The line in Church for Communion seemed endless to one nine-year-old. After a good deal of squirming and rifling through a prayer book and a hymnal, he nudged his mother and loudly whispered, “Mom, is…
Sermon Illustrations
Early in his career, Dr. Robert J. McCracken, former pastor of the Riverside Church, New York City, was minister of a Church in Canada. For some reason an elderly spinster took a vehement dislike to…
Ed Flom, Chairman and CEO of Florida Steel Corporation, addressed the Harvard Business School Club of Florida West Coast on the subject of “Leadership.” To illustrate one of his points, Flom told this story: I…
“Lady,” said the bus driver to a woman who was boarding his vehicle with 11 children, “are they all yours or are you going on a picnic?” “They’re all mine,” she replied, “and believe me,…
There is no substitute for good parents! They have been particularly fitted by God to draw out and channel into a useful direction the bit of greatness which God has implanted in every child He…
A father punished his daughter for lying by forbidding her to go to the neighborhood swimming pool for one week. The little girl felt that the punishment was far too severe for the infraction and…
Humorist Tal Bonham, known for his “clean joke books,” describes a poster which the mother of two teenagers hung in each of their bedrooms. It read as follows: Attention Teenagers! If You Are Tired Of…
Among his writings, Abraham Lincoln left us with a reminder never to forget to give our children a solid foundation on which to grow and develop into maturity: “Never forget,” he said ... ... a…
Several mothers were gathered one evening when the subject of the “worst stage” of childhood came up. “If I can just get through the twos,” one mother moaned. “No – they’re a breeze compared with…
From an unknown parent comes this touching little essay on how things are likely to change “When the Kids Leave Home”: SOMEDAY, WHEN THE KIDS FINALLY LEAVE HOME, things are going to be a lot…
A mother took her son to a child psychiatrist. The boy was having all sorts of problems trying to make his growing up situation more tolerable. After seeing the boy, the doctor said to the…
Most parents agree that their children should be given every opportunity to pursue an education. But very few among them, even among those who are most serious and sincere, know that the first thing to…
A father relates the following story: When my wife and I want to discuss treats in front of our three-year-old son, we often spell out words to avoid a confrontation. A friend commented that this…
Some of the most troubling relationships involve middle-aged persons and their older parents — parents who still think that they own the child. Philosopher/Poet Kahlil Gibran has written of this in his work called “The…
One mother tells the story of her adolescent son who was prone to sloppiness. “He is a good boy,” the mother said, “he gives us very little trouble, except that he is a slob. He…
Johnny had been bad and was sent to his room. After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it over and then said a prayer. “Fine,” said the pleased mother.…
“Now, son, there is a wonderful example for you in the life of the ant,” said the earnest father. “Every day the ant goes to work and labors hard all day long. He never wastes…
A little girl demanded that her father read her the same bedtime story every night. When her father tried to read from other books the child would cry and insist that he read her favorite…
A newspaper comic strip ran an episode on the theme of the Ten Commandments. It shows an elderly woman sitting up in bed in communication with her dead husband’s spirit. Apparently she is resentful of…
A notorious con artist died suddenly one night and began to worry about what awaited him. He left behind scores of families he had cheated through crooked business ventures. But when he got to his…