When Pastor Derek Rust of Lakeville, Minnesota, preached a sermon series on the Ten Commandments, he decided to provide his congregation with a pro-active way to live out the lessons. For the eighth commandment—“Thou shalt not steal”—Rust placed large bins throughout the church and encouraged parishioners to drop off any items that they had stolen over the years. Rust was inspired by the example of British pastor J. John, who placed such bins in his own church. The response has been surprising. The week after Rust’s sermon on the eighth commandment, numerous people dropped by the church to slip their stolen goodies into the bin. Rust has found clothing, toys, tools, gum, hotel towels. As Rust says, “That’s what sermons should be about, applying truth to our lives.” (1)

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