In Sermon Illustrations: "Me Focused"

Empty Hands

Contributed by Nathan Ingram on Nov 30, 2009

“Empty Hands” by Martha Nicholson One by one He took them from me, All the things I valued most; Until I was empty-handed, Every glittering toy was lost. And I walked earth’s highways, grieving, In my rage and poverty, Till I heard His voice inviting, “Lift your empty hands to me.” So I held my ...read more

Tags: Possession, Trust God

Denomination: Independent/Bible

As I Was Driving This Past Week I Was Noticing ...

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Dec 25, 2009

As I was driving this past week I was noticing how beautiful the path of lights along the highway looked against the darkness of the pre-dawn sky. The lights lighting the roadway sparkled like diamonds against a canvas of ebony. The scene caused me to think about the beauty of the night. As I gazed ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:16

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Baptist

Imagine I Took $10,000 To Buy A New Car. I Paid ...

Contributed by Kerry O'neill on Mar 9, 2010

Imagine I took $10,000 to buy a new car. I paid for it and then went to the car and vacuumed the inside and dumped the contents in a shoe box. Then I emptied the ashtray into the box and I found a couple of old French fries in the back seat and some other garbage in the trunk. I put it all in ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Recently Read About An Exasperated Mom Who Sent ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on May 4, 2010

I recently read about an exasperated mom who sent her disobedient little boy to his room. When his time was up, he came out far more confident than when he had gone in. He said, "I’ve been thinking about what I did and I said a prayer." "That’s fine," his mother said, 'if you ask God to make you ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Heartprints

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jun 28, 2010

HEARTPRINTS Whatever our hands touch - we leave fingerprints! On walls, on furniture, on doorknobs, dishes, books, As we touch we leave our identity. Oh please where ever I go today, help me leave heartprints! Heartprints of compassion, of understanding and love; Heartprints of kindness and ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Someone Under My Bed  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

SOMEONE UNDER MY BED A man went to a psychiatrist with a worry problem. "Every time I get into bed," he said, "I’m convinced there is somebody under it." "I can help," said the psychiatrist, "But it will mean a session a week for a year, costing £30 per visit." The man never returned, so when ...read more

Tags: Worry

Denomination: Brethren

Miracle Story

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 20, 2011

MIRACLE STORY Many years ago in Kenya, a parent of one of my students came to me and told me what God did for their family. His daughter was born with serious physical problems. Doctors said that she will not be able to give birth her entire life. Her father and mother began to pray fervently for ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1-8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Baptist

Whitening Fast

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Feb 13, 2012

WHITENING FAST When Dr. Rees was waiting to preach, a friend commended to him, "You sure are whitening fast!" He got up and said this from the pulpit: "There is a little white flower that comes up through the earth at this season of the year - sometimes it comes up through the snow and frost; but ...read more

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Baptist

Example Of Extreme Forgiveness

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 17, 2020

Twenty years ago, Rwanda experienced a horrible genocide as one tribal group attacked and massacred another over tribal rivalry. Here is one story of forgiveness from that horrid era. “He killed my father and three brothers. He did these killings with other people, but he came alone to me and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:3-4

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Restitution, Apology  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Just A Second!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 5, 2023

A young man once asked God how long a million years was to Him. God replied, "A million years to me is just like a single second to you." The young man asked, "Then what is a million dollars like to you?" God replied, "A million dollars to me is just like a single penny ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9-10

Tags: Eternity, Heaven, Time Management, Time, Clocks  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

And Then It Was Silent No More

Contributed by James Snyder on May 23, 2020

During this time of exclusive lockdown, I and the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage have grown accustomed to silence. Don't get me wrong here. I do not object to noise as long as it's the right kind of noise. However, I do have a good warm feeling about silence. What was that song? ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13

Tags: Books, Silence, Noise

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

When Everything Goes My Way

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 7, 2020

I have had a certain dream many times over the years. Of course, it might lean towards being a nightmare if it does not come true. The dream is that one day in the week; I can have everything go my way. The nightmare part of that dream is that it never tells me which day everything will go my ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Partnership, Together, Choice

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Splish Splash, I Forgot To Take A Bath

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 8, 2022

If you had the opportunity to speak to the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, she would probably tell you that one of my strengths is forgetting. I'm not sure how far into the subject she would get. When it comes to forgetting, I am outstanding on the back lawn, and my expertise in this area ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:2

Tags: Memory, Forgetting

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

How Many Coughs Is Enough For One Day

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 2, 2023

This past week started rather rough. At least rougher than others. It started with a cough. A cough is not that serious if it's just one cough or maybe two. But it is not good when it is one cough after another and another. One day last week, right after this coughing spell began, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:12

Tags: Sick, Medical, Physician

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Life Can Be A Series Of Dreams

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 7, 2023

Lately, I’ve been having some fascinating dreams at night. Usually, I don’t give much thought to dreams, but lately, I’ve been thinking more about them. Last night, for example, I had this exciting dream, and everything seemed to be coming in my direction, and then I woke up before the end. Once I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Tags: Dreams, Fanasty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Do I Need A New Mask For Halloween?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 28, 2023

The older I get, the less patience I have for holidays. I certainly am not a holiday guru in any sense of the word. When I was younger, my favorite holiday was Christmas because of all the presents I got. I could never get enough gifts for Christmas. When I got older, got married and had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 95:2

Tags: Halloween, Masks

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Whatever Happened To Reality

Contributed by James Snyder on May 18, 2024

During my health hiatus I did things I never had time to do before. One of them was to check out some Reality TV Shows. I never had much interest in these TV shows, but I thought now would be a good time to check some of them just to see what their idea of reality really was. Of course, my health ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Tags: Reality, Tv Shows

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

So What If I’m Crazy?

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 17, 2024

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and her wonderful husband are celebrating 53 years of marital bliss this year. What an accomplishment! It doesn’t seem possible that we have been married 53 years. After all, we don’t look that old! At least she doesn’t. It’s amazing how time flies; if ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Unity, Relationships, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What Happened To My Little Piggy Bank

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 7, 2024

This week, I had to do something I hadn't done before: go to the bank and deal with fraud in my checking account. Someone tried to write a check for $1800 from my account. Fortunately, I didn't have that much money in my account, and I was a little provoked by this incident. How dare ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money, Banks, Savings

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If She Cannot Fix It, It’s Not Broken

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 4, 2025

Life has its many ups and downs. There are some weeks when there are more downs than ups. But if I didn’t have a down, I probably wouldn’t appreciate an up. This past week was one of those down weeks. One day, we lost our electricity for maybe six hours, my printer died on me and some scammer ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 147:3

Tags: Frustration, Fixing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance