THINGS THAT CHANGE US FOR GOOD At a recent preaching seminar I heard Ian Pitt-Wattson tell the following true story which a student named Bill had shared from his own life in a student sermon…
Sermon Illustrations
DON'T GET TOO HUMBLE After a worship service an old lady stopped and spoke to the pastor who had only been with them a few months. She said, "I'm deaf, and I can't hear a…
MORE HUMBLE PIE Along a similar vein is the one about the pastor who has just announced to the congregation that he would be leaving their church. There is a good deal of crying and…
WHEN GOD ANSWERS PRAYER During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Gary's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence, and after church asked: "Gary,…
JOHN ADAMS: EARLY AMBITION, LATER MATURITY Though John Adams was a brilliant and powerfully influential founding father of our country, in his younger days he was certainly touched by a powerful dose of ambition. Richard…
VANITY We often say things because we can say them well, rather than because they are sound and reasonable. Walter Savage Landor
A BIAS THAT SHOWS Did you read about the little boy who returned home after his first Sunday School class? His mother asked, "Who was your teacher?' and the little boy answered, "I don't remember…
BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR COMMUNICATION Two men were talking one day. One of them said, "My wife talks to herself a lot." His friend answered, "Mine does too, but she doesn't know it. She thinks I'm…
IF ONLY Many years ago my grandmother sent the wherewithal to Holland for her sister Greta to immigrate to America. Thrilled at the prospect of seeing my grandmother again after twenty-five years, Greta booked passage…
TRUE OBJECTIVITY Two small boys walked into the dentist's office. One of them said bravely, "I want a tooth taken out and I don't want any gas, and I don't want it deadened . .…
KEEP GOING Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down. Charles Kettering, as…
PENN'S RULES OF CONVERSATION Avoid company where it is not profitable or necessary, and in those occasions, speak little, and last. Silence is wisdom where speaking is folly, and always safe. Some are so foolish…
OUR FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY AND GUILT In the "guilt versus grace" discussion it seems that most people have a deep sensitivity about their own guilt, flaws and inadequacies. Most of us don't need to be…
THE PATTERN LIVES ON Former missionary to Africa, James King, tells the following true story: In one of the African churches under his care, there was a lady who came by herself to every service.…
COPING PROBLEMS Coping with difficult people is always a problem, particularly if the difficult person happens to be oneself. Ashleigh Brilliant, All I Want Is A Warm Bed and A Kind Word and Unlimited Power…
JUST WHAT I ALWAYS SUSPECTED Sometimes we think of God as the author of all the things that go wrong in our lives. The following story is used to illustrate this concept. A friend of…
COMMUNICATION? A cartoon by Mark Pie appeared several years ago in the New Wine magazine. It showed a professor beginning a lecture to his class on "Communication" with these words: "Communication is any modus operandi…
OVERCOMING HANDICAPS Charles Steinmetz, the electrical genius, and one of the founding fathers of the colossal General Electric, was crippled from birth. His body was grotesque; he was so short in stature that he looked…
AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER? In 1928, a very interesting case came before the courts in the state of Massachusetts. It concerned a man who had been walking on a boat dock when suddenly he…
SPORTS QUOTES Maybe you've seen the new book called Sports Quotes; it has some great short quotations. Here's a sampler: Job Security: I have a lifetime contract. That means I can't be fired during the…
