A French Army General was well known for his impatience. One morning under the bright North African sun, he told the orderly landscaping his compound that, by noon, he wanted a certain plant moved from…
Sermon Illustrations
The following is a true story. A woman reported that when she started eating breakfast regularly at an old-fashioned diner in Pittsfield, Mass, she noticed that there was a nail stuck into the wall behind…
There is an amusing story of three learned theologians who were brilliant, but terribly proud. The three died at the same time, so the story goes, and were standing together at the gate of heaven…
From the popular “New Collection of Children’s Letters to God” are two expressions of thanks. Dear God: Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. Signed,Joyce Dear God: If…
In Raleigh, North Carolina there is a popular preacher who understands the value of expressing thanks to God. And he loves to sing. The problem is, he has a terrible singing voice. He never seems…
“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalms 136:1). Consider the Pilgrim Fathers and Mothers when they celebrated the first American “Thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving? How could they…
Thornton Wilder’s play, “Our Town,” is about the people of Grover’s Corners, a very rural, very quiet, very simple place. One of the people is “Emily” who, as you may recall dies in childbirth. In…
If one should give me a dish of sand, and tell me that there were particles of iron in it, I might look with my eyes for them, and search for them with my clumsy…
As we gather together to count the Lord’s blessings on this 370th celebration of Thanksgiving, we should be thankful, despite the sea of troubles across the globe, and economic and social problems at home .…
Consider the Pilgrim fathers and mothers when they celebrated the first American “Thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving? How could they give thanks? They had suffered terribly on their long freedom journey which began in the English countryside and…
Comedian David Letterman once offered this tip to anyone planning a visit to “The Big Apple.” He advised, “If you’re planning to travel to New York City, do yourself a favor — this is a…
While attending a major concert or stage performance, most of us take for granted the challenging and dangerous “behind the scenes” work performed by the stage “riggers.” These men and women walk the four-inch rafter…
Comedian Yakov Smirnoff writes: “Coming from the Soviet Union, I was not prepared for the incredible variety of products available in American grocery stores. While on my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk —…
In Robert Bolt’s play, “A Man for All Seasons,” Sir Thomas More urges a restless underling to become a fine teacher. “And if I was, who would know it?” asks the ambitious young man. Sir…
To a child thrust into a strange world, a good teacher is the best thing that can possibly happen. A teacher is Courage with Kleenex in its pocket. Sympathy struggling with a snowsuit, and Patience…
A woman attended her 20-year high school reunion. There she encountered her freshman year art teacher. She told the teacher that she had decided to go to college as a result of his inspiration, and…
If it takes a two-hundred-thousand dollar-per-year executive to guide a client, lead an advertising campaign, develop a computer program or help put a corporation back on its feet, then what is the worth of a…
The English spiritual writer, Caryll Houselander, wrote a letter in 1945 to a young friend who had married and settled abroad: I saw two bent and broken people in Brompton Road years ago, both a…
A larger than average man stepped on a scale not knowing it was out of order. The indicator stopped at 75 pounds. A little boy, standing nearby with his mother, watched the big man intently.…
As tens-of-millions of fans anticipate this year’s Super Bowl game, it might be helpful for all of us to keep the following prayer in mind. This prayer was reportedly delivered recently in a locker room…