SIGHT TO WALK There is an old Sufi story about a blind man and a crippled man who stumbled into each other in a forest. They were both lost, and they struck up a conversation,…
Sermon Illustrations
SUCCESSFUL SLIDE DOWN LIFE A most pleasant good wish was uttered by a fellow named Kemmons Wilson. "As you slide down the bannister of life," he said, "may all the splinters be pointed in the…
BLESSED TROUBLE Trouble, I've learned, can be a blessing. Trouble is the great equalizer, the common denominator of living. It helps us identify with other human beings, and it knocks us down to size. --…
GOD'S IRONING The trials of our faith are like God's ironing. When the heat of trials are applied to our lives, the wrinkles of spiritual immaturity begin to be smoothed out.
EVERYDAY THANKSGIVING Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning, Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are those who are deaf. Even though I keep my eyes…
ANOTHER THANKSGIVING Here is an excerpt from a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times that gives a somewhat naturalistic view of Thanksgiving: "So it's Thanksgiving. What a misnomer! Just what is an…
NOT SO BAD HEALTH A few years back, a member of my church, found a sense of gratitude rising within her on a trip to the office of her oral surgeon. She indicated that she…
IN THE LORD'S CELLAR When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wine. -- Samuel Rutherford
NEED TO SIT STILL All the troubles of man come from his not knowing how to sit still! - - Blaise Pascal
RUDOLPH THE RED On a tour of Russia during the days of communism, Mr. and Mrs. Jones spent a very pleasant time with their guide Rudolph. However, on the last day of the tour a…
GLANCE/GLAZE APPROACH We need a glance/gaze approach. We need to glance at the problem and become informed. Then we need to gaze at the solutions and make intelligent, practical responses.
FREE AS A BIRD William Wordsworth in a piece entitled "Prelude" tells how wonderful it was to escape the city where he had been pent up so long. Now he says, "I am free. Free…
INFERIOR INFERIORITY COMPLEX Brutus Thornapple is lying on the psychiatrist's couch and the psychiatrist says: "It seems you do indeed suffer from an inferiority complex, Mr. Thornapple. However, It is a relatively minor case." Thornapple,…
THANKS FOR THE THORN George Matheson, the famous blind preacher of Scotland, once said, "My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn--my blindness. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses,…
GOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE When life's challenges hit you, when you face things that you have never faced before, when you are wondering if the light that you see at the end of the tunnel is…
WITH CLEAR PURPOSE Roy Gee writes about Dr. Newton Baker who was the Secretary of War during American President Wilson's administration. While visiting a federal hospital during World War I, Baker visited a young man…
PRINCIPLES PURSUED I love the man who can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is…
SOLVE IT Thomas J. Watson Jr., former head of IBM believed that solving problems quickly was essential to making progress. "Solve it," he declared. "Solve it quickly, solve it right or wrong. If you solve…
GROWING IN DARKNESS Plants do their growing during the darkness. The light only reveals how much they have grown.
PROBLEMS DRIVE US FORWARD Problems are God-given opportunities to grow. Challenges which drive us to deeper understanding and maturity. Problem comes from the Greek word "pro balein" which means "to throw" or "drive forward." Problems…
