Sermon Illustrations

Ruth Bell Graham wrote of an encounter she had with a young Indian student named Pashi. She spoke with Pashi about Christ, to which he replied, "I would like to believe in Christ, and many in India would like to believe; but we never have seen a Christian who was like Christ."

Philadelphia's Highway Patrol officers hear all kinds of creative excuses that drivers give for speeding. Here are some of the officers' favorites. By the way, none of them worked.

From a recent "Hagar the Horrible" comic: Hagar is inciting on his troops. "This is the moment we've been waiting for men! The moment we do battle with the enemy! Is everyone here?"

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse, named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't move.

The story appeared in the January 29, 2003, edition of The Washington Post. Titled "Picabo's Problem," it is a story about the well-known Olympic gold medallist, Picabo Street. The article notes that she's much more than a famous skier. Between training on the slopes and traveling around the world, she managed to get an education and earn a degree in nursing.

A very wealthy man in the community was not known for his generosity to the church. The church was involved in a big financial program so the fundraising committee decided they had to pay him a visit. As they met with him, they said that in view of his considerable resources they were sure that he would like to make a substantial contribution to this program.

Melodie Beattie, a noted self-help author, often stresses the importance of gratitude.

A math teacher saw that one of her students wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him to deal with a math question and said, "Billy, what are 2, 4, 28 and 44?"

David Suchet is a well-know British actor, known primarily for his brilliant portrayal of Agatha Christie's eccentric detective, Hercule Poirot. In an interview in The Strand magazine, he was asked about his philosophy of life. This is what he told the interviewer:

There is a minister's wife in the Midwest who is also a well-known speaker. Her name is Love Lockman.