illustrations, Author at Sermon Illustration Ideas

Compulsion to Repeat

Future, Mistakes

This video describes the concept of “compulsion to repeat.” It is a psychologicalobservation that we continually repeat the same mistakes, hoping that somethingdifferent might…

Listening Before Correcting

Argument, Listening, regret

If you’re like most people, you’ve gotten into arguments with your significantother because you didn’t listen to them. What you do after that argument…

Overcorrection Can Make It Worse

Difficult situations, Mistakes, Overcorrection

When your car begins to hydroplane, it’s easy to overcorrect and create moreproblems. Instead, you need to stay calm, tap the breaks, and turn…

Complete this blind spot exercise to see if you have literal blind spots in yourvision https://synergycommons.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/the-blindspot.pdf. When we have quality friends in our life,…

Our Best Work is Together

Community, Teamwork, Working Together

Your right hand is only most useful when you also have a left. Although you cando a lot with only one hand, hands work…

Vulnerable and Lonely

Community, Loneliness, Lonely, Vulnerable

“Our report suggests that 36% of all Americans—including 61% of young adultsand 51% of mothers with young children—feel ‘serious loneliness.’ Notsurprisingly, loneliness appears to…

See Them, Serve Them, Love Them

Community, Grace, Jesus, Love, Serve, Service

In China Miéville’s The City & The City, two cities coexist at the same time andplace. The residents of each dislike the other and…

Faith More Than A Hobby

Church Life, Community, Defense, Faith

In a soccer game, one team was winning by a significant margin. The reason thegame was so lopsided wasn’t clear at first. The losing…

Building Jesus’ Kingdom Not Mementos

Devotion, Discipleship, Evangelism, Kingdom Builders

In the fall of 2022, a news story told about a classic toy and auto auction inWisconsin. The owner of a large collection of…

Bread and Salt

Bread of Life, Evangelism, Gift of God, salt and light

In a Jewish tradition (present in other cultures too), when someone moves into anew home, they are given the gift of bread and salt….

Don’t Overwhelm with Salt

Evangelism, salt and light, Salt of the earth

A fun illustration could be to have people do a blind taste test. This could godifferent ways: eat sugar or salt without knowing which…

Light Holds Darkness at Bay

Light, Salt, salt and light

It may not seem obvious, but salt and light are very similar. Both enhance thequality of life and help preserve life. Salt improves life…

Direction and Willingness Together

Direction, Set Apart, Willingness

When God sets us apart, we are called to move toward his calling for us. It requires both the direction of God and our…

The Incarnation of Christ

Incarnation, The Incarnation

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is vital in understanding the power of knowing what it means to live out the work of Christ in…

Christs View of Perfect

Being perfect can mean different things to different people. Jesus’s idea of being perfect means doing everything you can when the time comes. Here…

Exactly Fulfilling Our Purpose

Fulfillment, Holiness, Purpose

William Barclay illustrates what it means to be perfect as God is perfect, “Suppose in my house there is a loose screw, and I…

We are Set Apart for His Work

Set Apart

Being set apart for Jesus means that we are set apart for his work. Here is an object lesson that might help to communicate…

Understanding the Burning Bush

Burning Bush, Moses, The Burning Bush

Sometime shaving the Scripture read aloud and watching images depicting the scenes can help set a tone for others. Here are a couple retellings…

God Is Actively Involved in His Creation

Psalms, Redemption, Watchman

Eugene Peterson tells a story about a job he had as a night watchman in a bigbuilding. He writes, “If I had not known…

God’s Parient Character

God's Character, Parenting, Patience

A parent’s character matters deeply to a child’s development. If the child canexpect his parents to respond in a loving way no matter the…