport you to Arizona or England or Peru. Getting to those places means
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Baptist
Contributed by Spencer Miller on May 19, 2013
GOING IN CIRCLES
A family who moved into a new neighborhood had a late start one morning. As a result their six-year-old missed her school bus. Though it would make him late for work her father agreed to take her to school if she gave him directions. After 20 minutes of going in circles they
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Baptist
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 25, 2020
Here is a true story from Patrick Grilliot: We Uber drivers never know whom we’re going to end up with as a passenger. One day, I was driving over a new bridge, the design of which was very confusing. Completely confounded, I muttered, “I’d love to meet the genius who designed this mess.” With
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Independent/Bible
based on 2 ratings
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Illustration from Stories for Preachers: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, though sometimes it hurts when they express it. In 1975 country singer Charlie Rich had been picked to announce the Country Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards show. The award went to John Denver, who had not
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 12, 2007
The father of a small boy would occasionally sneak into a neighbor’s orchard and pluck some of the choicest fruit. He always made sure, however, that "the coast was clear." One day with his son tagging along, after carefully looking in every direction and seeing no one, he crept through the
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Pentecostal
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 23, 2009
There is an old pizza delivery joke that when someone comes into the shop to ask for directions the standard reply is, “You can’t there from here.” When you are loaded down with guilt, and all your emotional baggage, and all the comforts and securities of life that you have earned, then you can’t
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Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 23, 2009
Note the contrast between fleeing and pursuing. It is not enough to just stop doing things or at least stop the frequency of those things that do not honor God. Sometimes it is easy to think, “I just do it once in while. What’s the harm?” The problem is that people really do see what you’re saying.
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Church Of God
Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 13, 2007
based on 2 ratings
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Everything we do needs to be a part of our service to God. A young boy by the name of James had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began with a little buggy pulled by a pony named
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Christian/Church Of Christ
Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000
based on 4 ratings
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Self-righteous service comes through human effort. True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside.
Self-righteous service is impressed with the "big deal." True service finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small from the large service.
Self-righteous service
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Nov 2, 2009
Being open-minded means that I am willing to listen to feedback (like through a mentor as we talked about last week) and might even seek it out. It means that I will truly listen to what you perceive to be inconsistencies or flaws whether in my character or beliefs. It means that I will seriously
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Church Of God
THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY: PREDESTINATION
A few years ago, a movie came out about a boy in Vietnam who’s father had been an American GI (The Beautiful Country). His life was miserable because no one in Vietnam accepted him. He was a half-breed. His mother wanted him to try to escape to America to
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Lutheran
THE LIBERTY BELL
One of the most, iconic symbols of our national heritage --the Liberty Bell --hangs magnificently in the city of brotherly love. In 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the bell to commemorate the commonwealth's fiftieth anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of
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Lutheran
WHAT DO YOU DO IN DISASTER?
What do you do when you are faced with a disaster that strikes home at your heart? Do you respond or do you try to blame others? Do you ignore it? Pretend it’s just a story?
Nehemiah finds out how bad the city of Jerusalem is from a recent news report. It perplexes
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 15, 2020
My wife makes an amazing pot roast dinner. She takes raw meat, along with raw sliced white and sweet potatoes, celery, mushrooms, carrots, and onions and throws them into the slow cooker. Six or seven hours later the aroma fills the house, and the first taste is a delight. It is always to my
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Independent/Bible
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007
based on 2 ratings
| 3,124 views
Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his ten-year battle against the slave trade. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by
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