In Sermon Illustrations: "Watchfulness"

When I Was 13, My Dad Owned His Own Business—a ...  PRO

Contributed by Mary Lewis on Jun 7, 2004

When I was 13, my dad owned his own business—a tiny shack where he sold chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. One day the oil that the chicken was fried in caught fire. In a few minutes the whole place exploded in flames. My dad bolted from the store before the flames could engulf him. ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Baptist

A Young College Student In A Small ...

Contributed by Lonnie Erwin on Oct 26, 2007

Illustration: A young college student in a small town attended college across the street from a vey conservative and traditional church. Bob, was a very different kind of individual. His dress was unorthodox, his tee shirt had holes and he wore blue jeans and he always went bare foot. The ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Baptist

I Sincerely Respected, Admired, And Appreciated ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Feb 3, 2008

I sincerely respected, admired, and appreciated CBS 2 Chicago’s morning anchor Randy Salerno, who was tragically killed in a snowmobile accident on Thursday, January 24, 2008, in the Eagle River Area of Wisconsin, only 20 days after his forty-fifth birthday. That morning I had watched him on the ...read more

Tags: Catechism

Denomination: Methodist

Taken Out By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

TAKEN OUT BY WATERMELONS Years ago, I went to the Sultan Centre in Salmiya. This was back in the days when it was the only one in town, and you were still allowed to take your shopping cart up that moving ramp to the second floor. I had gone upstairs after getting some groceries. As I was coming ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Businessman Risks Life For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Businessman Risks Life for Money Suze Orman in her book, “9 Steps to Financial Freedom” writes: When I was 13, my dad owned his own business—a tiny shack where he sold chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. One day the oil that the chicken was fried in caught fire. In a few minutes the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24

Tags: Money

The Legend Of A Cherokee Indian ...

Contributed by Bill Burress on Dec 28, 2009

The Legend of a Cherokee Indian Youth’s Rite of Passage? A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. The youth is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"No Daddy, Just One More...please!"  PRO

Contributed by John Mcphail on Oct 12, 2010

"JUST ONE MORE, DADDY! PLEASE!" Children have a simple way of teaching the profound things of God. The moment my twin girls were born I knew two things immediately: 1) My life was going to be a whole lot more busy and 2) God had something very precious to share with me. When ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:2, John 3:16

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Call To Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Finishing The Race

Contributed by Paul Steen on Jul 12, 2014

My wife and I watched as Danny, our youngest son, competed in the Carnival of Champions back when he was in elementary school. He was entered in the half-mile race. It was two laps around the track. When the starting gun sounded, he quickly leapt ahead of everyone and built a sizable lead. He had ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2

Tags: Goals, Finish The Race, Finish Well, Fixing Eyes On Jesus

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

An Enthusiastic But Somewhat Unscrupulous ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 13, 2005

An enthusiastic but somewhat unscrupulous salesman was waiting to see the purchasing agent of the engineering firm where my husband worked. The salesman was there to submit his company’s bid, or price quote, for a particular job. He couldn’t help but notice, however, that a competitor’s bid was on ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Mobilization Is Not Filling Slots," Claims Carol ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

“Mobilization is not filling slots,” claims Carol Davis, veteran church leadership trainer, “Mobilization is activating the incredible capacity of Christ’s church to serve the purposes of God in our own generation. Mobilization happens when I’m being used as an activator. I listen to and watch for ...read more

Tags: Church General

Women Prefer Home: A New Gallup Poll Shows That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Women Prefer Home: A new Gallup Poll shows that if free to choose, a majority of women would opt for the traditional female role of staying at home, while a majority of men would prefer their traditional role of working outside the home. Over the past 4 years, younger women (more so than older ...read more

Tags: Parenting

An Enthusiastic But Somewhat Unscrupulous ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

An enthusiastic but somewhat unscrupulous salesman was waiting to see the purchasing agent of the engineering firm where my husband worked. The salesman was there to submit his company’s bid, or price quote, for a particular job. He couldn’t help but notice, however, that a competitor’s bid was on ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Buddha Is Sleeping  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Jul 10, 2001

Illus.: “Buddah Is Sleeping” In a large city in Sri Lanka there is a huge statue of Buddah in a reclining position. The chiseled face is calm, the eyes are closed and the head rests upon one hand. A full 50 feet long, the image is impressive except for one thing: Buddah is sleeping while the ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God, Uncertainty, World Religions, God's Provision

Denomination: Wesleyan

When Bob Feller Was 9 Years Old, His Teacher ...

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 22, 2002

When Bob Feller was 9 years old, his teacher asked him to write an essay about an oak tree. Here are the ideas that he put in his theme: An oak tree can be cut down and sawed into boards. You can make baseball bats out of them. You can also make home plates out of the boards. You can make ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Test Of Goodness  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 14, 2002

THE TEST OF GOODNESS The supreme test of goodness is not in the greater but in the smaller incidents of our character and practice; not what we are when standing in the searchlight of public scrutiny, but when we reach the firelight flicker of our homes; not what we are when some clarion-call ...read more

Tags: Faith, Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

A Black Man And A White Man Were Driving Down ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2003

A black man and a white man were driving down the road, debating the topic of whether Jesus was black or white. On and on they went. Back and forth. "He was white" says the white guy, "because he was jewish, and the shroud confirms, that he was caucasian. "No he was black." says the black man. ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:11

Tags: Racism

Grumbling Because Of Lack Of Soap

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Nov 11, 2004

Illus.: “Grumbling Because of Lack of Soap” In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side. And because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon, the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Wesleyan

There Were 13 Treasuries In The Courtyard...each ...

Contributed by David Henderson on May 7, 2007

There were 13 treasuries in the courtyard...each one bearing a letter that signified the purpose of that particular treasury. Each one was shaped like a tall box with a trumpet...a large cone coming out of it... When someone would toss their money into it, it was possible to make the coins roll ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Dogs  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Dogs An old dog was watching a young dog chase his tail. The young dog stopped to rest, and told the older dog, “I believe happiness is in my tail, and if I catch it, then I will have happiness” The older, wiser dog said, “I caught mine once. . . and I found out that happiness is not in the ...read more

Tags: Joy

Recently I Read A Fable About A Dog Who Loved To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Recently I read a fable about a dog who loved to chase other animals. He bragged about his great running skill and said he could catch anything. Well, it wasn’t long until his boastful claims were put to the test by a certain rabbit. With ease the little creature outran his barking pursuer. The ...read more

Tags: Endurance