THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT -- MODERN VERSION It was the Christmas season a few years ago and Lou, the barber of the writer, showed the stuff of heroism. Though he is well past 50, he is…
Sermon Illustrations
PICKING THE CHRISTMAS TREE It was a crisp, sunny afternoon in late November, and we were searching for a tree at the Christmas tree farm. We always relish the task, as members of the family…
PUTTING IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE A man asked God how long a million years was to Him. God replied, "It's just like a single second of your time, my child." So the man asked, "And…
MONEY Many people have finally realized that money can't buy happiness. Now they're trying credit cards. On The Upbeat
HIDDEN JOY A gifted public speaker was asked to recall his most difficult speaking assignment. He said, "That's easy. It was an address I gave to the National Conference of Undertakers. The topic they gave…
MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY The late Congressman Sol Bloom would habitually drop a coin into the street. When someone asked why, he said, laughingly, "Oh, somebody is sure to find it and be happy the rest…
WHO IS HAPPY? An English newspaper asked this question: "Who are the happiest people on earth?" These were the four prize-winning answers: A craftsman or artist whistling over a job well done. A little child…
TWELVE RULES FOR HAPPINESS I. Live a Simple Life -- Be temperate in your habits, avoid self-seeking and selfishness. Let simplicity be your key. II. Spend Less Than You Earn -- Cultivate frugality, prudence and…
BE PREPARED Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:20
GETTING EVERYTHING TO COME OUT EVEN "I'm working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday,…
COMPLETING THE ACT OF FORGIVENESS About the year 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mails. He was tried and sentenced to be…
TEAMWORK The wife has been poring over the family's financial figures and finally concludes to her husband: "Well, I've worked out a budget -- now you'll have to work out a raise!" Goddard Sherman, Our…
COMPARATIVE VALUES A lady was walking along an old river with a friend. Suddenly a frog hopped up right beside her, and made a strange noise. In fact, it almost sounded like the frog was…
FAMILY MATH A school teacher was giving a lesson in fractions. "Johnny, suppose there were seven in your family -- five children and mother and father -- a total of seven. And suppose there was…
LOOKING OUT FOR MOM A penny-pinching miser defended himself against criticism aimed at his parsimonious ways. He said in his own defense, "Why, I couldn't stand for my mother to go on year after year…
CHILDREN AT A PARTY? Children are rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting sum of money. There are, however, exceptions, and such children are an excellent addition to any party. Fran Lebowitz
FAMILY LOVE is that unexplainable emotion causing us to save the choice piece of meat for the kids, or take the other egg because it wasn't fried just right, or wear the same old suit…
MARK TWAIN The famous writer once encountered a friend at the races who said, "I'm broke. I wish you'd buy me a train ticket back to town." Twain said, "Well, I'm pretty broke myself but…
A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO FUND RAISING Here's another story from the Clarence Jordan biography that you can relate to the story of the Rich Young Ruler. It seems that a lady arrived at Koinonia Farm,…
THE PRICE OF LIBERTY By 1776, many of the people in the colonies had grown indignant about the unjust taxes England was levying upon them and the harsh measures she was taking to collect them.…
