In Sermon Illustrations: "Providence"

Fellow Pastor And Friend Denn Guptill Wrote These ...  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Nov 10, 2003

Fellow pastor and friend Denn Guptill wrote these words: “How many people here have ever taken their kid’s to MacDonald’s. Ok you’ve taken the fruit of your loins to the golden arches, you’ve forked over some of your hard earned wealth, received your dinner and now you have retired to one of the ...read more

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving Yourself

Denomination: Baptist

Bill Hybels, In His Book Courageous Leadership, ...

Contributed by Wes Richard on Jan 7, 2004

Bill Hybels, in his book Courageous Leadership, (p. 249) uses this illustration. He has a sailboat and every summer his sailing crew and he have to deliver his sailboat by water to various harbors around the great lakes for regattas. Some of them are a long ways away. Sometimes he runs into storms ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Brethren

In Eastern Lands, People Used Public Baths And ...  PRO

Contributed by Chad Wright on Mar 30, 2004

In Eastern lands, people used public baths and got dressed again; as they walked in the dusty streets, their feet became dirty. On arriving home, they did not need another bath; they needed only to wash their feet. When the Jewish priests were ordained, they were washed all over (Ex. 29:4), which ...read more

Scripture: John 13:9-10

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Lutheran

On Sunday, February 18, 2001, Nascar Lost One Of ...

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Aug 11, 2004

“On Sunday, February 18, 2001, NASCAR lost one of its greatest drivers. Dale Earnhardt Sr., also known as "The Intimidator," was in third place on the last lap of the Daytona 500 when his car was tapped from behind and sent head-on into the wall at 180 mph. In a matter of moments it was ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: United Methodist

Thomas Edison Did Not Give Up On His First ...

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 27, 2004

Thomas Edison did not give up on his first efforts to find an effective filament for the incandescent lamp. He did countless experiments with countless materials. As each failed, he would toss it out the window. The pile reached the second story of his house. Eventually, he sent men into ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Endurance

Denomination: Pentecostal

New Sick Leave Policy  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 4, 2007

New Sick Leave Policy 1. SICKNESS: No excuse. We will no longer accept your doctor’s statement as proof, as we believe that if you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work. 2. LEAVE OF ABSENCE (for an operation): We are no longer allowing this practice. We wish to discourage any ...read more

Denomination: Other

Shortly After Dallas Theological Seminary Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Shortly after Dallas Theological Seminary was founded in 1924, it almost came to the point of bankruptcy. All the creditors were going to foreclose at noon on a particular day. That morning they met in the president’s office with Dr. Chafer for prayer that God would provide. In that prayer ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence

George W. Truett  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

George W. Truett George W. Truett, a well-know pastor in Texas, was invited to dinner at the home of a very wealthy Texas man. After the meal, the host led him to a place where they could get a good view of the surrounding area. • Pointing to the oil wells covering the landscape, the Texan ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Humor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Humor A severe rash prompted a man from a rural area to come to town to be examined by one of my colleagues. After the usual history-taking followed by a series of test, the physician advised the patient that he would have to get rid of the dog that was evidently causing the allergic reaction. As ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Naval Aviation Training Includes An ...  PRO

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Sep 18, 2007

Naval aviation training includes an indoctrination session in what looks like a ride from some amusement park. The device takes up an entire huge room, and has individual containers attached to a larger wheel, allowing the person inside to be spun in multiple directions as the main wheel spins ...read more

Tags: Big, Large, Larger

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Anyone See "Oprah" This Past Week?...i Believe It ...  PRO

Contributed by Daniel Owens on Feb 12, 2008

Anyone see “Oprah” this past week?...I believe it was on Friday, Feb. 8. The test tube babies of the 80’s have come of age...and Oprah had some of those young people on her show. These children had no identity apart from a mother and were in a constant search for, not only there father, but for ...read more

Tags: Identity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How Does Adoption Change Things? ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 1, 2008

Illustration: How does adoption change things? Here’s a secular example: In 1952 a probation officer in New York City tried to find an organization that would assist in the adoption of a twelve-year-old boy. Although the child had a religious background, none of the major denominations would assist ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 2:25-26

Denomination: Other

George Barna Has Shown His Skill In Taking The ...

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Jul 7, 2009

George Barna has shown his skill in taking the pulse of the church in the US for years. April 2 of this year he published a new book titled The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. The tribes Barna identify are the seven tribes include Casual Christians, Captive ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Three-Fold Reward

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 23, 2009

THREE-FOLD REWARD Glenys and I were only married five years and in our second church. Money was tight and our needs were overwhelming. For a variety of reasons we were down to making an important decision – give our tithe or use it to buy groceries. Our faith was simple but strong. We decided our ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Salvation Army

When Church Is Miraculously Moved (Illustration: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2009

When Church Is Miraculously Moved (Illustration: 7606) The faith that moves mountains is borne out by the church that was moved by the Hand of God. Such a church stands to this day in the village of Swan Quarter, North Carolina. Before it was built in 1874 the congregation eyed with longing a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20-21

Tags: Miracles General

I Guess I've Always Liked Good News. When I Was ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 23, 2009

I guess I’ve always liked good news. When I was a student at Central College in Iowa, I worshiped at our Campus Church. Each week there was a pretty heavy prayer of confession that was usually preceded by recounting some really bad news stories of the previous week. Eventually a group of us ...read more

Tags: Culture

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Take The Silver With You” (Verse 25) More ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 28, 2010

"Take the silver with you” (verse 25) more accurately translated really means, “bind the money in your hand”. E.g. – Have you ever put that tithe on the dresser, to get it ready for Sunday but somehow when Sunday came you had used the money for a need that popped up? You reason, “I’ll make it up ...read more

Tags: Tithes

Denomination: Salvation Army

He Claimed To

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Jun 6, 2010

He claimed to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Sports Illustrated crowned him the "Sportsman of the Century." His nickname was "The Greatest." He was the three-time World Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali. But where is that left hook followed by the hard right to the face that ...read more

Tags: Power

Denomination: Lutheran

The Game

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 31, 2010

GENESIS 19: THE GAME Genesis 19 reads like a VIDEO GAME. It opens with a powerful weapon in the arsenal - Abraham's prayer (Genesis 18:23-32) which provides firecover throughout the story. The two angels that come into town are the heroes on a RESCUE MISSION from HIGH COMMAND called "JUST CAUSE". ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Culture Of Complaint  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2010

THE CULTURE OF COMPLAINT In 1991, Robert Hughes, an art critic, wrote a book called The Culture of Complaint. His thesis is that we live in a culture in which we perceive ourselves as being entitled to having all our wants and desires fulfilled. When that doesn't happen, we become "victims," we ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 15:1-21

Tags: God Brings Purpose