In Sermon Illustrations: "Thoughtfulness"

The Caddy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 13, 2011

THE CADDY Two golfers stepped up to the first tee on the St. Andrews course in New York. The older golfer was a kindly man who played a thoughtful, deliberate game. The younger golfer was full of pride and impatience. On the first hole he sliced, lost his ball in the tall grass, hit another one, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Gratitude, New Year

Thankful People Are Happy People  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2011

THANKFUL PEOPLE ARE HAPPY PEOPLE I read a news story once of a woman who was getting ready to jump off a 44 story building in New York City. Witnesses said that she did not look like the type of person who would do such a thing. She was very distinguished and well dressed. All the attempts ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5

Tags: Family, Gratitude, Share

Grant And Custer  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Apr 21, 2011

GRANT AND CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point -- Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. ...read more

Tags: Humility, God's Humility

Denomination: *other

The More Precious Gift

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2011

THE MORE PRECIOUS GIFT It is not easy always for people to understand the significance of a gift, or the sacrifices that went behind it. Two students shared a room in college. After returning from the Christmas' winter break, Andrew asked his roommate what presents he has received for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas

Unsung Heroines

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2011

UNSUNG HEROINES In Tom Brokaw’s book "The Greatest Generation Speaks," Veronica Mackey Hulick tells of her service during World War II. Veronica was 20 when she joined the Navy WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]. She and about 1500 other bright young women worked for hours at ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:35, Mark 9:33-35

Tags: Servanthood

God Wants To Pull The Stickers Out  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 6, 2011

GOD WANTS TO PULL THE STICKERS OUT The little girl hopped away screaming. Obviously, the fear of living forever with a sticker in her foot was not as terrifying as the thought of me pulling it out. But a five-year-old could not out-run the preacher. Not hopping on one foot, anyway. After I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:6

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

The Wizard Of Oz: Getting Home

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 10, 2011

THE WIZARD OF OZ: GETTING HOME I remember watching the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is trying to find her way home, and along the way she runs into a scarecrow with no brain, a tin man with no heart, and a lion with no courage. But they learn that there is a wizard in the land of Oz who can help them ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Methodist

Holiness And Red Buttons  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Aug 6, 2011

HOLINESS AND RED BUTTONS In studying holiness as a prayer key, I got bogged down with trying to understand it. I had an even harder time trying to explain it. I felt like the Red Buttons character in the movie, "Hatari." In that movie, John Wayne led a team of hunters in Africa capturing wild ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:8, Matthew 22:15-22

Tags: Holy, Prayer, Holiness

Denomination: Baptist

Inoculations From The Great Physician

Contributed by Sam Higgs on Sep 27, 2011

INOCULATIONS FROM THE GREAT PHYSICIAN The summer of 1980 was a very different summer for many of us. Most had just graduated High School and were away from home for the first time. Up till this time we had chosen our own clothing and color schemes, but that was a distant memory to us now. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

Tags: War

Denomination: Baptist

The "Regard For Others" Ethic

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Jan 24, 2012

THE "REGARD FOR OTHERS" ETHIC John Sommerville currently teaches history at the University of Florida. He has been carrying out an exercise with his students for years. He challenges his students with the following thought experiment. Imagine that you see a little old lady coming down the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

Painlessness Is Your Enemy

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 31, 2012

PAINLESSNESS IS YOUR ENEMY Dr Paul Brand was born in India to missionary parents and spent most of his life caring for people who couldn’t feel pain - people with leprosy. He spent much of life studying pain. At one point he was given a grant to develop a system of warning that would protect ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Tough Love  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

TOUGH LOVE "Living in this house is like living in hell," screamed the young girl as she stamped her feet on the way upstairs to her room. The mother stood looking at her daughter, a hint of tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to run up the stairs and hug her daughter but she knew the timing ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:24

Tags: Parenting

If ...

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 1, 2012

IF ONLY There was a great Scotch writer and historian in the nineteenth century named Thomas Carlyle. He married a woman, who’d worked as his secretary named Jane Welsh. But Carlyle was dedicated to his writing so he didn’t spend much time with her. He just mostly wrote. At one point she became ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17

Tags: Death, Remorse, Parable Ten Virgins, Regret

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

That Little Khaki-Covered Book  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2012

THAT LITTLE KHAKI-COVERED BOOK We Thought We Heard The Angels Sing, written by Lieutenant James Whittaker who was one of seven men whose plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean on October 21, 1942. Their leader was the famous Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, and these seven men found themselves stranded ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:6-7

Tags: Bible Influence

He Has My Best Interests At Heart

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

HE HAS MY BEST INTERESTS AT HEART A few years ago I had a scary encounter with a masked man wielding a knife. I remember him with gratitude, though, since he was an orthopedic surgeon to whom I paid thousands of dollars to correct some problems with my left foot... For 3 months the surgeon ...read more

Tags: Commandments General

Denomination: Baptist

The Pastor From ...

Contributed by Ken Pell on Mar 23, 2013

THE PASTOR FROM KENYA Ramez Attalah, general director at The Bible Society of Egypt, attended an international conference or Christian leaders in 1974. He was thrilled to be with top-notch leaders from around the globe—sharing and reading interesting papers on important subjects--but the most ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Nazarene

The Padded Cross  PRO

Contributed by David Parks on Mar 25, 2013

THE PADDED CROSS Well, here I am, Lord. You said, "Take up your cross," and I'm here to do it. It's not easy, You know, this self-denial thing. I mean to go through with it, through...yes, Sir. I'll bet you wish more people were willing to be disciples like me. I've counted the cost and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-25

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lesson Of The Good Samaritan

Contributed by Darian Hybl on Aug 21, 2013

Recently I read an article that convicted me of my ‘blind spots’ where I have not wanted to ‘cross the road’ or enter deeper into relationship. Alex Early penned an article entitled, “A Pastor Walked into a Gay Bar And…” At first I avoided the article because I thought this article was more a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:23-37

Tags: God As Judge, Real Friend, Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: Lutheran

Unusual Banquet

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 22, 2013

Unusual Banquet Boston Globe's account in June 1990 of a most unusual wedding banquet. Accompanied by her fiance, a woman went to the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston and ordered the meal. The two of them poured over the menu, made selections of china and silver, and pointed to pictures of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-14

Tags: Feed, Banquet, Repay

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Good Gossip

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.” – Benjamin Franklin I knew a woman once who took a temporary job working for a large ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:28

Tags: Gossip, Evil Tongue, Encouraging Others, Power Of The Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic