During the college football season when many will be cheering on their favorite team, we recall the story about Notre Dame traveling to a much-anticipated game against one of its chief rivals. A reporter met…
Sermon Illustrations
In Eugene O’Neil’s story “Days Without End,” John Loving, a Roman Catholic boy, prays that his parents, who have been injured, might not die. But their lives were not saved by the kind of miracle…
A little girl had been misbehaving. Her mother sent her to her room, saying, "Pray to God and tell God what a naughty little girl you have been." The little girl went up to her…
Dick Van Dyke has recorded some delightful anecdotes about children and religion: A little girl assured her mother that she had said her prayers the night before, but added, “When I got on my knees…
A certain pastor delights in telling the true story of a wonderful experience he once had on a clergymen’s retreat. He was assigned to a room which had just been vacated by a little girl…
The legendary Jenny Lind, who toured the United States more than a century ago, was known as the “Swedish Nightingale.” Music experts of her time marvelled at her rich, warm, colorful voice and her remarkable…
During an adult Bible Class, the discussion turned to the meaning of prayer. “Ask, and it will be given to you ... for everyone who asks, receives,” the pastor quoted from Jesus’ “Sermon on the…
In a religious midwestern farming community a drought had threatened to ruin the entire season’s crop. In a last ditch effort, the local pastor asked that the entire community assemble at one of the farms…
The Notre Dame football team was en route to a long awaited game against one of its chief rivals. A reporter met the team at the airport and quickly cornered the team’s coach. “It has…
Many children have amazing faith in the power of prayer to answer their immediate needs. One twelve-year-old girl went a bit too far with that attitude. Sitting at the kitchen table, the girl’s mother overheard…
One Thanksgiving Day, a mother decided to serve her family a genuinely healthy feast. She served a turkey (guaranteed to have been fed on grains free of chemical additives), but she skipped the potatoes and…
The famous “Praying Hands” painting was created by Albrecht Durer. Born in Germany in 1471, it is said that, while studying art, Durer and a friend roomed together. However the meager income they earned on…
Worship is the submission of the whole being to the object of worship. It is to declare the need to be fulfilled by God, It is to declare the desire to be under the control…
We eat, we work, we shop, we run around, and we tire. We get physically weary. We get emotionally weary. We get spiritually weary. And we wonder why our life seems to be going full…
There is a wonderful story about a bishop and a young clergyman who were travelling together. One bitterly cold night they stayed in a farmhouse in which the bedrooms were unheated. The old bishop undressed…
COMMUNICATION AND UNDERSTANDING Little Kate came home from kindergarten one day and announced that she had learned a new song -- "God Bless America." To demonstrate, she sang a few bars. "God bless America, land…
QUICK STUDY A young soldier who was fighting in Italy during World War II jumped into a foxhole just ahead of some bullets. He immediately tried to deepen the hole for more protection and was…
PRAYER Prayer is one of those topics that gathers so many marvelous stories to illustrate its many facets. In particular I like the story that William Gladstone told that illustrates prayer coupled with a sort…
GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT PRAYER The little boy was accustomed to having a night light in his bedroom. His parents decided he was old enough to sleep in the dark. His mother told him about their…
ASSERTIVENESS IN FUND RAISING A pandhandler varied his usual pleas for money when he saw a prosperous-looking businessman coming down the street. He approached the man and said "Look, I don't want to try to…
