GOD WANTS US It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn't want our success; He wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; He…
Sermon Illustrations
MINIMIZING HELL Today, hell is theology's H-word, a subject too trite for serious scholarship. People say now, "I think there is a hell but I hope it will be a soul-sleep." From "Heaven" by Kenneth…
TED TURNER ON SUCCESS "Success is knowing you've tried your best. It doesn't matter, as far as I am concerned, whether you win or lose, as long as you've given it your all." By Ted…
ADVERTISE OR LEAD Advertising does not lead; it does not break ground; it's a reflection of society. Laurel Cutler, worldwide director of marketing planning for Foote, Cone, & Belding
DONAHUE GOSPEL One evening I went to visit one of our members who was in the hospital. It was late and I had another meeting so I stopped to get a hamburger and some fries.…
VALUE OF SUFFERING Albert Camus wrote: Losing a loved one, uncertainty about what we are -- these are deprivations that give rise to our worst suffering. We may be idealists, but we need what is…
JESUS LOOKS LIKE THE FATHER One Sunday a seven- year-old little girl attended church with her aunt and uncle. Before the service, her uncle pointed out all the people who appeared in the stained-glass windows.…
INEFFECTIVE DECEPTION A little boy is sitting on the school bus talking to a friend and says, "At breakfast my stomach hurt, I was dizzy and my throat was sore. But my mom didn't buy…
FAKE FACADES "In Orlando, Florida, Disney and Universal have built rival studios and corresponding studio tours. At both attractions the companies have built old-fashioned back lots, with a simulated New York street, a Middle-America courthouse…
RELEVANT COMMUNICATION I have this burning passion never to be out of touch with my times... I want my communications to be so clear that the public is stunned to realize how eternally relevant God…
INTEREST ON WIDOW'S MITE It is estimated that if the widow's mite had been deposited at the "First National Bank of Jerusalem" to draw four percent interest semi-annually, the fund today would total $4,800,000,000,000,000,000,000. Author…
PEOPLE WHO PRAY The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; but I mean…
SO HELP ME GOD At the close of the oath of office for the President of the United States are these words: "So help me God." President Bill Clinton spoke of his thoughts while saying…
DIVINE INTERFERENCE No word in my vocabulary expressed deeper hatred than the word interference. But Christianity placed at the center what then seemed to me a transcendental interferer. If its picture were true, then no…
SUBMARINE TOUR I happened upon a friend from high school after moving back to my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. It was obvious by his appearance that he had joined the military. I asked him, "How…
WRONG BOOK A young man in Decatur, Illinois, answered an ad in a magazine for a book on photography. Instead of receiving the book on photography, he got a book on ventriloquism. Although he could…
DIAMONDS TAKE TIME Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. By publisher Malcolm Forbes
DIAMONDS TAKE TIME AND STRESS Here is another twist on diamonds: Diamonds are produced from coal that outlasted the pressures place upon them. By Editor
BLIND REFEREES Red Kerr, the announcer for Chicago Bulls described a referee after what he considered a terrible call: "That fella must have been a plane spotter at Pearl Harbor!" From "How to Close the…
GREAT MIND VISIONS Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. Washington Irving
