Sermon Illustrations

Happy people live longer. That is the conclusion of Marilyn Elias writing in USA Today. She quoted Beverly Bennett of Duke University Medical Center as saying, "People could potentially extend their life spans with positive emotions." Brummet's study followed 866 adults who

Robberies are not unusual, but this one is. A sketch by artist Salvador Dali has been stolen from the men's prison at Riker's Island. The sketch is of Jesus Christ on the cross. The sketch could be worth from $175,000 to as much as three times that amount. It seems amazing tha

In what must be one of the worst choices of all time, a man tried to hijack a police cruiser, with the police inside. It was an unmarked car. The suspect was traveling in a stolen vehicle, but was running out of gas. He pulled up beside two officers who were waiting for him in an unmarked c

John Fawcett was the beloved minister of a small, rural church. He was called to a larger church in the city, but at the last moment he changed his mind. He simply couldn't tear himself away from the beautiful fellowship of his small church. Out of that experience he wrote these words

Newspapers recently carried the story of Malibu, a yellow Labrador, who disappeared from her owners' yard in Gloversville, N.Y., in 2000. She was only was 9 months old. Cyndi McCullough was surfing the Web when she saw a picture of Malibu at an animal shelter site. Even though the dog

In a book by Paul Boller, the author tells a story about Woodrow Wilson. One of his cabinet members praised him for his short speeches. He then asked Wilson how long it took him to write a speech. "It depends," said Wilson, "If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for

A Lutheran pastor in Stockholm, Sweden is so concerned to produce church growth he's placed a help-wanted ad in newspapers advertising for church attenders. The minister, Bjoern Frennesson, can't offer a salary but he does offer church-goers "good communion," along wi

During the early days of World War II, when the Nazis invaded France, the French citizens took down all the signposts. As the Nazi armies advanced, they did not know which way to turn or in what direction lay their objective. The signposts were taken down to confuse the enemy. Does it seem

Hans Christian Andersen wrote of a mirror that made every good and pretty thing look bad. Don't many of us have just such a distorted view of life? Good looks bad; and bad looks good. We must come instead to the true mirror of God's Word and see things as He sees them. Then we sh

Malcolm Muggeridge wrote about Mother Teresa after he had seen her work in Calcutta: "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody. The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, the terrible i