In Sermon Illustrations: "Keep Going"

It Was A Shoofly Pie Moment

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 5, 2020

During holiday seasons, I enjoy indulging in special food. My favorite during this time of year is the Shoofly Pie. Nothing hits the spot quite like this. Although the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage restricts this kind of culinary activity during the rest of the year, I tried to get a pass ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:17

Tags: Politician, Holiday, Shoofly

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Christmas Is More Than Jingle, Jingle

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 12, 2020

I have been trying lately to remember my first Christmas. I know my memory isn't perfect, but I thought maybe I could bring up some old memories of my first Christmas. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a thing about that first Christmas of mine. Of course, it might be that I was only five ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:6-7

Tags: Christmas, Holiday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Tell Santa I Tried To Be Nice

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 19, 2020

It’s that time of the year when the conversation around the dinner table in the Parsonage has to do with naughty or nice. I must admit it's not my favorite conversation because what is naughty, and what is nice? That all depends on who you're talking to. The Gracious Mistress of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:7

Tags: Christmas, Nice, Naughty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Oh, The Daze Of My Life

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 30, 2021

When I was young, my mother was quite a fan of a soap opera called “The Days of Our Lives.” I remember the title but I never would watch something like that. However, my mother enjoyed it and so what’s there to complain about. As I was thinking of it, I felt that I should remember the days of my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 39:4

Tags: Husband, Wife, Wisdom

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Be Careful What You Smile About

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 20, 2021

Dr. James L. Snyder I am a student of smileology and have been just about all my life. If you can't smile at something, it's not worth thinking about. Of course, certain things in life are serious, but not that many. Too many people take everything seriously and ruin their life. These are ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-5

Tags: Humor, Facebook, Lockedout

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Any Pie à La Mode Is My Kind Of Pie

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 3, 2021

Choices are a very important part of our everyday life. I am what I am today because of choices I made yesterday. I would like to blame someone else, but the truth of the matter is, I am what I am because of my choices. I must confess that there are a lot of bad choices I have made throughout my ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Marriage, Choices

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Love My Imperfections

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 11, 2021

Dr. James L. Snyder Unlike most people, I love my imperfections; those imperfections of mine do not cause me much trouble. I know most people like to focus on their perfections so that they can impress other people. But what about people like me who have no perfections to boast about? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:48

Tags: Perfection, Maturity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What An Orphan Boy Learned About John 3:16 On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 14, 2009

What An Orphan Boy Learned About John 3:16 on Christmas Eve In far away cold country a number of years ago there was a young orphaned boy selling papers on a cold, freezing Christmas Eve afternoon. Toward the close of the afternoon the little boy went up to a policeman and said, "Sir, I’m real ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Christmas

Musician Learns A Lesson By Following A Band ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

Musician Learns a Lesson by Following A Band Director’s Advice I would like to begin by sharing with you today an event in my life that at the time felt like the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but which in retrospect has proven to be a significant and defining point of my life. This ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10

It Never Dawned On Me Until

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 20, 2022

I must confess I am too poor to pay attention at this time in my life. I hope one day I will win the lottery and be able to afford to pay attention. But, of course, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage says that you can’t win a lottery unless you play the lottery. Well, I don’t play the lottery. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Attention, Listening

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Have Nose, Will Snore

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 8, 2022

Dr. James L. Snyder Having been married as long as The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and myself, there are very few things we disagree. I run by the idea, “Do you want to be happy, or do you want to be right?” That has guided me through many a storm these past years. Almost every day, I ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Unity, Agree

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

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

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

Misapplied Scriptures: "Be Sure, Your Sin Will Find You Out.”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 19, 2023

Introduction: Some ministers have used this verse as a way to make people think. Admittedly, sin is not a very popular topic for many people but it’s real and part of any good minister’s job is to point out sins and the potential for sin. It’s good, to make people think, but sometimes a verse can ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 32:20-24

Tags: Misapplied Scriptures, Moses, Sin, Israel

Denomination: Baptist

Cultivating The Fine Art Of Listening

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 16, 2023

If confession is good for the soul, I must confess here, I have not been successful at everything in my life. Oh yes, there are a few things I have been successful at, which I won’t mention right now. But many things I have failed to succeed at. One thing I have failed to succeed at, even though I ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19

Tags: Relationships, Hearing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

How Coffee Has Changed My Life

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 1, 2025

Recently, I was sitting drinking a nice hot cup of coffee. It's the first thing I do, and I can't get anything done until I do. I was thinking about this coffee as I was drinking it and remembered there was a time when I did not like coffee at all. When I was young, my parents made coffee ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32

Tags: Life Change, Coffee

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[318]. A Message From A Poem - Truth Without Arrogance

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 20, 2026

[318]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - TRUTH WITHOUT ARROGANCE Pride is one of the greatest sins because it was Lucifer’s first sin, and pride is so insidious. It causes false delusion of a person’s importance, and promotes arrogance. Any Christian engaged in any sort of Christian ministry is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:6, Galatians 6:3, 2 Corinthians 13:5

Tags: Humility, Truth, Pride, Arrogance, Spiritual Pride, Shun, Criticize, Superior, Gifts, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In God's Eyes," By Candace Carteen Of Portland, ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Atwood on May 5, 2008

"In God's Eyes," by Candace Carteen of Portland, Oregon. By the time I was ten, I was totally ashamed of my father. All my friends called him names: Quasi-Moto, hunchback, monster, little Frankenstein, the crooked little man with the crooked little cane. At first it hurt when they called him ...read more

Tags: Faults

Denomination: Baptist

Carta De Satánas (Translation Follows)

Contributed by Rolando Delgado on Sep 22, 2010

CARTA DE SATÁNAS (Translation follows) Te vi ayer cuando comenzabas tus tareas diarias. Te levantaste sin ni siquiera orar a tu "Dios". En todo el día no hiciste nada de oración; de hecho, ni recordaste bendecir tus alimentos. Eres muy desagradecido con tu Dios, y eso me gusta de ti. También me ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Pentecostal

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