Illustration: God
A few years ago a school bus driver in a Chicago suburb legally changed his name to "In God We Trust."
Illustration: Forgiveness
According to a recent news report, a Texas church received a lot of criticism for a sign that said, "Jesus Does Not Care."
Illustration: Encouragement
Joel Manby is the CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, a company that operates theme parks, aquariums and other family attractions. Manby was featured in the TV hit, "Undercover Boss."
Illustration: Conscience
You never know where you will find a conscience. In York, Pa., an armed robber gave back what he would have stolen from a homeless man.
Illustration: Attitude
A man was sitting in a doctor's office waiting room. He kept saying out loud, "I hope I'm sick. I hope I'm sick. I hope I'm sick."
Illustration: Abundant Life
In a classic "Peanuts" comic strip, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for psychiatric help. He says, "What can you do when you don't fit in? What can you do when life seems to be passing you by?"
Back Page Pulpit: Dump Those Sermons!
News reports in recent weeks have been filled with stories about more than 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables and documents that are suddenly public record due to the work of WikiLeaks, a website produced by a rather strange Australian/Swedish character who believes nothing should be secret except his own location.
Timely Preaching, Timely Worship
Today's hearers do not always marvel at the words of their preacher. However, such can happen when the preacher's sermon is a timely word in their hearts and lives. What preacher has not had the experience of one or more hearers mentioning how timely the sermon just heard was-yet the preacher may have had no clue about anything in the situation of the hearer or hearers! What in a sermon and worship service may enhance the experience of timeliness by those present?
Devote Yourself to the Public Reading: Enhancing the Role of Scripture Reading in Worship
The Bible often is read poorly in our church services; but when it is read well, it can minister as deeply as a Spirit-empowered sermon. Unfortunately, in many churches public reading of the Bible is little more than homiletical throat clearing before the sermon; but as W.E. Sangster asserted: "Bible reading offers the widest scope for the enrichment of public worship, and it is a great pity that the Scriptures are often so badly readWhen the Book is well read and made to live for the people, it can do for them what sermons often fail to d It can be the very voice of God to their souls."
Don’t Miss the Messiah!
Scholars refer to the Book of Psalms as "Humanity's Hymnbook." There are many messianic psalms predicting certain events in the life of our Lord. Someone quipped that the Bible is actually a "Him book," because from Genesis to Revelation it is all about Him, the Lord Jesus Christ.