In Sermon Illustrations: "Mission Trips"

Thanksgiving At Plymouth ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony Think of that little band of people who crossed the Atlantic in a boat that was 26 feet by 112 feet and landed on the New England coast during a bitter cold winter. At times that first year the daily ration of those who were well was only five grains of corn. In ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Holiday

You Know Christmas Is Almost Here  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 13, 2001

YOU KNOW CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE WHEN: 10) There are more pine needles on your carpet than on your tree 9) The credit card is smoked along with the turkey and ham. 8) It’s A Wonderful Life has been shown for the 13th time 7) A trip to the mall and back is more challenging then the Indy 500 ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:10-12, Luke 2:19-20

Tags: Drummers, Christmas, Christmas Advent, Baby Jesus, Peace, Love, Joy, Hope  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When The U.s. Mint Reissued Two-Dollar Bills, I ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 13, 2002

When the U.S. Mint reissued two-dollar bills, I thought they might someday become collectors’ items. I went to the bank and picked up a hundred, serially numbered and still in their original band. On my next trip to my parents’ house, I gave the $200 to my mother and said, "Take good care of ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Only To Finish  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 10, 2001

ONLY TO FINISH The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments. American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100 meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier. She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing fifth--but finishing. ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On A Particularly Rough Airplane Flight, A Lady ...  PRO

Contributed by Evie Megginson on Apr 26, 2004

On a particularly rough airplane flight, a lady became very airsick. Her shoulders drooped, and her head slumped forward - she was totally wiped out. The stewardess came by to help her. "Come, come now," she said, "buck up and get control of yourself. Sit up and take courage." She put her arm under ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes

Denomination: Baptist

Before The Birth Of Christ, No Royalty Would Ever ...  PRO

Contributed by Alan Tison on Dec 7, 2005

Before the birth of Christ, no royalty would ever show their humility. That would be too human, too common. Kings have parades & entourages to draw the focus toward them. When Queen Elizabeth last visited America, she brought with her the following items • 4000 pounds of luggage – 4 outfits for ...read more

Tags: Humanity Of Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Mother's Day Is Second Only To Christmas In Terms ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Mother’s Day is second only to Christmas in terms of gift giving, and is celebrated by 75% of gifters, who spend on average $94 buying gifts, according to Unity Marketing. “Year after year Mom is remembered with traditional gifts, including flowers and plants (51%); candles and accessories (47%); ...read more

Tags: Parenting

City Slickers

Contributed by Sam Peters on Mar 1, 2007

(If available, use the clip illustrated here) In the movie City Slickers, Mitch (Billy Crystal) is on a Baby Boomer cattle drive in search of the real meaning of life. In one scene he is out riding with the gritty trail boss, Curly (Jack Palance). Curly realizes why Mitch is on the trip and ...read more

My Wife Christina And I Came Here To Visit First ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jun 23, 2007

My wife Christina and I came here to visit First Congregational Church in December of 2006 to candidate and interview for the position of Pastor. Some of you may recall what the church sign on the grass in front of the building had displayed on it that December… It said “What is missing in this ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Years Ago, When I Was A Youth Minister, We ...

Contributed by Mike Gilbert on Jan 12, 2008

Years ago, when I was a youth minister, we offered a free trip to youth camp to any teenager who could decipher the new name of the Youth Newsletter: The W.E.E.L.Y.D.O.T.L.I.S.T. -- We got all kinds of guesses, but out of several hundred teenagers who tried, no one figured it out. Sure enough, on ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

An Evangelist Accompanied A Missionary On A ...

Contributed by Shawn Rose on Jul 8, 2008

An evangelist accompanied a missionary on a missionary trip overseas. While there, one of the natives that had given his life to the Lord asked the evangelist, "Preacher, if the Lord gave you two houses, would you give one of them to the Lord?" "Certainly," the evangelist replied. The native ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Recently When Hurricane Ike Was Taking Aim At ...

Contributed by William Jones on Sep 20, 2008

Recently when Hurricane Ike was taking aim at Galveston Texas all the residents of that island were given orders to leave the island or to face certain death. As the Hurricane approached they were given one last warning, leave before it is too late, if you do not there will be no rescue. Many of ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Our Instant Culture

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

OUR INSTANT CULTURE In a chapter about rethinking discipleship, James Emery White states: Some of you may remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. He said when he first came to the United States from Russia; he wasn't prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

The Concept Of

Contributed by David Hodgin on Jun 30, 2009

The concept of “The Six Degrees of Separation” is worth bringing up here. In this concept, people who study such things say that everyone in the world is at most six acquaintances apart from every other person in the world. It is referred to as “The Human Web” and works like this, I know someone, ...read more

Tags: Unity

Surprise Surprise!

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

Blog stories: “Today, I went to my new job at a pre-school. I was really excited because everything was going so well, and a little boy even said he was drawing a picture of me. He even gave it to me when he was finished. Well it was me, but I was also on fire and being stabbed and shot multiple ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-17

Tags: Anger, Reaction, Surprise

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Little Things Add Up

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 15, 2025

MY SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TOLD A STORY OF A MAN THAT WORKED IN THE COAL MINES IN EAST TENNESSEE. The man drove a coal truck from the coal temple to the rail road loading dock. It was a short quick trip. Each time the driver drove by the house where he lived. He made a quick stop threw a very large ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:13

Tags: Small, Little

Denomination: Assembly Of God

In Late Fall Of 1777, Gen. George Washington And ...  PRO

Contributed by Anonymous Contributor on Jul 20, 2001

In late fall of 1777, Gen. George Washington and has rag tag army of militiamen suffered 2 defeats at the hands of the British at Brandywine and Germantown. He and his 11,000 men retreated to Valley Forge, PA to establish winter headquarters. It was a dark time for the revolution. Many died of ...read more

Tags: Sharing Your Faith, Endurance, Fulfillment

Denomination: Disciples Of Christ

8-Watt Abilities  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 29, 2002

8-WATT ABILITIES In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. ...read more

A Survey Of Hundreds Of Pastors Has Allowed Us To ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

A survey of hundreds of pastors has allowed us to compile a preliminary list of measurable quality factors in the life of a congregation in ranking order. The twelve factors are: 1. Bible knowledge. Church members are increasing in their grasp of the teachings of the Bible. They can integrate ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On The Random Stack Of Things That Magically ...

Contributed by Christopher Kennedy on Jan 22, 2009

On the random stack of things that magically appear outside my office door from time to time, this week I discovered a scrapbook that caught my attention. It was a scrapbook of the first years of Shepherd of the Hills. I was curious to look at the old pictures, letters, bulletins, and other ...read more

Tags: Unity, History

Denomination: Lutheran