THE PERFECT MODEL In his book How To Begin the Christian Life, George Sweeting tells this story, "In an Italian city stands a statue of a Grecian maiden with a beautiful face, a graceful figure,…
Sermon Illustrations
KNOWLEDGE V S. EXPERIENCE John R. Mott, a great Christian layman who was the first Honorary President of the World Council of Churches, said that in his early years at university he began to have…
THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES An outstanding book on spiritual discipline has recently been published by Harper and Row, entitled The Spirit of the Disciplines, by my friend Dallas Willard who teachers philosophy at the…
NO AUTOMATIC COME-BACK A school administrator was showing a visitor through a large modern building which had just been put into service. Calling attention to the clocks in all rooms and corridors, he said, "All…
WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE Duffy Daugherty, for many years the football coach at Michigan State University, tells of Dave Kaiser's winning field goal against UCLA. The game was in Los Angeles and the field goal…
SIDES Early during the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was chatting with a clergyman who said, "Let us have faith, Mr. President, that the Lord is on our side in this great struggle." To this, Lincoln…
CLIMBING IN THE WRONG PLACE It's important to use your talents. But if that's the end of it, there is a disillusionment that sets in between the ages of 35 and 50. This is commonly…
PRAYING FOR ENDURANCE Studdert Kennedy, a great chaplain in the First World War, used to tell of listening to two frightened soldiers during a heavy bombardment on their trench. In occasional pauses between the immense…
PRAYER You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance. Kahlil Gibran
SF Feb89 PATIENCE We all need to learn the story of the Chinese bamboo tree. The Chinese plant the seed; they water and fertilize it, but the first year nothing happens. The second year they…
WHO'S THE BRAVEST? One night, author Zig Ziglar was telling the Bible story of David and Goliath to his eight-year-old son, Tom. He says: As I was finishing the story I paused and said to…
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE -- WHAT CAN WE DO? In the simplest possible terms, the spiritual disciplines are a matter of taking appropriate measures. To reject them wholesale is to insist that growth in the spirit is…
SPIRITS OF GIVING/SELFISHNESS A young oak tree was growing tall and strong. It rejoiced when it bore its first crop of acorns. Then, one day, it heard a nearby bramble talking . . . "These…
WHILE IN CAPTIVITY Ben Weir writes of his spiritual disciplines while a hostage in the Near East in his book, Hostage Bound, Hostage Free: I awoke refreshed by my nap. What other gifts would God…
CIRCUMSTANCES How often, when someone asks us how we are doing, do we reply, "All right, under the circumstances"? But have we ever thought about what we are saying? For God never intended that we…
JAMES If any of you is in trouble let him pray. If anyone is flourishing let him sing praises to God. James 5:13 J. B. Phillips
MIND TATTOO? Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms…
WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY We cannot merely pray to you, O God, to end War; For we know that you have made the World in a way That man must find his own path to…
MET A CHRISTIAN? A father was teaching his son what a Christian should be like. When the lesson was over, the father got a stab he never forgot. The little boy asked, "Dad have I…
PERFECT LOVE Slow to suspect, quick to trust./Slow to condemn, quick to justify Slow to offend, quick to defend Slow to expose, quick to shield Slow to reprimand, quick to forbear Slow to belittle, quick…
