Pardon

There is a story from the history of Kentucky about a man named Sam Holmes who was in jail for the charge of murder. He was visited by a childhood friend named Lucien Young. Young was a man of bravery who had been honored for rescuing people from a wrecked ship. It was because of Young's pleading that the governor decided to reconsider the case and gave him a signed pardon for his friend.

Legacy

Elias Boudinot was the first president of the American Bible Society and was also the president of the United States Continental Congress in 1783. His gravestone in Burlington, New Jersey, refurbished by modern admirers, says of him, "His death was the triumph of the Christian faith, the consummation of hope, the dawn and pledge of endless felicity."

God

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

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

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

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

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 Bethlehem.

How to Make Humor Funny

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.

Out of the Mouths of Babes …

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: