Courage

J. Michael Shannon

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.”We remember the last lines of the book, the words of Sydney Carton, who traded places with a man facing the guillotine. He spoke as he faced death, “It is a far, far better thing I do than I have or have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known.” What is often forgotten is that a women of the streets asked if she could ride with Carton to the guillotine. She said that she wanted to ride, too, so that she could capture some of his courage.

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Courage

Newspapers recently carried the story of a man named Larry Klein. One might say that Larry is disabled, but one crook is not so sure. Larry used his crutches to fend off a crook who was trying to steal his wallet. The reason Larry has crutches is that he has a prosthetic leg. While a car blocked the way a man confronted Larry and demanded his wallet. Larry used his crutches to repeatedly poke the man in the face. After a struggle of only ten seconds, the man gave up. All of us have some kind of disability. We must not let it take the “fight” out of us.

-Michael Shannon, Preaching November/December 2003

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Courage

In Darwin, Australia, a 19-year old Australian man was loading wild geese into his boat when a 10-foot crocodile grabbed him and took him into the water. His 53-year-old aunt came to his rescue. She told the Northern Territory News and her story was then carried to the wire services that she hit the crocodile on the nose with her fist and cried, “Help! In the name of Jesus!” The crocodile released her nephew and he is now recovering from surgery to repair the damage. This shows that courage come in all ages. It also shows that courage springs from the love of family and power of the Lord.

-Michael Shannon, Preaching January/February 2004

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Courage

J. Michael Shannon

In
Darwin, Australia, a 19-year old Australian man was loading wild geese into
his boat when a 10-foot crocodile grabbed him and took him into the water. His
53-year-old aunt came to his rescue. She told the Northern Territory News
and her story was then carried to the wire services that she hit the crocodile
on the nose with her fist and cried, “Help! In the name of Jesus!”
The crocodile released her nephew and he is now recovering from surgery to repair
the damage. This shows that courage come in all ages. It also shows that courage
springs from the love of family and power of the Lord.

_______________

J.
Michael Shannon is professor of preaching at Cincinnati Bible College in Cincinnati,
OH.

View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.

Courage

J. Michael Shannon

Newspapers recently carried the story of a man
named Larry Klein. One might say that Larry is disabled, but one
crook is not so sure. Larry used his crutches to fend off a crook who
was trying to steal his wallet. The reason Larry has crutches is that
he has a prosthetic leg. While a car blocked the way a man confronted
Larry and demanded his wallet. Larry used his crutches to repeatedly
poke the man in the face. After a struggle of only ten seconds, the
man gave up. All of us have some kind of disability. We must not let
it take the “fight” out of us.

_______________

J. Michael Shannon is professor of preaching at Cincinnati Bible College in Cincinnati, OH.

View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.