Illustrations Archives

• God  (January 1, 2008)
  A missionary came up with a great strategy to share the gospel. He would go to a village, sit with the people around the fire and ask, ?What has your god done for you??
• God  (January 1, 2008)
  A missionary came up with a great strategy to share the gospel. He would go to a village, sit with the people around the fire and ask, ?What has your god done for you??
• Giving  (January 1, 2008)
  Recently the Charlotte Observer carried the story of one church?s unusual beginning for a capital campaign. Instead of taking an offering, Elevation Church gave $40,000 to the congregation to spend on doing good deeds.
• Courage  (January 1, 2008)
  Many perhaps remember several poignant quotes from Dickens? A Tale of Two Cities. We remember the opening words, ?It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
• Corrie ten Boom's Immanuel  (December 19, 2007)
  When Corrie ten Boom was a little girl, her father used to tuck her into bed at night. He talked and prayed with her, then laid his big hand on her little face. Later, when Corrie was imprisoned in a brutal concentration camp, she would ask God to tuck her in and lay His hand on her face. "That would bring me peace, and I would be able to sleep," Corrie wrote in her book, Each New Day.
• Worship During Advent  (December 12, 2007)
  Although most of us are familiar with the story of Christ's birth, realizing the wise men (probably many more than three) are a staple of nativity scenes and stories, many of us don't realize they didn't show up in time to see Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the stable. Rather, they visited the family in a house. It is unclear exactly how long after the birth they arrived, but they had quite a distance to travel, and Herod had all of the male children under age 2 killed shortly after the family fled
• Sojourning or Resident Among Thistles?  (December 5, 2007)
  Since time is of a premium to me right now, I thought I?d pose a question for you.
• "A Little Fellow Follows Me"  (December 3, 2007)
  A Little Fellow Follows Me - By Lee Fisher
• How to Make Humor Funny  (November 29, 2007)
  Humor, especially in the pulpit, can be tricky, but often worth the risk in order to connect with your congregation. You can buy books that have all the variations of humor, but there are three broad categories that make something funny.
• Things to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers  (November 27, 2007)
  What to do if you're tired of leftover turkey and the trimmings, turkey sandwiches, turkey salad sandwiches, turkey gumbo ...
• Out of the Mouths of Babes ...  (November 27, 2007)
  A newspaper ran a contest asking kids for their profound thoughts (akin to the old ?Deep Thoughts? segment on Saturday Night Live). Here are some submissions:
• Confession  (November 26, 2007)
  Jake was dying, and his wife, Becky, was maintaining a candlelight vigil by his side. She held his fragile hand, tears running down her face. Her praying roused him from his slumber. He looked up and his pale lips began to move slightly...
• Problems, Unintended Consequences  (November 24, 2007)
  A little guy is sitting at the bar just staring at his drink for half an hour when this big trouble-making biker steps next to him, grabs his drink and gulps it down in one swig. The poor little guy starts crying...
• Second Coming, Preparation  (November 23, 2007)
  A young lady busied herself getting ready for a blind date. This was not just dinner and a movie; her date had planned dinner at an exclusive downtown restaurant with live music and dancing. Wanting to make a good first impression she had taken the day off work. She cleaned her apartment; she went out that afternoon to have her hair done and get a manicure. When she got home she did her makeup, put on her best dress and was ready for her date?s arrival. His expected arrival came and went, but she continued to wait patiently...
• Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Sermon Illustrations?  (November 16, 2007)
  "I love to preach and teach, but the hardest part for me is finding just the right story or quote to reinforce what I'm teaching..." If that sounds familiar, click here.
• Evangelism, Purpose  (November 15, 2007)
  Josh McDowell explains that, ?An executive recruiter, a ?head-hunter? who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, ?When I get an executive that I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed...
• Good News, Bad News  (November 12, 2007)
  "This house," said the real estate salesman, "has both its good points and its bad points. To show you I'm honest, I'm going to tell you about both. The disadvantages are that there is a chemical plant one block south and a slaughterhouse a block north...
• Aging  (November 9, 2007)
  "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" (Satchel Paige)
• Happiness, Consumerism  (November 7, 2007)
  Economist Richard Layard believes that although people are getting wealthier and living more comfortably, they?re not getting happier. He argues in Happiness: Lessons from a New Science that a ?zero-sum game of competition for money and status has gripped rich societies, and that this rate race is a big source of unhappiness...
• Genuine Success  (November 1, 2007)
  In his book Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy, head coach of the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, wrote of what was in his mind with 45 seconds to go before his team won the Super Bowl...