In Sermon Illustrations: "Wicked Heart"

Born Identity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

BORN IDENTITY Jimmy Gupton tells of when he was 93 and ready to go on home to God. For the 1000th time, he had prayed for God to take him home. His wife had been gone for seven years, and it was getting harder and harder to go through the motions of the holiday. He had a big silver Christmas tree ...read more

Tags: Christmas

To One It’s Monday To Another It’s Wednesday

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 11, 2020

Time goes so fast at times that I do not always remember what day it is. I get so busy trying to get my work done that I forget if it’s Monday or Friday. It is a good thing I am getting older because I have a built-in excuse for forgetting what day it is. Recently, the Gracious Mistress of the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:13

Tags: Happiness, Joy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It Never Dawned On Me Until

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 20, 2022

I must confess I am too poor to pay attention at this time in my life. I hope one day I will win the lottery and be able to afford to pay attention. But, of course, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage says that you can’t win a lottery unless you play the lottery. Well, I don’t play the lottery. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Attention, Listening

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

How I Found Hope

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 7, 2023

HOW I FOUND HOPE By Danielle Strickland — I stole my first car when I was twelve years old. In family court, when my fate seemed to be incarceration, a leader from my church insisted I was going through a hard patch, but I could be sentenced to community service at a camp. The judge jumped at the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Tags: Jesus, Hope

Denomination: Methodist

It’s Not A Mess Unless I Do It

Contributed by James Snyder on May 2, 2023

When it comes to words, everybody has their own definition. Someone says one word and another person thinks it's altogether something else. For example, when someone says vegetable, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage thinks broccoli. On the other side of the dinner table, I think carrot ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Words, Mess, Organize

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Then Thought Of Chocolate

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 21, 2023

Everybody has their own comfort food. I have a long list of comfort food, and Apple Fritter is at the top. Nothing comforts me quite like a fresh Apple Fritter. The other day I needed some comfort food. After all, life can be rather stressful, and you either deal with the stress or let it deal ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Stress, Comfort Food

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Ain’t Nothing Better Than A P&j Sandwich

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 5, 2023

I'm not sure what happened to my closely guarded diet during these recent holidays, but I won't ask. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has been so busy cooking and preparing food that she didn't have time to oversee my diet. I love it when a plan comes together. As usual, I used ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:4

Tags: Thanksgiving, Food

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Another Turkey On The Table

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 30, 2024

It was a Monday morning, and I was busy starting my week by organizing my schedule and organizing some of my projects. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came to my door, looked in, and said, "Are you ready for the week?" I don't recall her ever asking me that question, but I ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:17

Tags: Thanksgiving, Celebration

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It’s Not Always What I Don’t Know

Contributed by James Snyder on May 17, 2025

I would be the first to admit one truth about myself: I don’t know everything. To quote a politician, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” That has been the theme of my life for as long as I can remember. It all began with my parents. Whenever I got into trouble, they would usually respond, “Don’t ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-2

Tags: Wisdom, Memory

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

One Of My Favorite Columns By Erma Bombeck Tells ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Apr 22, 2001

One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned & said, "Have you read ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 21:8-14

Tags: Communication General, Commitment, Hypocrite, Pride, Sacrifice  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Used To Have A Principle Named Mr. Duchovich. ...  PRO

Contributed by Rolland Bouchard on Sep 11, 2002

I used to have a principle named Mr. Duchovich. He was a monster of a man. Not in Character, but in stature. When in trouble in Jr. High school, the students feared for their lives. I remember one day having another student at the school bet me that I couldn’t kick a clock that was 7.5 feet ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Muhammad Ali Today Is Called The Greatest. But ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 26, 2002

Muhammad Ali today is called the greatest. But it hasn’t always been that way. He became the greatest in the eyes of the world over the last 40 years. Muhammad Ali used to “float like a butterfly” and “sting like a bee”. He dazzled crowds with his amazing ability to dodge a punch while he used a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-34, Romans 1:24

Tags: Leadership General, Hope

I Think One Of The Area We Need To Work On The ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 12, 2002

I think one of the area we need to work on the most is expressing that love to our kids. I believe that most Dad’s love their children but for some reason it seems to be hard for us to express it. David had that problem. After Absolom murdered Amnon he fled the country and lived in exile for 3 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:1-33

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Christian Church

Other Faiths On Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 14, 2002

OTHER FAITHS ON HEAVEN Heaven has many cartographers, and through the centuries many different heavens have been charted. To the variety of celestial landscapes in the West, Islam and Buddhism have raised their own particular paradises: the Koran details a heaven filled with beautiful, large eyed ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Heaven, World Religions

Message To Garcia  PRO

Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Nov 16, 2002

Message to Garcia Article Excerpts In all this Cuban business there is one man who stands out on the horizon of my memory. When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the ...read more

Tags: Great Commission, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Incredible Gift—communion Mediation  PRO

Contributed by Dawn Marie Turner on Apr 9, 2003

THE INCREDIBLE GIFT--COMMUNION MEDIATION Danny was born with no ears. He could hear all right, but he didn’t have ears like normal people. All his life, Danny endured ridicule and rejection because of his deformity. But he learned to live with it. Thankfully, he had loving parents and a strong ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Rejection, Promises Of God, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Precious Grandmother  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2003

PRECIOUS GRANDMOTHER “In Charles Colson’s book, Loving God, he tells the story of an incredible ninety-one-year-old woman, known affectionately as Grandma Howell… As she moved into the twilight of her life, she had more than one reason to let depression take over--to just give up and die. Her ...read more

Tags: Mother's Day, Encourage, Encouragement, Giving Yourself, Family  (view more)  (view less)

The Touch Of God At Christmas  PRO

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Dec 8, 2003

THE TOUCH OF GOD AT CHRISTMAS This is from a 60 Minutes broadcast from a few years ago. It’s an excerpt of what Harry Reasoner said around Christmas time that I want you to hear. Listen carefully – he said: Eleven years ago I did a little Christmas piece and it seemed like a good idea to repeat ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Karl Loved To Follow His Dad Around. From An ...  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Apr 15, 2004

Karl loved to follow his dad around. From an early age, Hirschel always found young Karl at his heels. The shelves of books in Hirschel’s Law study fascinated young Karl and the lad quizzed His dad to annoyance. The book Hirschel seemed to love the most was the Torah, the Hebrew Book of Law. ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

Former Nfl Player Pat Tillman's Name Has Been In ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 6, 2004

Former NFL player Pat Tillman’s name has been in the news a lot lately. He played football for Arizona State University and then the Arizona Cardinals. But he had voluntarily enlisted with the Army Rangers following the terrorist attacks on September 11; turning down a $3.6 million contract with ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Methodist