APPLAUSE The late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was greeted by a burst of applause when he made his appearance as a speaker at a meeting in Minneapolis. He responded by saying: "Applause before a speaker…
Sermon Illustrations
THINKING BACK When Fred arrived at the Pearly Gates there was hardly any line and he didn't have to wait more than a minute before his interview. Naturally, he was a little nervous about getting…
THE FULL RANGE OF GOD'S MUSIC I used to go out in the morning to get the paper when we lived in El Paso. Our house was a good four miles from the main parade…
A VOW -- ALBERT SCHWEITZER In the '50's, Dr. Schweitzer was on his way to speak to a Conference in Aspen, Colorado, but had to change trains in Chicago. As he was standing on the…
PRAYER AT THE HOUSE OF DYING Dear Lord, the Great Healer -- I kneel before You Since every good and perfect gift Must come from You. I pray, give skill to my hand, Clear vision…
PERSPECTIVE -- IRREGULAR VERBS The game of "Irregular Verbs" or "Conjugations" was created quite a few years ago by philosopher Bertrand Russell on the BBC program Brains Trust when he declined "I am firm," (see…
THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGING WORDS A great place to glean some profound insights into life is from children's stories. On a Winnie the Pooh record, for instance, there is a scene that is a delightful…
GOD'S LOVE We call it mercy -- it is God's forgiving love. We call it providence -- it is God's caring love. We call it kindness -- it is God's understanding love. We call it…
KINDNESS/SERVING Salem Kirban tells the following story: East Berlin is communist controlled. West Berlin is free. Some people in East Berlin one day took a truckload of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin…
DEATH/KINDNESS OF ABE Despite his busy schedule during the Civil War, Abe Lincoln often visited the hospitals to cheer the wounded. On one occasion he saw a young fellow who was near death. "Is there…
KINDNESS is like snow: it makes beautiful anything it covers. Van Vert
ALICE'S FOOT Alice had been through this many times before. She could not remember how often her hopes were raised only to have them dashed to the floor. The pattern was always the same. First,…
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT A lady went to buy a stamp at a post office during the Christmas rush where some of the clerks have a reputation for surliness. The stamp was pushed across the counter…
CHRISTMAS LEGENDS Helen Keller wrote that there is a legend that tells that when Jesus was born the sun danced in the sky, the aged trees straightened themselves and put on leaves and sent forth…
WHEN WOULD YOU LEAST EXPECT HIM? The nurse escorted a tired, anxious young man to the bedside of an elderly man. "Your son is here," she whispered to the patient. She had to repeat the…
CARING A young journalist and his wife attended a reception at the home of a well-known religious figure who lived in the same city. On the way home, they discussed how much they would enjoy…
IT BOILS DOWN TO PEOPLE I guess I'd rather be famous than infamous, but actually money and fame and the rest of it don't impress me much. About all that really impresses me is human…
LOVE AND PAIN I might, indeed, have learned, even from the poets that Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness: that even the love between the sexes is, as in Dante, "a…
Life is short and we have not too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind. By…
UNGRATEFUL GUEST Many years ago King Alfonso of Aragon was known for his unselfish Christian life. Unfortunately, the people of his court did not share his sense of gratitude toward the Lord, and his officers…
