In Sermon Illustrations: "Self Indexing"

Graffiti With Meaning!" Matthew 14: 22-24 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 15, 2004

“Graffiti With Meaning!” Matthew 14: 22-24 Key verse(s): 23: “After he had dismissed the, he went up on a mountainside by himself to prayer. When evening came, he was there alone . . .” “Isolation is not all that bad . . . it just depends on who you spend it with.” At first glance this ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-24

Tags: Boat, Prayer How To

Denomination: Lutheran

The Woodland Creature Known As The Porcupine ...  PRO

Contributed by Lisa Delay on Aug 10, 2005

The woodland creature known as the porcupine weighs 15-20 pounds. This primarily nocturnal animal gets its name from the Latin word for pig and the French word for thorn. These “prickly pigs” have 30,000 quills each are a mass of tiny overlapping barbs. When threatened these rodents first try to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-19

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Woodland Creature Known As The Porcupine ...

Contributed by Lisa Delay on Sep 8, 2005

The woodland creature known as the porcupine weighs 15-20 pounds. This primarily nocturnal animal gets its name from the Latin word for pig and the French word for thorn. These “prickly pigs” have 30,000 quills each are a mass of tiny overlapping barbs. When threatened these rodents first try to ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Have Visited Japan Three Times In The Past ...

Contributed by John Weeks on Dec 9, 2006

I have visited Japan three times in the past several years. It is a fascinating place of great contrasts – primarily – great beauty contrasted with great sadness. You see from my observation, the Japanese culture is one of materialism, self-satisfaction, rigid order and sexism – all of this ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Someone Asked, "What In The World Is Happening ...  PRO

Contributed by Ray Searan on Feb 21, 2007

Someone asked, “What in the world is happening with our kids today?” Let us see…I think it started when Madelyn Murray O’Hare complained that she did not want any prayer in our schools, and we said “Okay.” Then someone said, “You had better not read the Bible in school” – the Bible that says, “Thou ...read more

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Whom God Loves, He Chastens

Contributed by Clark Tanner on May 15, 2009

WHOM GOD LOVES, HE CHASTENS George MacDonald was a 19th century orator and story-writer who C.S. Lewis once called his master as relates to story-telling and relating truth through fantasy. One of MacDonald’s short stories was titled, "The Gifts of the Child Christ." The main character of the ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Orthodox

To Be Had For The Asking

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Jul 28, 2009

TO BE HAD FOR THE ASKING A few days after the Civil War had been officially ended a man was riding along a road in West Virginia. Suddenly a soldier, clad in a dirty and tattered Confederate uniform, sprang out of a thicket, seized the horses’ bridle, and with twitching face demanded, "Give me ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Christian Church

X As Head Of The Iraqi Olympic Committee, Uday ...

Contributed by Bruce Rzengota on Dec 28, 2009

„X As head of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, Uday oversaw the imprisonment and torture of Iraqi athletes who were deemed not to have performed to expectations. According to widespread reports, torturers beat and caned the soles of the football players’ feet -- inflicting intense pain without leaving ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

New Year's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

New Year’s Resolutions How are you coming thus far in 2010 in terms of your new year’s resolutions? Author, innovation consultant, and speaker Stephen Shapiro, with the help of Opinion Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, offers the following interesting statistics concerning New Year’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:8

Tags: New Year's Day

My Sister And Her Husband Pete Are On A Holiday ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jun 4, 2010

My sister and her husband Pete are on a holiday working their way through OUTBACK PLACES in Australia. Unfortunately they can't travel on the dirt roads at the moment because of an unexpected rainy season. They have to stick to the highways because if they get off the track they will sink in the ...read more

Tags: John The Baptist

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Good For Goodness' Sake

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 26, 2010

GOOD FOR GOODNESS' SAKE “You better watch out, you better not cry Better not pout I'm telling you why - Santa Claus is coming to town He's making a list and checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice Santa Claus is coming to town He sees you when you're sleeping - He knows when ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Leaders At The Poles

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

LEADERS AT THE POLES In his book, Leading at the Edge, Dennis Perkins contrasts the leadership values of two different explorers: Earnest Shackleton and Vilhjalmur Stefansson. In 1914, Shackleton led a daring expedition to reach Antarctica in the South. A year earlier, Stefansson led an expedition ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Leadership General

Go Find Something To Do For God

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

GO FIND SOMETHING TO DO FOR GOD Ruth Rettig tells the story of having gone through unsuccessful cancer surgery and following up with chemo in Houston, which meant 500-mile roundtrips from their home in central Texas. The trips were exhausting enough but the chemo made her feel sick to death. She ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Methodist

Pastoral Search Committee Of The First Lukewarm ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE FIRST LUKEWARM CHURCH I was recently contacted by a pulpit committee that was interested in my ministry. I met with Chairman of the Disenchanted, Bro Tepid. He described his church; First Lukewarm Church of the Apathetic. “Nothing too boring, nothing too exciting. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Tags: Lukewarm

Monogamy Syndrome  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 15, 2013

MONOGAMY SYNDROME Where at one time, having sexual relations outside marriage was considered liberating, current studies show that it damages one's ability to trust, affecting future relationship, one's respect for self, affecting every decision and diminishing the value of right decisions, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 12:6

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Baptist

Infinity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

INFINITY Let me introduce you to a person called Michael Rae. In his own words, he is on a path to immortality which involves a near-abstinence level of food, the dedication of an accountant to approve every calorie, and an obsession with death. The youthful, 38-year-old research assistant ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:27-31

Tags: Immortality

Without One Plea  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

WITHOUT ONE PLEA Charlotte Elliott was a sickly English woman who had developed a long history of refusing to do things she was asked to do because of her illness. Her brother, who was a pastor, had been particularly persistent in trying to get her out of herself, trying to get her involved in ...read more

Scripture: John 8:3-11, John 4:1-26

Tags: Healing, Brokenness, Trials And Difficulties, Used

Favorite Child

Contributed by Matthew Sickling on May 14, 2007

Erma Bombeck. She writes: "Every mother has a favorite child. She cannot help it. She is only human. I have mine--the child for whom I feel a special closeness, with whom I share a love that no one else could possibly understand. My favorite child is the one who was too sick to eat ice cream at ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Today We Are All Rushing About Working For That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Today we are all rushing about working for that next pay raise. But what is that pay raise really going to profit us? We often can’t see the big picture for striving for something greater. Maybe we should have the attitude of this father. The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Lina Joy, 43, Lost The Court Battle To Change Her ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 25, 2007

Lina Joy, 43, lost the court battle to change her religion from Islam to Christianity on Wednesday when the Malaysian Federal Court ruled she should seek permission to officially change her religion from Islam to Christianity at Islamic Shariah courts. Joy had been engaged in a legal battle for six ...read more

Denomination: Other