THE SEAT OF KNOWLEDGE I love sitting down To read and relax And nibble away At delectable snacks. This comfortable habit Does help me unwind, But it broadens my hips Much more than my mind!…
Sermon Illustrations
GOOD NEWS SELLS! The gospel (good news) does not make dull copy, contrary to popular beliefs. This was proven by Charles M. Sheldon, a Congregationalist minister, author of In His Steps, back in 1900. He…
KNOT YOUR THREAD the noted Charles Haddon Spurgeon told the story of a famous tailor who was on his deathbed. His associates asked him to tell them the secret of his success in business. In…
JUST A MINUTE A food editor of the local newspaper received a telephone call from a woman inquiring how long to cook a 22-pound turkey. "Just a minute," said the food editor, turning to consult…
FAMILY RESEMBLANCE When my three-year-old son was shown a portrait of his five older brothers, taken when they were much younger, he pointed and said, "Those guys are wearing my clothes!" Victoria Ryan, Hamilton, OH,…
A PANEFUL TARGET A very good friend of mine, Jack Guelker of Huntsville, Arkansas, recently confessed this illustration: As a young man, Jack had purchased archery equipment and could hardly wait to try it out.…
AFRICAN PROVERB "When bull elephants fight, the grass always loses." From The Kingdom Quarterly, Summer 1990
IMMERSED IN THE SCENERY A party of clergymen was attending a conference in Scotland. Several of them set off to explore the district. Presently they came to a river spanned by a temporary bridge. Not…
HUNTING HUSBAND Soon after a woman obtained a cat from the Humane Society, she phoned back to say they would not keep it. "I'm awfully sorry," she said, "It's a dear, and we are fond…
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Henry Ward Beecher was a preacher in Brooklyn. Once in a while a certain member would come and say to him, "I counted your mistakes in English today, and you…
WHO RUBS OFF ON WHOM? Sid Guillen tells that his mother had an interesting way of describing the importance of keeping good company. She used to say, "You don't work in the garden with white…
UP OR DOWN? I am submitting a piece found in the September 27, 1990 Minneapolis Star Tribune that might be appropriate for Parables Etc. "The oxymoron of the week award goes to the National Association…
WHO ARE YOU? The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account. From The Summing Up, by W. Somerset…
THANKFUL FOR GRACE As a young boy in a small Texas town, I was somewhat of a rebel. I always seemed to be looking for something to do that I shouldn't. One weekend while my…
AWARE OF OUR OWN BLESSINGS There is an interesting story behind the first-ever hole-in-one on the 12th hole at Augusta, Georgia during the Masters Tournament. It happened in 1947. Claude Harmon and Ben Hogan were…
GOOD, NOT GREAT One Sunday morning after the service, a woman came up to the pastor and thanked him for the encouraging sermon he had preached. In response he said, "Why, don't thank me, thank…
THE UNGRATEFUL PIG A group of small boys at Sunday School listened intently as the teacher told them the parable of the Prodigal Son. After emphasizing the disagreeable attitude of the older brother, the teacher…
A WORD OF PRAISE I spoke a word of praise today, One I had no real need to say- I spoke a word of praise to one Commending some small service done, And in return,…
DAY OF PLENTY Bless, O Lord, These delectable vittles. May they add to Thy glory And not to our middles. By Yvonne Wright, from Reader's Digest, November, 1988
THANKFUL FOR LIFE A genuine encounter with death will change your life. I remember a high school teacher who was quite obese for years. Then one day he suffered a serious heart attack. Following that…
