Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2151 to 2175 of 2747 results

2151. A Mule Egg

Humor Illustration

... two city fellows in hot pursuit. As is a jack rabbit's custom, it ran for a few minutes in a circle with the two men from Chicago giving everything they had to catch him. Finally they could go no farther. Both men fell wearily onto the ground gasping for air while the jack rabbit hopped off into the distance. Raising up on his elbow, one of the men said to the other, ''Well I guess we lost our mule." The other man nodded grimly. ''Yes, but you know," he said, ''I'm not sure I wanted to plow that fast ...

2152. Facing Your Critics

Illustration

Staff

When Sir George Stephenson invented the railroad engine, he had to face many critics and skeptics. One said, "The smoke that thing creates will ruin the air." Others said, "If this thing works, it'll put coachmen and carriage makers out of business." Other critics wanted to know, "And if a cow decides to rest on one of your tracks, won't it wreck your train?" One government inspector announced that he would eat a stewed locomotive ...

2153. The Potbellied Stove Conundrum

Illustration

Staff

... an isolated cabin seeking shelter and rest. The cabin was not, at the moment, occupied, but the front door was unlocked. They entered the small, two-room cabin and noticed something quite unusual. A large potbellied, cast-iron stove was suspended in mid-air by wires attached to the ceiling beams. Why would a stove be elevated from the floor? Each of them began to look behind the phenomenon for "hidden meanings." The psychologist concluded, "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has ...

2154. The Goodness and Joy Are Everywhere

John 1:45

Illustration

Brett Blair

... moment how if you ever took truly to heart the ultimate goodness and joy of things, even at their bleakest, the need to praise someone or something for it would be so great that you might even have to go out and speak of it to the birds of the air."

2155. Yada, Yada, Yada

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... you, but you do not hear them. You have not sat in the field in the evening listening for them. When the Angelus rings . . . you cross yourself and have done with it. But, if you prayed from your heart and listened to the trilling of the bells in the air after they stop ringing, you would hear the voices as well as I do.” (4) Joan heard the voice of God; the king, if he heard anything at all, heard only thunder. Why? Because she was listening for that voice. Some people are so disconnected from God that ...

2156. Better Angels of Our Nature

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is one of those mixed blessings of parenthood. You wake up on a weekend morning and detect the unmistakable singe of burnt toast in the air. There are clanging and banging sounds from the kitchen. Checking out the noise you discover your child busily preparing a “special breakfast” as a surprise for you. Such a simple, sweet gesture touches your heart. But all too soon the fruits of your young one’s labors will touch your ...

2157. Let Your Diamond-Light Shine

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the mix of sound, but your people might be moved more by something of your own choosing.] [An alternative way of ending this sermon is to get everyone who is wearing a diamond, men and women, to raise those diamonds in the air and sing “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine.”] COMMENTARY Thankfully for all ensuing generations of Christians, the first generation of Corinthian Christians were a quarrelsome, suspicious, and confrontative bunch of believers - or disbelievers, as the case may ...

2158. No Cleansing, No Refreshment

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... laws. In fact, the services they were offering were supposed to be helping the faithful practice their faith. But the reality of this situation was rude and a rip-off. The sounds and smells of the animals, cattle, sheep, birds, filled the air. The bantering and bargaining between sellers and buyers snuffed out any spiritual sentience. The space that had intentionally been set aside for Gentiles to pray, those whose faith was determined not by birthright but by a personal spiritual yearning, was overwhelmed ...

2159. The Simplex Faith of 3:16

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in the sun Was happy, till a toad begun To ask, ‘Which leg comes after which?’ And left her wallowing in a ditch Considering how to run. No one should take delight in leaving anyone in the ditch, laughing when their legs wave helplessly in the air. We must help people move beyond complexity to rediscover the simplicity of faith that trusts in God while never ceasing to explore the complexities of truth in a theology that grows richer and more profound the deeper it goes. 3:16 reminds us that after we ...

2160. It's A 12 Volt Volt System

John 12:24; Mark 2:22

Illustration

Philip W. McLarty

... had few accessories – a starter (you had to crank the old Model T by hand), windshield wipers, a cigarette lighter and, if you were in tall cotton, an AM radio. As cars got bigger and more powerful and loaded with all sorts of accessories – including an air conditioner – the old six-volt system couldn't handle the load. So, GM, Ford and Chrysler switched over to a twelve-volt system. The others followed suit. Twelve volts gave – well, twice as much power as six volts, and it proved to be the ticket ...

2161. Are You a Philosopher?

John 12:20-33

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Two men went up in a hot-air balloon one May morning. Suddenly they were enveloped by clouds and lost track of where they were. They drifted for what seemed like hours. Finally the cloud parted, and they spotted a man below them on the ground. "Where are we?" one of the passengers hollered down. The man on ...

2162. 1 John 3:16-24

1 John 3:11-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... form of active care and compassion for others because of God’s love, the author gives those who remain a daily course of action they can follow. But clearly the accusations and doubts of those who departed from the community still hang heavy in the air, affecting the spiritual atmosphere in which the faithful live every day. In these verses 1 John continues to offer assurance to those remaining in the community. He affirms that offering this active form of love is a sure sign of being “from the truth ...

2163. Candidates for God’s Candid Camera

1 John 3:11-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2164. Things We Could Learn From Dogs

Humor Illustration

If a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot ...

2165. Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... it was located (Pliny, Natural History, 19.170-171). Both the size and vigor of the plant that emerges from such a small seed were deemed extraordinary. The leafy largesse of the mustard plant makes it capable of offering shelter: “the birds of the air can make nests in its shade” (v.32). This declaration would surely bring to the mind of Mark’s readers the scriptural references to the huge trees used to illustrate national strength and stability. But in Ezekiel 17:23 it is a mighty cedar, planted ...

2166. God Delights in What He Does

Mark 4:30-34

Illustration

King Duncan

... be the only one left in the universe who has childlike emotions about work, while all the rest of us have grown old and cynical because of sin. God never tires of what He does. He enjoys it. If you take a five-year-old child, throw her into the air, catch her, bounce her off your knee, and then set her down on the floor, you can expect her to exclaim, "Do it again!" If you repeat the process a dozen times, the child will not tire of these antics. Lord Chesterton believed that God may be that way about ...

2167. Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... their meaning, till he finally could place himself in God’s hands, in trust, without fear of what might happen to him. One thing he had learned as a young boy in church was that when he sang he did not stutter. It seems that when a stutterer speaks, air gets trapped in his throat. But when he sings, for some reason the breathing apparatus works normally and there is no stutter. This young man loved to sing the songs he learned at church, and he discovered he had a gift for writing songs. And so one day he ...

2168. Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over

Mark 4:35-41

Illustration

Vince Gerhardy

... and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie's troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore - he just sits and ...

2169. Better Under Pressure

JOhn 6:1-24

Illustration

James Merritt

... , it uses only 1/3 the energy of normal cooking methods, and because very little water is used in pressure cooking, and because the pressure cooker is a "closed system," few vitamins and minerals are lost to the cooking water, or dissipated into the air. Vegetables are not exposed to oxygen, and therefore they retain their vitamins, minerals, and color. In fact, the cooking times for most foods in the pressure cooker are approximately 1/3 the times for those same foods cooked in traditional manners and are ...

2170. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and to give “himself up for us.” Using First Testament temple sacrifice language, Ephesians describe Christ’s ultimate sacrificial act as a “fragrant offering” to God on our behalf. The burnt offerings of roasted meats and roasted grains perfumed the air around the Temple. To the Levite priests that sweet smell meant God had been honored and appeased. Jesus was a “fragrant offering” because his sacrifice, the love and forgiveness he offered the world, brought the scent of a finally redeemed ...

2171. Aroma of Christ Church

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2172. Life Can Be Dangerous

Ephesians 5:15-20

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... for dogs. "Do not use in shower." On a hair dryer. "Warning: May contain small parts." On a frisbee. "Not suitable for children aged 36 months or less." On a birthday card for a 1 year old. "For use by trained personnel only." On a can of air freshener. "Fragile. Do not drop." Posted on a Boeing 757. "Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage." On a portable stroller. "May be harmful if swallowed." On a shipment of hammers. Are we all related Wile E. Coyote? Are we all dumber than a bowl of pudding ...

2173. The Coat Off Your Back

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... were eyes without hope. "Hey, mister, I'm hungry. Got a dollar?" he asked and reached out his hand. The question startled the young man. The warm fuzzies of Christmas disappeared in a poof. Before him was a man who did not fit in with the music ringing in the air or the pork pie and spiced egg nog awaiting him at home. "What should I do?" he asked himself. He stared at the man and then walked away. What should he have done? What would you have done? John tells us, "If you have two shirts, two coats, food or ...

2174. Christmas Grass and Easter Tinsel

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... was asked to celebrate the good news of the arrival of a special gift from God. Skip back 2,000 years to another birth announcement. That announcement wasn't on a WalMart picture card and didn't go through the US postal service. It was sent by air, carried by angels in the sky. The recipients were not family members, but lowly shepherds. Birth date: Today! Time: This very hour. Place: the city of Bethlehem. Father? God! Mother? Mary. Invitation: Come and see. Come and see the one born to be Savior of the ...

2175. Jesus Makes All the Difference

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... gate and the guard, Through the silent street, till their horses turned And neighed as they entered the great inn yard; But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred, And only a light in the stable burned. And cradled there in the scented hay, In the air made sweet by breath of kine, The little child in the manger lay, The child, that would be king one day Of a kingdom not human, but divine. His mother Mary of Nazareth Sat watching beside his place of rest Watching the even flow of his breath, For ...

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