UNABLE TO LOVE Dostoevski once declared, "I ponder, 'What is hell?' I maintain it is the suffering of being unable to love." From The Intimate Marriage, by Clinebell, pg. 186
Sermon Illustrations
SHARED LOVE REMAINS "When you lose someone you love, a part of yourself is lost. What remains forever is the love you shared."
INTERPRETATION OF OUR SUFFERING Terence E. Johnson wrote: "How do we read these experiences? There is a difference. Some may read the universe in terms of their pain. I could say, 'that's the way things…
TIME CHANGES It doesn't pay to worry. If you went through last year's files marked "IMPORTANT," chances are the only things you'd keep are the paper clips. Robert Orben
HEAVEN'S HEALING Sometimes it's hard to understand the loss of one so dear, But the comfort of a loving God is always very near, So may he help to ease the pain and sadness that…
TAKING CHANCES If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances. Julia Sorel, See How She Runs
ENDURANCE NOT LOVE Who would wish for hardship and difficulty? You command us to endure these troubles, not to love them. No one loves what he endures even though he may be glad to endure…
CRUISE NUMBER TWO A man saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a $100 cruise. He had always wanted to go on a cruise but never could afford it so he decided to take the…
TWICE AS LESS The pastor was concluding one of his best sermons ever on tithing. The conviction level was high throughout the congregation. One of the deacons was so overwhelmed by the pastor's exhortation, he…
TELLING STORIES Be amusing; never tell unkind stories; above all, never tell long ones. Benjamin Disraeli, Leadership Quotes
MEDIOCRE TRUMPETER I 'm a high-wire artist," said a man to the circus ringmaster, "and I'd appreciate a job." Before the ring-master could protest, the man climbed the ladder to the top of the tent…
GOD'S DELAYS ARE NOT DENIALS Never think that God's delays are God's denials. A lone shipwreck survivor on an uninhabited island managed to build a rude hut in which he placed all that he had…
NOTHING LIKE A GOOD RAIN "Well," the candidate asked, "how did you like my speech on the agricultural problem?" "It wasn't too bad," the farmer replied, "but a good rain would do a lot more…
HOME OWNERSHIP "Basically, homeowners have a choice: they either have to be handy with a saw, a hammer, or a checkbook." By Robert Orben, Quote, Vol. 85, No. 14, July 15, 1985, page 209
HOLY SMOKES The temperature had dipped to twenty degrees below zero Fahrenheit as our daughter carried her two-year- old to the parking lot after church. Noticing the puffs of exhaust fumes from cars being started,…
REAGAN ON ARTISTIC FREEDOM President Ronald Reagan, presenting the National Medal of Arts: No one realizes the importance of freedom more than the artist, for only in the atmosphere of freedom can the arts flourish.…
BUFFALO SHUTTLE I relate to the fellow who asked for a ticket to New York City. The airlines clerk asked, "By Buffalo?" "I guess that's O.K.," the customer replied, "if the saddle's comfortable." Yes, that's…
HEAVEN IS LIKE THE CAPITOL Rev. Joseph R. Jeter, Jr. tells the story: In my first pastorate there was an old saint named Tommy who was coming to an end. I went to see him…
CAN'T AFFORD MORE SAVINGS "You can save enough on your food bill to pay for this new refrigerator," the salesman assured the female shopper. But the woman's sales resistance was high. "We are already paying…
PRISONER OF APPETITE Raynald III, a 14th Century duke in what is now Belgium, was grossly overweight. Captured in a revolt by his younger brother, he was imprisoned in a room that was built around…
