THE NATIVITY A God in heaven above, With heart of infinite love; A virgin on earth, all mild, And near to her heart a child. A stable bedecked with snow, A stall with a manger…
Sermon Illustrations
CHRIST AND SANTA It seems to me that rather than railing at Christmas commercialism we ought to insure that we give the sacred at least as much respect as we give the profane. Allow me…
A PRAYER FOR DECEMBER Heavenly Father, Christmas began With the gift of Your Son, Who in turn gave the world The gift of His life. Let me remember, O God, That Christmas remains A matter…
CONFIDENCE Be like the bird That, pausing in her flight Awhile on boughs too slight, Feels them give way Beneath her and yet sings, Knowing that she hath wings. From The Evangel, Saratoga, CA
YOU'D BETTER START LOOKING In the cartoon Single Slices, by Peter Kohlsaat, a bored, lonely- looking man named Bill sits alone at a bar. The caption explains his plight: "Certainly, unbeknownst to Bill, the perfect…
THE STRATEGY OF RISK In face of friendship's failure am I to back away, retreat to my turtle fortress and say, "Enough! No more! I'll not be hurt again." Or do I, parent-like, God-like, run…
COMMITMENT, DEDICATION Many years ago Billy Graham publicly read a now-famous letter written by a young American college student who had been attracted to Communism while in Mexico. The student was writing to his fiancee,…
LEADERSHIP, OPTIMISM, CONFIDENCE The leader must have infectious optimism....The final test of a leader is the feeling you have when you leave his presence after a conference. Have you a felling of uplift and confidence?…
LEADERSHIP, SUCCESS, LOVE I will stop providing you with pearls of wisdom and I will elaborate on one. The one piece of advice which I believe will contribute more to making you a better leader…
LEADERSHIP, VISION, ACTION Thomas Watson was a uniquely American type and one the Establishment has never understood throughout our history. He was possessed of a towering intellect but was totally non-intellectual. Typically, the men of…
LEADERSHIP, VISION, ACTION Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference. Nolan Bushnell, founder…
LEADERSHIP, IMAGE, PERCEPTION, SECURITY Jerry Gorde, the thirty-two-year-old president of Virginia Textiles, Inc., in Richmond, runs a $6-million company that grew at a compound annual rate of 94 percent between 1979 and 1984. His hands-on…
LEADERSHIP, MOTIVATION, PEOPLE, SERVANTHOOD Robert Townsend took over Avis Rent-a- Car in the 1960's when it had not made a profit in thirteen years, and changed its course in six months. Townsend did not know…
LEADERSHIP, GOALS, DIRECTION, COURSE, TEAMWORK A basketball metaphor applies to successful course correction. At the highest levels of involvement, a peak performer in business develops the combined skills of a great passer and a great…
LEADERSHIP, GOALS, DIRECTION, COURSE, KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION An ancient joke tells of a first mate on a sailing ship who wanted to become just like the captain, an imposing, respected patriarch of the sea. Noticing that…
DEFERRED DECISIONS President Reagan learned the need for decision making early in his life. A kindly aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes custom- made for him. The shoemaker…
PROUD AS A PEACOCK Claude had a very good friend, Xavier Noonan, whose father had a hobby collecting beautiful, rare birds. One day the two boys were in Mr. Noonan's aviary. "See that peacock," Xavier…
VIRTUE OF SIMPLICITY IN LEADERSHIP Just as important to a leader as credibility, is something most vital that creates belief in him: simplicity. Simplicity includes the capacity of a leader to avoid becoming in any…
SOCIAL MANIPULATION Thomas Jefferson was a man of infinite personal charm. He was shy of large groups, but around a dinner table, he was magnificent. He gave dinner parties, and when the Congress was in…
AN EIGHT YEAR OLD WRITES ABOUT GOD The following essay about God by this 8-year-old boy is profound. He has more insight than some preachers I've heard! I've left in some of the spelling errors…
