In Sermon Illustrations: "Loving The World"

Tomorrow's Trivia! (02.24.06--Do Not Worry!--Luke ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 22, 2006

Tomorrow’s Trivia! (02.24.06--Do Not Worry!--Luke 22:24) An average person’s anxiety is focused on: 40% -- things that will never happen, 30% -- things about the past that can’t be changed, 12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue, 10% -- about health, which gets worse with ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:24

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Lutheran

The Lady In A Faded Gingham Dress And Her ...

Contributed by Paul Humphrey on Sep 3, 2006

The lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly, without an appointment, into the president of Harvard’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

The Empty Chair

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 20, 2006

Subject: The Empty Chair > > A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come > and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he > found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on > two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed.The minister > assumed that the old fellow had been ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

When I Was In The Military Ministry I Knew A ...  PRO

Contributed by Edward Williamson on Nov 6, 2006

When I was in the military ministry I knew a retiree friend that worked at a local antique shop. I ran into him at a local furniture store one day and he proceeded to tell me the secrets to separating the true antiques from the clever reproductions. He showed me a four drawer dresser and he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31

Tags: Authenticity

Denomination: Baptist

War Often Brings Out The Good In People, In A Way ...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 11, 2006

War often brings out the good in people, in a way that we could never imagine. One such man was Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) Maximilian Kolbe was a Roman Catholic priest, who was put in a Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz for his faith. In the camp, he would share his meagre rations of food ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

There's A Guy By The Name Of Harley Whom A Bible ...

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Dec 20, 2006

There’s a guy by the name of Harley whom a Bible teacher had met in a Sunday School class. He realized that what the teacher was sharing was not real for him. He wasn’t experiencing Christ as his life. The reason he realized it was he was an unhappy camper when Lee met him. Harley’s married to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

I Read About A Pastor Who Decided To Experiment ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jan 16, 2007

I read about a Pastor who decided to experiment with changing those sad statistics in his church. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Pastor’s ...read more

Tags: Small Groups

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Californian Magazine Ran A Survey Of Over 600 ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 19, 2007

"A Californian magazine ran a survey of over 600 ex-Muslims who now follow Jesus, and concludes: "Although dreams appear to play a minor role in the conversion of Westerners, over 25% of these ex-Muslims affirmed that dreams and visions played a vital role in their conversions…" [source: ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Missionary In Abidjan, Ivory ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 26, 2007

Illustration: A missionary in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, reports that recently an African pastor passed through on his way home to Chad, where civil war was raging. "What would you like to take to complete your forty-four pounds of baggage allowance?" asked the missionary. "Sugar? Powdered milk? ...read more

The Late Erma Bombeck Tells Of God In The Act Of ...

Contributed by Sam Peters on Feb 27, 2007

The late Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, “Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one.” The Lord turned and said, “Have you read the specs on this model? ...read more

The Late Erma Bombeck Tells Of God In The Act Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The late Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, “Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one.” The Lord turned and said, “Have you read the specs on this model? ...read more

Tags: Mother's Day

Ii. Anthony Grew Up In An Italian Bakery In A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

II. Anthony grew up in an Italian bakery in a mostly Italian neighborhood of New York. His father was the baker, and as long as Anthony could remember he was at work in his father’s business. The sights and sounds of the bakery permeated every aspect of Anthony’s life. The heat of the oven. The ...read more

Tags: Christmas

A Person's Last Words Are Important. We Hang On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A person’s last words are important. We hang on to the dying words of those closest to us. We pass on the final words of great leaders for the next generation. It’s as if we are waiting for them to sum everything up in a few final statements. Some are famous: Nathan Hale (1755-1776) – "I only ...read more

Tags: Death

I Want You To Walk

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

“I WANT YOU TO WALK” -Arthur Gordon (A Touch of Wonder) relates a story that graphically describes the impact that one life can have on another. The man Gordon spoke of had been stricken with polio at the age of three and his parents had abandoned him in the Depression era. Taken in by a foster ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-36

Tags: Peace

Ever Had A Time When You Felt All Alone In Life, ...

Contributed by Don Hawks on Jun 26, 2007

Ever had a time when you felt all alone in life, didn’t know which way to turn? Do you ever have a point in your life where you felt so overwhelmed and frustrated that you just didn’t know what to do? You might be like a guy who went alone on a vacation up in the mountains and he was walking ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

One Of The Greatest Evangelistic Hymns Of All ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 12, 2007

One of the greatest evangelistic hymns of all time was written by a woman who knew well the release and peace that come from confessing one’s sins and failures to God. “Just As I Am,” a hymn frequently sung at the close of evangelistic meetings, was written by Charlotte Elliott of Clapham, ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Man's Daughter Had Asked The Local Minister To ...

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jul 18, 2007

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Few Years Ago (2004), Gordon Macdonald, Who Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Aug 29, 2007

A few years ago (2004), Gordon MacDonald, who is one of my favorite authors wrote a little book entitled A Resilient Life. In this book he tells the story of a coach and teacher named Marvin Goldberg who changed his life in a great way. MacDonald said that he tried out for football but was so ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Read A Story Recently That Illustrates What I'm ...  PRO

Contributed by Bob Joyce on Sep 14, 2007

I read a story recently that illustrates what I’m talking about. Back in the days when racial prejudice was open, vile and violent, a man was raised in the South under the bigotry and prejudice of that day. His mother and father had been killed by whites. He lived with his grandmother and with his ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

In His Book The Pressure's Off, Psychologist ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Mitchell on Jan 31, 2008

In his book The Pressure’s Off, psychologist Larry Crabb tells this story from his childhood. One Saturday afternoon, I decided I was a big boy and could use the bathroom without anyone’s help. So I climbed the stairs, closed and locked the door behind me, and for the next few minutes felt very ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational