In Sermon Illustrations: "Fallen Leaves"

An Observation About Aging—and Baseballs

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 7, 2022

Introduction: You just can’t change some facts. Aging is one of those facts! Text: Ecclesiastes 12:1, KJV: 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; Thoughts: Like most good ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1

Tags: Aging, Baseball, Sports

Denomination: Baptist

For A Mother, A Child Is Never A Burden

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 27, 2024

Text, Exodus 19:4, KJV: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. When was the last time you found anything inspiring, let alone inspirational, when you renew your car's license plate/s? A few days before I wrote this, ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 19:4

Tags: Eagle Wings, Children, Mothers

Denomination: Baptist

A Good Start Matters

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Mar 19, 2024

I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was my sixth-grade field day when all the elementary schools gathered for a series of track and field events at the town’s high school track. It was a sunny New England spring morning and I was representing Glen Forest Elementary School in the 50-yard ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Timothy 2:8, Ephesians 5:15-17, Colossians 4:5

Tags: Prayer, Meditation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Born Between 1930 To 1970?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 12, 2024

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9

Tags: Humor, Risks, Reflecting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About A Certain Bird:

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 31, 2024

Our church’s parking lot is mostly gravel except for a small paved section. Ordinarily that’s not a problem but recently, we’ve discovered a very small problem. Would you believe, it’s a bird? Birds of various types are mentioned often in the Bible. All were unclean, according to the dietary laws ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:37

Tags: Protection, Birds, Nests

Denomination: Baptist

[062c]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062C]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE HAD TO SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE THIRD PART. THE INTRODUCTION FOR THE POEM IS IN PART 1. PART 3 SECTION C - PART 1 (GOD ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love, Pain, Love, Christ, Compassion, Comfort, Suffering, Hurt  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[078]. A Message From A Poem – Failure Leads To Hurt And Sorrow

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 12, 2025

[078]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FAILURE LEADS TO HURT AND SORROW This poem was written one Sunday morning while waiting for a church service to start. It flowed quickly. It was around the time I was speaking on a series in the life of Peter. Identify yourselves if you have never failed the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:7-10

Tags: Hurt, Forgiveness, Sin, Failure, Sorrow  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[134]. A Message From A Poem – I Am With You Always

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 17, 2025

[134]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS This poem was written in a time of great trial that had been a lengthy one. It is so precious to know the Lord is with us always and never will He sleep or miss something. He knows our end from our beginning. I want to honour God in this ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:4-5, Matthew 28:20

Tags: Emmanuel, Jesus, Presence Of Jesus, Delight Yourself In The Lord, Close At Hand, I Am With You Always, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Commit Your Way To The Lord  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[152]. A Message From A Poem – Jesus Christ Is All In All In All Matters

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 1, 2025

[152]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JESUS CHRIST IS ALL IN ALL IN ALL MATTERS This is the only poem I have written this way. It is quite unusual as you see with scattered words that rhyme, and play on words. I think of it as one long thread with all these points hanging from it. I don’t expect ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:28

Tags: Friend, Christian Poetry, Christian Poem, All In All, Pain, Believe, Gift, Cost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unwanted Donations!?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 11, 2025

Unwanted Donations!? Introduction: What kinds of materials were needed for Israel to make the Tabernacle? Text, Exodus 36:2-7, KJV: 2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 36:2-7

Tags: Tabernacle, Freewill Offerings, Material Offerings

Denomination: Baptist

One Man's Life Provides A Dramatic Answer To The ...  PRO

Contributed by James Dunn on Mar 12, 2002

One man’s life provides a dramatic answer to the question, can God indeed bring positives out of troubled times? This young man’s name is David, and he is an awesome picture of God’s using difficulties for good. For years he viewed trials as something that affected only his external world, and any ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 2:6, 2 Samuel 6:6

Tags: Growth In Christ, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Baptist

The Parable Of The Good Muslims  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 14, 2002

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD MUSLIMS It is difficult to imagine more bleak circumstances; the young mother and her small children, truck packed full of all of their belongings, were in process of moving from rural North Carolina to the mother’s childhood home in Connecticut. Life had taken a tragic ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan, Christian Love, Compassion

No Jacket Required  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 27, 2004

NO JACKET REQUIRED I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t be the right place. After all, I couldn’t possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about. But, this just couldn’t be ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Rich Fool

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 22, 2008

THE RICH FOOL Ortberg writes (and I have abridged it and translated it into proper English) Once upon a time in the Silicon Valley, there lived a very important man.He routinely logged in 12-14 hours a day work and sometimes at weekends. He went to the Harvard School of Management, where he got ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Fool, Use Of Time

Denomination: Anglican

A U.s. Volunteer Nurse Helps In Haiti After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 28, 2010

A U.S. Volunteer Nurse Helps in Haiti After Earthquake Gene McCoy is the Sr. Minister of the Memorial Christian Church in Mt. Home, AR. His oldest daughter, Heidi, is a nurse and has gone to Haiti to serve with a medical team. She was written her folks several times, which I have shared via email. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:14

Tags: Compassion

The First And Last  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2002

THE FIRST AND LAST He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End! He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all! He is the Architect of the universe and The Manager of all times. He always was, He always is, and He always will be... Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone! He ...read more

Tags: Undefeated, Blind, Descriptions Of God, Creation, Confession, Guide, God The Father  (view more)  (view less)

Football Practice Was Over, And Denny Was Sore ...  PRO

Contributed by Lynn Floyd on Apr 26, 2002

Football practice was over, and Denny was sore from head to toe. Slowly he climbed the graffiti-laden stairway of the aging apartment building. Suddenly, his mother’s chilling screams pierced the cold, still air. He had heard the sound many times before. Still, a sickening knot formed in Denny’s ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Baptist

Unexpected Grace  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 26, 2002

UNEXPECTED GRACE I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time right before the final in my Youth Issues class. When I got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We went ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-10

Tags: Grace, God's Provision

Let Me Tell You A Story From Alberta History: ...  PRO

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Dec 12, 2002

Let me tell you a story from Alberta history: Cree Chief Maskepetoon met Rev. Robert Rundle, and at their first meeting declared "I will never become a Christian as long as there are horses to steal and scalps to take." Nevertheless Maskepetoon became a staunch friend to Rundle and his attitude ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:20

Tags: Christian Liberty, Anxiety, Forgiveness General, God's Image, Prayer, Moving Forward, Supplication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Year Was 1980, Bill Brodherst Who Hadn't Ran ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 12, 2003

The year was 1980, Bill Brodherst who hadn’t ran in any race since his high school days decided to begin training for a marathon known as the Pepsi Challenge 10k in Omaha Nebraska. Sending in his application, he wasn’t sure they would accept him as a participant, but soon the approval came back ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Tags: Church Small Groups, Fulfillment, Endurance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ