THE SCANDAL OF THE CROSS On the evening of April 25th, 1958, a young Korean exchange student, a leader in student Christian affairs in the University of Pennsylvania, left his flat and went to the…
Sermon Illustrations
WORDS ON AN EPITAPH As Copernicus, the great astronomer, was dying, a copy of his great book, The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies, was placed in his hands. But it was not his brilliant work…
OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE WORLD One of the strangest stories to come out of World War II concerns the mystery of two young men who were captured by the Americans in Germany near the…
PRUDENCE A young man in Palermo was brought before the judge, accused of robbery. The case against him was strong but the judge heard nothing from the defense. Finally the Judge turned to the alleged…
HUMILITY You all know Charlie Brown, "good old Charlie Brown," in the comic strip 'Peanuts', as mentioned above. What you may not know is that Charlie Brown was a real person. Charles Schulz, the creator…
SHE THINKS I'M REAL You probably read in the newspaper of an incident which puts it as neatly and succinctly as anything I've ever heard. A waitress was taking orders from a couple at the…
MORE THAN ONE WAY TO GET INTRODUCED Just before the beginning of the Sunday service at Saint Bartholomew's on Fifth Avenue, New York City, a man wearing a large hat was discovered sitting in the…
IMPORTANCE IS RELATIVE George had a friend with an inflated opinion of himself. As a friend should, George decided to help his friend lose this quirk. Subtly, George mentioned that he knew Johnny Carson. The…
THE POSITIVE DIMENSIONS OF CALL In Elizabeth Elliot's book about her year with the Colorado Indians of Ecuador, prior to her marriage to Jim Elliot, she shares her perspective on a time of separation with…
FROM THE FOLKS WHO BRING YOU TV Some months back, the research team of Lichter and Rothman made the most in-depth study ever conducted of those who are responsible for our entertainment programs. Those researched…
SAFE IN HIS HANDS There is an old ploughman in the country I sometimes talk with, and he often says, though in uncouth words, some precious things. He said to me one day, "The other…
HOW DO YOU SAY THANKS? Trio is a book about the friendship between three women, a friendship that began in childhood and continued into their adult lives. The three women are Oona O'Neill Chaplin (daughter…
NOT MUCH VALUE ANYMORE! A book collector ran into an unbookish acquaintance who soon revealed that old books didn't mean anything to him. In fact, he observed he had just thrown away a big old…
DO UNTO OTHERS, ET C. An Irishman was down on his luck and was panhandling on Fifth Avenue before the annual St. Patrick's Day parade got underway in New York City. As a couple strolled…
COMMITMENT One of my favorite Peanuts cartoons was printed many years ago when little Sally was still a toddler. One day as she was crawling by, Linus and Lucy were watching her progress and Linus…
FAMILY ENCOURAGEMENT Mary was having a tough day and had stretched herself out on the couch to do a bit of what she thought to be well-deserved complaining and self-pitying. She moaned to her mom…
INTIMIDATION I 've enjoyed reading an excellent new resource for preachers called Preaching, published bi- monthly by Preaching Resources ($15.00 per year). They include a section called "To Illustrate," from which I gleaned this one:…
THE HIGH COST OF WISDOM When I have ceased to break my wings Against the faultiness of things And learned that compromises wait Behind each hardly opened gate. When I can look life in the…
THE GIFTED -- ONLY IN AMERICA Kathy Moravick, a fifth grade honors teacher, has gifted pupils still stuck on fourth-grade math. She spends lunch hour doing remedial tutoring for the gifted. Mrs. Moravick estimates that…
HONESTY AS A POLICY The editor of a small- town newspaper grew tired of being called a liar, and announced that he would tell the truth in the future. The next issue contained the following…
