In Sermon Illustrations: "Sharpening Your Ax"

Real ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

REAL LISTENING The story is told of a grandmother, a mother and a little boy--three generations--who went into a restaurant and sat down to order. The waitress took the grandmother’s order, the mother’s order, then turned to the little boy and said, "What would you like?" The mother immediately ...read more

Tags: Leadership Listening

Not Any ...

Contributed by Alan Kraft on Jan 8, 2009

NOT ANY EXPERIENCE Doug Roberts, a contributor to Glamour magazine, once wrote: "One of the things I love about [porn] is that it’s sex with anybody I want: Halle Berry, the weather woman, the blond who brushed against me on the subway...I can summon any one or two of these ladies for a romp ...read more

Tags: Pornography

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Make Sure We Were Abiding

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

MAKE SURE WE WERE ABIDING Stuart Briscoe, author and long-time pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, tells about the time he traveled to Poland during the cold war. He was involved in several weeks of itinerant ministry, and one winter day his sponsors drove him in the dead of night ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:13

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Paul And Kelly ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

PAUL AND KELLY BENITEZ In 1967, Paul Benitez and his fiancée Debra were married. In 1968, they had a baby boy and named him Kelly. Paul was drafted into the Army in 1969. While he was overseas, Debra moved away and changed her name. Paul was never able to find his wife nor his baby boy. He would ...read more

Tags: Sin Separates From God

Answered Prayer On A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

ANSWERED PRAYER ON A PLANE WELLINGTON, New Zealand--Grant Stubbs and Owen Wilson were flying up the sloping valley of Pelorus Sound in New Zealand, admiring the beautiful panoramic view. Then there was a cough. "Bless you, Owen." "For what, Grant?" "Your cough." "I didn’t cough." "Oh." Then ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

There Was A Time When My Folks Visited Me And Saw ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 13, 2009

There was a time when my folks visited me and saw a bizarre arrangement in my living room. I had a nice sofa, but I couldn’t afford end tables. So, I’d taken cardboard boxes and covered them with blankets to hold lamps and magazines. It was clever, but it didn’t look nice. Frankly, it looked pretty ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: *other

Our Family Pet Dog, Avalon, Was A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 17, 2009

Our family pet dog, Avalon, was a beautiful rottweiler and she was a good dog. She loved to follow me around. When I would come home from work she would get all excited – wagging her tail with glee. She would rush towards me while snorting with anticipation and celebration. Avalon loved to be ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Baptist

Despite His Busy Schedule During The Civil War, ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 26, 2009

Despite his busy schedule during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln often visited the hospitals to cheer the wounded. On one occasion he saw a young fellow who was near death. “Is there anything I can do for you?” asked the compassionate President. “Please write a letter to my mother,” came the reply. ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Wesleyan

Best Speeding-Ticket Excuse

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 16, 2009

BEST SPEEDING-TICKET EXCUSE A convention of Arkansas State troopers was asked to submit the best excuse they’d ever heard for someone trying to get out of a speeding ticket. The winning entry was submitted by a trooper who clocked a semi-tractor truck speeding down the interstate. The trooper ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Message Never Got ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

THE MESSAGE NEVER GOT DELIVERED George Sweeting, in his book, The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

You Can Trust ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST GOD A Canadian pastor, in a period of great turmoil, received the faithful help of God he needed from reading about the following true incident. In his town the local parks commission had been ordered to remove the trees from a street they were going to widen. As they were about to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:4

Tags: Trust

To Win Them, You Must Weep For Them  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

TO WIN THEM, YOU MUST WEEP FOR THEM A woman went to her pastor and said, "I’ve been a Christian for 20 years. I’ve read books on how to win souls. I’ve memorized scripture. I’ve taken courses on how to win the lost. And yet I haven’t won one person to the Lord. Why?" The pastor’s answer ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:41-44

Tags: Evangelism How To

Get On With It, You Old Goat

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

"GET ON WITH IT, YOU OLD GOAT." I heard the story about a college choir which was all set to present a concert in a large church which was to be carried live by a local radio station. When everything appeared to be ready, the announcer made his final introduction and waited for the choir director ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-24

Tags: Action

Since My Three Year Old Son Sebastian Was An ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Apr 30, 2009

Since my three year old son Sebastian was an infant we have prayed at meal times. If we ever appear as though we are about to eat without praying first, Sebastian will tell, “Uh Oh, daddy, you almost forgot to pray.” Our one year old son, Ephram, is getting in on the pray now too, although when ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To, Prayer General

Denomination: Christian Church

Marriage Conflict And Forklifts  PRO

Contributed by Tim Harlow on May 13, 2009

MARRIAGE CONFLICT AND FORKLIFTS Ephesians 4:26 says, "In your anger do not sin." Best story I read on this, as I was doing research this week, was about a woman who attacked her house with a forklift. This is the news report: Diane Fittipaldi, 2013 Sunset Lane, told Municipal Court Judge Levi ...read more

Tags: Anger

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ill<><i Heard A Pastor Tell Bout Company In Nw ...

Contributed by West Garner on Jun 29, 2009

I heard a pastor tell about a company in the NW that had a need come to them. The Need was for a bear proof trash can. All trash cans were being destroyed by grizzlies. Three companies took on the challenge and each developed a product for testing. They took the three products out into grizzly ...read more

Tags: Time, Trials

Denomination: Baptist

Kingdom In My Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

KINGDOM IN MY HEART Alistair MacLean quotes a story from Tauler, the German mystic: One day Tauler met a beggar. "God give you a good day, my friend." he said. The beggar answered, "I thank God I never had a bad one." Then Tauler said, "God give you a happy life, my friend." "I thank God," said ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:11-13

Tags: Fear And Worry

Leaving A Message For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

LEAVING A MESSAGE FOR GOD In March 2009, Dutch artist Johan van der Dong decided God needed a telephone number. So, he got him one, a cell phone number to be exact--to show that God was "available anywhere and anytime." In an interview, Dong said, "In earlier times you would go to a church to say ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:29

Tags: Prayer, Prayer General

Intercession: Pyramid Prayer?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

INTERCESSION: PYRAMID PRAYER? Philip Yancey in his book on prayer tells of a young American soldier in Iraq who learns that his wife back home has advanced cervical cancer. Doctors gave a bleak prognosis. In desperation, he sent an urgent email to his church with the request that everyone in turn ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 13:6

Tags: Intercession

Spiritual Fruit: "This Has Been Plastered"  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

SPIRITUAL FRUIT: "THIS HAS BEEN PLASTERED" Benjamin Franklin learned that plaster sown in the fields would make things grow. He told his neighbors, but they did not believe him and they argued with him trying to prove that plaster could be of no use at all to grass or grain. After a little while, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:35, Mark 4:1-9

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit