THE RIGHT MAN They were burying a rather unsavory character who had never been near a place of worship in his life. The services were being conducted by a minister who had never heard of…
Sermon Illustrations
ACQUITTED, BUT Then there's the story of the uneducated old mountain man who was arrested for stealing a horse. He wasn't too bright, but he was smart enough to hire a pretty good lawyer who…
COMMUNICATING PERSPECTIVE They tell us that the following prayer was offered by Dr. Blake Smith before a football game in Texas: "In thy presence we know that no issues of great importance are going to…
THE SURRENDERED SELF In his autobiography, A Song of Ascents, E. Stanley Jones, well-known Christian missionary, to India tells of a situation where the fellow members of his Ashram helped him in a problem regarding…
HUMILITY A friend once recommended to Thomas Edison that he hire a young electrical genius named Nikola Tesla. The young man - who was not exactly vain, but never tried to hid his talent -…
IDENTITY CRISIS There is the story of a woman who, early one morning, made a mad dash out of the house when she heard the garbage truck pulling away. She was still in her bathrobe.…
IN CASE OF SWELLING HEAD The young preacher had just announced to his congregation that he was requesting the dissolution of the pastoral relationship in order to accept another call. He was standing at the…
THE GOOD HANDS PEOPLE It seems a party of botanists were exploring inaccessible regions of the Alps in search of new flowers. One day, through a fieldglass, they spotted a flower of rare beauty. It…
POTENCY I was recently reminded of the old story of the man who had nine cats. One day his friend was visiting him and noticed that he had nine separate little kitty doors cut into…
NEW VERSIONS OF OLD, FAMILIAR STORIES From time to time we receive re-polished versions of old, familiar stories. I kind of like to be reminded of stories I may have forgotten and not used for…
THE CHILD ON THE FREEWAY It was just a couple of weeks before Christmas in Southern California a number of years back. A friend of mine, then Assistant Pastor in a large local church, shared…
BREAKING THE BAD NEWS I was reminded of an old story that is one of my favorites when I read Sunday Sermons this month. It's about the man who was out of town on a…
THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM The pastor went to call on one of the elderly widows of the church. While visiting with her, he noticed a bowl of shelled peanuts on the coffee…
PERSISTENCE AGAINST SUFFERING There are powerful parables to be found in the pages of some modern dramas -- scenes that depict the human condition and grip the heart with the tragic moral choices we face…
REAL RECTORS Spurred on by the many spin-offs following Real Men Don't Eat Quiche, including a particularly good article in a recent issue of Leadership entitled, "Real Ministers Don't Use Answering Machines," the following seems…
DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES ON DEFEAT In a recent article by George McGovern, he speaks of the trauma of being defeated for the presidency in every state in the Union but one, including a defeat in his…
WORRY/ANXIETY "Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles." E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Mount (Nashville: Abingdon, 1931), pg. 235. (Quote can be used alone in Short Shots section) Quote in relation…
THE ATTITUDE THAT PREVAILS -- SEND MORE! Alexander Mackay of Scotland was sent to Africa by the Church Missionary Society (Anglican Church) in 1876. He was an engineer by profession and a jack of all…
CONSIDER WELL Consider well that both by night and day While we busily provide and care For our disport, our revel and our play, For pleasant melody and dainty fare, Death stealeth on full slily;…
GIVING YOUR LIFE BLOOD John and Kay White, missionaries from the Philippine Islands, told this amazing story in the Jul, 1955, "Mission News": One of our Tagalog pastors, who is really concerned about stewardship, recently…
