Sermon Illustrations

In Experience God in Worship George Barna observes the contemporary Christian's view of worship: "Most adults will contend that a Christian has a responsibility to worship God. However, when asked to define what worship means, two out of three are unable to offer an appropriate definition or description of worship. "Even...

Lyman Bryson wrote: "The error of youth is to believe that intelligence is a substitute for experience, while the error of age is to believe that experience is a substitute for intelligence." Doesn't that point up the fact that we need both young and old in our churches? We need the optimism...

Have you seen any of these words of wisdom from bumper stickers? "He who laughs last thinks slowest", "Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now", "All generalizations are...

Something strange happened near Istanbul, according to Turkish media. Nearly one thousand sheep jumped off a cliff while shepherds who had left the herd having their breakfast. 450 sheep died in the bizarre incident. The financial loss for the families who owned the sheep is astounding...

What is the smallest country in the world? Some would answer Monaco and others would answer Vatican City. Even though it is disputed some would answer "The Sovereign and Military Order of Malta." The SMOM does have some characteristics of an independent nation and many...

A famous minister was delivering a speech at a banquet. He wanted to repeat the stories he had told at an event at a church in town the following day, so he asked members of the press to omit those stories from their newspaper accounts. A young reporter rushed his account to his...

According to a study by the Dove Foundation, as reported by the Associated Press, G-rated movies are more profitable than R-rated films. The study showed that the average G-rated movie was 11 times more profitable than the average R-rated movie. The film industry has yet to take...

Did you read the story of James Henry Smith? According to news accounts, James Henry Smith loved many things, but what he loved most was the Pittsburg Steelers. When he died, his family made an unusual request. Smith's family asked the funeral home to place his body in a recliner in...

Students get interesting advice from speakers at graduation ceremonies. Former NBC anchor, Tom Brokaw, said this to 2005 graduates from Emory University: "Here is a secret that no one has told you: Real life is junior high. The world that you are about to enter is filled with junior...

When a new minister was introduced for the first Sunday of his ministry, he was surprised and pleased to be greeted with sustained applause. Thanking them, he said that he hoped for a long ministry with them. He said that when there is applause at the beginning of a ministry, that's faith....