In Sermon Illustrations: "Easter Egg Hunt"

Christlikeness: A Painful Process  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on May 9, 2012

CHRISTLIKENESS: A PAINFUL PROCESS The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Matthew 16:24-25, Revelation 12:1-2

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Vernon And Joey

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Oct 13, 2012

It is fitting that we begin with a true story involving three main characters: an elderly man nearing death, a kindhearted woman in robust health, and a deceased boy very much alive. Five months earlier, physicians had diagnosed sixty-five-year-old Vernon Samuels with terminal lung cancer. They ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:3-4

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Doctor And Patient Saved From Hell

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Oct 13, 2012

In Beyond Death’s Door, Rawlings shares how his view of the afterlife forever changed on the day one of his heart patients “died” in his office. During a routine stress test on a treadmill, the man’s heart stopped and he collapsed. Immediately, Rawlings and his staff began emergency resuscitation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:22-31

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Baptist

Who Churchill Wants To Be  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 7, 2013

WHO CHURCHILL WANTS TO BE Winston Churchill once attended a formal banquet in London, where the dignitaries were asked the question, "If you could not be who you are, who would you like to be?" Naturally everyone was curious as to what Churchill, who was seated next to his beloved Clemmie, would ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-3

Tags: Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

Jealous In A Restaurant  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 10, 2013

JEALOUS IN A RESTAURANT There is an old story about an older couple having dinner in a restaurant. The wife sees another couple about their age sitting in a booth nearby. She sees the husband sitting close to his wife, with his arm around her. He is whispering things in her ear, and she is smiling ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:28

Tags: Contentment, Marriage General

Denomination: Baptist

Poor I-Sight

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 23, 2013

POOR I-SIGHT We suffer from poor I-sight. Not eyesight, a matter of distorted vision that lenses can correct, but I-sight. Poor I-sight blurs your view, not of the world, but of yourself. Some see self too highly. Maybe it's the PhD or pedigree. A tattoo can do it; so can a new truck or the Nobel ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39

Tags: Self

Denomination: Baptist

Cirrhosis Of The Giver

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 23, 2013

CIRRHOSIS OF THE GIVER The disease cirrhosis of the giver was discovered in A.D. 34 by the husband-wife team of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11). It is an acute condition that renders the patient’s hands immobile when he is called on to move them in the direction of his wallet or her purse, and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7, Romans 12:1, Luke 9:23, Philippians 4:19

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

The Umpire's Revenge  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 6, 2013

THE UMPIRE'S REVENGE Forgiveness begins when we give up the quest to get even. This is difficult, because getting even is the natural obsession of the wounded soul. Stories about getting even always capture our attention. It wouldn’t surprise me if revenge is the theme of as many as half the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Baptist

A Woman Sees A Father Shopping With A Fussy ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 3, 2013

A woman sees a father shopping with a fussy two-year-old in his grocery cart. “Be patient, Billy,” he whispers. “You can handle this, Billy. It’s okay, Billy.” The woman said to him, “I don’t mean to interrupt your shopping, but I just had to tell you how wonderfully loving and patient you are ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-33, Genesis 15:1-6

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Entry-Level Faith

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 3, 2013

ENTRY-LEVEL FAITH During World War II, a young teenager tried to enlist in the navy. Only fifteen but large for his years, he told the recruiting officer in Richmond, Virginia, that he was sixteen. The officer looked at him and shook his head. "Sorry, son, you're not old enough." Two months ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:1

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Husband Doesn't Get It

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 19, 2013

TWICE A WEEK After just a few years of marriage filled with disagreements and arguments, a young man and his wife decided the only way to save their marriage was to try counseling. Things had slipped from bad to worse as the months passed, turning their marriage into a marathon of misery. They had ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:19

Tags: Communication, Marriage, Husband, Relationships

Denomination: Baptist

Somebody Help The Boy

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jun 28, 2013

SOMEBODY HELP THE BOY I was at home alone with Ryan one morning when I suddenly realized that it had been approximately two minutes since my little explorer had made any noise. (When one babysits with Ryan, silence is definitely not golden.) I immediately began looking for him, searching each room ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:20

Tags: Marriage, Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

The Next One

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Aug 16, 2013

THE NEXT ONE Eugene Peterson wrote about visiting a monastery. While on the way to the refectory for lunch, he and the monks he was visiting walked past a graveyard with an open grave. He asked one of the monks which member of the community had died recently, and he was told, "Nobody. That grave ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:12

Tags: Death, Time

Denomination: Baptist

The Story Is Told That In The Latter 1800's, ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 13, 2001

The story is told that in the latter 1800’s, Alfred Lord Tennyson invited a Russian nobleman to his estate. And early one morning this nobleman took off with dogs & guns & servants to go hunting. At mid-day he returned & Lord Tennyson asked him how he did. He answered, "Not very well. I shot ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Anger

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Was A Time When Anyone Who Read The Bible ...

Contributed by Ed Wood on Jun 10, 2005

There was a time when anyone who read the Bible in England did so at great risk. But a man by the name of Wycliffe saw in the Bible the remedy for the ills of his country. There was no English Bible in existence , so in the face of bitter opposition, he translated the Bible into English. People ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

This Week I Have Been Reading The Book, "How To ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 7, 2008

This week I have been reading the book, “How to Forgive When You Don’t Feel Like It” by June Hunt. She opened her book with the following Introduction, “Resentment...rage…retaliation. Ever struggle with forgiveness? Ever thought it was impossible? Ever knew you oughta but didn’t wanna? I believe ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Discovery That Has Affected Just About All Of ...

Contributed by Richard Schwedes on Nov 10, 2007

One discovery that has affected just about all of us occurred in 1946. As Dr. Percy Spencer was testing a component of a military radar called the magnetron tube he reached into his pocket to grab a chocolate bar that he had stashed for those times he felt a little hungry. When he grabbed it he ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

The Grace-Filled Father

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Jun 24, 2009

THE GRACE-FILLED FATHER Six-year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard, and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: Pentecostal

Faith Fights  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 19, 2009

FAITH FIGHTS Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. I heard a story about a midwestern farmer 50 years ago. The farmer went to the bank to borrow money to buy seed to plant his whole farm in corn. He fired up the old tractor ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Assembly Of God

People Refuse To Believe That Which They Don't ...

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Oct 18, 2004

People refuse to believe that which they don’t want to believe, in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck. Upon their return to England, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:10-21

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Baptist