Sermon Illustrations

Character Is The Calling

Change, Character, Humbled

Zacchaeus experienced Jesus’s love and then immediately turned to show the same love to his community. His changed character became his calling. He remained…

Room In Your Cup

cup full, get help, Help, Learn, teach

In the film Avatar (directed by James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, 2009), Jake Sully is trying to make a connection with the native people to the…

Go Together

ALone, Intentionality, longevity, slower, Steady, stronger, together

There is an African proverb of unknown origins that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far,…

Be Careful When Choosing Friends

Friends, Friendship, Gaining Wisdom, Relationships, Wise choices, Wise Friends

In Disney’s Luca (directed by Enrico Casarosa [Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2021]), the title character discovers life above the surface of the water….

Your Ripple Effect

loving-kindness, metaphor, pebble, ripple effect, Selflessness

“Have you ever thought of yourself as a pebble? Metaphorically speaking, on the ‘pond of life’ that is exactly what you are when you…

Living Out God’s Purpose

Choices, daily life, discovering God's Purpose, Path

“God’s plans unfold in the ordinary affairs of daily life, and He wants to guide us, especially in the important issues, such as which…

Weakness

Love, Strength, Trust, Vulnerable, weak

If you’re a fan of nature documentaries, then you’ve seen at least one hunt on the Serengeti or in the woods of North America….

Tools

helpful, Technology, Tools

At some point or another, all of us have used a tool of some sort. Maybe it’s the classic hammer, screwdriver, or drill. Or…

Good Independence

Freedom, growing up, Healthy, Independence, spiteful, unhealthy

There is such a thing as good independence. We experience this through the different stages of growing up. Maybe as a young child it’s…

Fear in Parenting

Parenting, raising a child, Reality, Struggles

Parenting is hard. This is a reality. Even with an abundance of literature on how to raise a human, not one of us has…

Bad Habits Catch Up

accumulation, catch up with you, Consequences, delayed, Sin

Some consequences take a long time to happen. The delay between our actions and their consequences can convince us that nothing will happen. Over…

What Rules?

away from God, breaking the rules, Consequences, no rules

If you have small children, you know that disciplining them can be exasperating. You explain the rules to them. When they violate one of…

Reaping the Consequences

Redemption, rejecting God, Salvation, Sin

Did your parents ever give you an ultimatum? Perhaps your family was preparing to go somewhere fun, like an amusement park. You and your…

Kind Judgment

forgive, Forgiveness, Judge, Judgment, Mercy

Judgment isn’t always negative. A judge’s ruling can bring remarkable joy for the person he rules in favor of. Caught in Providence is a reality TV…

Can’t Fix It

encourage, Friend, Listening, Love

In this letter, a pastor begins to truly see Laura, a member of the congregation who has Tourette’s: “I realize now that when I…

Handling Death Differently

age appropriate, Death, Grief, Life, Understanding

Loss impacts everyone, and we each manage it a little differently. The children’s show Bluey (season 1, episode 8, “Copycat,” directed by Joe Brumm, aired April…

Punched by Santa

Arianism, Arius, Council of Nicea, Saint Nicholas

Did you know Santa Claus punched someone in the face? The legend says that Saint Nicholas (on whom Santa Claus is based) engaged in…

The Vine

Christ's Divinity, Miracles, water to wine, wine

In the 2009 single “Heart like Mine,” country singer Miranda Lambert says, “I heard Jesus he drank wine / And I bet we’d get…

Boundaries

Boundaries, cliff, Truth

Is it good to have boundaries? We might think we don’t need them—but consider the boundaries on a property line or the guardrail that…

Pride in Education

arrogance, prestigious, Pride

People who have graduated from Ivy League schools or other prestigious universities across the globe typically take great pride in the academic institutions in…

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