In Sermon Illustrations: "Stretch"

The Old Man And The Gulls

Contributed by Richard Goble on Nov 6, 2007

The Old Man and the Gulls It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Overcoming The Loss Of Hands And Feet

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Jul 16, 2008

David and Becky Guinn have been on my mind this past week. In 1997, the Lord blessed me to go with David on a mission trip to Ukraine. It was a life-changing experience for me. David and Becky deeply love the Lord. They have faithfully served the Lord for years in college ministry, mission work and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:25-30, Matthew 12:9-15, 2 Timothy 1:1-12

Tags: Faith, Perseverance, Overcome Difficulty

Denomination: Baptist

Too Soon To Quit

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 3, 2009

TOO SOON TO QUIT Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. I heard a story of a weak, sickly man. The weak man decided to withdraw from society and die. The man owned a cabin far from any other people. There was a boulder by the edge of the porch, a huge boulder. He ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Miracle Of Eddie Rickenbacker

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Thanksgiving, Protection, Angels, Rescue, Miracles, Gratitude, God's Will, Deliverance, Providence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About A Pair Of Hard Hats

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 15, 2024

Text: 2 Samuel 3:33-34, KJV: 33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 34 Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. Have you seen any roadside memorials? It ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 3:33-34

Tags: David, Death, Joab, Abner

Denomination: Baptist

Pushing The Rock  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 25, 2005

PUSHING THE ROCK I have been pondering a story of a weak sickly man. The man was so sick and he could not afford going to town to the doctor. The man lived in the deep back woods in an old log cabin, his condition seemed to grow worse. Out in front of his cabin was a hugh boulder. The rock was ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13-17

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Fear And The Deceits Of The Heart  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2010

FEAR AND THE DECEITS OF THE HEART I think Edward Welch chose brilliantly the title for his book on overcoming the fear of man: When People are Big and God is Small. Maybe you can relate to his personal awakening to this problem when he was a high-school senior: "I had always been shy and ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 51:11-13, Isaiah 51:12-16

Tags: Ransom, Fear And Worry

Glorify God In Your Body

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Dec 15, 2016

When I was in high school at Littlefield, Texas, a boy was occasionally seen in the corridors who I did not ever see in my classes. His head was a grayish purple color, irregularly shaped, and at least twice the size of a normal person’s head. I understood that he was a student at the school who ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:20

Tags: Body, Glorify, Elephant, Proteus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

On Prayer--Part ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

ON PRAYER--PART 2 Samuel Pepys was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament in the seventeenth century, who is now most famous for his diary. "Prayer is not a lazy substitute for work. It is not a shortcut to skill or knowledge. And sometimes God delays the answer to our prayer in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

[003] Message From A Poem – A Simple Farmer’s Ditty

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 13, 2024

[003] MESSAGE FROM A POEM – A SIMPLE FARMER’S DITTY You will note that each line of the poem ends with the “ay” rhyme. The following poem is simple in structure but an attempt to relate to the simplicity of the land. I used to spend my holidays as an early teenager on the land with a farming ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 26:23-25, Ezekiel 14:13

Tags: God Keeps Us, Agrarian Society, Nature, Poem, Farming, Farmers, A Ditty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dr. Frederic Loomis Faced The Most Difficult ...  PRO

Contributed by Tom Mccrossan on Jan 21, 2004

Dr. Frederic Loomis faced the most difficult decision a physician could ever make--whether to allow a deformed baby to live or die. He had only seconds to decide. Dr. Loomis had delivered hundreds of babies, but this one was different. The infant lay in a breech position, promising at best a ...read more

Tags: Abortion

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Prayer Of God's ...

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Apr 21, 2009

A PRAYER OF GOD’S SERVANTS We are God’s servants. We put God’s love for all people first. No race is superior to another. No government is more loved than another. No nation is dearer than another. We do not put our nation’s economy before God’s economy. He tells us to seek first His Kingdom, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:45

Tags: Servanthood, Servants Of God, Servant Attitude

Denomination: Independent/Bible

One Day, I Woke Early In The Morning To Watch The ...

Contributed by Paul Green on Jul 14, 2009

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Oh the beauty of God’s creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me. He asked me, "Do you love me?" I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

Nothing But ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

NOTHING BUT SLAG I read a story told by Russell Conwell about a young man who lived in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania years ago. It just so happened that he inherited an iron furnace after his grandfather and father had passed away. He was a young man who had inherited a passel of wealth and as many have ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Prayer

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

Chris Jeffries tells the story of Roy who was feeling frustrated that he was not able to do what he felt he was born to do. So he prayed for Our Father to change something. Then there was a knock at the door and they met two strangers, a married couple. They invited them in and sat them down at ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:5-8

Tags: Prayer, God's Will, Confidence In Prayer

Denomination: Methodist

There Once Was A Weak And Sickly Man. The Man Was ...

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Nov 17, 2008

There once was a weak and sickly man. The man was so sick and he could not afford going to town to the doctor. The man lived in the deep back woods in an old log cabin, his condition seemed to grow worse. Out in front of his cabin was a huge boulder. The rock was massive in front of his place. One ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Baptist

The Following Article Is Based On A Sermon By ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Sep 14, 2002

The following article is based on a sermon by missionary Del Tarr who served fourteen years in West Africa with another mission agency. His story points out the price some people pay to sow the seed of the gospel in hard soil. I was always perplexed by Psalm 126 until I went to the Sahel, that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 126:6

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is The Doctor Behind?" Psalm 13:1-6 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on May 30, 2005

“Is the Doctor Behind?” Psalm 13:1-6 Key verse(s) 5:“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” Waiting is not something that comes natural to me. When I am put to wait, the time drags by so slowly, so tediously. While other more accommodating individuals are able ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 13:1-6

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Lutheran

What The Church Can Learn From The Carolina P...

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on Feb 6, 2016

What the Church can learn from the Carolina Panthers: by Burt Williams 1. Leadership matters: The leadership on Offence and Defense this year is stellar and it begins with the primary leaders Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, they lead the team on the field and have the responsibility to adjust the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 99:1-9

Tags: Disciples, Football, Church Leadership

Denomination: United Methodist

[034] A Message From A Poem – Beneath His Wings – My Prayer

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 22, 2025

[034] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BENEATH HIS WINGS – MY PRAYER In this poem there is a little word interplay in each stanza. It is simple to see. The reason for this poem is to express a prayer for personal concerns. I tried to cover a number of points I thought were important. These are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:29-31, Luke 18:10-11, Nehemiah 2:4, Luke 18:13-14, Romans 12:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Prayer, Sincerity, Poetry, Devoted To Prayer, Silent Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational