In Sermon Illustrations: "Quit"

Location, Location, Location

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 15, 2010

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Back in 1991, I did an internship as a hospital chaplain in Philadelphia. At that time, AIDS was a new thing, and honestly, the hospital wasn’t sure how to handle people with AIDS, they were not sure what precautions to take when treating AIDS patients, so they took ...read more

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Example Of Bethany Hamilton

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 26, 2011

THE EXAMPLE OF BETHANY HAMILTON That word for "commit" is actually a banking term. It means to deposit something for safekeeping. Well, that's what we're to do with our lives when we go through times of suffering. Deposit your life in God's bank (so to speak) for safe-keeping. Trust Him to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Trust

Lessons Walter Payton Taught Us. Never Die Easy.

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 27, 2017

WE MUST LEARN THE BATTLE IS BEFORE US... I HAVE ANOTHER HERO: HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF WALTER PAYTON? Walter Jerry Payton from the state of Mississippi. Payton lived from July 25,1954 until November 1, 1999. He was 45 years old when he died of a liver disease. Mike Ditka was Payton's coach and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:12

Tags: Perseverance, Never Die Easy, Walter Payton

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Searching For A Sunday School Teacher

Contributed by Doug Fannon on Mar 2, 2020

When I was the Sunday School director for the church I belonged to in New Mexico over 30 years ago, I remember asking one gentleman, an older, and supposedly a mature Christian, if he would teach a Sunday School class. I received the standard "churchy" answer I have heard time and time ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:12, Matthew 9:35-38, John 4:34-38, Luke 10:2

Tags: Outreach, Sunday School, Witnessing, Serving, Teachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Thank You, God, For Sending A Professional!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 8, 2024

As I was gathering my sermon, I couldn’t help thinking about a story of a little girl who was home alone and ill. She called her mother at work and told her, “Momma, I need you and I need you really bad.” This mother asked to get off work and frantically rushed down to the corner drug store to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Humor, Miracles, Gratitude, Thieves, Answered Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Visited Planet,

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 14, 2009

“The Visited Planet,” by J.B. Phillips Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Tags: Christmas

Getting Old Is Not For Sissies

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 9, 2019

I will not admit to being old, but I am older than I was 10 years ago. Those 10 years have been filled with all kinds of things helping me to get older. I saw an article that said that 60 is the new 40. I have no idea what that means, but I think out in our culture there is an obsession about age. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 145:7

Tags: Memories, Growing Old

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Please Don't Mess With My Peanut Butter

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 18, 2020

Normally, I'm a rather calm, cool and collected person. Actually, my creditors trying to collect things from me, mostly money, are responsible for this and I have been officially collected. If I could only collect my thoughts, but the pieces are too small and too few. Anybody who knows me ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4

Tags: Comfort, Happiness

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It’s Not Always What It Seems

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 11, 2020

There are times when my bad hearing is a blessing. I'm not sure if I'm not listening or not hearing. It’s hard for me to tell. For example, the other night, right after midnight, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were pretty much sound asleep. There was more sound on the other ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:2

Tags: Humor, Storms, Rioting

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Well, Here We Go Again

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 9, 2021

I have lived long enough to know that the only change that has any kind of reality is the change in my pocket. I keep track of that change with great supervision and count it every day. When people tell me that this is a New Year and there will be a lot of changes this year, I search my pocket ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:9

Tags: Old, Humor, Change, New Year

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Something Seems To Be Missing

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 10, 2021

Did you ever have a week when it felt like something was missing, but you didn't quite know what it was? I had that kind of a week this past week. It felt like something was missing, and I could not figure out what it was. The past week was typical in many regards. Everything seemed to be ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:9

Tags: Missing, Filling, Empty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Green Thumb Versus Black And Blue Thumb

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 16, 2021

If you came to our parsonage, you would discover all over our property, plants and flowers. Just don’t ask me to identify what they are. I can tell a plant from a flower, but that’s as far as it goes with me. That is not true with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. She gets all the credit for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tags: Unity, Differences

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Just When I Think I Got Everything Covered

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 16, 2022

Dr. James L. Snyder I like to have an organized life. I must confess that my idea of organization is not The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage’s idea. We may share many things, but not planning and organization. When she begins a project, it is well planned and organized down to the tiniest ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:40

Tags: Organization, Planning, Crafts

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Fool Me Once And You Will Be The Fool

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 16, 2022

Recently, the A/C company we use came and did their yearly inspection. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage took them around to the places that needed inspection. Everything turned out to be quite well and no problems. That got me thinking of what happened many years ago with another company ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:2-3

Tags: Service, Fool

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Second Thoughts Can Be Dangerous To My Health

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 30, 2024

Many things in life can be rather dangerous. For me, the most dangerous things in my life are thoughts. I thought about this one day, and by the end of the day, I was in deep trouble. Thoughts have a way of doing that with me. My New Year’s resolution one year was to have one thought per day. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Obedience, Opinion, Thoughts

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Did My Body Warranty Just Expire?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 21, 2025

Just when I recover from the latest ache in my body within a few minutes, I will get a “Boo, I’m back.” I’m not quite sure why these Aches and Pains love my body so much. Why don’t they just get over it and move on to another circus. The problem is, after I’m through with one ache, the next ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Pain, Blessing, Warranty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Are You Familiar With Bill Cosby’s ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 14, 2001

ILL. Are you familiar with Bill Cosby’s book, "Time Flies"? In it, Cosby says that something happens to you when you turn 50 years old. When his father turned 50, Cosby says that for the first time he remembers noticing his father’s "love handles," those rolls of fat which develop around your ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:11-14

Tags: Fulfillment, Money, Temptation General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Josh Mcdowell, A Dedicated Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 23, 2001

Josh McDowell, a dedicated Christian intellectual, wrote, "I was invited to speak in a university in South America. Because of the university’s Marxist leanings, I was the first American to speak there in four years, & it was a tense situation. "Big photographs of me had been posted all over ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Faith General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

John Todd Was A Preacher Back In The Late ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Aug 14, 2001

ILL. John Todd was a preacher back in the late 1800’s. When he was 6 years old, both of his parents died. So a kind-hearted aunt raised him until he left home to study for the ministry. Years later, this aunt became seriously ill, & even though she was a Christian, she wrote him a letter ...read more

Tags: Government

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Story Is Told Of A Man Who Took An Evening ...  PRO

Contributed by Rae Fitch on May 9, 2002

The story is told of a man who took an evening flight on which dinner was to be served to the passengers. Of course he was in first class, so we can expect that he would have received first class service and a first class meal. He was a bit hungry as he had missed lunch that day in order to ...read more

Tags: Anger

Denomination: Methodist