In Sermon Illustrations: "W M Punshon"

My Six-Eyed Mother

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I grew up in Amarillo, Texas. And I remember watching my mom navigate the wonderful world of vision changes as I got older. First she started holding the newspaper at arm's length, squinting like she was trying to read smoke signals. Then came the reading glasses. Those little drugstore ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:22-25

Tags: Faith, Spiritual Blindness, Seeking Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Locked Out: I Climbed Through The Window

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

A little while ago I was installing a keypad lock on the door to my upstairs studio. I set the keypad up, got the old handle out of the door, got the batteries in, set the code, all of that. I stepped out of the studio, closed the door behind me, pressed lock, and it locked. Great. That's what ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:3-4

Tags: Evangelism, Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Ring In Witness Protection

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

Have you ever had one of those moments where, as the words are leaving your mouth, you know you're making a terrible mistake? I had one of those back in 2014. I had just started my first real job at an advertising agency, and I was so excited that I went straight from work and bought an ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:2-3, Isaiah 40:3

Tags: God's Timing, Waiting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Missed The Sunrise

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I recently had the chance to visit Acadia National Park in Maine. There's a place there, Cadillac Mountain, where you can be one of the first people in the entire country to see the sunrise. While the rest of America is still in darkness, light first makes its appearance on that mountaintop. I ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2

Tags: Hope, God's Faithfulness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Higher You Climb

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

In college I was certified in belaying at Texas Tech's rock climbing wall, and we would go and climb there many times a week. Many of the routes, when you're at the bottom looking up, you might think, "That doesn't look so bad. I bet I could climb that pretty easily." But as ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:12-15

Tags: Humility, Spiritual Growth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Portfolio For Nobody

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

It was 2017. I had just left a software development company. Cassy was working as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens, and we were living in Lubbock, Texas. I started doing freelance graphic design, photography, videography, motion graphics, all of that. But the whole time I felt like I needed to be ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 6:2, Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Faith, Calling

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Muscle Memory Of The Violin

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

From 5th grade through high school graduation, I played the violin. I was serious about it, participating in all-region orchestras, competitions, all of that. My senior recital was performing the Bach Double Concerto with one of my best friends. Here's the thing about playing a string ...read more

Scripture: John 21:3, Romans 7:15

Tags: Spiritual Drift, Sanctification

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Making Up The Story

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

There's a famous photograph called "Grace." An old man at a simple table, head bowed, hands folded over a loaf of bread and an open book. Most people have seen it. Before I ever learned the actual story behind it, I made up my own. In my version, the man is newly retired. His kids ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-20

Tags: Communion, Missing The Point

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Shook Every Gift Under The Tree

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

Do you remember what it was like to be a kid at Christmas? For me it conjures up memories of pure excitement, seemingly always counting down to Christmas morning. Maybe you were staring at the tree, eyeing that one special gift, that one that was wrapped just right, the box the perfect size, and ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7, Romans 8:25

Tags: Hope, Anticipation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Page That's Been There Since 1597

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

In my office there hangs a framed page positioned strategically so that it's the last thing I see as I leave and the first thing that catches my eye when I sit down each day. It's a page from a Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible is the first mass-produced Bible with verse numbers, and this ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:23, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Scripture, Calling

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Id That Almost Wasn't Good Enough

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

The year we moved to Tennessee was an election year. Cassy and I went to go vote. We waited in line, got to the front, and I reached in my wallet without even thinking about the fact that we hadn't switched our driver's licenses over to Tennessee yet. They told us we needed a Tennessee ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Tags: Identity, Authority

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

They Called Me Frodo

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

I want to tell you about a title I had in high school. Picture a 5'6" and a half, scrawny, 110 pound kid with long curly hair down to his collar bone. Got it? The nickname was Frodo. Do you know what I did to earn that nickname? Nothing. The last Lord of the Rings movie had come out about ...read more

Scripture: John 1:29, Isaiah 53:7

Tags: Identity, Names

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He Never Met A Christian Who Believed

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

When I was in high school I had a graphic design class. To my left sat a guy I'd known for about four years. He was an outspoken atheist and pretty much everybody knew it. One day out of nowhere it just popped into my mind to ask him, "Hey, why don't you believe in Christ?" He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 10:14

Tags: Evangelism, The Great Commission

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The One Question I Didn't Want To Hear

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

Before my second senior year at Texas Tech I interned as a graphic designer at a church in Las Vegas. A close family friend named Jud Wilhite was the senior pastor there, and he had offered me an internship during a family trip. Well, several years after that internship, I had kept in touch with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:19, Luke 14:23

Tags: Evangelism, Calling

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Warped Floor

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

One evening Cassy and I were at home, about to eat dinner together, which doesn't always get to happen. I opened the silverware drawer to grab a fork and noticed something. Mold. I felt the edge of the drawer and it was wet. I opened the cabinet below, and those walls were wet too. I opened the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-14, Romans 8:28

Tags: Joy, Perspective, Trials

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Passion Is On The Throne, Reason Is Out The ...  PRO

Contributed by David Insell on Jul 29, 2003

When passion is on the throne, reason is out ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai 1:1-15

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Someone Tells About A Man Who Pulled Up To A Red ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Sep 3, 2001

Someone tells about a man who pulled up to a red light and saw a truck towing a trailer with many sheep inside. The man rolled down his window and yelled to the truck driver, "You shepherds don’t move your sheep around like you used to." To which the truck driver replied, "I’m not a ...read more

Tags: God's Love, People In Acts, David

Denomination: *other

Prepared To Wait  PRO

Contributed by Paul Decker on Dec 1, 2002

PREPARED TO WAIT Ed Watt was visiting a local department store with his wife, and they had just purchased a piece of luggage and a cooler. As Ed browsed in the shoe depart-ment waiting for his wife to finish the rest of her shopping, a clerk asked if he could be of assistance. “No, thank you," ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Marriage Obligations, Peace

Denomination: Baptist

Or Would You Be More Like The Woman Who Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Dec 11, 2000

Or would you be more like the woman who was bitten by a rabid dog, and it looked like she was going to die from rabies. The doctor told her to put her final affairs in order. So the woman took pen and paper, and began writing furiously. In fact she wrote and wrote and wrote. Finally the doctor ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 19:1-19, Mark 12:28-34

Tags: Love, Christian Love, Anger, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: United Methodist

From An Advertisement In Time Magazine In 1997- ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 25, 2005

From an advertisement in Time Magazine in 1997- My life is hectic! I’m running all day, meetings, phone calls, paperwork, and appointments. I push myself to the limit, fall into bed exhausted, and get up early the next morning to do it all again. My output is tremendous; I’m getting a lot done. ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ