In Sermon Illustrations: "Volunteer Day"

[181]. A Message From A Poem – Man’s Departure Is Away From God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 3, 2025

[181]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – MAN’S DEPARTURE IS AWAY FROM GOD We live in a world in decline and it was prophesied that way – {{2 Timothy 3:1-5 “Realise this, that IN THE LAST DAYS DIFFICULT TIMES WILL COME, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:13

Tags: Old Nature, Christian Poems, Britian, Wales, Getting Worse, Sin, New Birth, Tribulation, Sinful Nature, Departure  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[210]. A Message From A Poem – Our Pilgrim Journey

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 23, 2025

[210]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – OUR PILGRIM JOURNEY When I was to do the Introduction for this poem I noticed that it had only 3 stanzas. I don’t write poems that short, so back there in 2021, I may have intended coming back to it to add more. I can not remember now. Anyway I did add all the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Peter 2:11, Hebrews 11:13

Tags: Home, Pilgrim, Pilgrim Journey, Christian Poems, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Newton's Story

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 21, 2025

The story of John Newton and the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton’s hymn has grown so familiar to us that we sometimes forget the depth of the testimony behind it. Those lines were not crafted by a saint who lived an unblemished life. They were written by a man who walked through the same spiritual ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:12, Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Pennies, Pluto, And The Things That Matter

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 18, 2025

I just got back to my office after a quick stop for a soda and a snack. When the cashier gave me back my change, he rounded it to the nearest nickel. It looks like we're doing away with pennies. For some odd reason, I think that's sad. But it makes sense (pun intended). From what I hear, it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, Mark 12:41-44

Tags: Pluto, Pennies, Kingdom, Kindness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Rusty Promises In Heaven!" Leviticus 26: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 20, 2005

“No Rusty Promises in Heaven!” Leviticus 26: 40-45 Key verse(s): 45:“But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.” If you are interested in learning about hope, take a walk sometime ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 26:40-45

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Lutheran

Easter On The Bench!" Matthew 28:1-10 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 27, 2005

“Easter on The Bench!” Matthew 28:1-10 Key verse(s) 5:“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’” Spending Easter Sunday alone is no way to spend Easter! Yet, when you have a bad virus and don’t want to infect anyone else, it may ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Lutheran

I Have Pain, It Doesn't Have Me!" Matthew ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 25, 2005

“I Have Pain, It Doesn’t Have Me!” Matthew 24:1-13 Key verse(s) 13:“‘. . . but he who stands firm to the end, will be saved.’” Tolerance for pain. Some of us have more than others and I doubt there is any among us with unlimited ability to bear pain. To observe the many and varied reactions to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:1-13

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Endurance

Denomination: Lutheran

Don't Underestimate An Act Of Love

Contributed by Billy Noel on May 18, 2009

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE AN ACT OF LOVE One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Christian Church

The King  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

THE KING What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “The king is dead - long live the king!”? It is an historical phrase coined in France and said after the death of a monarch through the streets and the countryside of their realm. Phil Morgan recalls: "Not too long ago I watched part of ...read more

Tags: Memories

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Did We Know Before Facebook?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 25, 2020

To paraphrase one of my favorite humorist, Will Rogers, “All I know is what I read on Facebook.” I must admit that I also get information from Facebook. I can keep up with my family and friends, know what they are doing, and know what they are saying. The information there, whether true or not, is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:14

Tags: Gossip, Secrets

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Just Kissed Yesterday Goodbye

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 15, 2022

Focus is an essential part of getting something done. Sometimes my focus is more on yesterday than it is today. I waste a lot of time looking backward. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage often rebukes me because I look in the past. I talk more about yesterday than I do today. On the other ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:24

Tags: Blessing, Focus

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What A Crazy World We Live In

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 26, 2022

Driving home from an appointment across town, my wife and I encountered some crazy driver weaving in and out on the road in front of us. The fact that there was not an accident was somewhat surprising. “What,” The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage exclaimed, “is wrong with people?” Looking at ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tags: Family, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Fool Me Once And You Will Be The Fool

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 16, 2022

Recently, the A/C company we use came and did their yearly inspection. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage took them around to the places that needed inspection. Everything turned out to be quite well and no problems. That got me thinking of what happened many years ago with another company ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:2-3

Tags: Service, Fool

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

See Cookie Will Sneak

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 29, 2022

For more years than I care to remember, I have been on a diligent pursuit, and I won’t stop until I reach my goal. My quest is to find a cookie I don’t like. Throughout the years, I have eaten every cookie I could find and loved them all. My biggest obstacle in this pursuit is The Gracious ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:38

Tags: Temptation, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What’s The Harm With A Little Treat?

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 23, 2023

The last month has been crazy for me and The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Every month has its crazy element, but this past month beats them all. First, my main computer crashed, and I lost a lot of stuff. Second, we had a hurricane that came through; fortunately, it was only thunder, rain ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:13

Tags: Truth, Decisions

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Misapplied Scriptures, Psalm 137:9

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 3, 2023

Introduction: Yahoo! ™ used to have a section or forum where people could ask and answer questions about any of many topics. One of my favorites was the “religion and spirituality” section. Some people were genuinely interested in spiritual matters. It goes without saying there were a number of ...read more

Tags: Punishment, Babylonian Captivity, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

Another Turkey In The Oven

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 25, 2023

What would Thanksgiving be without a turkey? I read somewhere that over 45 million turkeys are purchased during the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m unsure if that’s correct, but I believe it comes close to the mark. Thanksgiving is always my favorite time because the focus of Thanksgiving is food. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:23-24

Tags: Hearing, Turkey, Listening, Thanksgiving

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes: An Egyptian Slave Who Helped David

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 20, 2024

Introduction: He had been taken as a slave and now was far from his homeland. He was so sick he almost died but David and his men found him. When this slave had recovered, he gave David some very vital information which helped David a great deal! Text: 1 Samuel 30:13-19, KJV: 11 And they found an ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:13-19

Tags: David, Amalekites, Ziklag

Denomination: Baptist

What It Was, Was A Cookie

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 11, 2025

At least once a month The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and her daughter will spend a day visiting thrift stores in our community. I’m not sure, so don’t quote me, but I think there’s a 100-mile radius where they do their shopping. This past week was one of those days. As she was backing out ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:2

Tags: Desire, Cookie

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Jason's Praying Pencils  PRO

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Sep 7, 2006

Jason’s Praying Pencils How a student gave his teacher a special education by Hugh Chapman I was an hour-and-a-half into my new teaching career when I saw him at the other end of the hallway. He was the reason I almost didn’t take the job; before long, he became the reason I stayed. Though I had ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene