In Sermon Illustrations: "Trials And Difficulties"

William Carey, The "Father Of Modern Missions," ...

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Apr 6, 2005

William Carey, the “father of modern missions,” wanted to translate the Bible into as many Indian languages as possible. He established a large print-shop in Serampore where translation work was continually being done. Carey spent hours each day translating Scripture, often while his insane wife ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

One Of The Deepest Forms Of Poverty A Person Can ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 13, 2010

One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often ...read more

Tags: Poverty

Denomination: Catholic

A Bar Of Steel

Contributed by Clint Meade on Jun 3, 2007

A bar of steel is worth just a few dollars. When it is forged into a set of wrenches, it is worth approximately $100. If that same bar of steel is made into many needles, it can be worth several hundred dollars. If it is made into fine surgical instruments, it is worth thousands of dollars. If ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Ralph Barton, A Successful Cartoonist, Left This ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Ralph Barton, a successful cartoonist, left this note pinned to his pillow as he took his own life: “I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to ...read more

Tags: Repentance

The Preacher Of An Underground Chinese Church ...

Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Mar 22, 2009

The preacher of an underground Chinese church tells others of the precautions they must take to avoid government persecution. Each time their church reaches ten to fifteen members, they split to reduce attention. They also alternate meeting places for the same reason. Because phone lines are ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

At The Elementary School Where Our Kids Have ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hiehle on Jul 19, 2001

At the elementary school where our kids have attended, they each have had to take timed math tests on their math facts. Each week they had to answer correctly 30 questions in 3 minutes. If they were unable, they had to take the test again the next day until they could pass. For those that ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Nazarene

Let Loose

Contributed by Ferdinand Funk on Sep 29, 2008

LET LOOSE In his drama The Trial of Jesus, John Masefield has the centurion Longinus report to Pilate after the crucifixion of Jesus. Longinus had been the officer in charge of the execution, and after his official report, Pilate's wife calls the centurion to come and tell her how the prisoner ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Mennonite

Paul Prayed Three Times To Have His Thorn ...

Contributed by Michael Wiley on Feb 4, 2009

Paul prayed three times to have his thorn removed. We don’t know what the thorn was. The Greek word used in the original text meant thorn or stake. Some believe it was some sort of chronic ailment that plagued him (thorn in the flesh). Some believe it was all the ongoing trials of the previous ...read more

Tags: Paul

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Keeping Company With God  PRO

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Jul 31, 2007

Philip Yancey writes in his book, Prayer, that “… Keeping company with God also includes expressing the times of trial and frustration. In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye keeps up a running dialogue with God, giving credit for the good things but also lamenting all that goes wrong. In one scene he ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

To You Who Become The In-Laws: Gaining A Son Or ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on May 17, 2001

To you who become the in-laws: Gaining a son or daughter-in-law means only two words: BUTT-OUT!! Young people have a hard enough time adjusting to the difficulties and challenges that marriage present. They don¡¦t need you to complicate the matter. The first six months Elizabeth and I ...read more

Tags: Dreams

Denomination: United Methodist

One Of My Favorite Movies Of All Time Is One ...  PRO

Contributed by Neal Gray on Oct 10, 2001

One of my favorite movies of all time is one called, "Anne of Green Gables." The main character is a small girl who, through tragic circumstances, finds herself living in a foster home. The foster parents turn out to be a huge blessing to Anne, (that’s "Anne with an ’e’," if you please), but she ...read more

Tags: Friendship General, Friendship New Friends

Denomination: Holiness

A Matter Of Building  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

A MATTER OF BUILDING Life is a matter of building. Each of us has the opportunity to build something -- a secure family, a good reputation, a career, a relationship to God. But some of those things can disappear almost overnight due to financial losses, natural disasters and other unforeseen ...read more

Tags: Christian Values, Finding Fulfillment, Leadership General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Nature Miracles Are Wonderful But They Are The ...  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Apr 20, 2003

Nature miracles are wonderful but they are the exception rather than the rule. We might wonder why? Some people have intellectual difficulties with miracles. It’s true that the laws of physics are God’s usual way of working. Their consistency speaks of His faithfulness but there’s no reason at ...read more

Tags: Creation, Miracles General

Denomination: Baptist

The Late Larry Burkett, A Christian Financial ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 22, 2004

The late Larry Burkett, a Christian financial counselor & founder of Crown Ministries, gives these statistics. 40% borrow more than they can make monthly payments on. The average American family is always only 3 weeks away from bankruptcy. According to Burkett and social security statistics, 85 out ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Christian Church

Peter Parker, A.k.a., Spiderman Has Reached A ...

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Jun 25, 2005

Peter Parker, a.k.a., Spiderman has reached a crisis. It seems that his life is falling apart, nothing seems to be going right. He’s been fired from work, he’s failing at school and even struggling in his relationships. Worst of all, as Spiderman, he’s losing his powers. In an attempt to find ...read more

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Christian Church

Perserverance  PRO

Contributed by Richard Schwedes on Nov 13, 2006

Perserverance: In Sydney, Australia you can climb the Sydney Harbor bridge...for a fee of course $145 per person... This opportunity is available because a gentleman by the name of Paul Cave had the vision to establish the business Bridge Climb... At one stage it looked like the business would ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5, 1 Samuel 22:1-4

Denomination: Lutheran

Church Is Good For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2009

CHURCH IS GOOD FOR MARRIAGE Married couples who attend church services frequently are happier and more likely to succeed in their marriages than those who don’t attend church often or not at all, finds a Univ. of Virginia study. 70% of husbands who attend church regularly are “very happy” in their ...read more

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Steven Jobs Was The Founder Of Apple Computers. ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 24, 2009

Steven Jobs was the founder of Apple Computers. There came a point in time when the company was struggling and he approached John Sculley – who was head of one of the divisions of Pepsi Cola – to come on board and help lead them out of difficulty. Sculley kept resisting and Jobs kept persisting. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ardent Baseball Fans Will Remember Kirby Puckett, ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 1, 2010

Ardent baseball fans will remember Kirby Puckett, who died suddenly in 2006. He had led the Minnesota Twins to championship victories in 1987 and 1991. Even though he was offered larger contracts by other teams, he stayed with the Twins for his entire career. When Puckett was diagnosed with ...read more

Tags: Temptation Resisting

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Bachs Were One

Contributed by Ken Henson on Sep 24, 2012

THE BACHS WERE ONE Anna married John when he was thirty-seven. She was only twenty. He had already married and had seven children. His first wife died. Anna bore him thirteen more children. She assisted him in his music work. She learned to copy out his manuscripts so that his students could take ...read more

Tags: Love, Marriage, Oneness, Intimacy, Marriage General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other