In Sermon Illustrations: "Six Foot Hole"

Growing Through Pain

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Oct 2, 2020

Paul Tournier, the famous Swiss physician and counselor, reported his surprise in his book Creative Suffering upon reading an article entitled “Orphans Lead the World.” The article appeared in a respected medical journal and surveyed the lives of 300 leaders who had an impact on world history. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:14-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Suffering

Denomination: Baptist

I Am Not But I Shall Be

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 22, 2021

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) The one thing about getting older is that you get to look back on more things each year and have more to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:2

Tags: Forgiveness, Change, Transformation, Failure

Denomination: Baptist

Saved From Sharks

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 22, 2009

Peter Michelmore reported this story in the Oct. 1987 Reader’s Digest: Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only 65 minutes. But on Dec. 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft. With only a compass and a hand-held ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Years Ago I Was Working Two Jobs Trying To Get ...

Contributed by Sean Harder on Dec 18, 2009

Years ago I was working two jobs trying to get into professional golf. One of those was a courier job where you had to use your own vehicle. I had a very reliable Honda civic hatchback, great for driving in the city, a fair bit of space in the back with the seat folded down. It was the best car I ...read more

Tags: Mistakes

Receiving Confirmation For A Significant Event Or ...

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 19, 2009

Receiving confirmation for a significant event or activity is often important. When I was in the South African Air Force serving as an Air Traffic Controller, I used to tease the permanent force guys mercilessly. At a certain time each year they would receive news of promotions and new assignments. ...read more

Tags: Prophecy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Saying

Contributed by Jeffrey Dillinger on Apr 30, 2010

Saying “Good-bye” to Mom It is Mother’s Day weekend and my mom is dying from pancreatic cancer. She is only 65 and I will miss her very much. We are a family who believes in and loves God very much. Faith is the victory that overcomes. Right now, faith is what is needed to overcome my grief. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:15

Tags: Mother's Day, Death Of Believers

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

B.c. = Bad Communication

Contributed by Louis Gibson on Jun 28, 2010

B.C. = BAD COMMUNICATION Poor communication can led to all kinds of misunderstandings. A rather old fashioned lady was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for ...read more

Tags: Doubt, Communication General

Denomination: Baptist

The Son And The Rose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 22, 2011

THE SON AND THE ROSE Arnold Prater, in his book You Can Have Joy! tells about a man in a little English village named John Deckard. He was a clerk in a textile factory. A modest and quiet man, he lived in an ordinary little house at the edge of town with his wife and his six-year-old son, Rob. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:4

Tags: Parenting

Didn't You Get My Letters?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

DIDN'T YOU GET MY LETTERS? Let's play “Let's Pretend". Let's pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I'm the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

What Does God's Voice Sound Like?  PRO

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Feb 4, 2009

WHAT DOES GOD'S VOICE SOUND LIKE? Erwin McManus, a pastor in Los Angeles, tells a great story about recognizing God's voice. My son, Aaron, was five or six when he began asking me, "What does God's voice sound like?" I didn't know how to answer. A few years later, Aaron went off to his first ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Tags: Hard Heart, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

My Ongoing Grudge With Santa

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 18, 2021

I’ve had sort of a grudge with old Mr. Santa Claus. I was introduced to Santa Claus by my parents, who informed me that he was the one that brought all of my Christmas presents on Christmas day. And I believe my parents. I remember on Christmas Eve we had to go to bed early to give Santa Claus ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32

Tags: Christmas, Gifts

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Oh, Memory, How I Miss Thee

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 16, 2023

Dr. James L. Snyder Driving home from a luncheon with friends, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage asked me a stunning question. She is a specialist regarding questions I can’t answer. I am trying to evade her questions and have been very good up until now. “Did that story you told really ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:6-7, 1 Peter 3:10-11

Tags: Memory, Lying

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[202]. A Message From A Poem – Pictures From A Counting Song - (Part 1)

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 16, 2025

[202]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – PICTURES FROM A COUNTING SONG - (PART 1) THIS IS PART 1 OF THE POEM WITH PART 2 TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT POSTING. “ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE” OR “1, 2, BUCKLE MY SHOE” is a counting song dating back to late 18th century in the USA. It was heard for the first time ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 3:2-5

Tags: Nursery Rhyme, Christian Poems, Wrentham Massachusetts, Christian Application, Counting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If She Cannot Fix It, It’s Not Broken

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 4, 2025

Life has its many ups and downs. There are some weeks when there are more downs than ups. But if I didn’t have a down, I probably wouldn’t appreciate an up. This past week was one of those down weeks. One day, we lost our electricity for maybe six hours, my printer died on me and some scammer ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 147:3

Tags: Frustration, Fixing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Would Like To Read You Something I Came Across ...  PRO

Contributed by Mary Lewis on Sep 24, 2001

I would like to read you something I came across this week. It was written by a man named Tamim Ansary– who is an Afghani-American writer [ taken from Salon.com ]. I don’t generally like to read something of this length, but I think it is important for us to hear. [start quote] I’ve been hearing a ...read more

Tags: Stand Fast, World Religions

Denomination: Baptist

Listen, Son: I Am Saying This As You Lie Asleep, ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Children

Whose Boy Are You?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2002

WHOSE BOY ARE YOU? One of the great preachers of our time is Dr. Fred Craddock. Craddock tells a story about vacationing with his wife one summer in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Inheritance, Child Of God, Adoption

Best Christmas Illustration Ever!  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

The brand new pastor and his wife were assigned to their first church in Brooklyn and were to reopen it. They arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw the church, it was run down and needed a lot of work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:1

Tags: Christmas Reunion, Christmas, Advent

Denomination: Methodist

Post-It Note Christianity

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Jul 6, 2021

I’m a minister and, for the most part, the people I’m around know that. But in the church I serve we don’t wear any special clerical clothing, so on occasion I find myself in conversations with people who don’t know I’m a minister. That can create some interesting situations. I golf occasionally ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:3

Tags: Faithfulness, Sincerity, Faith, Commitment, Dedication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Winning Streak Of One!" 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 1, 2005

“A Winning Streak of One!” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 Key verse(s) 16“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” It’s important to make sure that every day of our lives we practice gladness and condition ourselves to finding ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Lutheran