In Sermon Illustrations: "Twelve Years"

I Lost My Boat, But I Preserved My Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

I LOST MY BOAT, BUT I PRESERVED MY LIFE An American (Ken Barnes), safely headed toward land after three days adrift, said a driving storm off the tip of South America snapped his masts and rolled his yacht, shattering his dream to make a nonstop, round-the-world voyage. "I lost my boat, but I ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Pastoral ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Pastoral Appreciation Pastors are very thankful to the Lord for every worker that God has given to the church of Jesus Christ. There is no greater blessing than to see obedient Christians exercise their gifts under the guidance of agape love. Whether it be the gift of helps, administration, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:11

Tags: Pastors

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Discovered Christmas?  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Have You Discovered Christmas? "But the angel said unto them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'" (Luke 2: 10 -11) One of the most beloved ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:10-11, Luke 2:1-15

Tags: Christmas, Creation, New, Visionary

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Crown Of Thorns  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

CROWN OF THORNS Nearly thirty years ago on Saturday night I sat in an indoor arena excitedly watching a beautiful Arabian stallion receive the very high honor of "Legion of Merit." The lights were turned off and a large spotlight appeared at the entrance gate. Music played as this beautiful bay ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:28-30

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Count Your Blessings—no, Really!

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 22, 2008

Count Your Blessings--No, Really! It was a typical Indiana spring day. Outside the house, it was raining. Inside the house...it was raining. Water slowly dripped from the ceiling, reminding me that when you replace your own roof, there's nobody to get mad at when it leaks. I should be a pretty ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Pentecostal

Not Long Ago My Family And I Were On Vacation At ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Mar 14, 2009

Not long ago my family and I were on vacation at Disney World in Florida. Everything at Disney World is of course of a very inflated price and occasionally of an inflated value. One morning we were waiting for a transport shuttle to take us from our Disney resort where we were staying to one of ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Christian Church

The Power Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

The Power of Words For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander..." Matthew 15:17-20 In the award winning film The Joy Luck Club, one little girl has the ability "to see the secrets of a chessboard." Her gift enables her to become a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:17-20

Tags: Words

God Answers Persistent ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

God Answers Persistent Prayer Sharon Atwell tells the story of her daughter Kate in June of 2000 having a backache and diagnosed with leukemia. She went through chemo but by August she had a seizure and was unconscious. While getting treated at St. Jude an infection attacked her brain. Only six ...read more

Scripture: James 5:16

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Church Cake Cover-Up  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

CHURCH CAKE COVER-UP It was time for the annual cake sale at a Presbyterian church not much different than our own. Ms. Billings always made the most beautiful cakes...she was expected to make another one this year. However, Ms. Billings was a very busy woman with the time she spent with her ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-15

Tags: Hypocrisy, Cake

Leading A Neighbor To Christ During A Time Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 14, 2009

Leading a Neighbor to Christ During a Time of Grief Someone in Elgin once had a neighbor named Jack. Jack was a tough man. He worked hard, he drank hard, he fought hard, and he was harsh and gruff in his manner. Most people were afraid of Jack. But this one neighbor got brave and said hello to him ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:1-15

Tags: Christian Witness

How To Adorn A Bride And How Not ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

How To Adorn A Bride and How Not To When I was about nine years old there was a wedding held at the church of Christ for the eldest daughter of one of the congregation families who was marrying the son of another long standing family. The family of the daughter was close friends with my family, ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:7-9

Tags: Weddings

Hetty Green The Money ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

Hetty Green the Money Hoarder -The corruption of the possessions of wealthy people witness against them. People who hoard and set out to accumulate great amounts of money and possessions fail to recognize that God gave them wealth for a reason. -For many years Hetty Green was called America’s ...read more

Scripture: James 5:1-6

Tags: Money

Arturo Toscanini Demanded Excellence From The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2010

Arturo Toscanini Demanded Excellence From the Symphony Orchestra One of history’s greatest musical conductors was Arturo Toscanini. Born in Parma, Italy, in 1867, Toscanini died in his sleep in New York City in 1957. For years he conducted the National Broadcasting Company’s Symphony Orchestra in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Music

Defining Moments Of Faith

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 11, 2010

DEFINING MOMENTS OF FAITH Several years ago Jeff Strueker was a US Army Ranger posted in Mogadishu, Somalia. Today he is a master of divinity student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. For him Oct 3-4, 1993 were the defining moments of his life. He was one of the ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Zacharias: Changed Lives Show The Truth Of ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 11, 2011

ZACHARIAS: CHANGED LIVES SHOW THE TRUTH OF CHRIST In his book Has Christianity Failed You? Ravi Zacharias points to one of the greatest proofs for the truth of Christ and the reality of his resurrection: the changed lives of Christians. He writes: "During the course of nearly 40 years, I have ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Grace Gate

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 17, 2011

THE GRACE GATE An active, dedicated, hard-working church member dreamed that he passed away after a long and satisfying life. As he approached the heavenly gate, he noticed a sign posted which read, "ENTRANCE REQUIREMENT: 1,000 POINTS." The man looked a bit worried. He walked up to the ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Puzzles And The Christian Life

Contributed by Greg Nance on Dec 28, 2011

PUZZLES AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE At our traditional family Christmas gathering with Jenny's side of the family, somebody always brings a puzzle (usually 1000 piece) to put together as part of the festivities. Later, Jenny's mom will frame it and put it on the wall in their family room where there ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thank You, Sensei Don

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Feb 12, 2012

THANK YOU, SENSEI DON Dr. Don Sisk, the former president of the mission board I'm with, BIMI, tells of winning an old "papa-sahn" to Christ, the father of one of the ladies in his church. He had such a grateful spirit for Dr. Sisk, whom they referred to as "Sensei Don" which means "Teacher Don." ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Baptist

Examples Of Generous People

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2012

EXAMPLES OF GENEROUS PEOPLE In a country where getting and having more seems so normal, people who choose to live with a lot less so they can help others seem, to put it mildly, less than sane. Zell Kravinsky is one of those people. Kravinsky got rich in the real estate business, and then gave ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-10

Tags: Giving General

Charles Colson Tells The Story Of Being On Th...

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Charles Colson tells the story of being on the Bill Buckley television program, talking about criminal justice reform. A few days later he got a call from Jack Eckerd, the founder of the Eckerd Drug chain, the second largest drug chain in America. He saw me on television and asked me to come to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: True Repentance, Led By God

Denomination: Methodist