Jesus
Illustrations, hell, Jesus, short, without JesusIn their book Jesus Manifesto (Thomas Nelson), Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola share this: “There is a billboard in Oklahoma that reads, ‘Eternity is hell without Jesus.’ But in truth, every place is hell without Jesus. The Ritz Ca...
Aging, Marriage
Illustrations, aging, Funny, humorous, MarriageA husband and wife are getting ready for bed. The wife is standing in front of a full-length mirror taking a hard look at herself. “You know, dear,” she says, “I look in the mirror and I see an old woman. My face is all wrinkled, everyth...
Prayer
Illustrations, perseverance, Prayer, seaIn his “One Minute Uplift” newsletter, Rick Ezell writes: “St. Augustine, the early church father and theologian, described prayer as like a man in a hapless boat, who throws a rope at a rock. The rock provides the needed security ...
Marriage; The Perfect Spouse
Illustrations, content, contentment, expectations, Husband, spouse, WifeA young lady visited a computer dating service and requested, “I’m looking for a spouse. Can you please help me to find a suitable one?” The matchmaker said, “What exactly are you looking for?” “Well, let me see. Needs to be good looking...
Worship
Illustrations, ashtoreth, sacrifice, sanctification, the source, WorshipIn his 1965 novel, The Source, James Michener (1907-1997) plied his gift of merging facts & fiction to tell the history of Israel’s land. Using the backdrop of a fictional archaeological dig, he created characters that give life to the...
Frustration, Profanity
Illustrations, cuss words, cussing, frustation, profanityA preacher was making his rounds to his parishioners on a bicycle, when he came upon a little boy trying to sell a lawn mower. “How much do you want for the mower?” asked the preacher. “I just want enough money to go out and buy me a bic...
Readiness, Focus
Illustrations, alert, alertness, focus, readiness, VietnamA U.S. Army officer told of the contrast in his pupils during two different eras of teaching at the artillery training school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Home of the Field Artillery). In 1958-60 the attitude was so lax that the instructors h...
Creativity
Illustrations, autograph, NASA, solutionsWhen Apollo 11 thundered towards the moon, the three astronauts didn’t have life insurance. NASA wouldn’t offer it to them because their job was considered “high risk and experimental.” Knowing that the possibility of death w...
Consequences of Sin
Illustrations, consequences, sinIn his Daily Article for Jan. 11, Jim Denison writes: “Officials have determined that a sinkhole that cost $75 million to fix was caused by human error. Water was released too quickly into sewage pipes, eventually causing the ground t...