Sermon Illustrations

Dennis the Menace is often depicted kneeling by his bed and wording interesting prayers.

During the American Civil War, Northern men could pay a substitute to serve in the army in their place.

The Emperor Frederick III of Austria had five letters painted on his belongings and his buildings. They were "a e i o u."

At the beginning of the 20th century, Lord Colby of Wales left to go bear hunting in Siberia. He would be gone 18 months. His wife asked if she could make a few alterations to the house while he was gone.

Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency at a difficult time in American history. He had been appointed vice president because of his reputation for honesty and integrity, to replace a vice president who had resigned in disgrace.

Elizabeth Shoumatoff was the Russian artist who was painting the portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt when he died in Warm Springs, Ga., April 12, 1945.

Two female friends die together in a car accident. As they enter heaven, Peter says, "There's just one rule in heaven. Don't step on the ducks." As you can imagine, there were ducks all over heaven. When one of the women steps on one, Peter appears along with the ugliest man she ever saw and says, "Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to spend eternity with this man.

In his Turning Point Daily Devotional for July 16, 2004, David Jeremiah shares the Paul Harvey story about how Eskimos sometimes killed wolves: "A knife with a razor-sharp blade was soaked in blood, then frozen. After repeating these two steps numerous times, the blade was completely concealed by frozen blood. It was stuck in the ground, blade up, waiting for a wolf to catch the scent. A wolf, unable to quench his desire for the blood, would ultimately bleed to death from wounds inflicted by licking the blade."

Dorothy Parker once wrote of the dancer Isadora Duncan, "There was never a place for her in the terrible slow army of the cautious. She ran ahead, where there were no paths." What a wonderful tribute that would be for any of us -- that in faith, we run ahead, where there are no paths.

A very zealous soul-winning young preacher recently came upon a farmer working in his field. Being concerned about the farmer's soul, the preacher asked the man, "Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord, my good man?"