BUDGET ANALYSIS A well planned budget is the best way to know why you went broke.
Sermon Illustrations
GAMBLING DEBTS & DEATHS Many communities have found the solution to their fiscal difficulties through legalized gambling. But an even greater number of individuals and families have paid a disproportionate price to support this gambling…
POWER OF THE MONEY The dollar is a miraculous thing. It's our personal energy reduced to portable form and endowed with power we do not ourselves possess. It can go where we cannot go; speak…
EMPTY WEALTH Recently, after speaking to a meeting of a county medical society, I rode to the airport with three of the physicians. As we drove through an area of sparkling new homes, I commented…
PICK A FIST A little boy was given a coin by his mother to put in the offering plate during the worship service. She gave him strict instructions, "Don't put it in your mouth, and…
CHECK STUBS SPEAK LOUDER Gerald Mann tells of going with a friend whose mom had just died to gather her things together and close her home. The son picked up his mother's checkbook and began…
PRIORITIES IN GIVING Let me restate the convictions I have communicated through the years. First, despite our need, we do not want you to support Focus on the Family until you have met your obligation…
CLOCK ON THE PULPIT In a church, a minister announced that if the church reached a certain fund-raising goal, he would permit the congregation to place a clock on the pulpit; if they exceeded the…
GIVING TRANSFERS POWER Giving is probably a more powerful way of affecting the future than spending. When I spend, I trade this for that. And I get something back for my own use. When I…
IN BAD COMPANY Cutting corners, lying about sick days--48 percent of American workers have done something unethical at work this year, according to a survey sponsored by the Ethics Officer Association. Meanwhile, in another study,…
TAKE IT WITH YOU THE RIGHT WAY A greedy man was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He was determined to prove wrong the saying, "You can't take it with you." After considerable thought, the man…
MONEY CONCERNS If Jesus, living in a more simple society, showed so much concern with money, how much more do we need to see this as a critical area for faithfulness? -- Art Gish
ONE GREETING FITS ALL Here is a voice mail greeting by a college student who developed a somewhat inconsistent view of stewardship: "Hi. This is John. If you are the phone company, I already sent…
MEDITATE ON HEAT The pastor stood reverently at the pulpit, bowed his head, and spoke to his congregation: "Before we take our offering, let's all bow our heads and meditate on how much it costs…
SANTA BANK QUESTION: Where does Santa Clause keep his money to buy all those toys? ANSWER: Santa keeps his money in a snow-bank!
TITHING OR GIVING Fred Smith in Leadership said, "Giving is a drain plug for our greed. Tithing for wealthy people is an escape from giving."
EQUALLY CHEATED In the "Born Loser," two fellows meet and one asks the other: "Buy a genuine gold Swiss watch for fifty bucks?" The second guy says, "All I've got's a twenty." The first replies:…
UNUSED TREASURE A man in Krem, Austria knew there was a hollow space in the walls of his ancient house, but he never bothered to open it. After World War II Russian troops occupied his…
MY MONEY & ME No person is really consecrated until their money is dedicated. -- Roy Smith
GIVER'S LAST REQUEST The pastor was visiting one of his congregants who lay dying in the hospital. The pastor leaned over the bed and asked the man, "Is there anything I can do to ease…
