Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4508 results

1876. Swimming in Tiny Circles

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

Grady Nutt used to tell the story of taking a goldfish out of a bowl and placing it in a large body of water. He said that for several hours the goldfish would continue to swim in little, tiny circles because it had not yet learned of the vastness of the pool." Are you the one?" John the Baptist asked. Evidence came back to John that suggested Jesus was the one, the messiah, but it was still impo...

1877. A Contented Man

Illustration

David E. Leininger

A story is told of a king who was suffering from a malady and was advised by his astrologer that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man were brought to him to wear. People went out to all parts of the kingdom after such a person, and after a long search they found a man who was really happy...but he did not possess a shirt.

1878. Our Value in God's Eyes

Illustration

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of two hundred, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $20 bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do th...

1879. Don’t Miss Life

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Frank Lloyd Wright, the world-famous architect, told how a lecture he received at the age of nine helped set his philosophy of life. An uncle, a stolid, no-nonsense type, had taken him for a long walk across a snow-covered field. At the far side, his uncle told him to look back at their two sets of tracks. "See, my boy," he said, "how your footprints go aimlessly back and forth from those trees, t...

1880. Knee Deep In Alligators

Illustration

Johnny Dean

Did you ever hear the expression, "When you're knee-deep in alligators and copperheads, it's hard to remember that your primary objective was to clean out the swamp?" That's how I imagine John the Baptist must have felt as he stared at those damp, cold walls of Herod's dungeon, day after day, knowing in his heart that only a miracle would allow him to leave that place alive. Wouldn't you be scared...

1881. Timing Is Everything

Illustration

Mark Trotter

I was reading about steamships. It was a wonderful article in which the author said that the dream of a self-propelled ship had been a dream of humankind for hundreds of years. Then one day the time came when it was theoretically possible, but it was still not practically possible. The dream was kept alive for another hundred years or so by inventors and experimenters, some of whom were considered...

1882. The Time of Preparation and the Time of Fulfillment

Illustration

Mark Trotter

Hugh Redwood was a British journalist. He described a time when he was under a terrific strain and pressure because of terrible decisions that he had to make. He didn't want to make them. He didn't know which way to turn. One day he was invited to give a speech in another town. His host arranged a little reception before the event in his house so that he could meet some people. During the receptio...

1883. Reacting to Critics

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

The pastor John Maxwell tells a story about a salesman who went to his barber for a haircut. He told the barber about his upcoming trip to Rome. The barber was a rather acidic fellow. He had only negative comments to make about the airline the salesman had chosen, the hotel where he was going to stay, about Rome in general, and even about his hope of having an audience with the Pope. A month later...

1884. Times Were Hard

Illustration

Trace Haythorn

The times were hard. The government, a huge bureaucracy that provided so many important things like roads and military support and the justice system, was hopelessly out of touch with the people. And the religious establishment wasn't much better. It seemed so focused on preserving the status quo that it had little or no vision for what might yet come to pass. When a prophet spoke out, they were v...

1885. One Beggar Telling Another Where to Find Food

Illustration

Steven Molin

Paul Tillich was one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, the "father of existential theology" was he. And yet, when he was asked to define what a Christian is, he said "Oh, that's easy; a Christian is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find food." The Christian Church in the 21st century does not see itself as beggars telling other beggars where to find food. Rather, I...

1886. If God Knows I’m Worth It

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

There was a nurse who served faithfully in an isolated clinic in West Virginia's mountains. A physician from the nearest city would come out one day per week. He noticed how the nurse gave far more of herself than anyone could expect. He knew how substandard her salary was. One day he said to her, "Nurse, why don't you get out of this backward, isolated community and go where you can earn a good s...

1887. You Can’t Blame John

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

You can't blame John. After all, he's in prison. In prison. Let those two little words sink in. He's in prison. A not so nice place to be. In prison. The very man who had attracted a flurry of attention in recent years because of his no-holds-barred announcements of a new world order that was just around the corner; this one, this man, this fiery preacher who shook up everything and everyone with ...

1888. She Could Dance All Night

Illustration

Scott H. Bowerman

Dr. Diane Komp of Harvard Medical School tells the story of one of her Down's Syndrome patients with whom she was eating, at a restaurant. The restaurant had music and a little dance floor. Her friend loved to dance, but Komp had had a hard day and didn't feel up to it. But then the young man found a partner, another Downs person named Grace. And they danced, and danced, and the young man was so p...

1889. Lighten Up!

Illustration

M.T. Kutz

Lori Beth Jones wrote a book called "Jesus CEO". In this book she wrote: "Perhaps Jesus loved to dance because he was born at a party. I believe any event that has a heavenly light show, people bearing gifts from distant places and a host of angels singing and giving directions is a dance of major proportion. It must have made an impact on him. One of his favorite miracles was to turn water into ...

1890. The Discipline of Simplicity

Illustration

Richard Foster

In Richard Foster's book Celebration of Discipline he divides discipline into three parts: Inward, Outward, and Corporate discipline. He places simplicity under the category of the Outward Disciplines. Here are his nine ways to order our world so that we can create simplicity in our life. First, buy things for their usefulness rather than their status Second, reject anything that is producing an ...

1891. The Fluctuation between Light and Darkness

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

There are times in the lives of all of us when things seem to go exceptionally well. Plans work out, dreams take substance and shape, and projects fall into place. On such occasions, quite naturally, we rejoice, for it is clear to us that life is full and that there are not only satisfactions but also accomplishments which enable us to feel worthwhile. By the same token, there are times in the li...

1892. The Most Neglected Beatitudes

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

Jesus speaks here what has been called the most neglected of all the Beatitudes, "And blessed is he who takes no offense at me." John dies in the prison. "Blessed is he that takes no offense." It is a word for that time, and it is a word for our time. For faith is comparatively easy when things go well; faith becomes difficult when things turn against us and there seems to be no release. It is th...

1893. No Seagulls Came

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

There's a story from World War II that's been told many times which occurred over the Pacific. Eddie Rickenbacker and some colleagues on an aircraft were shot down and managed to inflate a raft. The food and water were soon expended, and all hope for their rescue seemed to fade. As they related the story later, they described how together they had formed a prayer band and had prayed earnestly for ...

1894. Jesus Did Some Strange Things

Illustration

Porter Taylor

I heard that a college student came to his religion professor and said, "You know I used to be OK with that 'What Would Jesus Do?' thing until I started reading the Bible. Sometimes Jesus did some strange things." Sometimes he did. And because of that John asks and the disciples ask and we ask: Are you the one to come or are we to wait for another? Each of us has expectations about the kind of Me...

1895. Taking the Lead

Illustration

Jerry Goebel

When I was a single man, my definition of a bad date was someone who would never tell you what they wanted to do—but always tell you what they didn't want to do. The conversation often went like this: "What would you like to do?" "Anything you want to do." "Well, how about let's eat Chinese food tonight." "No, I hate Chinese food, let's do something else." "Okay, how about we eat a Mexican m...

1896. Where Is the Fire?

Illustration

John Jamison

We get this comforting idea that if we follow the Messiah life will somehow be smoother, or at least all fit together in some "good" way. Then we run smack into the reality that the only guarantee Jesus made to us had to do with the activities that come after this life. In fact, Jesus very clearly expected that his followers would have a harder time getting through this life than those who walked ...

1897. When the Real World Rears Its Head

Illustration

John Jamison

Why in the world did John the Baptist question if Jesus was the one? Maybe he forgot. Maybe he did recognize Jesus at his baptism, and now, a few months later, he just forgot. You have to wonder, however, what could make a man forget that Jesus was the Christ. That seems pretty unforgettable. The best way to answer that may be to look at what makes us forget who he is. Maybe that will help. Shell...

1898. When God Doesn’t Fix Us

Illustration

Larry Broding

Christmas is coming soon. The lights, the sounds, the smells of the holidays are in the air. No matter where we go, we are reminded of holiday cheer. In fact, many of us rely on this atmosphere to bring us out of our doldrums. We expect people, places, or events to create the mood that Christmas brings. Human nature tempts us to lean on others to bolster our condition. We expect others to "fix" u...

1899. It Takes Time for Truth to be Accepted

Illustration

On December 6, 1865, just months after the Civil War ended, the 13th amendment outlawing slavery was ratified and became of the law of the land. But that didn't mean every state approved the ratification of the amendment. Mississippi's state legislature, for example, was dominated by whites bitter over the defeat of the Confederacy, and they rejected the measure. 130 years passed before Mississipp...

1900. John’s Question

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Jesus' failure was also personal for John. He's sitting in prison. He will soon be executed by the political powers. Is Jesus really the Coming One the more powerful one? Mary Donovan Turner, in a Christian Century (December 6, 1995, p. 1173) article on this text begins with: John sat in his prison cell staring at the four walls that kept him from freedom. He could no longer look upon the familia...

Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4508 results

1876. Swimming in Tiny Circles

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

1877. A Contented Man

Illustration

David E. Leininger

1878. Our Value in God's Eyes

Illustration

1879. Don’t Miss Life

Illustration

David E. Leininger

1880. Knee Deep In Alligators

Illustration

Johnny Dean

1881. Timing Is Everything

Illustration

Mark Trotter

1882. The Time of Preparation and the Time of Fulfillment

Illustration

Mark Trotter

1883. Reacting to Critics

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

1884. Times Were Hard

Illustration

Trace Haythorn

1885. One Beggar Telling Another Where to Find Food

Illustration

Steven Molin

1886. If God Knows I’m Worth It

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

1887. You Can’t Blame John

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

1888. She Could Dance All Night

Illustration

Scott H. Bowerman

1889. Lighten Up!

Illustration

M.T. Kutz

1890. The Discipline of Simplicity

Illustration

Richard Foster

1891. The Fluctuation between Light and Darkness

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

1892. The Most Neglected Beatitudes

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

1893. No Seagulls Came

Illustration

William B. Oglesby

1894. Jesus Did Some Strange Things

Illustration

Porter Taylor

1895. Taking the Lead

Illustration

Jerry Goebel

1896. Where Is the Fire?

Illustration

John Jamison

1897. When the Real World Rears Its Head

Illustration

John Jamison

1898. When God Doesn’t Fix Us

Illustration

Larry Broding

1899. It Takes Time for Truth to be Accepted

Illustration

1900. John’s Question

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4508 results