ICE CREAM FOR THE SOUL A mother took her children to a restaurant. Her six-year-old son asked if he could pray. As they bowed their heads, he prayed, "God is good. God is great. Thank…
Sermon Illustrations
GOD USES ATHEISTS My grandmother, who lived in Tucson, was well-known for her faith and lack of reticence in talking about it. She would go out on the front porch and say, "Praise the Lord!"…
FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD In his book, Joy That Lasts, Gary Smalley gives reasons to make God your best friend: 1) Friendship with God is security [through commitment]. 2) Friendship with God is prayer. 3) Friendship…
EMPHASES OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP In his article, "Fit to Lead: Making Leadership Christian," James E. Means warns against the adoption of "Madison Avenue" leadership strategies that are more manipulation than spiritual leadership. To establish spiritual…
NO NEED FOR PRAYER Father Burke looked over the class and then asked Sean: "Do you say a prayer before meals in your house?" "We don't have to, Father. Me mother is a good cook."…
ONLY ASKING When I was a boy, we had a neighbor lady who frequently came to the back door of our home. She never wasted any time coming to the point. Her words were always…
CREATIVE THANKSGIVING We all have things we can be thankful for. Once a fellow was telling me all his problems and financial woes. I told him to count his blessings, not his blights. "But what…
AUTOMATED GRATITUDE Beware of automated gratitude! I am irritated every time it happens. The checkout clerk rings up my purchases, takes my money, hands me the change, and says, "Thank you for shopping at ____…
NO MORE REASON TO GRUMBLE If Christians would spend as much time praying as they do grumbling, they'd soon have nothing to grumble about! There is power in praise because it shifts our focus from…
TRY THANKSGIVING A missionary recounted his experience in China that shows this. He had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered his soul. Though he prayed, the darkness didn't go…
NINE OF ELEVEN LOST A preacher included in his annual report the item "nine persons lost at sea." When the congregation expressed shock and amazement, he said, "Well, eleven persons requested prayers for those going…
GIMMEE PRAYERS When we think of prayer, we often only think of requests, like the story about the mother who came to tuck her little son into bed. "Did you say your prayers tonight?" she…
WINGS OF PRAYER Prayer without thanksgiving is like a bird without wings - such prayer cannot rise to heaven nor be sweet to the Father's ears. God loves to hear our prayers, but He also…
HANDS Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nurnberg, lived a family with children. Eighteen! In order to merely keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of…
DIVINE SHOVING A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let…
REACHING FOR GOD We reach for God in many ways. Through our sculptures and our scriptures. Through our pictures and our prayers. Through our writing and our worship. And through them He reaches for us.…
INDIVIDUAL INTERCESSION An outstanding example of spiritual concern in more recent times was the late Dr. Andrew Bonar. After his death, his daughter led a Welsh evangelist into her father's church in Glasgow, Scotland. She…
WRESTLING WITH GOD Preparing to take religious vows, a young novice asked the oldest member of the order, "Father, do you still wrestle with the devil?" The elderly priest replied, "No, my son. I have…
CONFLICT IS OUR TRADITION During a service at an old synagogue in Eastern Europe, when the Shema prayer was said, half the congregants stood up and half remained sitting. The half that was seated started…
COMMUNICATION IS A MEANS Keep in mind also that communication is a means, not an end. The end of marriage is not communication. The end of marriage is love--love for God and love for one…
