PLANT A SMALL SEED OF KINDNESS AND WATCH IT GROW It was a stormy night at a small hotel in Philadelphia. An elderly man and woman approached the registration desk and asked for a room,…
Sermon Illustrations
CAREFUL OF YOUR INTERPRETATION A cowboy was riding across the prairie and he came to a an Indian who was lying on the ground with his ear to a wagon track. The following conversation then…
ASPECTS OF AGING One of the most disturbing aspects of aging is the growing inability to recall vitally important information -- such as the gross national product of Liberia, the Greek alphabet, and where you…
SILENCE A tribute was once paid to a great linguist, that he not only had learned seven languages well -- but he had also learned when to be silent in all seven. Proverbs 10:19; 21:23;…
THE TONGUE James 1 "The boneless tongue, so small and weak, Can crush and kill," declares the Greek./"The tongue destroys a greater horde," The Turk asserts, "Than does the sword." The Persian proverb wisely saith,…
THE SURRENDERED WILL Laid on thine altar, O my Lord, Divine, Accept my gift this day, for Jesus' sake I have no jewels to adorn thy shrine, No world-famed sacrifice to make; And here I…
FUZZY THINKING One of the cartoon strips I often use to illustrate sermons is Cathy by Cathy Guisewite. I found one recently that was a perfect example of the great deal of totally fuzzy thinking…
GRACE A large prosperous downtown church had three mission churches under its care that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the…
APPROPRIATE CHURCH BEHAVIOR In church last Sunday, I was intent on a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone. He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, tearing the hymn books or rummaging through his mother's…
RECOMMENDATIONS One day Dr. Barnardo was approached by a dirty, little, ragged boy who asked for admission to the London orphanage. The doctor looked at him and said, "But my boy, I do not know…
IMPACT -- THINGS THAT MATTER Some things make great impact, others make none. Some truths are potent, some are innocuous. I like the story about the Irish attorney that was making the best he could…
SECOND OPINION A tourist came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. After he went out of sight and…
SURRENDER TO CHRIST Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ? For many, the reason they give is that they don't really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. A young lady stood…
DESIGNED TO RISK A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for. John A. Shedd
RISK The Risk of Living In Only One Tree Writer Oscar Schisgall tells the following story as reported in Bits and Pieces. When I was a young writer with a very uncertain income, I went…
THE PLODDERS FOR CHRIST When William Carey began thinking of going to India as a pioneer missionary, his father pointed out to him that he possessed no academic qualifications that would fit him for such…
PERSISTENCE Weary With Good Behavior? Pastor, do you ever get just bone weary with well doing? I like the story in Peanuts that illustrates the texts in Galatians and II Thess. on this topic. The…
DEATH I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails in the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and…
Which also reminds me of the old story of the Pastor who began his sermon with an apology. He said, "Friends, I must confess I am not well prepared this week. It has been a…
HUMAN SELF-SUFFICIENCY A few years ago I was home alone in bed with the flu while our church was having its annual Thanksgiving dinner. When the family began to arrive home afterwards one of the…
