Sermon Illustrations

When you look at a field of dandelions, you probably see weeds. When Peter Gail looks at it, he sees lunch. USA Today carried the story of the Dandelion Festival in Dover, Ohio. One enthusiastic participant is Peter Gail, an etho-botanist, who is called the "wizard of weeds." He eats 20 dandelions a day. Gail claims that the...

According to the people at "Ripley's Believe it or Not," the cornerstone of the Washington Monument, which was laid on July 4, 1884, disappeared and has never been found. How could someone have carried off the stone which weighed 24,500 pounds? Jesus is the cornerstone of

Mel Gibson, star and director of many an action film, has taken on a new challenge. Gibson, a devout Roman Catholic, felt a compulsion to produce the most accurate film depiction yet of the life of Christ, so accurate the characters speak in Aramaic. Gibson has used his considerable clout to

Though he served during very difficult years, Franklin Roosevelt never seemed to worry. The ebullience he displayed on stage was really a part of his personality all the time. Once he was asked if he ever worried. He replied by referring to the polio that had left him disabled: "If you had spent two years in bed trying to wiggle...

Rivers gain more attention than the little streams that create them. You can name the great rivers of the world, but you cannot name their tributaries. However, without the tributaries, there would be no river. And it must be remembered that the smaller streams, while less well-known, are p

One of the most popular Celtic bands in the world is Clannad. Their music has been featured in movies like Patriot Games and Last of the Mohicans. The lead singer with the distinctive, haunting voice is Maire Brennan. She is also the sister of another Celtic superstar, Enya. Maire has relea

Dianne Odell, of Jackson, Tennessee, has lived an extraordinary life. Her story received nationwide attention when reported by Bill Poovey of the Associated Press. The story reveals a woman of remarkable courage and patience. Dianne has spent 51 of her 54 years in an iron lung. Very few iron lung patients remain. This...

A man put this sign in front of his auto repair shop: "Beware of bargains in life rafts, brain surgery, parachutes, and auto repairs." There are truly some points in life at which bargains are no good. When cultists came calling on a man in one village, he said, "Come in.

Jan Karon is the author of the beloved and hugely successful Mitford book series. The books follow the lives of the denizens of a small North Carolina mountain village called Mitford. One of the central characters is the small town Episcopal minister, Father Tim. Karon's books are embr

Back in 1893, a group of four sisters - the Cherry Sisters they called themselves - made their stage debut in Cedar Rapids in a skit they wrote themselves. For three years, the Cherry Sisters performed to packed theaters throughout the Midwest. People came to see them to find out if they were as bad as they had heard. Their...