Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 1089 results

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of that mountain 1,200 years before and illustrated their conviction about Christ on that wall. Someone long ago had come over the Alps from the south and proclaimed Jesus as Lord to the mountain folk who as yet did not know him. The Jesus of the artist(s) was the Kosmocrator (ruler of the cosmos), the Pantocrator (ruler of all things), the ascended one who has all power over all physical and spiritual things. The builders of the chapel said it 1,200 years ago but Luke said it first. Secondly, Luke wanted ...

752. Be An Apostle! Proclaim Life!

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... by God to take the gift of life, hope, and forgiveness to others. They had all, in some sense, walked with Jesus and witnessed his resurrection. An apostle, therefore, does not need to be theologically trained and ordained. A woman by the name of Inez was an artist in Flint, Michigan. After her devastating divorce, she ended up living at the YMCA in a small room with a narrow bed in which she cried herself to sleep at night. One evening she returned to her home and was on the elevator to the women's ...

753. Finding the Good Woman Part in Us All

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... what Mary Magdalene would think about the power of ideas. I wonder what Boaz would have done — side with the men in his field and let them bother Ruth and Naomi? Is it possible that we have come to a world where a leading publishing house is suppressing free and artistic speech? I am grateful for the strong and free picture of the proverbial woman. She is alive today. Amen.

754. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... . It is hard to remember a time when we did not perform these social rituals. Likewise, parents argue that teenagers must have cell phones in school, just "in case" something happens. We will not know the full effect of 9/11 until the wars stop, the artists and singers start, or until the poets work their way to meaning. For now, on this eighth anniversary, we can begin to see what might have changed in our ministries. The Reverend Rochelle Stackhouse, pastor-elect of the Church of the Redeemer in New Haven ...

755. The Beginning of the Band-Aid

Illustration

When we think of creativity, we tend to picture a composer or an artist at work on a masterpiece. But creativity is simply a new approach to anything. Earle Dickson, an employee of Johnson & Johnson, married a young woman who was accident-prone. Johnson & Johnson sold large surgical dressings in individual packages, but these were not practical for small cuts and burns. Dickson put ...

756. Pay It Forward

Illustration

Edward W. Bok

... pianist's manager asked for a guarantee of two thousand dollars. The students, undaunted, proceeded to stage the concert. They worked hard, only to find that the concert had raised only sixteen hundred dollars. After the concert, the students sought the great artist and told him of their efforts and results. They gave him the entire sixteen hundred dollars, and accompanied it with a promissory note for four hundred dollars, explaining that they would earn the amount at the earliest possible moment and send ...

757. Seek a Professional

Illustration

James Whistler, the Victorian artist, showed scant respect for the hierarchy of any profession. When his poodle fell ill with a throat infection, he sent immediately for the country's leading ear, nose, and throat specialist, Sir Morell Mackenzie. The great man was not amused when he was shown his patient, but he conducted a ...

758. Eyes of Sea Gulls

Illustration

Oscar Hammerstein II

... a painstaking job with the lady's coiffure, and yet he must have been pretty sure that the only eyes that would ever see this detail would be the uncritical eyes of sea gulls. He could not have dreamt that any man would ever fly over this head. He was artist enough, however, to finish off this part of the statue with as much care as he had devoted to her face and her arms, and the torch and everything that people can see as they sail up the bay. . . When you are creating a work of art, or any other ...

759. Defying the Criticism

Illustration

Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky

A Universal executive dismissed both Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds at a meeting in 1959. To Burt Reynolds: "You have no talent." To Clint Eastwood: "You have a chip on your tooth, your Adam's apple sticks out too far, and you talk too slow." A United artists executive, dismissing the suggestion that Ronald Reagan be offered the starring role in the movie, The Best Man in 1964: "Reagan doesn't have the Presidential look."

760. God Ain't Dead

Illustration

James DeLoach

... sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, "Hush child, God ain't dead!" That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man ...

761. In Spite Of

Illustration

Michael A. Guido of Metter, Georgia, columnist of several newspapers writes: "An artist in Mexico lost his right hand while working on a statue. But he did not give up his work. He learned to carve with his left hand. His beautifully finished masterpiece was called 'In Spite Of.' "A sound body, a brilliant mind, a cultural background, a huge amount of money, ...

762. Stormy Surroundings

Illustration

Berit Kjos

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the ...

763. Mistake Out

Illustration

Bette Nesmith had a good secretarial job in a Dallas bank when she ran across a problem that interested her. Wasn't there a better way to correct the errors she made on her electric typewriter? Bette had some art experience and she knew that artists who worked in oils just painted over their errors. Maybe that would work for her too. So she concocted a fluid to paint over her typing errors. Before long, all the secretaries in her building were using what she then called "MistakeOut". She attempted to sell ...

764. Anchored in Authenticity

Illustration

Kenneth A. Brown

Nat Wyeth, who was an engineer and inventor, was the brother of the famous American artist Andrew Wyeth. He was watching his brother paint one day and told this remarkable story: Andy did a picture of Lafayette's quarters near Chadds Ford, Pa., with a sycamore tree behind the building. When I first saw the painting, he wasn't finished with it. He showed me a ...

765. See If You Can Do Better

Illustration

Staff

Over 2,400 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied under a respected tutor. After several years the teacher's efforts seemed to have paid off when Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art. Legend has it that he became so enraptured with the painting that he spent days gazing at it. One morning when he arrived ...

766. Carved from Ruins

Illustration

Staff

... exclaimed, "Master, it lacks only one thing, and that is speech!" Facts from History.com: Michelangelo was notoriously picky about the marble he used for his sculptures, yet for his famous “David” statue, he made use of a block that other artists had deemed unworkable. Known as “the Giant,” the massive slab had been quarried nearly 40 years earlier for a series of sculptures, eventually abandoned, for the Florence Cathedral. It had deteriorated and grown rough after years of exposure to the elements ...

767. Mind Before Body

Illustration

Norman Vincent Peale

... you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck the man were three words that could be tattooed on one's flesh: Born to lose. He entered the shop in astonishment and pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, "Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body." He replied, "Yes, sometimes." "But," the man said, "I just can't believe that anyone in his right mind would do that." The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and said ...

768. Stealing: You Pay the Time

Illustration

Staff

... . But $20 is a lot of money in 1887, and eventually the clerk calls the police. They verify the bill as counterfeit and get a search warrant to look through Mr. Nenger's home. In the attic they find where he is reproducing money. He is a master artist and is painting $20 bills with brushes and paint! But also in the attic they find three portraits Nenger had painted. They seize these and eventually sell them at auction for $16,000 (in 1887 currency, remember) or a little more than $5,000 per painting. The ...

769. The Not-So Miracle Bridge

Illustration

Brett Blair

... . She managed a lot of the daily affairs on the Brooklyn Bridge site and together, Washington and her, jointly planned and executed the construction. He, though, could no longer work on site due to his health. Caution: Check before you Preach! If stories sound too dramatic there is probably some artistic license afoot.

770. Does It End Happy?

Humor Illustration

We all love happy endings. We like to see life work out. There is a story about Hollywood producer Sam Goldwyn. He once listened to director Billy Wilder describe in detail the true life story of a famous artist. Wilder thought it would make a great movie. "Does it end happy?" Goldwyn wanted to know. "Well," said Wilder, "it winds up with the guy in an insane asylum thinking he's a horse." Goldwyn threw Wilder out the door. But Wilder wasn't discouraged. He poked his head back ...

771. The Scene At Bethlehem

Humor Illustration

A father and his son were looking at a Nativity scene in a London gallery. It was Titian's world-famous painting of the scene at Bethlehem. The boy asked; "Dad, why is the baby lying in such a cruddy cradle in a pile of straw?" "Well, son," explained the father, "they were poor and they couldn't afford anything better." Said the boy: "Then how come they could afford to have their picture painted by such an expensive artist?"

772. When the Service was Interrupted

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... for 40 and Jesus for only 3 ½ years. Yet the influence of Christ’s ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined years of teaching from these greatest of philosophers. “Jesus painted no pictures, yet some of the finest artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. “Jesus wrote no poetry, but Dante, Milton and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. “Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven ...

773. Sandbox First, Soapbox Second

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... great vision.” Sometimes society, sometimes solitude. Sometimes it is not good to be alone. Sometimes we need to be left alone to see what God has for us to see. The most talked about movie at the time of this sermon’s composition is “The Artist,” a 2011 French comedy-drama film shown in black and white and mostly silent. In January 2012 it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role. The story takes place between 1927 and 1932, and ...

774. Hard Work and Dedication

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

The University of Chicago did a five-year study of leading artists, athletes, and scholars. Conducted by Dr. Benjamin Bloom, the research was based on anonymous interviews with the top twenty performers in various fields. These people included concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, tennis players, sculptors, mathematicians, and neurologists. Bloom and his team of researchers from the University of Chicago probed for clues ...

775. Breaking Loose

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... gift that his mother gave to him was a large view of life. When his mother was eighteen, she eloped with a middle-aged man and they went to live in Africa. The marriage was a failure, so she returned to London and married a struggling artist who fathered Charlie, but then died at thirty-seven. Chaplin’s mother, once a singer, lost her voice; she lived on the edge of poverty, but nevertheless entrusted to her son a precious gift the belief he could adjust to any situation. Said Chaplin: “Mother was ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 751 to 775 of 1089 results

751. Ascension Answers

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ken Lentz

752. Be An Apostle! Proclaim Life!

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sermon

Ken Lentz

753. Finding the Good Woman Part in Us All

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Donna Schaper

754. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

755. The Beginning of the Band-Aid

Illustration

756. Pay It Forward

Illustration

Edward W. Bok

757. Seek a Professional

Illustration

758. Eyes of Sea Gulls

Illustration

Oscar Hammerstein II

759. Defying the Criticism

Illustration

Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky

760. God Ain't Dead

Illustration

James DeLoach

761. In Spite Of

Illustration

762. Stormy Surroundings

Illustration

Berit Kjos

763. Mistake Out

Illustration

764. Anchored in Authenticity

Illustration

Kenneth A. Brown

765. See If You Can Do Better

Illustration

Staff

766. Carved from Ruins

Illustration

Staff

767. Mind Before Body

Illustration

Norman Vincent Peale

768. Stealing: You Pay the Time

Illustration

Staff

769. The Not-So Miracle Bridge

Illustration

Brett Blair

770. Does It End Happy?

Humor Illustration

771. The Scene At Bethlehem

Humor Illustration

772. When the Service was Interrupted

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

773. Sandbox First, Soapbox Second

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

774. Hard Work and Dedication

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

775. Breaking Loose

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

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