PRIORITIES FOR SOCIETY An excellent plumber is infinitely more valuable than an incompetent philosopher. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because it is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is…
Sermon Illustrations
THE FISHERMAN'S PRAYE R. I pray that I might live to fish Until my dying day. And when it comes to my last cast I then most humbly pray, When in the Lord's great landing…
DIFFICULTIES When they first manufactured golf balls, they made the covers smooth. Then it was discovered that after a ball had been roughed up one could get more distance out of it. So they started…
THE CALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST! Chris Sutton of Corpus Christi, Texas sent in the following item which he found in John Bisagno's book The Word Made Flesh, pp. 18,19 (Word). 78410 At the climax of…
INTEGRITY At a national spelling contest in Washington an incident occured that made me feel good -- and made me wonder. In the fourth round of the contest, Rosalie Elliot, then a 11-year-old from South…
PERFECTION REVISITED While vacationing recently in Palm Desert, California I heard Pastor Dean Miller share this story about perfection: It seems the pastor was saying to the people that none of us are perfect, and…
DETERMINATION Jan Paderewski was asked by a fellow pianist if he could be ready to play a recital on short notice. The famous musician replied: "I am always ready. I have practiced eight hours daily…
ASSERTIVENESS IN FUND RAISING A pandhandler varied his usual pleas for money when he saw a prosperous-looking businessman coming down the street. He approached the man and said "Look, I don't want to try to…
EXERCISE THE PRAYER MUSCLE There is a story about a small town in the old country, far off the main roads. In the town were all the necessary municipal institutions: a bathhouse, a cemetery, a…
PRAYER, USES AND MISUSES The great baseball catcher Yogi Berra was involved in a ball game in which the score was tied, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. The batter from…
LUTHER ON THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER It is well to let prayer be the first employment in the early morning and the last in the evening. Avoid diligently those false and deceptive thoughts which say,…
THE POWER OF PRAYER The board of deacons was being briefed on techniques for making church calls. One newly elected member was obviously timid about her responsibilities. The pastor hoped to encourage her by stressing…
SCHOOL PRAYER Whether legal or not, kids have been praying in school for as long as anyone can remember. We prayed that the school would burn down the night before the math exams. We prayed…
THE HUMANIST'S PRAYER Lyman Abbot once paraphrased the Lord's Prayer to reflect the philosophy of those without God. We might call it the Humanist's Prayer: "Our bretheren who art on earth, Hallowed be our name.…
BIBLICAL PRAYER The kid had been a pain in the neck all day. When supper came she sat him in a corner at a card table by himself. When it came time for the 'Grace'…
THE PREACHER'S PRAYER I wish you folks would come to church, If only for a visit. For someday they will carry you in, And the Lord will say, "Who is it?"
PRAYER ABUSED Of course many people see prayer as simply a means of manipulating God: "Father expected a good deal of God. He didn't actually accuse God of inefficiency, but when he prayed his tone…
PRAYER FORMULATION An elderly gentleman passed his granddaughter's room one night and overheard her repeating the alphabet in an oddly reverent way. "What on earth are you up to?" he asked. "I'm saying my prayers,"…
PRAYER AT THE MOMENT OF CRISIS One biography I enjoyed a great deal this past year was Russell Baker's Growing Up (published by Congdon and Weed). Baker is the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the…
THE WHITE BIRDS There was once a man who had a waking dream. He dreamed he was in a spacious church. He had wandered in to pray, and after his prayers were finished, he knelt…
