In Sermon Illustrations: "Thankfulness"

Pastor Bruce D. Weaver And His Wife Drove In ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Oct 17, 2004

Pastor Bruce D. Weaver and his wife drove in their car to pick up their son from Vacation Bible School. The sky was growing dark and there was a storm watch in effect, but no rain was falling yet. The theme for their upcoming Vacation Bible School had to do with Noah’s ark and the flood, so he ...read more

Tags: Return Of Christ, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Six Year Old's Prayer

Contributed by Richard Wafford on Sep 9, 2006

7. SIX YEAR OLD’S PRAYER Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son had asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

At The End Of His Life, Jesus Was Able To ...

Contributed by John Shearhart on Dec 2, 2006

At the end of His life, Jesus was able to confidently declare His trust in the Sovereign Father. This reminds me of a poem called “Invictus” written by a humanist named William Ernest Henley: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my ...read more

Unity: Members Of The Body Of ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Nov 10, 2007

ILLUSTRATION : Unity: Members of the body of Christ are truly dependant on one another. Three Indonesian mothers, Eti , Rebekka, and Ratna, were imprisoned two years ago for teaching Muslim children in their Sunday School. Prison was shocking, discouraging and very hard at first. One of the women ...read more

Denomination: Other

There Was A Man Who Was Having Some Very Serious ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Mitchell on Mar 3, 2008

There was a man who was having some very serious financial problems. He went to his pastor and told him of all his troubles. The Pastor told him that if he would pray then God would provide for his needs. So the man went home that night and prayed “Dear Lord please let me win the lottery so that ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Pilot's Directions

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 26, 2008

Pilot's Directions Henry Gardner was flying me to Asheville, North Carolina, in his Cessna 180. We'd taken off from Victoria, Texas, and stopped in Jackson, Mississippi, to fix a malfunctioning radio. Now we were nearing Asheville only to find that the fog was so thick that the controller wouldn't ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

No-Cut Auditions

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

NO-CUT AUDITIONS Dick Sanderson is kind enough to give me a subscription to Leadership, Real Ministry in a Complex World. It is an exceptional magazine. This quarter there was an insert that carried a story called "A Cast of Thousands" by Lillian Daniel. She writes: "At my daughter’s ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Story: An Atheist Was Sitting Under A Tree One ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 31, 2001

Story: An atheist was sitting under a tree one day smugly thinking: "God, I know you don’t exist but if you do exist you must be really stupid. Look at this huge oak tree. It’s got a little acorn on it. And look at this huge marrow carried by such a puny marrow plant. Now, if I had been you, ...read more

Tags: Creation, Apologetics God, Apologetics General

Denomination: Anglican

Jimmy Stewart In The Movie Shanendoah Plays A ...  PRO

Contributed by Eric Snyder on Oct 22, 2001

Jimmy Stewart in the movie Shanendoah plays a farmer who has a bunch of sons. The Boys are of fighting age and the father will not let them go off to fight. The family gets the reputation of sitting out the war. There is a scene where they are all around the dinner table and they bow their heads ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday, God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

If, However, We Believe That We Are The Product ...

Contributed by Dana Chau on Jun 5, 2003

If, however, we believe that we are the product of a Creator who made us and set us free, we will conclude as William Ernest Henley in his poem, "Invictus": Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.... It matters ...read more

Tags: Apologetics General

Denomination: *other

Katherine Kehler Gives Practical Advice On The ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 23, 2004

Katherine Kehler gives practical advice on the need to spend the day with the Lord: Usually our days are filled with the demands of life crying for our attention, ...but today, whether for four, eight or 12 hours, your only priority is to be with your Lord ...to bask in His love, to thank and ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Man Sat Down To Supper With His Family, Saying ...

Contributed by Stephen Wright on Jan 9, 2005

A man sat down to supper with his family, saying grace, thanking God for the food, for the hands which prepared it, and for the source of all life. But during the meal he complained about the freshness of the bread, the bitterness of the coffee and the sharpness of the cheese. His young daughter ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Baptist

John Bowes, Chairman Of The Parent Company Of ...

Contributed by Richard Burkey on May 19, 2005

John Bowes, chairman of the parent company of Wham-O—the maker of Frisbees—once participated in a charity effort. He sent thousands of the plastic flying discs to an orphanage in Angola, Africa. He thought the children there would enjoy playing with them. Several months later, a ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself, Gifts Giving

Denomination: Lutheran

F. B. Meyer Called On A Poor Woman Who Made Her ...

Contributed by Stephen Wright on Sep 18, 2005

F. B. Meyer called on a poor woman who made her living by taking in washing. When he arrived, she was hanging some clothes on a line. He commended her on how clean and white they looked. Thanking him for the compliment, she invited him in for tea. Time slipped by as they talked about the Lord. ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Jonathan Appleseed  PRO

Contributed by James Pless on May 29, 2006

9222. Jonathan Appleseed One of the men we might thank for spreading the apple tree in America was Jonathan Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Many people think Johnny was merely a legendary figure, but he lived, indeed. Born in Massachusetts around 1775, Chapman set out alone into the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Barbara Kerby Has Written A Humorous Reflection ...  PRO

Contributed by Bryan Dill on Jun 17, 2006

Barbara Kerby has written a humorous reflection about her first experience of driving. Barbara’s father took her to the high school parking lot for driving lessons. For this particular lesson, Barbara’s three-year-old sister rode along in the backseat. While trying to negotiate a turn, Barbara hit ...read more

Tags: God, Prayer How To, Voice

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In 1875, An Agnostic Named William Ernest Henley ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In 1875, an agnostic named William Ernest Henley published a poem that sums up that kind of attitude. It’s called Invictus: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have ...read more

Tags: Apologetics The Bible

Today In Yellow Springs, Ohio, People Are Still ...  PRO

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Oct 4, 2007

Today in Yellow Springs, Ohio, people are still receiving Christmas presents from ex-slave Wheeling Gaunt, who was born in 1812 and who died in 1894. Just before he died, he deeded nine acres of land at the south edge of the village to the town of Yellow Springs, the proceeds of which were to buy ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Remember Eeyore The Donkey From The Winnie The ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Oct 21, 2007

"Remember Eeyore the donkey from the Winnie the Pooh stories? He is a sad, droop-eared character who is forever losing his tail and resigning himself to the idea of going through life without it until someone finds it for him and pins it back on. Even then he is never joyful over finding his ...read more

Denomination: Orthodox

In My Readings Of Some Early Church Writings, I ...

Contributed by Jay Winters on Dec 30, 2007

In my readings of some early church writings, I came across a monograph from an unnamed ascetic monk. This monk had a vision of the crucifixion that was very real in his mind, almost as if he was really there. He even said of his vision that it was the most terrifying thing that he had ever seen. ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran