Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jan 15, 2009
The first time I had to speak in public was when I was in fourth grade. The elementary school I attended was part of the college down the street from my house. I think I was a shepherd in the college's presentation of "Amahl and the Night Visitors."
I was pretty nervous--scared, really--about
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
4. Backus notes, “Many people believe that we just sin and that’s all there is to it. You may shrug and say, “I’m just a sinner an I can’t help myself.” But you can help yourself. There is psychological dynamic underlying sinful behavior. By changing your thinking (an act of will), you can change
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by C. Philip Green on Apr 15, 2009
Try this next time you’re stopped by a policeman for speeding. Try saying, “Officer, I’m sorry for speeding, but I’ve never robbed anybody. I’ve never cheated on my income tax, and I’ve stopped at every stop sign in town.”
Do you think that would work to keep yourself from getting a ticket?
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Evangelical Free
Contributed by Rickey Bennett on Aug 18, 2009
WARNING AGAINST GOSSIP, SUSPICION AND MISTRUST
Charles Spurgeon, in his lecture titled "The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear" warns of the effect that suspicion has on a person and on the church.
"Avoid with your whole soul that spirit of suspicion which sours some men’s lives, and to all things from
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*other
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 14, 2009
OBJECT LESSON: PLANTED IN GOD'S LOVE
Items needed:
Table
Seeds (enough for all listeners)
Large pot with potting soil
Set up the table with the seeds and pot arranged on it where listeners can get to them during the invitation, perhaps in the front of your worship area. Then introduce the
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Denomination:
Church Of God
DON'T CRASH OR SHUT DOWN
Two things can happen to a car when it has been involved in a crash. It can either survive with the engine still purring and working or the car’s engine is completely shut down, stopped by fire and the dismembering of its parts.
Now, I would like you to carefully consider
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Denomination:
Independent/Bible
Contributed by David Moore on Jun 9, 2010
based on 1 rating
| 2,892 views
A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral he was impressed by the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other saints as he stood in their
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by Patrick Nix on Jul 9, 2010
More and more, law enforcement officials are coming around to the conclusion that the only way to reduce the crime rate in America is to make everything legal. Moves in various parts of the country to decriminalize marijuana are illustrative of this approach. If adopted nationwide, proponents
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 22, 2010
GRATITUDE ATTITUDE
A few years ago Dr. Nick Stinnett of the University of Nebraska conducted a group of studies called the "Family Strengths Research Project." Stinnett and his researchers identified six qualities that make for strong families. The first quality and one of the most important to be
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Independent/Bible
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jul 4, 2011
THE CASE FOR MARRIAGE
Not only do most first marriages survive, the majority are also happy: "Among the nearly twenty thousand married men and women questioned over the last several decades as part of the General Social Survey, 66 percent of the husbands and 62 percent of the wives give their
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Independent/Bible
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 19, 2011
based on 1 rating
| 2,848 views
GIVING BACK
Yesterday Marylu and I went to the Ko-ko-mah encampment as we do every year. We love the smell of campfires cooking food, crafts and arts done in an 1800's style, the music, the costumes, the re-enactments.
When parking car, I thanked the attendant and said, "This must be a pretty
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Denomination:
Independent/Bible
Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Oct 20, 2011
based on 2 ratings
| 2,395 views
THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT
A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral, he was impressed by the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and other
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Denomination:
Christian/Church Of Christ
Contributed by Tim White on Dec 5, 2011
based on 2 ratings
| 3,902 views
KNOW WHY YOU WORSHIP AS YOU DO
Why would some people buy a cat and tie it to the bedpost to show their reverence to God?
Many years ago, a very poor holy man lived in a remote part of China. Every day before his time of meditation, in order to show his devotion, he put a dish of butter up on the
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by Ken Pell on Feb 5, 2012
THE POWER OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Years ago, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted an experiment on a group of four-year olds. Each child was offered a marshmallow, and was told that they could have it now, or if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children grabbed the
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Denomination:
Nazarene
Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Aug 28, 2012
MARRIAGE TAKES HARD WORK
Good marriages are designed in heaven, but they are made on earth. And it takes hard work.
It reminds me of the pastor of a big city church who ran an ad for a caretaker/housekeeper. The next day, a well-dressed young man appeared at the pastor's door. But before he
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed