In Sermon Illustrations: "Good Samaritan"

Groans From Within! (06.09.05--Family--Prov. ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 7, 2005

Groans From Within! (06.09.05--Family--Prov. 11:29) I turned the engine over but oh the groans from within! My old leaf vacuum hadn’t been run in about a year and it was time to put it back into service redeeming the lawn and pathways of the carpet of the beech leaves blown down in a recent storm. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 11:29

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Lutheran

Those Little Maybe's! (08.12.05--Character ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 11, 2005

Those Little Maybe’s! (08.12.05--Character Counts!--Romans 5: 3-4) A drought tests the metal of a man. It tests his fortitude and his faithfulness. It also tests his resourcefulness and his ingenuity. I come from a long line of “resourceful” folks who seemed to see in every bleak and forlorn ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:3-4

Tags: Perseverance, Character, Diligence, Faith

Denomination: Lutheran

Cut To Fit!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 25, 2005

Cut To Fit! (08.29.05--Sickness!--Hebrews 12:6) Arthritis is a real drag. As active as you would like to be this day or any, if you are weighted down with joints that are sometimes swollen and often stiff, the day always seems sometime a bit longer, somehow harder to bear. I’ve been an arthritis ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:6

Tags: God In The Hardships, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Lutheran

On Top Of Our Game! (09.27.05--Teach Me To ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 25, 2005

On Top of Our Game! (09.27.05--Teach Me to Pray!--Psalm 122:6-7) How many things are you passionate about in life? I remember many years ago during the Lombardi days and the good fortune of the Green Bay Packers. I was passionate about them. Between 1961 and 1969 I can honestly say that I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 122:6-7

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Prayer Supplication

Denomination: Lutheran

Stop The Bleeding But Heal The Wound! ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 4, 2005

Stop the Bleeding But Heal the Wound! (10.07.05--Beginning Again!--Genesis 16:7-10) There is one good rule for starting over. If something’s broken, don’t try to fix it with anything less than your best effort. The odds are that the more you try to “band-aid” things, the longer it will take for ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:7-10

Tags: God's Provision, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Lutheran

Seeing Only You! (10.14.05--Sacrifice!--Leviticus ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 12, 2005

Seeing Only You! (10.14.05--Sacrifice!--Leviticus 1:2) Think about it; a world free from the chains of pain and suffering--a place where accomplishment reigned and failure rarely reared its ugly head. Since sacrifice requires so much effort and consumes so much valuable time, wouldn’t we be far ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 1:2

Tags: Cross Agony

Denomination: Lutheran

He Chooses Whom He Will! (10.18.05--That ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 16, 2005

He Chooses Whom He Will! (10.18.05--That Person!--Judges 4:4ff) My first job out of college was a long time in coming. It was with a small publishing company that published inspirational magazines, greeting booklets and high quality cookbooks. I met my immediate supervisor at the receptionist ...read more

Scripture: Judges 4:4

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Judging Books! (10.20.05--That Person!--Esther ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 19, 2005

Judging Books! (10.20.05--That Person!--Esther 3:5-6) The other day, a jehovah’s witness came to my door. I’ve seen them many times in the past as they slowly travel down my driveway and descend upon my doorbell. I know what differentiates my faith from theirs and have learned stock answers to ...read more

Scripture: Esther 5:5-6

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Lutheran

It's The Fruit And Not The Tree! ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 20, 2005

It’s The Fruit and Not The Tree! (10.24.05--Making It!--Psalm 1:3) Each year as the seasons change, so does the selection of fruit that is available at my local Piggly Wiggly. In early summer there are the tangy apricots and sweet plums along with nutty peaches and nectarines. As summer passes, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:3

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Making It! (10.28.05--Making It!--Jeremiah ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 26, 2005

Making It! (10.28.05--Making It!--Jeremiah 52:34) He had a job most people despised. In fact, his job most often elicited laughs than it did applause. He lived alone since his wife died. There were times that he would go on long fasts, sitting in front of his humble home, drawing stares from his ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 52:34

Tags: Faith, Believe, Peace

Denomination: Lutheran

Head-Up And Head-On! (11.10.05--Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 8, 2005

Head-Up and Head-On! (11.10.05--Christian Soldiers!--James4:7) When you are afraid to take an action, it’s the first step that’s the hardest one to take. Our little dachshund Webley is a living example of that. Webley has always been afraid of stairs. It doesn’t matter if he is going up or coming ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Lutheran

Widow-Makers! (11.11.05--Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 9, 2005

Widow-Makers! (11.11.05--Christian Soldiers!--Ephesians 6:16-17) Beech trees tend to bend and grow at odd angles. When it comes to felling one, you have to do a bit more than simply cutting it down. First you need to determine which way the tree is leaning. Then you need to size-up the other ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:16-17

Tags: Angles, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Lutheran

In Communist Romania There Was A Very Young Man ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 8, 2009

In communist Romania there was a very young man named Matchevici who had been put into prison because of his faith at the age of 18. Because of the tortures, he was very sick with tuberculosis. Somehow his family found out that he was sick and sent him a hundred bottle so streptomycin, which could ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Church Of God

40 Men Die For Christ

Contributed by Benjamin Karner on Sep 18, 2009

40 MEN DIE FOR CHRIST One such story took place in 328 B.C. in a city high in the icy mountains of Armenia. It was a bitterly cold winter and in the middle of that winter an order came from the Roman emperor that every man, woman, and child under the rule of his empire must bow down to ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

Ordinary People For Christ

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

ORDINARY PEOPLE FOR CHRIST Bud Villers was a good man. Bud was my neighbor. I grew up beside him until he died when I was in college. Bud helped my dad put a roof on our house, he assisted my dad when they poured concrete sidewalks and porches. My dad helped him put a roof on his patio. When Bud ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:5-6

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Power Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

The Power of Words For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander..." Matthew 15:17-20 In the award winning film The Joy Luck Club, one little girl has the ability "to see the secrets of a chessboard." Her gift enables her to become a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:17-20

Tags: Words

Road Rage And Patience

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

ROAD RAGE AND PATIENCE (From Bob Bob Mionske’s Blog on Cyclists and the Law) Charles Montgomery writes: "The driving experience primes car drivers for meltdowns. They are conditioned by popular culture to see cars as symbols of freedom, yet city driving is a slow-motion trap that subjects drivers ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 89:46

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

From Page 95-96

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 22, 2009

From page 95-96 “Who Stole My Church” “Anyone know anything about Isaac Watts?” I asked. Yvonne spoke: “Wasn’t he a hymn writer? I think he wrote ‘When I survey the Wonderous Cross.” “Yep, he did. Know any of his other songs?” “I think he wrote one of the Christmas carols,” Ted , probably the most ...read more

Tags: Music, Worship General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Osceola Mccarty, African-American Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 3, 2009

Osceola McCarty, African-American Philanthropist The late great African-American laundry woman, author, and philanthropist, Osceola McCarty (1908 - 1999), did one thing all of her life: laundry! For decades, Osceola, a frugal Christian woman who never bought a car - who never got married - who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13

Tags: Giving General

Richard Meyer On Reasons For Our Lack Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2009

Richard Meyer on Reasons for Our Lack of Prayer C. Richard Meyer gave three reasons for our lack of prayer in his chapter on praying for one another, in his book “One Anothering.” 1. First, he said that we don’t pray because we don’t know how to pray. a. And that certainly can be a reason. b. Many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

Tags: Prayer General