In Sermon Illustrations: "Honoring Mothers"

A Man Once Hired His New Son-In-Law To Build Him ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Mitchell on Apr 16, 2008

A man once hired his new son-in-law to build him a house. The man told his son-in-law that the house was going to be a surprise for his wife for their 30th anniversary, and he did not want him to spare any expense in building it. The son-in-law was already a cheap man who made his living ripping ...read more

Tags: Workplace Integrity

Denomination: Baptist

Bloom Where You're Planted

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Apr 17, 2008

BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. "Your ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Baptist

Ernest Hemmingway Was Once Asked To Write A Story ...  PRO

Contributed by W F on Jul 8, 2008

Ernest Hemmingway was once asked to write a story in just six words. He wrote a sad one ... "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." The world's shortest story inspired writer Larry Smith who wondered what memoirs people might be able to concoct in just six words. So he began a website which, to date, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:13-18, Psalm 39:5

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: *other

Before You Judge

Contributed by Jim Kane on Feb 6, 2009

BEFORE YOU JUDGE Steven Covey recalls riding on the New York subway one Sunday morning. It was a quiet time with many simply reading the paper, resting, or thinking quietly to themselves. But the quiet was shatter when a man and his children entered the car Covey was sitting in. The man sat down ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Church Of God

Max Lucado And God's Grace

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 12, 2009

MAX LUCADO AND GOD'S GRACE Max Lucado - Despite having sold 15 million books, a one-minute radio show in 900 markets, and a church of over 3,000 in weekly attendance, Lucado has not always been so "angelic." From his sophomore to senior year in high school, in his words, he "walked the path of the ...read more

Tags: Grace

Because Dad ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

BECAUSE DAD CRIED The great author Walter Wangerin has a wonderful story, called "Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine" where he writes: "I tried to stop my son Matthew from stealing comic books. I even took him to the police station and reported his actions to a detective who I thought scared the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:24

Tags: Parenting

Boice On The Virgin Birth  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2009

BOICE ON THE VIRGIN BIRTH One well-known Christian author, James Montgomery Boice, eloquently documents amazing things Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless life and sacrificial death accomplished for mankind as an amazing sign of His love. Jesus endured a human birth to give us a new spiritual birth. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Glad To Come To The Funeral

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 15, 2010

GLAD TO COME TO THE FUNERAL Garrison Keillor told the story of the time that his mother and father took him to the city to visit an aunt who was lonely and alone after the death of her husband of 55 years. He describes how she looked to him at 10 years of age. Her dress was stained with food ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sodom And Sydney

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 29, 2010

SODOM AND SYDNEY Sydney is well known for its GAY & LESBIAN MARDI GRAS. It is an annual parade, dance party and festival, the largest such event in the world and attracts many international and domestic tourists. For many years Fred Nile, a Christian minister has railed against their wickedness, ...read more

Tags: Homosexuality

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Key To The Spiritual Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

THE KEY TO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE At age 16, Madame Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717) was forced into an arranged marriage with an invalid 22 years older. She found her marriage to be one of utter humiliation. Her husband was often angry and melancholy. Her mother-in-law was a merciless critic. Even the maid ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Jesus Freaks

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Jul 23, 2012

JESUS FREAKS In the book, Jesus Freaks, is the story of the Hine family. They lived in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. At that time it was very dangerous to be Christian in Cambodia. They were arrested one day for being Christians and thus enemies of the revolution and bad blood. One morning ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 11:1-40

Tags: Sacrifice, Paradise, Dying, Sacrifices, Martyr  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When Good Intentions Go Wrong

Contributed by Jeremiah Menyongai on Mar 14, 2016

Illustration 2: In Tanzania, two guys went for an interview. One was smarter than the other but they were good friends and willing to work together so the less smarter could pass. The educated one said if he went first, he would come back with the answers to the interview questions. It happens that ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 26:1-33

Tags: Examine, Dull, Dummy, Ax, Evaluate, Test, Independent, Follower, Repeat, Mess, Ignorant, Stupid, Intention  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Make Room For The Tide!

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Mar 12, 2022

"Years ago, a wealthy businessman from London chartered a bus to carry a busload of urban children to the coast. There, the children spent a wonderful day at the ocean. Many of the children had never left the city. Most had never seen the ocean. For one blissful day, they ran unfettered over ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18

Tags: Make Room, Spirit Filled, Ocean, Full, Tide  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Children Need To Be Loved

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 17, 2023

No more convincing evidence of the absence of parental affection exists than that compiled by Rene Spitz. In a South American orphanage, Spitz observed and recorded what happened to 97 children who were deprived of emotional and physical contact with others. Because of a lack of funds, there was ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-5

Tags: Touching, Love, Marriage, Parents, Nurture, Children, Family, Home  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Elie Wiesel Was A Fourteen Year Old Boy When The ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Feb 8, 2006

-Elie Wiesel was a fourteen year old boy when the Germans started loading the Jews on trains and sending them to the death camps authorized by Adolph Hitler. This excerpt picks up as he is traveling by in a cattle car on a train from Transylvania (which at the time was under the control of ...read more

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Emperor And The Seed  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 18, 2002

THE EMPEROR AND THE SEED Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young people in the kingdom ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Tags: Faith, Fear, Courage, Truth, Humility, Hypocrisy, Honesty, Leadership, Risk, Patience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Pearls From God—communion Meditation  PRO

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Jan 27, 2003

PEARLS FROM GOD-- COMMUNION MEDITATION The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. With her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!" Quickly the mother checked ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment, God's Provision

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Cheerful Girl With Bouncy Golden Curls Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Fakes on Nov 10, 2003

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box ...read more

Tags: Giving General, God The Father, God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

Serving Others

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost”. - Arthur Ashe In a small, dusty town in western Oklahoma one November there lived a young single mother struggling to make ends meet. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:12-14

Tags: Humility, Christian Service

Denomination: Charismatic

Strange Theories  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2002

STRANGE THEORIES These are the results of a “Creative Scientific Theories Contest” sponsored by Omni magazine: GRAND PRIZE WINNER: When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet. And when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast ...read more

Tags: Question, Doubt