In Sermon Illustrations: "New Creature"

You've Been Summoned

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Apr 18, 2024

A couple of years ago I had the honor of serving on a jury. It was by no means a noteworthy trial but it was important to the people involved. I felt a great deal of responsibility as the jury deliberated and eventually arrived at a verdict. We all wanted to make the right, fair and just decision ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism, Witness, Testimony, Witnessing, Great Commission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Are You Ready To Meet The Lord?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 22, 2024

Text: Proverbs 29:1, KJV: 1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Thrift and second-hand stores are good places to find items like Bibles and other Christian material—no offense to bookstores, of course. One day I was searching for ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:1

Tags: Thrift Shops, Death, Salvation, Ready To Meet God

Denomination: Baptist

[131]. A Message From A Poem – Hurting People Hurt

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 12, 2025

[131]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HURTING PEOPLE HURT When I was in England on ministry I went to a conference of church leaders and one of the speakers presented a very good talk on outreach for the unchurched people. One of the things he said was, “Hurting people hurt,” and I have not forgotten ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:15

Tags: Hurting, Christ Died, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Hurt, Brother, Healing, Walking In Love, Healed  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[214]. A Message From A Poem - Paul’s Prison

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 28, 2025

[214]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PAUL’S PRISON This is my oldest surviving poem. I had parts of others but they are gone. The poem came about when thinking of Paul in prison in Rome. Everything seemed against him there, but he was never forsaken by God of course. When Paul was in prison he ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:10, Philippians 1:23

Tags: Luke, Paul In Prison, Christian Poems, Devotion, Asia, Defection, Departure, Desertion, Demas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Day In The Life Of A Shepherd  PRO

Contributed by Ervin Kimrey on Jun 29, 2005

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SHEPHERD With a spring in his step and an eye to the sky, at sunrise, he makes straight for the sheep fold. As soon as he rattles the gate, he gives his morning call, greets the sheep, often by name, every sheep is on its feet. They spring toward the gate, with expectancy ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:11

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Promises Of God

Denomination: Baptist

The Rich Fool

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 22, 2008

THE RICH FOOL Ortberg writes (and I have abridged it and translated it into proper English) Once upon a time in the Silicon Valley, there lived a very important man.He routinely logged in 12-14 hours a day work and sometimes at weekends. He went to the Harvard School of Management, where he got ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Fool, Use Of Time

Denomination: Anglican

Who Invented The Autocorrect?

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 15, 2023

The other day I recognized something that had been happening for quite a while. As I was texting, I noticed that there was AutoCorrect. So whenever I spelled a word, it would finish the spelling before I was done. And, if I was spelling it wrong, it corrected me. A few times, I am typing a word, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Correct, Errors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I’m Too Smart To Be Stupid.

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 24, 2023

After being married for over 50 years, my wife, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, knows more about me than I know about myself. At least, that's the perception I get from her actions. It must be true when she says something about me, and I won't challenge her with anything she says. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:15-16

Tags: Marriage, Relationship

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[240]. A Message From A Poem – Smothering Of Delusional Creep

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 20, 2025

[240]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – SMOTHERING OF DELUSIONAL CREEP This is a very serious poem. It is about delusion that is now a feature of this world in many ways. What does the title mean? Well first of all we have delusion that creeps along like a snail, but creeps steadily. As it goes it ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:9, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, Colossians 2:4

Tags: Homosexuality, Delusion, Climate Change, Marxism, Evolution, Deception, Islam  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

From National Public Radio -- June 6, 2002 -- ...

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Feb 19, 2005

From National Public Radio -- June 6, 2002 -- Writer Bob Greene calls it "the miracle of the trains." Starting in December 1941 and throughout World War II, volunteers in North Platte, Neb., greeted and comforted millions of soldiers and sailors heading off to battle as troop trains made brief ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

I'm Going To Be Quoting From The Book Messy ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Garcia on Mar 8, 2005

I’m going to be quoting from the book Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli. “In a book by New Zealand author Mike Riddell, Vincent has met and fallen in love with a young girl named Marilyn. Neither one of them is seeking a relationship, but a relationship is seeking them. Swept up by their ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love, Unconditional Love

Denomination: Adventist

Groans From Within! (06.09.05--Family--Prov. ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 7, 2005

Groans From Within! (06.09.05--Family--Prov. 11:29) I turned the engine over but oh the groans from within! My old leaf vacuum hadn’t been run in about a year and it was time to put it back into service redeeming the lawn and pathways of the carpet of the beech leaves blown down in a recent storm. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 11:29

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Lutheran

Light A Candle! (07.12.05--Tomorrow--John ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 10, 2005

Light a Candle! (07.12.05--Tomorrow--John 21:18-19) You know what is the best thing about the future? The way things have been going lately I have no doubt. The best thing about tomorrow is that tomorrow only comes one day at a time. We’ve all had times in our lives when what we feared the most ...read more

Scripture: John 21:18-19

Tags: Death, Guilt

Denomination: Lutheran

Those Little Maybe's! (08.12.05--Character ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 11, 2005

Those Little Maybe’s! (08.12.05--Character Counts!--Romans 5: 3-4) A drought tests the metal of a man. It tests his fortitude and his faithfulness. It also tests his resourcefulness and his ingenuity. I come from a long line of “resourceful” folks who seemed to see in every bleak and forlorn ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:3-4

Tags: Perseverance, Character, Diligence, Faith

Denomination: Lutheran

Burn The Books!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 16, 2005

Burn the Books! (08.18.05--Envy!--Prov 14:30) “Envy cannot read; therefore its will is that all books should be burned.” If we can’t have it then it should not be possible for others to know what we ourselves have not be given. When we equate envy with justice, we travel a very rocky road. Denying ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:30

Tags: Envy

Denomination: Lutheran

Cut To Fit!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 25, 2005

Cut To Fit! (08.29.05--Sickness!--Hebrews 12:6) Arthritis is a real drag. As active as you would like to be this day or any, if you are weighted down with joints that are sometimes swollen and often stiff, the day always seems sometime a bit longer, somehow harder to bear. I’ve been an arthritis ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:6

Tags: God In The Hardships, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Lutheran

Undone And Redone! (09.01.05--Sickness!--Psalm ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 30, 2005

Undone and Redone! (09.01.05--Sickness!--Psalm 38:21) Recently I had a crown installed on one of my molars. In the process of doing the work, the dentist created a space between the new crown and a nearby tooth that hadn’t existed before. Now, every time I chewed on that side of my mouth, the food ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 38:21

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Lutheran

Stop The Bleeding But Heal The Wound! ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 4, 2005

Stop the Bleeding But Heal the Wound! (10.07.05--Beginning Again!--Genesis 16:7-10) There is one good rule for starting over. If something’s broken, don’t try to fix it with anything less than your best effort. The odds are that the more you try to “band-aid” things, the longer it will take for ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:7-10

Tags: God's Provision, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Lutheran

To All The Kids Who Were Born…

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 25, 2006

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grading Papers  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 21, 2006

On the Lighter Side of life: Can you imagine yourself to being the nun that is sitting at her desk grading these papers all the while trying to keep a straight face and trying to maintain her calm and posture! PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE WORDING AND SPELLING. IF YOU KNOW THE BIBLE EVEN A LITTLE, ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational