Illustration: Leadership

Coach Vince Lombardi once observed, "One must not hesitate to innovate and change with the times and the varying formations. The leader who stands still is not progressing, and he will not remain a leader for long."

Illustration: Prayer

"My point is this: One of the best ways to develop your prayer life is to be attentive to the changes and growth that are occurring in your life as a result of prayer. The more you grow, the more you will want to pray."

Illustration: Dependence on God

Dwight L. Moody told this story: "A minister was one day moving his library upstairs. As he was going up with a load of books, his little boy came in, very anxious to help his father. So his father just told him to go and get an armful, and bring them upstairs. When the father came back, he met the little fellow about half-way up, tugging away at the biggest book in the library. He couldn't manage to carry it up. It was too big. So he sat down and cried.

Illustration: Acceptance, Home

People often gravitate to where they are accepted. When we were lost, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12), it was God who "accepted [us] in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Once accepted by Him, we remain because of the riches of grace He bestows upon us.

Illustration: Hang in There

"In many ways, ministry is like golf. It is so difficult to get it right, but every now and again, we do it the way it should be done and gain the confidence to 'go again.' So keep swinging and praying. In the end, we will win 'for the MASTER.' We will reap a harvest if we do not give up! (see Gal. 6:9)."

Illustration: Judging Others

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Illustration: Knowledge, Learners

In the first Men in Black movie, Will Smith ("J") at first refuses to believe Tommy Lee Jones ("K") that the earth is playing host to thousands of creatures from other planets. K dismisses J's "knowledge":

Illustration: Legalism, Self-Righteousness

"All groups of human beings have a tendency to be exclusive; they want to know who is inside and who is out. So they adopt identity markers-visible practices of dress, vocabulary or behavior that serve to distinguish who is inside the group from who is outside. The boundary markers change from century to century, but they all reinforce a false sense of superiority, fed by the intent to exclude others."

Illustration: Expectations, Children

After school one day, a young first-grade boy was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his afternoon snack, when he blurted out, "Mom, the teacher was asking me today if I have any brothers or sisters who will be coming to school."

Illustration: Quality

There was a long line at the supermarket check-out stand, and the harried clerk had just finished bagging a long order. As the clerk lifted the final bag for the customer, the bottom gave way, sending the contents crashing to the floor.