In Sermon Illustrations: "Unwanted Items"

Stupid With ...

Contributed by Jesse Bennett on Nov 14, 2008

Stupid with money Will Smith Item: Dog shrink Cost: $2,500/month When the pressure of life get his dogs down, Smith’s four Rottweilers visit the Sigmund Freud of the canine world — renowned Hollywood hound analyst Cesar Millan, a.k.a. “The Dog Whisperer.” Apparently, it takes a special talent to ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Baptist

Abusing One's Parents

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 8, 2012

ABUSING ONE'S PARENTS According to aabss.org, "Nine to 33% of parents report being abused by their children ranging in age from 10 to 23... Some studies report that whites are more likely to batter than blacks;... [some] Studies show... that middle and upper class families have higher rates ... ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Story Of Kip Keino

Contributed by John Harvey on Aug 19, 2004

** Story of Kip Keino 1968 Olympics- Mexico City, Kip Keino ran 10,000 meters suffering from a gall bladder infection. Stumbled and fell into infield and was disqualified; although he got up and finished the race. On day of 1,500 meters, he had to jog two miles to the stadium because of a traffic ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

What Is A Christian? In The Letter To Diognetus, ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

What is a Christian? In the LETTER TO DIOGNETUS, which dates back to the second century A.D., an anonymous writer describes a strange people who are in the world but not of the world. “Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language, or customs; you see, they do not live ...read more

Tags: Character

A Preacher On A Gospel Campaign Was Invited To Go ...

Contributed by Fred Sigle on Sep 12, 2006

A preacher on a gospel campaign was invited to go fishing with a member of a local church, a police officer, and his 16-year-old son. After dark, they sat around a campfire by the lake. The father began telling of the circumstances surrounding the ADOPTION of their only son three years before. ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Man Was Packing A Shipment Of Food ...

Contributed by David Dewitt on Aug 20, 2002

"A man was packing a shipment of food contributed by a school for the poor people of Appalachia. He was separating beans from powdered milk, and canned vegetables from canned meats. Reaching into a box filled with various cans, he pulled out a little brown paper sack. Apparently one of the ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Compassion

Denomination: Church Of God

A Couple Of Saturdays Ago I Walked Into Our ...  PRO

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Oct 31, 2005

A couple of Saturdays ago I walked into our local convenience store. As I paid for my items the lady behind the counter commented, “You must be doing yard work?” I was. How in the world did she know? I was all sweaty. I stunk. I smelled of that wonderful mixture of sweat, gasoline, and ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:5

Tags: Sharing My Testimony, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Counterfeit Christmas

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 12, 2011

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTMAS According to a British Paper (Romsey Advertiser): "Christmas shoppers looking for a bargain should be wary of counterfeit goods which flood the market in the run-up to the festive season," the UK Border Agency has warned. "Fake Ugg Boots, GHD hair straighteners, iPhones and ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Sports Widow Gets Even

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

"'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.  As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. 'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked. 'No,' she replied, 'but my ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:19

Tags: Marriage, Sports, Revenge, Getting Even, Sports Widow  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Eternal Soul

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jun 11, 2008

At a seminar meeting, the speaker stood in front of a large group of people with a roll of stickers in his hand. Behind him on the platform were tables filled with props that represented the stuff of our lives – a car, a house, a tiny desk that stood for our jobs. The speaker roamed the stage and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:6

Tags: Eternity, Heaven, Eternal Life, Christian Values

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Answer To My Prayers

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 5, 2021

I don’t see as many vending machines around as I used to see. The ones I see now, you can pay with your phone or your smart watch. In the old days, all the vending machines had the food on metal coils that would rotate and move the food forward when you make your selection. Sometimes, that item ...read more

Scripture: John 14:13, Luke 4:38-44

Tags: God, Prayer, Vending Machine

Denomination: Methodist

Did You Know That The Amount Of Leisure Time ...

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 22, 2005

Did you know that the amount of leisure time enjoyed by the average American has decreased 37% since 1973? All these gadgets take time to learn and maintain. It is estimated that the average person must learn to operate 20,000 pieces of equipment. In 1978, there were 11,767 items in the average ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Charismatic

Third, We Need To Forgive Ourselves. In The ...

Contributed by William Hooper on Jul 7, 2007

Third, we need to forgive ourselves. In the award winning film called “The Mission,” Robert DeNiro plays a mercenary who has taken asylum in the local church after killing his brother in a fit of jealous rage. He eventually leaves the church and heads to a mission post located above the waterfalls ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

I Wonder If You Have Seen That Great Scene In ...

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Jan 17, 2008

I wonder if you have seen that great scene in the the Monty python film where there is a man over indulging himself with food to the disgust of the waiter. As the gentlemen eats he’s get fatter and fatter to the point where he is absolutely full and he cannot eat anymore. His body looks like it ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Peel It

Contributed by Egerton Gbonda on Jul 16, 2011

"PEEL IT." A boy (named Joe Fode) was crying because mum could not buy him banana. Actually mum wanted to buy him some but had already spent the money she had on some other grocery items she came to buy. Luckily, a friend of this woman was passing by and was obviously concerned about Joe Fode’s ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

According To John De Graaf In His Book, ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 3, 2003

According to John de Graaf in his book, "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic," the average American household carried a credit-card debt of $7,654 in the year 2000. Our supermarkets provide us an average choice of 30,000 items, about two and a half times the number of choices available in 1980. ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Persistent Kids: The Center For A New American ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 17, 2006

Persistent Kids: The Center for a New American Dream reports 55% of young people say they are usually successful on getting their parents to give in. 40% have asked their parents for an advertised product they thought their parents would not approve of, and of those 59% say they don’t give up—they ...read more

Tags: Children

Persistent Kids: The Center For A New American ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 17, 2006

Persistent Kids: The Center for a New American Dream reports 55% of young people say they are usually successful on getting their parents to give in. 40% have asked their parents for an advertised product they thought their parents would not approve of, and of those 59% say they don’t give up—they ...read more

Tags: Children

William Randolph Hearst Invested A Fortune ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2001

William Randolph Hearst invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst read the description of a valuable art item which he sent his agent abroad to find. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasure. To the surprise of ...read more

This Single Fruit Of The Spirit Is Quite ...  PRO

Contributed by Edward Frey on Jul 18, 2001

This single fruit of the Spirit is quite dynamic. It has many dimensions to it: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s as if this single fruit has multiple flavors. I’m reminded of the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23, Galatians 5:22-25

Tags: Character, Kindness

Denomination: Lutheran