FACING THE HARSH TRUTH One of my other favortie cartoons is Momma by Mel Lazarus. One of his strips shows Momman entertaining her perpetual suitor, Mr. K. Frankly, he's not much of a catch, but…
Sermon Illustrations
THE CHURCH The Christian Communications Laboratory relates the story of a small mid-western weekly paper which ran a story saying, "We are pleased to announce that the cyclone which blew away the Methodist church last…
ECONOMY -- BUDGETS Husband to wife as they plan a budget in the current inflationary times: "Let's start with the basic necessities -- food, clothing and shelter. We have a choice of any two." Ralph…
SHARING IS PART OF COMMUNITY It seems there was this fellow who was about to make his first parachute jump. The plane carried him up to the proper altitude and he was told, "This is…
HUMILITY Whenever I think of man's propensity to pomposity -- and his need for humility (Romans 12:3), I think of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias." I met a traveller from an antique land Who said:…
WHO QUALIFIES? Then, along the same line, there's the recounting of the "Recruiting, Appointing and Calling" of the twelve as retold in an item
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT I forgot where I read these words by Donald Grey on Galatians 5:22, 23 on the fruit of the spirit. But Barnhouse put it this way: "Love is the key. Joy…
SONSHIP A promising young executive quit his job and before leaving, stopped in to say goodbye to the boss. The boss lamented, "I'm sorry to see you go. Actually, you've been like a son to…
KIDS And speaking of kids, did you hear the story about the two young boys who were walking home from Sunday School and sharing their reflections on the lesson? They had been studying the temptation…
KIDS A school principal received a phone call. The voice said, "Thomas Bradley won't be in school today." The principal was a bit suspicious of the voice. He asked, "Who is speaking?" The voice came…
HOW YOU CAN TELL WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE A ROTTEN DAY You see a "60 Minutes" news team in your office. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold. You turn on…
PRAYER Prayer is the soul's sincere desire./Uttered or unexpressed -- The motion of a hidden fire, that trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear, The upward…
PRAYER God answers prayer; sometimes, when hearts are weak, He gives the very gifts believers seek. But often faith must learn a deeper rest, And trust God's silence, when He does not speak; For he…
PRAYER From a more modern source -- one day the cartoon shows little Ziggy standing on a hill looking up against a dark night sky protesting, "Have I been put on hold for the rest…
PRAYER Then there's the words of Bobbie Burns: "They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright."
PRAYER In contrast -- these words from Jean Ingelow: "I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered."
PRAYER It seems to me that it is of more than just passing interest that virtually every month the lectionary readings include some important passages on prayer. You'd almost get the idea that prayer was…
THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF GOD More sky than man can see, More seas than he can sail, More sun than he can bear to watch, More stars than he can scale. More breath than he can…
RETELLING THE STORY AS IF A favorite communication device is that of retelling a familiar story with an entirely different slant. Some speakers are very good at this. They take a familiar Bible story and…
LORD WHEN DID WE SEE YOU? I was hungry and starving -- and you were obese; thirsty -- and you were watering your garden; with no road to follow, and without hope -- and you…
