In Sermon Illustrations: "Hands On"

From Homeless To Home

Contributed by Sean Harder on Nov 19, 2008

FROM HOMELESS TO HOME A young woman about 20 years old had been living on the streets of a suburban neighborhood for about five years because of her severely abusive alcoholic parents. She was a pleasant-looking young woman behind the tattered and dirty clothes, oily hair, and dirty makeup-free ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Born Identity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

BORN IDENTITY Jimmy Gupton tells of when he was 93 and ready to go on home to God. For the 1000th time, he had prayed for God to take him home. His wife had been gone for seven years, and it was getting harder and harder to go through the motions of the holiday. He had a big silver Christmas tree ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Doctors Are Always Right

Contributed by James Snyder on May 21, 2022

Last year I suffered what is referred to as a heart attack. I got to the hospital in time, so there was no any major damage. I had one artery known as the "Widow Maker" that was 90% blocked, which seemed to be a very serious thing. Who knew I even had a heart, but doctors are always ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9

Tags: Medical, Doctors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroines-Rizpah

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 3, 2022

Introduction: Rizpah is only mentioned in a couple of places in the Bible. We don’t know much about her aside from this tremendous act of love she demonstrated in this story. Text: 2 Samuel 21:8-11, KJV: 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 21:8-11

Tags: Famine, Gibeonites, Rizpah, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

To Ask Or Not Ask Is No Option

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 23, 2022

You would think I would have learned all I needed to learn at my age. However, each day I learn something I did not know the day before. So much of my new learning is still connected to being married to The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. I know, for example, that she is not soliciting ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:14

Tags: Harmony, Questions

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Do I Need To Repeat That?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 30, 2022

Of all the holidays during the year that I like, my birthday is at the bottom of the list. Now that I'm at my current age, I prefer not to be reminded that I'm getting older. All a birthday does for me is tell me I'm just getting older. Who wants to be reminded of that? Then, the worst ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:17

Tags: Unity, Hearing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Great Divide Between Brain And Tongue

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 12, 2022

As my Uncle Fred used to say, one of the great benefits of getting old is that you know everything. If you had ever met Uncle Fred, you would easily conclude that he certainly wasn’t getting old. Of course, there are things I have learned during my aging career that has been of great use to me. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:10

Tags: Temptation, Tongue, Brain

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Whoever Gets The Son, Gets All The Father Has!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 3, 2022

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:10-13

Tags: Invitation, Evangelism, Faith, Heaven, Salvation, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do I Need To File A Missing Persons Report?

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 10, 2022

Every week comes and goes, and some go faster than others. Such was last week. It started pretty well, but then everything went downhill. I had my semiannual doctor's visit. After all, he has kids that need to go to college. After his complete examination of me, he said, "You're ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 41:10

Tags: Police, Thrift Store

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Ugly Isn’t For Sissies

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 4, 2023

Over the years of marital bliss, we’ve not had many disagreements. She likes broccoli. I like Apple Fritters. We’ve never been able to come to any agreement with that. But, outside of that, everything has been rather smooth. There’s one controversy that has plagued our house for the last few ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7

Tags: Appearance, Mirror

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If I’m Not Crazy Nobody Is

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 18, 2023

Last Sunday, we were driving to our Sunday morning church service and encountered a lot of crazy drivers. As The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was driving, I kept my cool and, more importantly, my mouth closed. Every once in a while, she would say, “What’s wrong with these crazy drivers?” I ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Crazy, Drivers, Apple Fritter

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What A Wacky World We Live In

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 1, 2023

I like the old saying, “Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.” This is the kind of world we live in today, and I’m still not adjusted to this sort of thing. I’m not sure I will ever adjust to the world around me. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I will be watching the ...read more

Tags: David, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

How I Found Hope

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 7, 2023

HOW I FOUND HOPE By Danielle Strickland — I stole my first car when I was twelve years old. In family court, when my fate seemed to be incarceration, a leader from my church insisted I was going through a hard patch, but I could be sentenced to community service at a camp. The judge jumped at the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Tags: Jesus, Hope

Denomination: Methodist

It’s Not A Mess Unless I Do It

Contributed by James Snyder on May 2, 2023

When it comes to words, everybody has their own definition. Someone says one word and another person thinks it's altogether something else. For example, when someone says vegetable, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage thinks broccoli. On the other side of the dinner table, I think carrot ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Words, Mess, Organize

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Feel Sorry For My Good-Looking Friends

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 3, 2023

The one place in our humble residence I would prefer to avoid, especially in the morning, is my bathroom. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has her bathroom, and I have mine. I make visiting my bathroom in the morning as quick as possible. As I walk into my bathroom, on the right side is that ...read more

Scripture: Job 16:8, Ephesians 5:27

Tags: Pride, Wrinkles

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

As If I Really Could

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 24, 2023

Have you ever had the feeling that you've been hoodwinked? You can't point out the specifics, but something deep inside suggests you have been. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I had a wonderful vacation at St. Augustine, one of our favorite places to go. Something happened ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:17

Tags: Fixing, Hoodwink

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Where Did The Summer Go?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 14, 2023

This past week started out as the best week of the whole year. At least, I thought so at the time. I finished my book manuscript and sent it to the publisher. I caught up with some other projects that were lagging. And I had time to balance my checkbook. What could be better than that? The ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:24

Tags: Summer, Time

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: Micah’s Misfortunes: "What Aileth Thee?”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 15, 2024

Introduction: Micah of Ephraim is one of the more unusual characters in Scripture. We’ve seen a couple of his misfortunes, but now, in another unintentionally humorous text, we’ll see he faced a problem he couldn’t possibly solve. Text: Judges 18:18-26, KJV: 18 And these went into Micah's ...read more

Scripture: Judges 18:18-26

Tags: Danites, Micah Of Ephraim, Idols

Denomination: Baptist

Did You See My Key?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 22, 2024

My life has been bombarded with questions from the beginning of the day until I fall asleep at night. For the most part, I don’t prioritize questions. Usually, when people ask me a question, there is something behind that question. If I don’t see what’s behind the question, I could answer it in ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:10

Tags: Lost, Saved, Keys

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Another Turkey On The Table

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 30, 2024

It was a Monday morning, and I was busy starting my week by organizing my schedule and organizing some of my projects. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came to my door, looked in, and said, "Are you ready for the week?" I don't recall her ever asking me that question, but I ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:17

Tags: Thanksgiving, Celebration

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance