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 451 to 475 of 655 results
451. Expectant Living
2 Peter 3:1-18
Sermon
King Duncan
At this time of year, many children have already written, or are just sitting down to write, their letters to Santa. It's exciting trying to fit all your wishes into one well-worded little note. Maybe it would sound something like these letters: Dear Santa, Please give me a doll this year. I would like her to eat, walk, do my homework, and help me clean my room. Thank you, Jenny. Dear Santa, Thanks for the race car last year. Can I have another one, only this time one that is faster than my best friend's ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
Pastor David Johnson was all prepared, he thought, for his Easter sermon. Having only graduated from the seminary three months prior to taking his present position at the MapleStreetCommunityChurch, he possessed all the latest and most interesting theology. He made the final touches to his sermon on Holy Saturday morning and outlined its content to his wife. He told her that his sermon was based on theology of Paul Tillich, who spoke of the resurrection as a symbol that the estrangement from our authentic ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Our second scripture lesson and the text for our message this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. I’m going to be reading from the Revised Standard Version. I’m reading the 5th-11th verses of the 2nd chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. This is the word of the Lord. Hear it. “How this mind among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
I want to begin the sermon today by reading the first part of an article that appeared in Reader's Digest sometime ago. The title of the article is "Mama Hale and Her Little Angels". This is the bold introduction to the article: "The baby will not stop screaming. On the third floor of a brownstone in New York City's Harlem, a woman holds the two-week-old infant in her arms. The little body trembles and twitches with pain, but Clara Hale has no medicine to offer against that agony, unless you count love. In ...
455. Trash Cans or Treasure Chests
1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Grace and peace, sisters and brothers, and the One who is, from the One who was, and from the One who is to come. Good evening, saints. Good evening, sinners. We are all here. And all that we are is here. I am delighted to be here. Have you had a good summer? How many of you had guests this summer? Quite a few of you. Do you know what the three most beautiful lights are in the world? Sunlight, moonlight, and taillights. I am about "guested" out. I have had a great summer. I have been writing at home. I ...
Sermon
James Merritt
I want you to listen to this description of a book and see if you can guess which book is described: This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's ...
Sermon
James Merritt
I heard about a pastor who left the pastorate after twenty years, and decided to become a funeral director. Somebody asked him, "Why did you do that?" He said, "Well, I spent about twelve years trying to straighten out John. He never did get straightened out. I spent fourteen months trying to straighten out the marriage of the Smiths, and it never did get straightened out. I spent three years trying to straighten out Susan, and she never did get straightened out. Now when I straighten them out, they stay ...
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
In just two days we will celebrate America’s 230thbirthday.” She is still a youngster in terms of national longevity. Her population is approaching 300 million. She is the only authentic super-power on earth. One of the ways to measure America is the “gate test.” That is, if a nation opens its gates, how many people want to get out and how many people want to get in? I don’t know of any Americans who want to immigrate to another country, and if they do, the gate is open. But then just consider the untold ...
459. Ephesians 2:4-25
Ephesians 2:4-25
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
This week's Epistle lesson encapsulates much of the Christian faith. Our whole reason for trusting and believing in the gospel message is validated in these few short passages. Verses 4 and 5 clearly define God's greatest motivation as love, merciful, unmerited, unconditional love for the wayward members of humanity. The greatest measure of this love is its activity on our behalf. God's love, working through Christ "saves" us from death, "raises" us to divine heights, and "sits" us with Christ in "heavenly ...
460. Ephesians 2:4-25
Ephesians 2:4-25
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
This week's Epistle lesson encapsulates much of the Christian faith. Our whole reason for trusting and believing in the gospel message is validated in these few short passages. Verses 4 and 5 clearly define God's greatest motivation as love, merciful, unmerited, unconditional love for the wayward members of humanity. The greatest measure of this love is its activity on our behalf. God's love, working through Christ "saves" us from death, "raises" us to divine heights, and "sits" us with Christ in "heavenly ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Titanic. Say the word, and everyone, everywhere knows the story. Whether you know the name because you saw the movie, or you know the name because you spent the bulk of your life in the twentieth century, you still know the name. “Titanic” means huge, gargantuan, immense. The word “Titanic,” which rhymes with “gigantic,” brings visions of unstoppable power, immovable force, impenetrable resistance. The “Titanic” really set the tone for the next hundred years, when 100 million people would be killed in the ...
462. Got Milk?
1 Peter 2:1-3
Sermon
James Merritt
His name was Howard Hughes. As an aviator, he once held every speed record of consequence and was called the world's greatest flyer. At various points in his life he owned an international airline, two regional airlines, an aircraft company, a major motion picture studio, mining properties, a tool company, gambling casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, along with a medical research institute and a vast amount of real estate. He dated some of the most beautiful Hollywood stars of all time. When Howard Hughes ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Gordon Melton scours the country trying to count the number of major denominations in the United States. It has been estimated that there are more than 33,000 denomina­tions of Christianity in the entire world. There are not nearly that many in the U.S., but some of the groups that Melton discovered are kind of interesting. For example, he discovered one group called, “The Church of the Kennedy Worshippers.” That’s a church which actually believes that it can pray to the late President John F. Kennedy, and ...
464. Essentials
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
D. L. Miller of Mount Morris, Illinois, was a world traveler among a people who didn't travel much. He was a Dunker, one of the Plain People, who lived in the late nineteenth century. He wore a dark coat and dark pants and a long beard without a mustache. When others bought cars, the Dunkers kept their horses and buggies. If you were a believer, then you dressed like everyone else in your church, and acted like everyone in your church, and made a point of never standing out. His people made a point of ...
465. Come and See
John 1:43-51
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
I ran across a story about a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
How often do we talk about the glory of the Lord? We quote with joy – Psalms 19. We even sing it as an anthem in our choir. “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” We see the glory of God in sunsets and starry skies in majestic mountains piercing the skies, and rain-forests with rich, greens the like of which artists have never been able to capture on canvas. But, let’s not forget that the glory of God may not just be in sunsets and starry skies. I sensed that ...
Sermon
Steven Molin
Our nation has a lot of stupid laws! For example, in North Dakota, "Beer and pretzels cannot be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant." In Alaska, "It is illegal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane." In Florida, "If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would if it was a vehicle." And if not the most bizarre, then certainly the most obvious; In Alabama, "It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle." But did you ...
468. The Ball Game
Mark 13:1-31
Drama
Arley K. Fadness
Theme: Some things are worth waiting for Characters: Bill Frank Tone: Frustration, impatience, anticipation Setting/Props: Baseball caps Baseball glove Two glasses Row of chairs (to represent bleachers at a stadium) Baseball (thrown toward Bill and Frank to simulate a foul ball) Approximate time: 5 minutes (Bill and Frank enter the stadium anxious to watch the baseball game. They wear appropriate baseball caps. Frank has his glove and Bill carries two glasses of pop. Bill is visibly upset by having to wait ...
469. Thanks for the Memories!
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Sermon
Ken Lentz
The dark of the night began to turn to the gray of morning. In the clouded distance could be heard the cries of mothers and fathers discovering the lifeless forms of their firstborn sons. The elders rushed from one adobe structure to another. "Quick!" they whispered, "pack the unleavened dough! Finish the lamb! Grab what you can! Now is the moment! Follow Moses to the sea while the Egyptians are preoccupied with their tragedy." Hurriedly and silently, the dark shapes of men, women, and children passed ...
Sermon
King Duncan
A three-year-old was helping his mother unpack their nativity set. He announced each piece as he unwrapped it from the tissue paper. “Here’s the donkey!” he said. “Here’s a king and a camel!” When he finally got to the tiny infant lying in a manger he proclaimed, “Here’s baby Jesus in his car seat!” Well, it wasn’t a car seat, but that would be an easy mistake to make, wouldn’t it? We all love nativity scenes. Baby Jesus in the manger . . . Mary and Joseph hovering reverently over the holy child . . . ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Southeast Asia is hot. The economies of its countries are sizzling, especially Viet Nam and Indonesia, with the highest growth rates of almost anywhere on the planet. Investors and tourists from all over the world are flooding both countries. Of course, Bali, Indonesia, is where everyone wants to go. But if I could go anywhere in Southeast Asia, it would be the island of Sumatra. Why Sumatra? Because this island is the archipelago of 17,000 islands known as “Indonesia” is where the “manna” of that country ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
Mora Naba, a Mossi emperor in Burkina Faso, had conquered a powerful ethnic group in the south called the Kaesena. He extracted tribute from them once each year. One year, at tribute collecting time, the emperor made the mistake of sending his son, Nabiiga, a prince and his heir apparent. When the Kaesena saw Nabiiga with only a very small entourage of guardians, they overpowered the group and took the prince hostage. His kingly robes were stripped from him, and he was forced to walk around in only a ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
Mora Naba, a Mossi emperor in Burkina Faso, had conquered a powerful ethnic group in the south called the Kaesena. He extracted tribute from them once each year. One year, at tribute collecting time, the emperor made the mistake of sending his son, Nabiiga, a prince and his heir apparent. When the Kaesena saw Nabiiga with only a very small entourage of guardians, they overpowered the group and took the prince hostage. His kingly robes were stripped from him, and he was forced to walk around in only a ...
Sermon
King Duncan
It is very difficult to reconcile the attitudes of modern day society, including modern day church goers, with the teachings of the Gospel. For example, in a recent survey of church goers, a majority of those surveyed said that the church is very important, but a majority of that majority said, and I quote, “the church should never try to influence my thought or behavior.” (1) That’s a bit worrisome. “The church should never try to influence my thought or behavior.” That means many of you want me in my ...
Sermon
King Duncan
There is a wonderful story about the King and Queen of Sweden who were attending the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. Trying to get into an ice hockey game featuring the Swedish team, they were stopped by the ticket taker because their tickets were for another game on another day. The King said that the correct tickets were in his car and he asked that they be allowed in without the correct tickets: “Could you make an exception for us, please?” he said. “You see, I’m the King of Sweden.” ...
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