Illustrations Archives

• To Illustrate: Sacrifice  (May 3, 2008)
  Nathaniel Greene was one of the most celebrated generals in the American Revolution. He was a favorite of General George Washington.
• To Illustrate: Serendipity  (May 3, 2008)
  In 1820, a man named Yorgos was digging in his field on the island of Milos in Greece. As he was digging, he hit upon some stones.
• To Illustrate: Perseverence  (May 3, 2008)
  Dustin Carter is an extraordinary athlete. He finished his high school wrestling career with a 40-4 record. While he made it to the Ohio state championship, he did not win.
• To Illustrate: Optimism  (May 3, 2008)
  Motivational speaker Jack Canfield likes to remind people of an incident in the life of Ty Cobb ...
• To Illustrate: Grace  (May 3, 2008)
  In one of Bishop Fulton Sheen?s books, he made an interesting observation about Christianity. He said, ?In other religions, one must be purified before he can knock at the door. In Christianity, one knocks at the door as a sinner, and He who answers us, heals.? If that is not good news, I don?t know what is.
• To Illustrate: Evangelism  (May 3, 2008)
  There is an old story about how the University of Chicago received a million-dollar grant from the heiress of a major department store. She had been a student at Northwest. So, administrators of Northwest went to visit her and asked why she had not made such a gift to her alma mater. Her answer was simple, ?The people at the University of Chicago asked. You did not.?
• To Illustrate: Discipleship  (May 3, 2008)
  Herb Miller used to tell a story about a man whose daughter was applying to an Ivy League school. In a questionnaire sent by the school, he was asked if his daughter was a leader. He answered honestly, ?I?m not sure about that, but she is an excellent follower.? The man received a letter back from the president of the college that said, ?Our freshman class next fall is expected to contain several hundred leaders. We congratulate ourselves on the acceptance of your daughter as a member of the class. We shall thus be assured of having one good follower in the group.?
• To Illustrate: Conflict  (May 3, 2008)
  Two writers who were bitter rivals were both attending the same party. One had recently had a book published, and the other commented to him, ?I read your new book, and liked it. Who wrote it for you?? The other replied, ?I?m glad you liked the book?who read it to you??
• Christian Life  (April 29, 2008)
  Basketball players dress simply: shoes, shirts, shorts, and sweatbands. But life is not so simple for football players ? and what about ice hockey players? Besides clothes, the athletes in these two sports have to cover themselves with pads and helmets for protection. Regardless of the sport, no athlete can expect to win without the proper equipment.
• Life  (April 17, 2008)
  Joe Piscatella is the author of several widely-read books on health including Don't Eat Your Heart Out and Controlling Your Fat Tooth. He often gives lectures around the country encouraging people to live healthier lives. One of his lectures is entitled: "Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal" In one sense, we would agree with that. We need to...
• No Fear, if We Know the Master  (April 15, 2008)
  A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side." Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
• Pride  (April 10, 2008)
  Recently The Wall Street Journal carried a story from the small town of Erwin, Tennessee. The local state representative had sponsored several bills and was responsible for naming 23 bridges in the region. At first he named them for local heroes. Then he named some for prominent citizens. Then he named some for his...
• Living in Darkness  (April 7, 2008)
  One of the greatest tragedies for people would be to live in darkness when they could live in the light. Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. The amazing thing about her story, however, was that 20 years of her blindness was unnecessary.
• Sin  (March 31, 2008)
  Results from a new study released from Ellison Research finds that 13 percent of Americans do not believe at all in the concept of sin. But, a majority of Americans (87%), however, do believe in this concept and they include adultery (81%), racism (74%), use of hard drugs (65%), failing to say anything if they're given too much change by a cashier (63%), having an abortion (56%), cheating on their taxes (52%) and homosexual activity (52%) as sin. "Sin" was defined in the research as "something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective." (Pastor's Weekly Briefing, 3-14-08)
• Easter as an Earthquake  (March 19, 2008)
  In a Preaching magazine sermon called "Easter as an Earthquake," William Willimon concluded with these words: "In the fifties, in China, there was a devastating earthquake. But as a result of the quake, a huge boulder was dislodged from a mountain thus exposing a great cache of wonderful artifacts from a thousand years ago. A new world suddenly became visible.
• Jesus, Brokenness  (March 13, 2008)
  In the May 1982 issue of Guideposts, Norman Vincent Peale told of a distinguished British violinist named Peter Cropper. Cropper's work was so outstanding that the Royal Academy of Music in London had honored him by lending him a priceless 258-year old Stradivarius.
• Friendships Declining  (March 7, 2008)
  A survey published in American Sociological Review revealed that in 2004 one out of every four Americans had no close friends.
• To Illustrate  (March 5, 2008)
  AGE There is a birthday card making the rounds that says, ?You know what they say about age ? it?s all in your mind.? Inside the card it adds, ?and your legs, your arms, your neck, your arches, your back, your shoulders, etc.? Well, the body may grow old, but the mind and the spirit can be ever young.
• The Faith of One Man  (February 27, 2008)
  Rick Ezell shares this story: Everett Alvarez Jr. was the first American pilot shot down over North Vietnam on August 5, 1964. He spent eight and a half years as a prisoner of war, the first one and a half in solitary confinement. He was beaten and tortured.
• Purpose  (February 20, 2008)
  Just outside Bryson City, NC, is a beautiful highway called by locals, "The Road to Nowhere." It is what is left of an aborted attempt to create a highway between Bryson City and Townsend, Tennessee. Environmental concerns caused the cessation of the project. Those who travel the road tell of how beautiful the scenery is...