Synonyms: replica, copy, representation, mock-up, dummy, imitation, double, duplicate, lookalike, reproduction, prototype, stereotype, archetype, type, version, style, ideal, paragon, perfect example, specimen, perfect specimen, fashion model, supermodel, mannequin, sitter, poser, subject, artist's model, photographic model, design, mark, configuration, variety, kind, sort, original, original design, exclusive, toy, miniature, facsimile, prototypical, prototypal, archetypal, illustrative, perfect, exemplary, classic, flawless, faultless, consummate, impeccable
Antonyms: deficient, imperfect
Showing 3801 to 3825 of 5000 results
3801. A Unifying Force
Mt 21:1-11
Illustration
King Duncan
It is sad when religion becomes a divisive influence rather than a unifying one. I read recently about the funeral procession of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Journalist Arthur Godfrey told of a man who took a taxi from a hotel, bound for Union Station, and was delayed by the funeral procession. He instructed his driver to pull over while he got out to watch the solemn procession go by. His driver got out as well to pay his respects. The two men stood bareheaded and mournful for a long time, then resumed the ...
3802. Love Is Not in Vain
Matthew 22:34-40
Illustration
King Duncan
In 1977, Guideposts reported the story of a man hiking in the mountains. He was taken by surprise by a sudden snowstorm and quickly lost his way. Since he was not dressed for the chilling temperature, he knew he needed to find shelter fast or he would freeze to death. Despite all of his efforts, time slipped by and his hands and feet became numb. He knew his time was short. Then he literally tripped over another man who was almost frozen to death. The hiker had a decision to make: continue in hopes of ...
3803. They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love
Matthew 22:34-40
Illustration
King Duncan
At age 17 Jennie Todd found fault with everything about the church, from the teaching methods to the time worship was held. She resented her parents forcing her to go to church and Sunday School every week. She would sit in her class with her arms folded across her chest, slumped in a folding chair in the back of the class. She refused to make friends or to participate in class discussions. It was clear to everyone Jennie did not want to be there. One night, though, Jennie came home to find her parents ...
3804. Love for God Is a Commitment
Matthew 22:34-40
Illustration
King Duncan
An old Russian woman lay on a sofa. Multiple sclerosis had twisted her body almost beyond recognition. The simplest tasks had become almost impossible for her. Corrie Ten Boom visited her at night, using the cover of darkness to escape detection by the Lithuanian authorities. Corrie kissed the woman's wrinkled cheek. The old woman could respond only by rolling her eyes and smiling because the atrophied muscles in her neck would no longer allow her to move her head. The only part of her body she could still ...
3805. Give Me Jesus
Matthew 22:34-40
Illustration
King Duncan
Dr. Paul Wee, a staff member of the Lutheran World Federation, recalls standing at the bedside of dying archbishop, Janis Matulis, of Latvia. A visitor had just sung, at Matulis' request, an old spiritual with the words, "Oh, when I am alone, when I am alone, give me Jesus." Matulis then asked those around his bed: "Do you know why this song means so much to me? Three times war passed over Latvia, killing two-fifths of our people. They burned down my church and destroyed Bibles and hymnals. They took away ...
3806. Love Is Something You Learn
Mt 22:34-46
Illustration
King Duncan
Sandra Palmer Carr in The Upper Room tells about rocking her younger son Boyd, then four years old, in a high-backed wooden rocking chair. Boyd was facing his Mom as they rocked, his legs folded at the knee. Suddenly, he lifted his small head, stared straight at his mother, and became very still. Then he cupped her face in his tender little hands and said almost in a whisper, "Mommy, I'm in your eyes." He had seen his own reflection in his mother's eyes, and this strangely affected him. Mother and son ...
3807. Love without Borders
Matthew 22:34-40
Illustration
King Duncan
Most of you know the name Corrie ten Boom whose story, The Hiding Place, has inspired millions. Not many people know of her equally courageous nephew, Peter van Woerden. During the days of Nazi occupation in Holland, Peter transported Jewish children under the cover of darkness from their home in Harlem to other secret hiding places where they were saved from the Nazis. He was eventually caught and spent several months in prison. After the war, he and his musical family traveled throughout Israel, singing ...
3808. Cheap Advice Is Often Hypocritical Advice
Matthew 7:24-29
Illustration
Brett Blair
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy is playing her role as psychiatrist. She sits in her booth with the sign that reads: "Psychiatric Help - 5 cents." The sign below says, "The Doctor Is In." Lucy says to Charlie Brown,"Your life is like a house." In the next frame, she says reflectively, "You want your house to have a solid foundation, don't you?" Charlie Brown has a kind of blank look on his face. Lucy says, "Of course you do." Charlie Brown is still silent - saying nothing. Then in the fourth frame, psychiatrist ...
3809. Humble Acts of Service
Mark 8:31--9:1
Illustration
Brett Blair
During the dark days of World War II, England had a great deal of difficulty keeping men in the coal mines. It was a thankless kind of job, totally lacking in any glory. Most chose to join the various military services. They desired something that could give them more social acceptance and recognition. Something was needed to motivate these men in the work that they were doing so that they would remain in the mines. With this in mind, Winston Churchill delivered a speech one day to thousands of coal miners ...
3810. Leading by Example
Mt 23:1-12; Mk 12:38-40
Illustration
Michael P. Green
General Eisenhower would demonstrate the art of leadership with a piece of string. He'd put it on a table and say: "PULL it and it will follow wherever you wish. PUSH it and it will go nowhere at all. It's just that way when it comes to leading people. They need to follow a person who is leading by example."
3811. True Vocation
Mt 23:1-12
Illustration
King Duncan
James Moore was invited to participate in a "Career Day on Campus" at one of the colleges in the Southwest. He was asked to be part of a panel discussion. Panelists were to discuss, "How Faith Influences Your Choice of a Career." First, panelists were asked to introduce themselves and mention their particular vocations. It was all rather routine. One woman gave her name and said, "I'm an attorney." A man gave his name and said, "I'm in business. I own a computer company." A woman gave her name and said, "I ...
3812. Funny You Should Mention It…
Matthew 23:1-39
Illustration
King Duncan
A Jewish comedian tells about two men of his faith who met on the street. "Abe, why are you looking so sad?" asks Isaac. Abe answers: "It's my son. I sent him off to college, and now he has come back home all full of Gentile ideas. Where did I go wrong?" Isaac says: "Funny you should mention it! My son, too, has come home from college, with his head all messed up, filled with Gentile ideas. There is but one course open to us. We will ask the Rabbi." So they go to the Synagogue and obtain an audience with ...
3813. Pastoring
Matthew 23:1-39
Illustration
King Duncan
You will find proud people in every profession and in every faith. I was amused to read about Frank B. Vardeman a Presbyterian pastor in Tampa, Florida, who was using the word "pastoring" in something he was writing. He was using Word Perfect on his computer, and when he hit his computer's spellcheck key, it said the word "pastoring" was unknown. The checker suggested the following alternatives: (a) pasturing as in pasturing cattle (b) pestering, and posturing. After a gut laugh, says Vardeman, he realized ...
3814. Staying Open to God
Matthew 23:1-39
Illustration
King Duncan
Dr. Carl Jung once said something that ought to cause every believer to reflect very carefully. What he said was this: "One of the main functions of formalized religion is to protect people against a direct experience of God." That hurts but it can happen. Theological and doctrinal pride can be buffers against a real experience of Christ's grace. F. Kefa Sempangi, a Ugandan pastor who barely escaped death under Idi Amin's persecution in the early 1970s, beautifully captures this important truth in his ...
3815. The Uniformed Doorman
Mt 23:1-12
Illustration
King Duncan
American Humorist Robert Benchley was leaving an elegant salon one evening. As usual he had imbibed excessively. He found himself face to face with a uniformed man whom he took to be the doorman. "Would you get me a taxi, my good man?" he requested. The uniformed man drew himself up proudly. "See here, I happen to be a rear admiral in the United States Navy." Benchley said belligerently, "Just get me a battleship then." In Benchley's condition the plumage of the admiralty was no different than that of a ...
3816. Making Your Mark
Mt 23:1-12
Illustration
King Duncan
A legend during the classic time of Greece tells of a terrible thing happened in one of the temples. One night the statue of Zeus was mysteriously smashed and desecrated. A tremendous uproar arose among the inhabitants. They feared the vengeance of the gods. The town crier walked the city streets commanding the criminal to appear without delay before the Elders to receive his just punishment. The perpetrator naturally had no desire to give himself up. In fact, a week later another statue of a god was ...
3817. Ambition and Humility
Mt 18:1-4; Mk 9:33-36; Lk 9:46-47
Illustration
King Duncan
There was a man with the odd name: Horville Sash. Horville had a very humble job in a certain company, a job in the lowest basement of a building. He was a mail room clerk. As mail room clerk, there was no one who was lower than he was. One day he came across a bug scurrying across the floor. Horville may have the lowliest job in the whole company, but he was bigger than the bug! So he raised his foot to flatten the hapless bug. But this story is a fable, and the bug speaks. "Spare me," said the bug, "and ...
3818. Cleaning Up Our Act
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
Billy Graham tells of meeting a well-known attorney on an airplane one day as he was flying to a speaking engagement. Dr. Graham observed that the man was drinking everything the stewardess would bring him in order to drown his pain. But it wasn't working. A conversation began. The man told Graham that he was a church member in good standing. He acknowledged, however, that he needed "to clean up his act." Deep in his heart he knew right from wrong and realized that he had to change his life. He said, "I ...
3819. Through Your Actions
Matthew 23:1-39
Illustration
King Duncan
A young man from South Africa approached a minister who had just completed a lecture at a university seminar. The young man introduced himself by saying, "I am from South Africa, and I would like to ask you what for me is a very important question." The young man told the speaker of his experiences in South Africa. "I have lived in a land where my family and I have been persecuted, starved and tortured," he said. "My people have been oppressed for many years. We have seen times when we didn't know if other ...
3820. The Best Looking of the Bunch
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
A few years back there was a poll on the Internet that asked this question, "Which one member of your family is the best looking?" You want to guess how respondents answered? The top rated answer in the poll was, "Me." A majority of the respondents listed themselves as the best-looking member of their family. That corresponds with another public opinion poll which asked people which member of their family was the smartest. Once again, "Myself" or "Me" were the highest ranked answers. But when asked which ...
3821. Hiding from Transformed Living
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
Simeon the Stylite separated himself from sinful society by choosing to live at the top of a narrow pillar many stories high. He spent thirty-seven years living at the top of various pillars as a sign of devotion. Other monks became jealous of Simeon's religious devotion, so they began building their own pillars to live on. Soon, pillar-sitting became a full-blown competition. Agnes de Rochier was a nun who lived in the 1400s. At the age of eighteen, she asked to be entombed in a cell inside a church. ...
3822. A Real Christian
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
A certain pastor was less-than-encouraging when his daughter announced that God was calling her to serve as a missionary in Uganda. At first, he refused to let her go. ‘Don't you know that Uganda is a very dangerous place for Christians?" he asked. After two years, the young woman finally set out to pursue her calling. As the pastor watched her plane rise into the sky, he commented that he had wanted his daughter to be a respectable Christian not a real one. What makes the difference between a respectable ...
3823. A Humbling Moment
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
Pastor Michael Hartwig of Valparaiso, Indiana, tells about visiting a man in a nursing home who had been instrumental in starting the major industry in town. When he died, Pastor Hartwig was asked to do the funeral service. Hartwig was nervous, because he knew their church would be packed with dignitaries. The service went well, and on the way to the cemetery he began to turn in his Bible to the passage he was to read at the grave side. While he was turning to I Corinthians 15, the funeral director ...
3824. A Greater Purpose
Matthew 23:1-12
Illustration
In 1986, Stephen Saint traveled to Timbuktu, Africa, on a mission trip. Stephen had dedicated his life to Christian missions, just as his father, Nate, had done before him. Nate Saint was one of five missionaries who had been murdered by members of the Auca Indian tribe in Ecuador. As little Stephen Saint grew up, he sorely missed having a father to guide and love him. In his darkest moments, he sometimes wondered if his father's death had served any purpose. At one point on his African trip, Stephen found ...
3825. The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life - Sermon Starter
Matthew 25:1-13
Illustration
Brett Blair
There's a true story that comes form the sinking of the Titanic. A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off. She was granted three minutes or they would leave without her. She ran across the deck that was already slanted at a dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room with all the money that had rolled to one side ...
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