Illustrations Archives

• Taking No Chances  (August 2, 2007)
  Some people in Japan find value in many religions and do not adhere strictly to one. So people will wear a cross as jewelry, have a Shinto wedding and a Buddhist funeral. It appears that they are taking no chances: that they are "covering their bets" so to speak.
• Value of Suffering  (August 2, 2007)
  Joni Eareckson Tada, the quadriplegic who has ministered to so many of us, notes, "When life is rosy, we may slide by without knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus.
• Storms, Crisis  (August 2, 2007)
  An old sea captain was quizzing a young naval student. "What steps would you take if a sudden storm came up on the starboard?" He replied, "I would throw out an anchor, Sir." "What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?" asked the captain. "I'd throw out another anchor, Sir." "But what if a third storm sprang up forward?" "I'd throw out another anchor, Captain."
• Stealing, Children  (August 2, 2007)
  "Peter!" his mother scolded, "There were two cookies in the pantry this morning but now there's only one! Do you have an explanation?" Peter replied, "It must have been too dark and I didn't see the other one."
• Weakness, Trial  (August 2, 2007)
  Morris F. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior, lost an eye in an accident when he was six years old. Children would tease him cruelly about the eye. In self-defense he started poking fun at himself. He learned early on to compensate for that lost eye by working harder than other kids.
• Waste, Prodigal  (August 2, 2007)
  Brady Whitehead, chaplain of Lambuth College in Tennessee, tells the true story of a student whose parents were tragically killed in an accident. This student suddenly became the beneficiary of the estate. According to Brady, he started squandering the money on lavish trips.
• Values  (August 2, 2007)
  People in other nations who print signs in English often make interesting, and sometimes humorous mistakes. A sign in a Paris hotel read, "Please leave your values at the front desk." Many a traveler far from home and its restraints has done exactly that.
• Small, Tiny, Disease  (August 2, 2007)
  In 1996, Manila, capital city of the Philippines, suffered an outbreak of cholera due to a proliferation of flies and cockroaches.
• Self Control, Parents  (August 2, 2007)
  At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is and what a teamwork is all about?" The little boy nodded.
• Urgency, Speed  (August 2, 2007)
  A New York boy was being led through the swamps of Louisiana by his cousin. The city boy asked, "Is it true that an alligator won't attack you if you carry a flashlight?"
• Unity, Worship  (August 2, 2007)
  In the book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer gives this interesting illustration: "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?
• Self  (August 2, 2007)
  Last December Cynthia Crossen, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal interviewed a number of Christmas shoppers. One said that she bought two scarves, one to give away and one to keep.
• Seed  (August 2, 2007)
  Russet potatoes are one of America's favorite varieties. They were developed by Luther Burbank in 1872. He noticed a potato plant with an unusual bud. He watched the bud until it dropped. When he opened it he found 23 seeds. He selected two that seemed better than the rest and from these two seeds have come all Russet potatoes.
• Treasure  (August 2, 2007)
  Barbara Walters called her one of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 1995. She's been on David Letterman's show and invited to appear with Oprah Winfrey.
• Sacrifice  (August 2, 2007)
  In September, 1997 newspapers in Wellington, New Zealand carried the tragic story of a young girl who saw a puppy that had been struck by a car. She ran to aid the injured animal and was herself struck by a car and killed. How sad that a person should lose her life in trying to save a dumb animal.
• Sacrifice  (August 2, 2007)
  "He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much." (James Allen)
• Transformation, Conversion  (August 2, 2007)
  Oscar Cervantes is a dramatic example of the Spirit's power to transform lives. As a child, Oscar began to get into trouble. Then as he got older, he was jailed 17 times for brutal crimes. Prison psychiatrists said he was beyond help. But they were wrong! During a brief interval of freedom,
• Rules  (August 2, 2007)
  The Toyota television commercial is interesting. It shows someone in a sport utility vehicle heading for the beach or the slopes, driving through the city on a Tuesday. An onlooker is amazed. It is Tuesday. He must go to work. Then the last line appears on the screen, "Make Your Own Rules."
• Top Ten Things People Won't Say When They See The Christian Bumper Sticker  (August 2, 2007)
  10. "Look! Let's stop that car and ask those folks how we can become Christians." 9. "Don't worry, Billy, those people are Christians - they must have a good reason for driving 90 miles an hour." 8. "What a joy to be sharing the highway with another car of Spirit-filled brothers and sisters." 7. "Isn't it wonderful how God blessed that Christian couple with a brand-new BMW?"
• Reward  (August 2, 2007)
  In September 1997, newspapers in Wellington, New Zealand reported the story of rescue workers who worked heroically to save lives after a landslide. Officials honored the rescue workers at a luncheon. All of them got sick from food poisoning!