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iFindSermons.comhttp://www.ifindsermons.comiFindSermons.com is a sermon subscription service that has hundreds of sermons available online. Sermons are being added to this site on a daily basis. The subscription is $100 for any 52 sermons of your choice. That's a $160 SAVINGS! You can also download sermons without purchasing a subscription for $5 per sermon.RSSviaXmlTextWriter v1.0Understanding Opportunityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The word opportunity harkens back to a world of harbors and sailing vessels. Before the chug of an engine could power a boat to safe harbor, sailing ships had to sit outside of port waiting for the right wind and tide conditions to carry them and their wares to their destination. These conditions were called ob portu, Lati....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Understanding Opportunity'>Email this<a>The Legend of the Lenten Pretzelhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Legend of the Lenten Pretzel: <div>  </div> <div> Legend has it that the modern pretzel is actually has its origin in ancient Lenten celebration. The established church at the time did not allow the eating of meat or dairy products during the observance of Lent. As such, people would make bread from a simple mixture of flour, water, and salt. As the legend unfolds, it is purported ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Legend of the Lenten Pretzel'>Email this<a>Our Exodus From Winterhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<div> “And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” — Mr. Beaver in C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</div> <div>  </div> <div> Writing for the US Naval community publication THE LIGHTHOUSE, Lt. Baron Miller describes the Lenten season as our “exodus from winter”:</div> <div>  </div> <div> C. S. Lewis’....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Our Exodus From Winter'>Email this<a>Origins of Lenthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLent originally was established for new Christians, those who experienced a call. They were to spend 40 days and 40 nights preparing for their baptism. If at the end they still wanted to follow Jesus, then on Easter Eve they would be baptized as the sun was rising in the east, signaling the new day, the new era, inaugurated because of the Resurrection. <div>  </div> <div> I am sure it ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Origins of Lent'>Email this<a>Homosexuality and reduced Lifespanhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p> <strong>Homosexuality and reduced Lifespan</strong></p> <ol class="boldoff"> <li> <em>Gay men's lifespan shorter than non-gay men</em>: "<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The life expectancy for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for men in general.</span> Robert S. Hogg et al., "Modeling the Impact of HIV Disease on Mortality in Gay and Bisexual Men....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Homosexuality and reduced Lifespan'>Email this<a>Homosexuality Can't Harm Anyone Elsehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p> While it could be argued that two men (or two women) having sexual intercourse with each other <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and only each other</span> can't harm anyone else, the fact is that homosexuality is not a "monogomous affair." The homosexual lifestyle is by nature promiscuous--as the facts demonstrate.</p> <ul> <li> "In their study of the sexua....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Homosexuality Cant Harm Anyone Else'>Email this<a>Unanswered Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDear God,<br /> <br /> First, my car broke down<br /> I was very late for work<br /> But I missed that awful accident<br /> Was that your handiwork?<br /> <br /> I found a house I loved<br /> But others got there first<br /> I was angry, then relieved<br /> When I heard the pipes had burst!<br /> <br /> Yesterday, I found the perfect dress<br /> But the color was too pale<br /> Toda....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Unanswered Prayer'>Email this<a>Not Alonehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy.<br /> <br /> He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't move.<br /> <br /> Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond.<br /> <br /> Once more the farmer commanded, "P....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not Alone'>Email this<a>At Least One Friendhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn old man turned to me and asked,<br /> "How many friends have you?"<br /> "Why, ten or twenty friends have I,"<br /> And I named off just a few.<br /> <br /> He smiled a knowing smile at me<br /> And sadly shook his head.<br /> "How lucky you must be<br /> To have so many friends," he said.<br /> <br /> "But think of what you're saying.<br /> There'....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=At Least One Friend'>Email this<a>Getting Along With Othershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxProven ways to get along better with EVERYONE:<br /> <br /> 1. Before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself 3 things:<br /> <br /> - Is it true?<br /> - Is it kind?<br /> - Is it necessary?<br /> <br /> 2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully.<br /> <br /> 3. Never miss the opportunity to compliment or say something encouraging to someone.<br /> <br /> 4. Refuse to talk....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Getting Along With Others'>Email this<a>Law Of The Garbage Truckhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne day a man hopped in a taxi and took off for the airport.<br /> <br /> The cab was driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of them.<br /> <br /> The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!<br /> <br /> The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling.  The tax....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Law Of The Garbage Truck'>Email this<a>Walk A Little Plainer Daddyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWalk a little plainer daddy<br /> Said a little boy so frail,<br /> I'm following your footsteps and<br /> I don't want to fail.<br /> Sometimes your steps are plain<br /> Sometimes they are hard to see,<br /> So walk a little plainer Daddy.<br /> For you are leading me."<br /> <br /> I know that once you walked<br /> This way many years ago,<br /> What you did along the way<br />....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Walk A Little Plainer Daddy'>Email this<a>Daddy's Empty Chairhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.<br /> <br /> "I guess you were expecting me, he said.<br /> <br /> 'No, who are you?" said the fath....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Daddys Empty Chair'>Email this<a>Gift Suggestionshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChristmas gift suggestions:<br /> <br /> To your enemy, forgiveness.<br /> To an opponent, tolerance.<br /> To a friend, your heart.<br /> To a customer, service.<br /> To all, charity.<br /> To every child, a good example.<br /> To yourself, respect.<br /> To Jesus, all.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gift Suggestions'>Email this<a>Christmas Lovehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.<br /> <br /> As the class was to sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on an....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Love'>Email this<a>Mom Through the Ageshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx4 years old: My Mommy can do anything!<br /> 8 years old: My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!<br /> 12 years old: My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.<br /> 14 years old: Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.<br /> 16 years old: Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.<br /> 18 years old: That old woman? She's way out of date!<br /> 25 years old: Well, she might know a little ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Mom Through the Ages'>Email this<a>Real Mothershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxReal Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.<br /> <br /> Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.<br /> <br /> Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.<br /> <br /> Real Mothers know that dried Playdough doesn't come out of shag carpets.<br /> <br /> Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Real Mothers'>Email this<a>The Fight Withinhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.<br /> <br /> "One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.<br /> <br /> "The other is ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Fight Within'>Email this<a>Who's In Heavenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI was shocked, confused, bewildered<br /> As I entered Heaven's door,<br /> Not by the beauty of it all,<br /> Nor the lights or its decor.<br /> <br /> But it was the folks in Heaven<br /> Who made me sputter and gasp<br /> The thieves, the liars, the sinners,<br /> The alcoholics and the trash.<br /> <br /> There stood the kid from seventh grade<br /> Who swiped my lunch money twice.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Whos In Heaven'>Email this<a>Sand VS Stonehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTwo friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument; and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”<br /> <br /> They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sand VS Stone'>Email this<a>Begging For Mercyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA man came to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. Peter asks the man if he can give a brief history of his life with an emphasis on the good deeds he had done in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. "You will need 1000 points to be admitted," Peter tells the man.<br /> <br /> "This will be a cinch," the man thinks to himself, "I've been involve....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Begging For Mercy'>Email this<a>The Best Treatmenthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDr. Karl Menninger, the famous American psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health & was answering questions from the audience. One man asked, "What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Everyone there expected him to answer, "Consult a psychiatrist." To their astonishment he replied: Leave your house, go across the rai....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Best Treatment'>Email this<a>No Black Dotshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen Benjamin Franklin was 27 years old, he decided he would take control of his life. He selected 12 virtues he wanted to acquire, and kept a daily chart of his progress in the development of each one. Whenever he missed the mark, he put a black dot beside that virtue. His goal was to ultimately have no dots on the chart. This method contributed to Franklin's success as an inventor, publisher, a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=No Black Dots'>Email this<a>The Seeds of Discontenthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a forest in the dark. He was seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm. He entered the barn and his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. To his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. They were the seeds that were sown in the hearts of humans. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Seeds of Discontent'>Email this<a>Never Livedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman in the hospital was weeping after being told she was terminally ill with cancer. When a friend sought to console her she replied, "I'm not weeping because I'm dying. I'm weeping because I never lived."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Never Lived'>Email this<a>Getting More Donehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don't get it," he said. "E....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Getting More Done'>Email this<a>Missing The Pointhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA devout abbot from a monastery decided to take a prolonged spiritual retreat in a small cabin located on a remote island in the middle of a large lake. He told his fellow monks that he wanted to spend his days in prayer so as to grow closer to God. For six months he remained on the island with no other person seeing him or hearing from him in all that time. But then one day, as two monks were st....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Missing The Point'>Email this<a>Going Nowherehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJean Henri Fabre, the famous French naturalist encountered some interesting caterpillars one day while walking in the woods. They were marching in a long unbroken line front to back, front to back. What fun it would be, Fabre thought, to make a complete ring with these worms and let them march in a circle.<br /> <br /> So, Fabre captured enough caterpillars to encircle the rim of a flowerpot. H....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Going Nowhere'>Email this<a>Christ in Me and I in Himhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is an story about minister walking along the ocean with his small son. The boy questioned his father about Sunday's sermon. The boy said, "Dad, I cannot understand how Christ can live in us and we live in him at the same time." Further down the beach, the father noticed an empty bottle with a cork in it. Taking the bottle, he half filled it with water, re-corked it and flung it ou....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christ in Me and I in Him'>Email this<a>What Are You Looking For?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere are two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the pas....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Are You Looking For?'>Email this<a>Looking Past Oneselfhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn enormously rich man complained to a psychiatrist that despite his great wealth which enabled him to have whatever he wanted, he still felt miserable. The psychiatrist took the man to the window overlooking the street and asked, "What do you see?" The man replied, "I see men, women, and children."<br /> <br /> The psychiatrist then took the man to stand in front of mirror ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Looking Past Oneself'>Email this<a>The Bride Of Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?”<br /> <br /> “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boys reply.<br /> <br /> The lady took him by the ha....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Bride Of Christ'>Email this<a>Church Lightshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeveral centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought of ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Church Lights'>Email this<a>Where Change Beginshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.<br /> <br /> But it too seemed immovable.<br /> <br /> As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only family, those....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Where Change Begins'>Email this<a>Follow The Sonhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a fable about a man who lived in the desert. He would wake up every morning and follow his shadow. So as the sun moved across the sky from east to west the man essentially walked in a large oval. At sundown he ended up where he had started. This continued for years. The man walked in circles day after day, following his shadow. One night the man heard the voice of God in a dream while he....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Follow The Son'>Email this<a>Pride And Prejudicehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a certain bishop, in the horse and buggy days, who had two horses named Pride and Prejudice. He said on one occasion that people thought it was awful that a bishop should be drawn hither and thither by Pride and Prejudice, but he reassured them that it was a wonderful thing that a Bishop would have Pride and Prejudice under control.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pride And Prejudice'>Email this<a>Getting Humblehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBenjamin Franklin, the early American statesman, made a list of character qualities that he wanted to develop in his own life. When he mastered one virtue, he went on to the next. He did pretty well, he said, until he got to humility. Every time he thought he was making significant progress, he would be so pleased with himself that he became proud.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Getting Humble'>Email this<a>I Love You More than Salthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn ancient king once asked his three daughters how much they loved him. One daughter said she loved him more than all the gold in the world. One said she loved him more than all the silver in the world. The youngest daughter said she loved him more than salt. The king was not pleased with this answer. But the cook overheard the conversation, so the next day he prepared a good meal for the king, b....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Love You More than Salt'>Email this<a>The Pay Offhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAbraham Lincoln, was once hired by a man to sue someone else because they owed him $2.50. Not a large amount, but in the l860’s it was. Lincoln didn’t want to take the case but his client insisted. So Abe asked for a $l0.00 retainer fee up front. His client handed him the $l0. Lincoln then gave the man who owed $2.50 half of the ten. The man promptly paid his debt and everyone went ho....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Pay Off'>Email this<a>Getting God's Attentionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA businessman who needed millions of dollars to clinch an important deal went to the church to pray for the money. By chance he sat next to a man who was praying for $100 to pay an urgent debt. <br />  <br /> The businessman took out his wallet and pressed $100 into the other man's hand. Overjoyed, the man got up and left the church. The businessman then closed his eyes and prayed: "A....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Getting Gods Attention'>Email this<a>Excuses For Not Givinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story is told of a very wealthy man who had never been known for his generosity to the church. The church was involved in a big financial program and they resolved to pay him a visit. When the committee met with the man one afternoon, they said that in view of his considerable resources they were sure that he would like to make a substantial contribution to this program.<br />  <br /> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Excuses For Not Giving'>Email this<a>You Never Missed Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA pastor once asked one of his parishioners to serve as financial chairman of his church. The man, manager of a grain elevator, agreed on two conditions: no report would be due for a year, and no one would ask any questions during the year. At the end of the year he made his report. He had paid off the church debt of $200,000. He had redecorated the church. He had sent money to missions. He had $....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=You Never Missed It'>Email this<a>Enjoying Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA wealthy businessman was horrified to see a fisherman sitting beside his boat, playing with a small child.<br /> <br /> "Why aren't you out fishing?" asked the businessman.<br /> <br /> "Because I caught enough fish for one day, "replied the fisherman.<br /> <br /> "Why don't you catch some more?"<br /> <br /> "What would I do with them?"<br /> <b....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Enjoying Life'>Email this<a>Greater Valuehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Sanford Hotel in San Francisco reports that it never lost a single Bible in the 15 years it placed them at the bedside as a service to the guests. But, in one month after it started putting dictionaries in the rooms as well, 41 dictionaries disappeared. Now, I don't know whether you can draw a solid conclusion from that, but on the surface, it seems obvious that persons apparently place a gre....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Greater Value'>Email this<a>The Empty Churchhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThomas Reeves in his book The Empty Church describes this scenario.<br /> <br /> “Christianity in modern America is, in large part, innocuous. It tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, a zeal for souls. There is little guilt and no punishment. The faith has been overwhelmed by the culture.<br /> <br /> Christianity....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Empty Church'>Email this<a>Staying Focused On Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe "Pioneer 10." Its main mission was to reach Jupiter and send back information about that planet.<br /> <br /> It was a bold plan because at that time no satellite had gone beyond Mars.<br /> <br /> Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and so much more. It swung past Jupiter in November, 1973, then passed Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Staying Focused On God'>Email this<a>Following In The Steps Of Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a field covered with freshly fallen snow. A father and a son enter the field. As they walk across the field, you notice that the father pays no particular attention to where he is going, but his son, on the other hand, follows directly behind, making a special effort to step in his father’s footprints. After the two have crossed the field, you notice that there is only one set of ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Following In The Steps Of Christ'>Email this<a>The King's Highwayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOnce a king had a great highway built for the members of his kingdom. After it was completed, but before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest. He invited as many as desired to participate. Their challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best.<br /> <br /> On the day of the contest the people came. Some of them had fine chariots, some had fine clothing, fin....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Kings Highway'>Email this<a>A Sermon Walkinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxReporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six feet four inches - with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people bega....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Sermon Walking'>Email this<a>Not Currently Affiliatedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAmong Americans ages 18-29, one in four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion. In fact, the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. (Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not Currently Affiliated'>Email this<a>Plenty Of Movementhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Plenty Of Movement'>Email this<a>Closeness In Marriagehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeventy percent of married women would rather endure financial struggles than a lack of closeness in their marriage. (Source: For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, Multnomah, 2006)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Closeness In Marriage'>Email this<a>Obituary - Someone Elsehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOur church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else.<br /> <br /> Someone's passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person's share of the work.<br /> <br /> Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Obituary - Someone Else'>Email this<a>Useless Argumentshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAvoid useless arguments with fools... A matador doesn't win by colliding with a bull he wins by avoiding the horns.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Useless Arguments'>Email this<a>Taming A Lionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen a lion trainer goes into a cage of lions he takes a whip, a pistol and a stool.  He holds the stool by the seat and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. The lion tries to focus on all four legs at once and as a result a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, and it becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Taming A Lion'>Email this<a>Settling For Second Besthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus was coming to the nearby town. He ran home with the glad news and the question, "Daddy, can I go?" Although the family was....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Settling For Second Best'>Email this<a>God Comes Firsthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne morning, a Sunday School teacher brought a pan of brownies to her class. As the goodies sat over by her chair, she gave each child a slip of paper marked with a household expense: house payment, utility bill, phone bill, entertainment, etc.<br /> <br /> Before long Mrs. Baughman picked up the tray of brownies and began naming the expenses written on the papers. As each child in the class ga....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Comes First'>Email this<a>How To Get Wisdomhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne of the better known treasure hunts in modern times is the search to find the rumored wealth known as the "Beale treasure." The hunt began when an eccentric man, who left Virginia for the gold and silver mines of the West, returned home, supposedly hid a vast amount of wealth and then disappeared forever. All he left behind were several messages written in a mysterious code. One of t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How To Get Wisdom'>Email this<a>The World Is Minehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxToday, upon a bus,<br /> I saw a girl with golden hair. <br /> I envied her, she seemed so gay,<br /> And I wished I was as fair. <br /> When suddenly she rose to leave,<br /> I saw her hobble down the aisle. <br /> She had one leg and used a crutch. <br /> But as she passed, she gave a smile. <br /> <br /> Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. <br /> I have 2 legs, the world is mine. <br /....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The World Is Mine'>Email this<a>The Morehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p align="left" class="itemparagraph">The more generous we are,<br /><br> the more joyous we become.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">The more cooperative we are,<br /><br> the more valuable we become.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">The more enthusiastic we are,<br /><br> the more productive we become.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">The more serving we are,<br /><br> the more prosperous we....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The More'>Email this<a>Don't Go To Bed....http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI've heard it said don't go to bed<br /><br> while hanging on to sorrow,<br /><br> you may not have the chance to laugh<br /><br> with those you love tomorrow.<br> <p class="itemparagraph">You may not mean the words you speak<br /><br> when anger takes its toll,<br /><br> you may regret your actions<br /><br> once you've lost your self control.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">When you've los....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Go To Bed....'>Email this<a>Avoiding Temptationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font>Temptation is a little like puddles on the sidewalk. You can walk carefully to avoid them, or you can jump right in! Or sometimes, you're so busy paying attention to one puddle, you miss seeing another…and you get wet even if you're trying not to. </font>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Avoiding Temptation'>Email this<a>Of Men And Cuckooshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<title></title><br> <style type="text/css"><br> <!--<br> .ct_text {<br> FONT: 10pt Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; COLOR: #000000<br> }<br> .ct_smtext {<br> FONT: 8pt Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; COLOR: #000000<br> }<br> .ct_bgline { background: #CAD2DC }<br> .ct_smtab { font: bold 10pt Arial, sans-serif; color: #FFFFFF }<br> .ct_bgblue { background: #467F9C }<br> .ct_bgback { background: #FFFFFF }<....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Of Men And Cuckoos'>Email this<a>The Reality Of The Resurrectionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne day a teacher was asking the kids in her fourth grade class to name the person whom they considered the greatest human being alive in the world today -- and the responses were quick in forthcoming and also quite varied too.<br /><br> <br /><br> A little boy spoke up and said, "I think it is Tiger Woods.  He’s the greatest golfer in the world, ever" A little girl said, &qu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Reality Of The Resurrection'>Email this<a>Invite Jesushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxYears ago when Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The young man was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience that the young man was a Christian. So Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school. When the boy said ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Invite Jesus'>Email this<a>Giving To The Poorhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story is told of a Franciscan monk in Australia assigned to be the guide and "gofer" to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar nev....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Giving To The Poor'>Email this<a>Don't Be Crushedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br> <p>On April 10, 1963, the nuclear attack submarine <em>Thresher</em> was performing test dives to determine the optimum depth at which it could operate. At 9:18 a.m. a malfunction occurred which caused the submarine to sink to a level of 8,400 feet. At this depth the hull could not withstand the pressure of the water around it. Within....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Be Crushed'>Email this<a>Forgiveness And Marriagehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">Recently, a survey was made of 200 married adults in regards to forgiveness. The researchers were wondering how one’s ability to forgive others would affect their marital satisfaction and personal well-being. The research suggested that there is a huge relationship between marriage satisfaction and forgiveness. In fact, it appears that as much as one third of marri....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Forgiveness And Marriage'>Email this<a>What You Need Is Lovehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA study of married people by the University of Texas showed that having strong families was a much better predictor of happiness than money. Although money did have a minimal effect on happiness, it only helped up to a point. Strong family relationships were much more important. <font color="#666666" size="1">- <font color="#000000">(Source: WebMD, June 20, 2008) </font></font>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What You Need Is Love'>Email this<a>Choose One Chairhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?'<br /><br> "'Luciano,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Choose One Chair'>Email this<a>Can You Hear Me Nowhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, &q....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Can You Hear Me Now'>Email this<a>Rest in the Stormhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">A train was traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding, the rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strong gust winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightening flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Rest in the Storm'>Email this<a>Addicts Are Aginghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#ffffff" style="font-size: 11px;"><font color="#000000">In 2005, 184,400 Americans who were admitted to drug treatment programs (roughly 10% of the total) were over 50 years old, up from 143,000, (8%) in '01. <br /><br> <br /><br> The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration foresees 4.4 million older substance....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Addicts Are Aging'>Email this<a>Historical Background to the Declarationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), approved the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose was to set forth the principles upon which the Congress had acted two days earlier when it voted in favor of Richard Henry Lee's motion to declare the freedom and independence of the 13 American colonies from Engla....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Historical Background to the Declaration'>Email this<a>200 Years?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAncient democracies wane under the selfishness of human hearts. "The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.  These nations have progressed through the following sequence:<br /><br> <br /><br> From bondage to spiritual faith;<br /><br> from spiritual faith to great courage;<br /><br> from courage to liberty;<br /><br> From liberty to abundance;<br /><br> fr....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=200 Years?'>Email this<a>The Paradox of Our Timehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe paradox of our time in history is that:<br /><br> <br /><br> We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.<br /><br> We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less.<br /><br> We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.<br /><br> We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more exp....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Paradox of Our Time'>Email this<a>What's Your Purpose In Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn executive hirer, a "head-hunter" who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, "When I get an executive that I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed. Then, when I think I'v....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Whats Your Purpose In Life'>Email this<a>The Homeless Womans Poemhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA homeless woman once approached a preacher for help, but because he was busy and helpless, he turned her away and offered to pray for her instead.<br /><br> <br /><br> The homeless woman, it is said, wrote this poem as a response too that insensitive minister:<br /><br> <br /><br> "I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept off quie....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Homeless Womans Poem'>Email this<a>What Are Fathers Made Of?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic. A father is a thing that growls when it feels good--and laughs very loud when it’s scared half to death. A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child’s eyes. He’s never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be--and t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Are Fathers Made Of?'>Email this<a>A Father's Impact for Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">Recent research is shining light on the importance of male spiritual leadership in the home. Among their findings is the reality that 68 million of our nation’s 94 million men don’t attend any church, in spite of the fact that 86% of them grew up with some sort of church background. Research has also revealed that if a child is the first person in a household....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Fathers Impact for Christ'>Email this<a>D-Day Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxD-Day for WWII was June 6, 1944 — the day on which the Battle of Normandy began — commencing the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II. President Roosevelt composed a prayer and delivered it on the radio that evening.<br /><br> <br /><br> What follows is the full text of that address:<br /><br> <br /><br> My Fellow Americans,<br /><....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=D-Day Prayer'>Email this<a>When God Created Fathershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you’re going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high?  He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."<br /><....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=When God Created Fathers'>Email this<a>Father's Day Originhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA hard-working single dad named William Jackson Smart was the inspiration for the creation of Father's Day. His wife died in 1898 while giving birth to their sixth child, and the Civil War veteran was left to raise the children alone in rural Washington.<br /><br> <br /><br> In May 1909, Smart's daughter, by then a married woman named Sonora Dodd, of Spokane, Washington, heard a sermon enumeratin....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Fathers Day Origin'>Email this<a>National Viewshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p class="text">In early May, 2008, the Gallup Poll research team surveyed 1,017 adults nationwide about issues concerning homosexuality:</p><br> <ul type="disc"><br> <li value="" class="text">When asked if homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle, 57 percent indicated it was acceptable (up 9 percent from a 2007 Gallup poll), while 40 percent found it unacceptabl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=National Views'>Email this<a>Not Tenacious Enoughhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAround 1870 New York City had one of the most hotly contested mayor's races in its history. The incumbent was Mayor John Tweed--Boss Tweed he was called. He was running for reelection. The Boss Tweed machine represented politics at its very worst. The entire administration was corrupt to the core. A number of dedicated people decided that they were fed up with this kind of politics and the good p....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not Tenacious Enough'>Email this<a>Thanks Anywayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the movie Shenandoah, James Stewart plays a Virginia farmer during the Civil War years. He begins every meal with the same prayer: “Lord, I planted the seeds, I plowed the ground, I gathered in the harvest. If I hadn’t of put the food on the table it wouldn’t be here. But we thank you anyway.”....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Thanks Anyway'>Email this<a>Money In The Wayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHenry Ford once asked an associate about his life goals. The man replied that his goal was to make a million dollars. A few days later Ford gave the man a pair of glasses made out of two silver dollars. He told the man to put them on and asked what he could see. "Nothing," the man said. "The dollars are in the way." Ford told him that he wanted to teach him a lesson: If his on....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Money In The Way'>Email this<a>The Church Is No Place for Joyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn church the other Sunday I was intent on a small child who was turning around smiling at everyone. He wasn't gurgling, spitting, humming, kicking, tearing the hymnals, or rummaging through his mother's handbag. He was just smiling. Finally, his mother jerked him about and in a stage whisper that could be heard in a little theater off Broadway said, "Stop grinning! You're in a church!&....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Church Is No Place for Joy'>Email this<a>Are You God's Wife?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?" "I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boys reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store an....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Are You Gods Wife?'>Email this<a>Courage to Commit: Stand Up and Be Countedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome years ago Premier Khrushchev was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was severely critical of the late Premier Stalin. While he was speaking someone from the audience sent up a note: "What were you doing when Stalin committed all these atrocities?" Khrushchev shouted, "Who sent up that note?" Not a person stirred.<br /> <br /> "I'll give him one minute to s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Courage to Commit: Stand Up and Be Counted'>Email this<a>Motivation For Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> <p>Bob Kuechenberg, former offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, explained what motivated him to attain a higher education. </p><br> <p>"My father and uncle worked in carnivals as human cannonballs. My father wanted me to either, 'Go to college or be a cannonball.' Then one day my uncle came out of the cannon, missed the net a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Motivation For Prayer'>Email this<a>Roadblocks to Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSo, your daughter wants her own cell phone, and she's very persuasive about how necessary it is for unexpected situations: when the bus runs late or practice ends early. It'll be so good for your peace of mind if she has the phone. But you know what she really wants is to text her friends and fit in with everyone else. Or perhaps you try to persuade your wife that getting a new plasma TV wil....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Roadblocks to Prayer'>Email this<a>No Peace in the Worldhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">The Society of International law in London states this incredible statistic: since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than 8% of the time. Over the last 4000 years of history, only 268 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treatises have been made and broken. In the last three centuries there, has been 286 wars on the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=No Peace in the World'>Email this<a>Letter From Chadhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p class="text">A father passed by his son's bedroom and was astonished to see the bed nicely made up and everything neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up on the pillow. It was addressed, "Dad." With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands: </p><br> <blockquote class="text">Dear Dad, </blockquote> <blockquote class="text">It is ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Letter From Chad'>Email this<a>When God Created Womenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy the time the Lord made mothers, he was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said “Why are you spending so much time on this one?” And the Lord answered and said, “Have you seen the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 200 movable parts, all replaceable, run on black coffee and leftovers, have a lap that can hold ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=When God Created Women'>Email this<a>A Long Walkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p align="left" class="itemparagraph">In a remote village in Central America the word got out among the peoples of the region that one of the American missionaries that had served this country for many years was about to return to the US to live our the remaining years of her life.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">The nationals desired to honor her for her years of service with a public time ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Long Walk'>Email this<a>Price Of Freedomhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn July 4, 1776, the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the 13 colonies in the Pennsylvania State House.  The representatives who attached their signatures to the document knew that the cost would be high.<br /><br> <br /><br> In his thrilling book The Rest of the Story, Paul Harvey calls the roll of those brave men who said, "And for the support of this Decla....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Price Of Freedom'>Email this<a>USS New Yorkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Navy's amphibious assault ship, USS New York, was Christened on March 1, 2008 and has already made history. It was built with 7.5 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center. It is the fifth in a new class of warship — designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. The billion-dollar, 25,000-ton vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide and can carry a crew o....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=USS New York'>Email this<a>The History Of Memorial Dayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhile Veterans' Day in November is to honor all those who served their nation in war, Memorial Day is primarily to honor those who died in military service.<br /><br> <br /><br> This all-American holiday has its roots in the practice of women of decorating the graves of their loved ones who had died in the Civil War, and was originally also called Decoration Day.<br /><br> <br /><br> Memorial Day....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The History Of Memorial Day'>Email this<a>Memorialhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them from his bucket. Many years before, in October, 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Memorial'>Email this<a>Power of Onehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAs the soot and dirt and ash rained down,<br /><br> We became one color.<br /><br> <br /><br> As we carried each other down the stairs<br /><br> of the burning building,<br /><br> We became one class.<br /><br> <br /><br> As we lit candles of waiting and hope,<br /><br> We became one generation.<br /><br> <br /><br> As the firefighters and police officers<br /><br> fought their way into the infer....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Power of One'>Email this<a>"Old Glory"http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThis famous name was coined by Captain Stephen Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT—and this one would climax with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY— some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title="Old Glory"'>Email this<a>Remember 9/11 Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance<br /><br> <br /><br> Compiled by a Navy Chaplain<br /><br> <br /><br>  <br /><br> <br /><br> Almighty God, the past year will be indelibly inscribed in our memories.<br /><br> <br /><br> We looked with horror on the terrorist attacks of last September 11th.<br /><br> But we looked with honor on acts of courage by ordinary peopl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Remember 9/11 Prayer'>Email this<a>National Day Of Prayer And Fastinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWHEREAS, The Senate of the United States; devoutly recognizing the Supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.<br /><br> <br /><br> And Whereas, it is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=National Day Of Prayer And Fasting'>Email this<a>Memorial Dayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx    The finest tribute we can pay<br /><br>     Unto our hero dead today,<br /><br>     Is not a rose wreath, white and red,<br /><br>     In memory of the blood they shed;<br /><br>     It is to stand beside each mound,<br /><br>     Each couch of consecrated ground,<br /><br>     And pledge ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Memorial Day'>Email this<a>Dreams Deferredhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="2" face="arial,verdana"><br> <p>DREAMS</p><br> <p> <em> What happens to a dream deferred?<br /><br> Does it dry up<br /><br> Like a raisin in the sun?<br /><br> Or fester like a sore--<br /><br> And then run?<br /><br> Does it stink like rotten meat?<br /><br> Or crust and sugar over--<br /><br> like a syrupy sweet?<br /><br> Maybe it just s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dreams Deferred'>Email this<a>Waitress's Kindness Rewardedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p class="text">Every day, for close to seven years, Walter "Buck" Swords cursed and stomped his feet in his favorite restaurant, Luby's Cafeteria, demanding that he get his food exactly as he wanted it. Every day, for close to seven years, his preferred waitress, Melina Salazar, offered a patient smile and did whatever she could to help her most stubborn customer. After years of thankl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Waitresss Kindness Rewarded'>Email this<a>5 Reasons Muslims Converthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA survey of 750 Muslims who converted to Christianity shows five predominant reasons they chose to follow Christ.<br> <ol><br> <li class="arttext"><strong>The lifestyle of Christians.</strong> Former Muslims cited the love that Christians exhibited in their relationships with non-Christians and their treatment of women as equals.</li><br> <br /><br> <li class="arttext"><strong>The pow....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=5 Reasons Muslims Convert'>Email this<a>Dangers of Cohabitationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p class="text">In a 2007 edition of the <em>New Oxford Review</em>, Dr. A. Patrick Schneider II, who holds boards in family and geriatric medicine and runs a private practice in Lexington, Kentucky, did a statistical analysis of cohabitation in America, based on the findings of a number of academic resources. Here are five conclusions Schneider draws from his studies: </p><br> <ol type="1"><br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dangers of Cohabitation'>Email this<a>Making Decisionshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p align="left" class="itemparagraph">A group of junior-level executives were participating in a management training program. The seminar leader pounded home his point about the need to make decisions and take action on these decisions.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">"For instance," he said, "if you had five frogs on a log and three of them decided to jump, how many frogs wou....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Making Decisions'>Email this<a>Bring Them to Jesushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, the famous evangelist, said that the New Testament records tell of forty people, each suffering from the same disease, who were healed by Jesus.<br /><br> <br /><br> Of this number, thirty-four were either brought to Jesus by friends, or He was taken to them. In only six cases out of forty did the sufferers find the way to Jesus without assistance....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bring Them to Jesus'>Email this<a>The Best Preacher in the Familyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style23">G. Campbell Morgan, a profound British preacher whose four sons all became pastors, influenced millions with his preaching, teaching and writing.<br /><br> <br /><br> One day, when his young son Howard finished preaching, a reporter asked him, "Since you have five pastors in your family, who is the greatest preacher? Expecting the son to give the honor to his father....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Best Preacher in the Family'>Email this<a>The Other Sidehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p align="left" class="itemparagraph">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."</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is o....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Other Side'>Email this<a>You Can Do Better Than Thathttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p align="left" class="itemparagraph">J. Paul Getty was one of the wealthy men who frequently came to watch Jack Dempsey train. Himself a keen amateur boxer, he asked to be allowed to spar for a round with the champion.</p><br> <p class="itemparagraph">Getty put up quite a creditable performance until he made the mistake of saying, "Hit me a little harder, Jack."</p><br> <p class="it....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=You Can Do Better Than That'>Email this<a>A Sweet Scenthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="2" face="verdana" color="#000000"><strong></strong></font><span class="style36">The story is told of a missionary to China who was in language school. The very first day of class the teacher entered the room and, without saying a word, walked down every row of students. Finally, still without saying a word, she walked around the room again. Then she came back and addressed the cla....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Sweet Scent'>Email this<a>Stop and Refocushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="style53 style36">Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the <em>Detroit Free Press</em>, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can see where it’s going. Because it can’t adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. This is the way it walk....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Stop and Refocus'>Email this<a>Structuring Your Churchhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font>Church should operate like a plane.  In a plane you have a pilot and his crew in the cockpit, and they know how to fly that plane, they know every instrument—that's their job.  But if a plane was run like most churches, these pilots, or this crew, before they needed to make an important decision, would have to come out of the cockpit and go into first class and meet with....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Structuring Your Church'>Email this<a>Why We Liehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p class="text">In 2004 Bella DePaulo, a visiting professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who specializes in studying forms of human deception, asked college students and members of the community-at-large to keep a notebook to tally up the number of lies they told in one week. By the end of the experiment, DePaulo found that the students had lied at least once to 38 percent ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Why We Lie'>Email this<a>Churches Bring People Togetherhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="ct_text">Although the total number of Americans who attend weekly worship services has declined from about 40 percent in the 1960s to around 25 percent now, religious congregations remain the single strongest influence to bring isolated, solitary people to community events. <br /><br> <br /><br> More people come together on a regular basis for church assemblies than meet for any ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Churches Bring People Together'>Email this<a>10 Ways to Tell You're Slippinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p>10. You know you're slipping when the big thing you look forward to on a Sunday is a football game.</p><br> <p>9. You know you're slipping when reading the Bible no longer excites you, angers you, or challenges you.</p><br> <p>8. You know you're slipping when you finally get up off the couch and get involved in some ministry the Lord has been laying on your heart and the first thing you do....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=10 Ways to Tell Youre Slipping'>Email this<a>God's Callinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> <p>A professor sat at his desk one evening working on the next day's lectures. His housekeeper had laid that day's mail and papers on his desk, and he began to shuffle through them discarding most in the wastebasket. He then noticed a magazine, which was not even addressed to him but delivered to his office by mistake. It fell open to....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Calling'>Email this<a>Explaining Deathhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA 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."<br /> <br /> Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."<br /> <br /> "You don't know?  You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"<br /> <br /> The doctor was holding the handle....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Explaining Death'>Email this<a>Misplaced Hopehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p>During World War II six Navy pilots left their aircraft carrier on a scouting mission, searching the seas for enemy submarines believed operating in the area. When they tried to return, they couldn't find their ship. While they were gone, a blackout had been imposed and all lights on the ship had been turned out. Over and over the frantic pilots radioed, asking for just one light so they c....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Misplaced Hope'>Email this<a>Burning The Candlehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<span class="ct_text">One morning at work, the electricity went out, leaving the office to work in a shadowy twilight. The boss  asked the receptionist to dig out the candles from last year's Christmas decorations and put one on each desk.<br /><br> <br /><br> A little later, the receptionist appeared in the boss' doorway, sheltering a flickering light in her hands. "Now I know why life....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Burning The Candle'>Email this<a>Americans Express Their Views of the Virgin Birth of Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThree out of four adults (75%) said that they believe Jesus Christ was born to a virgin, Mary, as described in the gospel narratives. Of the six Bible stories examined in the survey, this story was the most widely accepted.<br /> <br /> Source: Barna Report....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Americans Express Their Views of the Virgin Birth of Christ'>Email this<a>Bad Marriages Bad For Heartshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxStress In Relationships May Be Source Of Problem<br /><br> <br /><br> A lousy marriage might literally make you sick.<br /><br> <br /><br> Marital strife and other bad personal relationships can raise your risk for heart disease, researchers reported Monday.<br /><br> <br /><br> What it likely boils down to is stress, a well-known contributor to health problems, as well as a potential byproduct o....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bad Marriages Bad For Hearts'>Email this<a>Christmas Things Happen For A reasonhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. <br /><br> <br /><br> They worked hard, repairing pews, pl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Things Happen For A reason'>Email this<a>Faith and Dyinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIs the name Jean-Francois Gravelet familiar to you? Better known as The Great Blondin, he was the first man to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, an event he repeated many times. The story is told that once he pushed a wheelbarrow across the Falls and then returned with the wheelbarrow loaded with a 100-lb sack of flour. He subsequently asked the crowd if they thought he could push a man ac....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Faith and Dying'>Email this<a>The Parable of the Silver Coveringhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="2" face="verdana" color="#000000"><strong></strong></font><span class="style43">There’s an old fable about a miserable rich man who went to visit a rabbi. The rabbi took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Parable of the Silver Covering'>Email this<a>Poll: More Americans Believe in Devil than Darwinhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p>More Americans believe in a literal hell and the devil than in Darwin’s theory of evolution, a new poll found.</p><br> <p>Over half of Americans, 62 percent, believe in hell and the devil compared to only 42 percent of those surveyed who said they believe in Darwin’s theory, according to the findings of the recently released Harris poll.</p><br> <p>The poll of 2,455 U.S. adults, ta....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Poll: More Americans Believe in Devil than Darwin'>Email this<a>God Gives Peacehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeveral years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?"<br> <p><font size="size=" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> <p>The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!" The sub had....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Gives Peace'>Email this<a>Only One Of His Kindhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<p><font size="size=" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> <p>Michel Lotito of Grenoble, France, is one of the most unusual individuals in the world, at least when it comes to his culinary tastes. Since 1959, at the age of nine, Mr. Lotito has daily dined on metal and glass. According to The Guinness Book of Records, he consumes 2 pounds of metal per day. So far he has eaten, among other ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Only One Of His Kind'>Email this<a>What is the Bible For?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="3" face="times new roman" color="#000000"><strong></strong><font size="2" face="verdana">Dr. W.A. Criswell tells of a small New Testament that was taken from the breast-pocket of a fallen American soldier in Vietnam, a young boy from Georgia. When Mr. Pat Zondervan held up that New Testament before the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Dr. Criswell could see the l....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What is the Bible For?'>Email this<a>Im Not Jesus!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<font size="3" face="times new roman" color="#000000"><strong></strong></font><span class="style36">A preacher was requested by family members to visit a man in a mental institution who thought he was Jesus. When the preacher introduced himself, the man replied, "Bless you, my son." The preacher asked if he were Jesus and he replied that he was. So, the preacher excused himself and ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Im Not Jesus!'>Email this<a>God Said NO!!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI asked God to take away my habit.<br /><br> God said, No.<br /><br> It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.<br /><br> <br /><br> I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.<br /><br> God said, No.<br /><br> His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.<br /><br> <br /><br> I asked God to grant me patience.<br /><br> God said, No.<br /><br> Patience is a byproduct of trib....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Said NO!!'>Email this<a>Does Your Church Have Water Fountains?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn amazing thing happened a couple weeks ago. It was the opening day of the University of Central Florida’s new football stadium. This new $55 million dollar facility is a beauty. It has seats for over 43,000 screaming football fans, and on this day, every seat was filled. But something wasn’t right at the first game ever played in the stadium just outside Orlando. People were fa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Does Your Church Have Water Fountains?'>Email this<a>Humor And Conflicthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHumor does make romantic relationships more stable. According to a 2007 survey, those couples where both partners said the other had a good sense of humor reported 67 percent less conflict than couples who thought neither had a good sense of humor. <font size="1" color="#666666">- Source: David Niven, <em>100 Simple Secrets of Great Relationships </em></font>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Humor And Conflict'>Email this<a>Pigs Can't Singhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx”Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig.” - Paul Dickson....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pigs Cant Sing'>Email this<a>Letting Gohttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSuppose you have an important package to send to someone who needs it. You take it to an overnight delivery service. What would you think if, instead of delivering the package, the driver took it home? Then, when you confront him, he says, "If you didn't want me to keep it, why'd you give it to me in the first place?" <br> <br> You'd say, "The package doesn't belong to you. Your job is to deliver....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Letting Go'>Email this<a>Even Criminals Need Hugshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Gate-Crasher's Change of Heart<br> The Guests Were Enjoying French Wine and Cheese on a Capitol Hill Patio. When a Gunman Burst In, the Would-Be Robbery Took an Unusual Turn.<br> <br> By Allison Klein<br> Washington Post Staff Writer<br> Friday, July 13, 2007; Page B01<br> <br> A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back pa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Even Criminals Need Hugs'>Email this<a>The Devil's Beattitudeshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would probably go something like this:<br> <br> 1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians - they save me the effort of trying to keep them from God's blessings.<br> <br> 2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked - its pretty easy to k....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Devils Beattitudes'>Email this<a>Learning From A Childhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne rainy afternoon a woman was driving down the street. Suddenly, his son, Matthew spoke up from his relaxed position in the front seat.<br> <br> "Mom, I'm thinking of something."<br> <br> This announcement usually meant he had been pondering some fact for a while and was now ready to expound all that his seven-year-old mind had discovered. The mopm was eager to hear.<br> <br> "What are you thi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Learning From A Child'>Email this<a>Resolutionshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSix out of 10 Americans surveyed said lack of motivation and power have prevented them from keeping their past New Year's resolutions. - Source: eDiets.com....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Resolutions'>Email this<a>Our Greatest Needhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Our Greatest Need'>Email this<a>Christmas Gift Revelationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his book Dare to Believe, Dan Baumann illustrates the unique experience of knowing that something is ours, yet longing to enjoy it more fully. He explained that at Christmas time he would always do a lot of snooping, trying to find the gift --wrapped presents and figure out what was in them.<br> <br> One year he discovered a package with his name on it that was easy to identify. There was no w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Gift Revelation'>Email this<a>I Heard The Bellshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear the his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac.<br> <br> Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Heard The Bells'>Email this<a>Ah, Dearest Jesushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAh, dearest Jesus, holy Child,<br> Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,<br> Within my heart, that it may be<br> A quiet chamber kept for Thee.<br> My heart for very joy doth leap,<br> My lips no more can silence keep,<br> I too must sing, with joyful tongue,<br> That sweetest ancient cradle song,<br> Glory to God in highest heaven,<br> Who unto man His Son hath given<br> While angels sing with pious....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ah, Dearest Jesus'>Email this<a>Some Assembly Requiredhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house<br> I searched for the tools to hand to my spouse.<br> Instructions were studied and we were inspired,<br> In hopes we could manage "Some Assembly Required."<br> <br> The children were quiet, not asleep yet in bed,<br> While Dad and I faced the evening with dread:<br> A kitchen, two bikes, Barbie's Townhouse to boot!<br> And, thanks to G....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Some Assembly Required'>Email this<a>The Miracle Bridgehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPerhaps you have heard the story of the Miracle Bridge. (Chicken Soup for the Soul, No. 3) In l883 a creative engineer, John Roebling was inspired to build the Brooklyn Bridge. Experts told him to forget it. He convinced his son Washington, an up and coming engineer to build the bridge. They hired a crew and began to build their dream bridge. The project was only a few months old when there was a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Miracle Bridge'>Email this<a>Giving Credithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBob Hope once received an award and graciously gave full credit to his four writers for making it possible.<br> <br> The next to receive the award was Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. He stepped to the mike and with a grin, he announced, "I also want to thank my four writers - Mathew, Mark, Luke and John."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Giving Credit'>Email this<a>Honored for Servicehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxYou've probably never heard of Wilbert Williams. He's not famous or rich. Still, Williams received an honor normally reserved for the connected, powerful, and wealthy. On December 2, 2004, the city of Chicago designated a street as Wilbert Williams Way. The honor is in celebration of his upcoming retirement.<br> <br> What did someone as unknown as Williams do to deserve such a tribute? The questi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Honored for Service'>Email this<a>The Stonecutterhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOnce upon a time there was a stonecutter who lived in a bamboo hut. He was very skillful, but he had no money or power. His only possessions was a chisel and hammer. One day he was chiseling a huge stone and the king came to town. As he rode through town on his white horse, dressed in silk the people bowed in honor to him. The stonecutter thought, “I wish I had the power and glory of the kin....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Stonecutter'>Email this<a>Love May Bring Heartachehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"We become vulnerable when we love people and go out of our way to help them." That’s what the wealthy industrialist Charles Schwab <br> declared after going to court and winning a nuisance suit at age 70.<br> <br> Given permission by the judge to speak to the audience, he made the following statement: "I’d like to say here in a court of law, and <br> speaking as an old man, that nine-tenths of m....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Love May Bring Heartache'>Email this<a>Daily Encouragementhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLisa Marino has a personal fitness coach who gives her advice and encouragement. But she’s never seen him. As a participant in a program called, “Life Practice,” Lisa begins each day by sending a report of her diet, exercise, sleep, and stress to an Internet web site. Later she receives an e-mail response from her coach. She says that the daily reporting helps keep her honest and focused on her f....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Daily Encouragement'>Email this<a>Godly Advicehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA few years ago, a truck driver sitting in the cab of his truck about 180 miles east of Charlotte, North Carolina, threatened suicide. He was upset over the breakup of his marriage. For three hours, a crisis team communicated with him over CB radio, trying to talk him out of taking his life. But other motorists, overhearing the dialogue, also contacted him on their radios. While some were support....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Godly Advice'>Email this<a>Reading The Biblehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, Kathleen Norris recounts the story of a South Dakota rancher and his bride who received an expensive Bible as a wedding gift from his grandfather. They wrote a thank-you note and stowed the Bible away on a closet shelf.<br> <br> As time passed, the grandfather repeatedly asked the couple how they liked the Bible. The rancher was confused as to how to respo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Reading The Bible'>Email this<a>Choosing Sideshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAt a White House dinner, a churchman offered a benediction and closed with the pious affirmation: "The Lord is on our side."<br> <br> When President Lincoln did not respond to this sentiment, someone asked him, "Don't you believe, Mr. President, that the Lord is always on the side of the right?"<br> <br> "I am not concerned about that," was Lincoln's answer, "for we know that the Lord is always o....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Choosing Sides'>Email this<a>Isolated Americanshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to a recent study by the American Sociological Review, Americans are lonelier, more isolated than similar studies reported two decades ago. In 1985 the average American had three people in whom they could confide matters important to them. By 2004, that number had dropped to two, and 25 percent of those surveyed had no close confidants at all. The percentage of people who confide only i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Isolated Americans'>Email this<a>Finding Purposehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlmost one in three people wonder daily, "How can I find more meaning and purpose in my life?" Another 13 percent ask themselves this weekly and 10 percent do so yearly. Only 26 percent of those interviewed for a recent survey by Zogby International never wonder about this. - Source: Ed Stetzer, North American Mission Board, S.B.C.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Finding Purpose'>Email this<a>Staying Involvedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen parents are actively involved in positive activities with their children throughout a year, those children are 46 percent less likely to use drugs, 27 percent less likely to use alcohol, and 52 percent less likely to skip school. - Source: Girlpower.gov....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Staying Involved'>Email this<a>Making More, Giving Lesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to a George Barna survey in 2000, the more money a family makes, the less likely they are to tithe. Eight percent of people making under $20,000 actually tithe. That number goes down to 5 percent for those families making $20,000 to $39,999. The number drops again to 4 percent for those making $40,000 to $59,999. Then the number drops to 2 percent for those making $60,000 to $74,999, an....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Making More, Giving Less'>Email this<a>Don't Leave It On The Deskhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr.Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his freshman year, regardless of his or her major. <br> <br> Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Leave It On The Desk'>Email this<a>Pastor's Wifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to an informal survey of pastors and their wives, 63 percent of women and 44 percent of men believe the pastorate is a two-person job. In addition, 78 percent of men and 75 percent of women who participated in the survey said they believed the wife's participation in church work was crucial to the pastor being viewed as successful. - Source: A Handbook for Ministers' Wives by Dorothy Ke....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pastors Wife'>Email this<a>God, Our Fatherhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA young boy burst into the great throne chambers of a medieval king. The boy was skipping and singing as children do. He was completely oblivious to the regal sobriety of his surroundings. Suddenly, he was intercepted by an armored solider. <br> <br> "Have you no respect, lad?" hissed the soldier. "Don't you know that the man on the throne is your king?" <br> <br> The boy wriggled out of the sold....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God, Our Father'>Email this<a>Saved Friendhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAfter a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.<br> <br> In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few mom....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Saved Friend'>Email this<a>Wesley's Rule of Conducthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJohn Wesley wrote to his people called Methodist the following Rule of<br> Conduct:<br> <br> Do all the good you can,<br> By all the means you can,<br> In all the ways you can,<br> In all the places you can,<br> At all the times you can,<br> To all the people you can,<br> As long as ever you can.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Wesleys Rule of Conduct'>Email this<a>Elluding Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the cracke....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Elluding God'>Email this<a>Happy Traditional Marriageshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"Fifty-two percent of wives who don't work outside the home reported they were 'very happy' with their marriages, compared with 41 percent of wives in the workforce. The more traditional a marriage is, the sociologists found, the higher the percentage of happy wives." - Charlotte Allen, in a column for The Los Angeles Times....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Happy Traditional Marriages'>Email this<a>God is Lovehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxC.H. Spurgeon told the story of the preacher who was walking in the country side and stopped by a farm house for a drink of water. The old farmer who lived there went out to talk to the preacher. As they were talking the preacher noticed that the barn had a weather vane on it that was spinning around in the wind. On the weather vane the words "GOD IS LOVE" was engraved.<br> <br> The preacher sai....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God is Love'>Email this<a>Who Needs Our Service?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx”What is it to serve God and to do His will? Nothing else than to show mercy to our neighbor. For it is our neighbor who needs our service; God in heaven needs it not.”<br> <br> Martin Luther....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Who Needs Our Service?'>Email this<a>Loves Challengeshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx(Based on John 13:35)<br> <br> What joy to love the saints above<br> When I get home to glory.<br> To love below, the saints I know,<br> Well, that’s another story!....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Loves Challenges'>Email this<a>The Negative Verses The Positivehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy who was trying to raise some money by collecting old bottles, going door-to-door in his neighborhood. When he came to the home of a woman who was the "town grouch," the little boy asked, "Do you have any coke bottles?" "No," she replied with a scowl. Then he said, "Do you have any old whiskey bottles?" "Young man," the woman replied, "Do I look like the type of person who would have ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Negative Verses The Positive'>Email this<a>It Don't Add Uphttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPerhaps you have heard the story of the football coach who had two quarterbacks. The first team quarterback was gifted, aggressive, and a born leader. The second string quarterback was, let us say, limited. Oh, he was athletic enough but unfortunately, he lacked a mind for strategy. The championship game was in progress, the score was tied, the home team had the ball, and the clock was ticking do....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=It Dont Add Up'>Email this<a>Israel And The Red Seahttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCharles Swindol tells a funny story about a nine-year-old named Danny who came bursting out of Sunday school like a wild stallion. His eyes were darting in every direction as he tried to locate either mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he grabbed his Daddy by the leg and yelled, "Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!" His father looked down, smiled,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Israel And The Red Sea'>Email this<a>Living on the Edgehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was an man down in Florida who used to wrestle alligators for tourists. One time after one of his performances a lady noticed he wore a string of alligator teeth around his neck. She said, "Oh, that is sort of like wearing a string of pearls." He replied, "Not quite. Anyone can open an oyster."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Living on the Edge'>Email this<a>Acres of Diamondshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a story called, "Acres of Diamonds." It is about an African farmer who hears that some have made millions by discovering diamond mines. In his excitement, he sells his farm and uses the money to travel all across the continent of Africa in search of diamonds. But the former farmer never finds his fortune, and he dies as a poverty-stricken, heart-broken man. But it just so happens that th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Acres of Diamonds'>Email this<a>Gas Station Attendant VS Chief Executive Officerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThomas Wheeler, one time CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, tells on himself: He and his wife were driving along an interstate highway when he noticed that their car was low on gas. Wheeler got off the highway at the next exit and soon found a rundown gas station with just one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill the tank and check the oil; then went for a little wal....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gas Station Attendant VS Chief Executive Officer'>Email this<a>No Fear of Hellhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, William Rehnquist was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin. After law school, his first practice was in Phoenix, Arizona, and while he was there he heard this story about Arizona that pretty well sums up life there.<br> <br> In the very earliest days of the settlement of Arizona, the Archbishop of Los Angeles sent a missionary out to Phoenix to try to....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=No Fear of Hell'>Email this<a>Setting the Church Back 50 Yearshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDuring the Brezhnev era at the height of the Cold War, Billy Graham visited Russia and met with government and church leaders. Conservatives back home reproached him for treating the Russians with such courtesy and respect. He should have taken a more prophetic role, they said, by condemning the abuses of human rights and religious liberty. One of his critics accused him of setting the church bac....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Setting the Church Back 50 Years'>Email this<a>Buzzing Beeshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn Saint Louis an unemployed cleaning woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees that was taking up residence just above her ceiling.<br> <br> The whole attic became a hi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Buzzing Bees'>Email this<a>A Wise Old Birdhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a story about an old man who always had witty and wise answers for people who asked him anything. Once, a smart-aleck came to him with his hands covering something he was holding. He told the sage that he had a small, newly hatched bird in his hands. He challenged the old man to tell him whether the bird was alive or dead. He, of course, planned to prove the old man wrong, because if he ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Wise Old Bird'>Email this<a>They Did Not Heed the Warninghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDuring World War II the city of Palermo, Sicily, a military objective of the Allied Powers, was to be bombed by the American Air Force. To warn the Sicilians, telling them to flee, thousands of pamphlets were dropped on the city beforehand, but the citizens simply did not believe the warning. They listened, but they did not hear! When the American planes came and dropped their bombs, hundreds of ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=They Did Not Heed the Warning'>Email this<a>Our Value in God's Eyeshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of two hundred, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $20 bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Our Value in Gods Eyes'>Email this<a>Abundant Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story is told of an artist who sculpted a beautiful angel and wanted the master artist, Michelangelo, to inspect it and offer his opinion. So Michelangelo was called in. The master artist carefully looked at the sculpture from every angle. <br> <br> Finally, he said, "Well, it lacks only one thing." Then he turned around and walked out. <br> <br> The artist didn't know what it lacked, and he ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Abundant Life'>Email this<a>A.S.A.P.http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEver wonder about the abbreviation A.S.A.P.? Generally we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way.<br> <br> There's work to do, deadlines to meet;<br> You've got no time to spare,<br> But as you hurry and scurry-<br> ASAP - ALWAYS SAY ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A.S.A.P.'>Email this<a>Five Finger Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty." <br> <br> 2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the ri....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Five Finger Prayer'>Email this<a>A Strong Womanhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.<br> <br> A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows her courage in the midst of fear.<br> <br> A Strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.<br> <br> A strong woman walks sure....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Strong Woman'>Email this<a>Don't Take No for an Answerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA story came across the wires from the Reuters new service about a family of ducklings that fell down a sewer grate in Vancouver. Their mother did what any parent would do. She got help from a passing police officer. The mother duck grabbed the policeman by the pant leg while he was on foot patrol. The policeman shoved what he thought was just a goofy duck away, but she persisted, grabbing his le....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Take No for an Answer'>Email this<a>Nails In The Fencehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Nails In The Fence'>Email this<a>You Need Communityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his autobiography, Robert Brooke told of a trip he made from England to the United States, aboard the ship C. C. Cedric. When he arrived at the dock, he noticed that everyone had relatives standing there to send them off. In the midst of the embraces he felt terribly lonely. He thus called a young boy over and paid him a schilling to wave at him as the boat pulled out of the dock. And sure eno....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=You Need Community'>Email this<a>The Need For Communityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWe need a community around us. Years ago, when speaker of the house Sam Rayburn heard that he had terminal cancer, he shocked everyone when he announced that he was going back to his small town in Bonham, Texas.<br> Everyone said to him: They have got the finest facilities in Washington, D.C., why go back to that little town. Rayburn's words have been quoted so often that some of you have probabl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Need For Community'>Email this<a>Most Common Regretshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCornell University Researchers wanted to know what people most regret. After surveying university employees, students, retired professors, and nursing home residents, they found that twice as many people were bothered more by what they did not do rather than what they had done. Missed opportunities were the most common of all regrets. Most regrets were from those who were unwilling to take chance....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Most Common Regrets'>Email this<a>Under New Managementhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA certain Army man had been a heavy drinker for 35 years. For all those years he had been angry - - - angry at everyone and everything. Finally, he encountered Christ and his whole life changed.<br> <br> He was speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality change, how he was now sober as he once had been drunk; considerate as he once had been severe; concerned fo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Under New Management'>Email this<a>Too Blind To Seehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFor centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong.<br> <br> Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Too Blind To See'>Email this<a>Make No Comparisonhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA sparrow complained to Mother Nature, "You gave beautiful colors to the peacock and a lovely song to the nightingale, but I am plain and unnoticed. Why was I made to suffer?"<br> <br> "You were not made to suffer," stated Mother Nature. "You suffer because you make the same foolish mistake as human beings. You compare yourself with others. Be yourself, for in that there is no comparison and no ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Make No Comparison'>Email this<a>How Do You View Your Possessions?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHoward Hendricks writes, "My wife Jeanne and I once dined with a rich man from a blueblood Boston family, and I asked him, 'How in the world did you grow up in the midst of such wealth and not be consumed by materialism?'<br> <br> "His answer: 'My parents taught us that everything in our home was either an idol or a tool'. So how do you view your possessions?"....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How Do You View Your Possessions?'>Email this<a>Making a Differencehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a little story that comes from a book called the Star Fisher.<br> Picture if you will an early morning along a California beach. An elderly man is walking along the edge of the water and stops occasionally, picks up something, and then tosses it into the ocean. He then walks a few steps more, picks up something, and tosses it into the ocean. A young jogger is running along and has been w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Making a Difference'>Email this<a>The Fellowship of the Unashamedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWe are the fellowship of the unashamed.<br> We have Holy Spirit power.<br> The die has been cast.<br> We have stepped over the line.<br> The decision has been made.<br> We are disciples of Jesus.<br> We won't look back, let up, slow down or back away.<br> Our past is redeemed,<br> Our present makes sense, Our future secure.<br> We are finished & done with low living, sight-walking, small planning....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Fellowship of the Unashamed'>Email this<a>Be Ready For You Know Not When...http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhile on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the isla....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Be Ready For You Know Not When...'>Email this<a>Forgiveness Is Not...http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxForgiveness is to release, to let go, relinquish, get rid of sin—ours and those we’ve been victimized by. Dr. Lewis Smedes, wrote about what forgiveness is not.<br> <br> · When you forgive a person, this does not mean you are immediately healed.<br> · When you forgive a person, this does not mean you are going to be buddy/buddy.<br> · When we forgive a person, this does not mean we surrender the ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Forgiveness Is Not...'>Email this<a>Make Him Thirstyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty." So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Make Him Thirsty'>Email this<a>Live What You Believehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe importance of really living the Christian life is illustrated in the life of the famous author Mark Twain. Church leaders were largely to blame for his becoming hostile to the Bible and the Christian faith. As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons who owned slaves and abused them. He heard men using foul language and saw them practice dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in chur....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Live What You Believe'>Email this<a>Honesty In Businesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. <br> <br> The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, your Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." <br> <br> T....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Honesty In Business'>Email this<a>If You Understand This Message...http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBack when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story, perhaps just a legend, about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist's counter instruc....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=If You Understand This Message...'>Email this<a>Fear Of The Futurehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the comic strip BC, a cave man stood before a rock labeled "Exchanges." He complained to the person in charge of exchanges, "My calendar watch won't budge." The other man replied, "I don't wonder. I'm not too choked up about moving into the next year myself."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Fear Of The Future'>Email this<a>Past, Present and Futurehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his painting "An Allegory of Prudence," the 16th-century Venetian artist Titian portrayed Prudence as a man with three heads. One head was of a youth facing the future, another of a mature man eyeing the present, and the third, a wise old man gazing at the past. Over their heads Titian wrote a Latin phrase that means, "From the example of the past, the man of the present acts prudently so as n....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Past, Present and Future'>Email this<a>Which Do You Feed?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn Eskimo fisherman came to town every Saturday afternoon. He always brought his two dogs with him. One was white and the other was black. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square the people would gather and these two dogs would fight and the fisherman would take bets. On one Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win—but....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Which Do You Feed?'>Email this<a>Air Defense Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the skies<br> Air defenses were up, with electronic eyes.<br> Combat pilots were nestled in ready-room beds<br> As enemy silhouettes danced in their heads.<br> <br> Every jet on the apron, each SAM in its tube<br> Was triply-redundant linked to the Blue Cube,<br> And ElInt and AWACS gave coverage so dense<br> That nothing that flew could slip thro....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Air Defense Christmas'>Email this<a>Have Yourself a Microsoft Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, except Papa's mouse. The computer was humming, the icons were hopping, as Papa did last-minute Internet shopping. The stockings were hung by the modem with care in hopes that St. Nicholas would bring new software. <br> <br> The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of computer games dan....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Have Yourself a Microsoft Christmas'>Email this<a>Outrageous Passengerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating. <br> <br> "What seems to be the problem Madam?" asked the attendant. <br> <br> "Can't you see?" she said, " You've sat me next to a kafir. I can't possibly sit next to this disgusting human. Find me a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Outrageous Passenger'>Email this<a>Who Started Christmas?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids. <br> <br> She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year---overwhe....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Who Started Christmas?'>Email this<a>Parting with Traditionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBayer Corporation has stopped putting the cotton wads in their Genuine Bayer bottles. The company realized the aspirin would hold up fine without the maddening white clumps, which it had included since about 1914.<br> <br> "We concluded there really wasn't any reason to keep the cotton except tradition," said Chris Allen, Bayer's vice president of technical operations. "Besides, it's hard to get ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Parting with Tradition'>Email this<a>Baseball Card with Jesus Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a baseball card that is called "Future Stars" and is valued at $100.<br> <br> There are three players on this card. The first is Jeff Schneider. Schneider played 1 year of professional baseball, pitched in 11 games, and gave up 13 earned runs in those 11 games.<br> <br> The second player is Bobby Bonner, who played 4 years of baseball but only appeared in 61 games, with 8 runs batted in,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Baseball Card with Jesus Christ'>Email this<a>House Callhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHe was a good man but a bit stingy. He would bargain and haggle on a price, never paying the price asked. He especially hated paying his medical fees. <br> <br> One day, while eating fish, a bone became lodged in his throat and within minutes he could scarcely breathe. His wife frantically called the family doctor, who arrived just as the patient's face was turning blue. The physician quickly r....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=House Call'>Email this<a>What Did He Just Say?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn promulgating your esoteric cogitations, or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable, philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity. Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a compact comprehensibility, coalescent consistency, and a concatenated cogency. Eschew all conglomerations of flatulent garrulity, jejune....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Did He Just Say?'>Email this<a>The Maphttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. <br> <br> Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our wh....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Map'>Email this<a>Ready for Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx“Ready for Christmas,” she said with a sigh<br> As she gave a last touch to the gifts piled high.<br> Then wearily sat for a moment and read<br> Till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.<br> Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream,<br> “Ready for Christmas, what do you mean?<br> Ready for Christmas when only last week<br> You didn’t acknowledge your friend on the street?<br> Ready for Chris....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ready for Christmas'>Email this<a>Modest Dresshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOh Doctor!" said the young lady prior to her surgery, "Will the scar show? " <br> <br> "Not in church, madam," replied the doctor, "but anywhere else, it's entirely up to you......"....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Modest Dress'>Email this<a>If God Was Process Orientedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf God was process oriented, the Book of Genesis might read something like this: <br> <br> In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, so God created a small committee. He carefully balanced the committee vis-a-vis race, gender, ethnic origin, and economic status in order to interface pluralism with the holistic concept of self-determination accor....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=If God Was Process Oriented'>Email this<a>Jake's Unanswered Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence. <br> The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled, gray and dense. <br> As he pounded the last staples in and gathered tools to go,<br> The temperature had fallen and the snow began to blow. <br> <br> When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart, <br> From the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start. <br> So Jake ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Jakes Unanswered Prayer'>Email this<a>God's Boxeshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI have in my hands two boxes, <br> Which God gave me to hold. <br> He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box, <br> And all your joys in the gold." <br> <br> I heeded His words, and in the two boxes, <br> Both my joys and sorrows I stored, <br> But though the gold became heavier each day, <br> The black was as light as before. <br> <br> With curiosity, I opened the black, <br> I wanted to fi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Boxes'>Email this<a>Guilty No Doubt About Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA defendant was on trial for murder in Oklahoma. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all," the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Guilty No Doubt About It'>Email this<a>Adultery = Painhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to Dr. Lana Staneli, author of a book on marital triangles, “Of those who break up their marriage to marry someone else, eighty percent are sorry later. Of those who do marry their lover, which is only about ten percent, about seventy percent of them get a divorce. Of that twenty-five to thirty percent that stay married, only half of them are happy. Having an affair is an invitation to ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Adultery = Pain'>Email this<a>Always Inhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxNames like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods roll from the lips of those who talk about golf’s premier event, the Masters. One name that will probably never surface in a conversation about golfing legends is Doug Ford. Few people would have any idea that Ford won the 1957 Masters. He never won another green jacket and he hasn’t made the cut since 1971 (four years before Tiger Woods wa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Always In'>Email this<a>How Do You Translate the Bible?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFour ministers were discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases.<br> <br> Eventually each stated which version, in his opinion, was the best.<br> <br> The first minister said he used the King James because the Old English style is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures.<br> <br> The second said he preferred the New American Standard ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How Do You Translate the Bible?'>Email this<a>Learning From Failurehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFailure is not always such a bad thing. We learn from our mistakes. Failure can indeed teach success. <br> <br> Successful people know how to handle failure. Many failed initially only to succeed later. Albert Einstein failed at math before he discovered the theory of relativity. Isaac Newton had to have an apple fall on his head before discovering the theory of gravity. Michael Jordan failed to ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Learning From Failure'>Email this<a>Serving God or Money?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA recent poll shows a direct correlation between income and faith. Nearly 80% of Americans surveyed earning less than $30,000 a year believe faith in God is "very important" to their lives. Only half (54%) of those making more than $150,000 have the same response. (source: The New York TImes)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Serving God or Money?'>Email this<a>Communications Skillshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty, He said...no. <br> <br> She asked him if he would want to be with her forever.... and he said no. <br> <br> She then asked him if she were to leave would he cry, and once again he replied with a no. <br> <br> She had heard enough. As she walked away, tears streaming down her face the boy grabbed her arm and said.... <br> <br> You're not pretty yo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Communications Skills'>Email this<a>Educational Valueshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThis teacher went into her classroom about fifteen minutes before the class was supposed to begin and caught a bunch of boys in a huddle on their knees in the corner of the room. She demanded of them what they were doing, and one of them hollered back, "We are shooting craps." <br> <br> She said, "That's all right. I was afraid you were praying."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Educational Values'>Email this<a>Americans Reject Moral Absoluteshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMost Americans Reject Moral Absolutes, Biblical Worldview, Barna Poll Shows <br> <br> Barely a third of all Americans believe in absolute standards of right and wrong, and far fewer hold to a biblical worldview, a new poll says. The poll by The Barna Group, a Christian research organization, shows that only 35 percent of Americans believe in absolute standards of morality -- that is, believe tha....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Americans Reject Moral Absolutes'>Email this<a>Handling Failurehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSuccessful people know how to handle failure. Many failed initially only to succeed later. Albert Einstein failed at math before he discovered the theory of relativity. Isaac Newton had to have an apple fall on his head before discovering the theory of gravity. Michael Jordan failed to make his high-school basketball team before making the NBA.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Handling Failure'>Email this<a>Before and After Childrenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBEFORE Children: I was thankful for the opportunity to vacation in exotic foreign countries so I could experience a different way of life in a new culture.<br> AFTER Children: I am thankful to have time to make it all the way down the driveway to get the mail.<br> <br> BEFORE Children: I was thankful for the Moosewood Vegetarian cookbook.<br> AFTER Children: I am thankful for the butterball turke....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Before and After Children'>Email this<a>All Aboradhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBilly Graham said: “Many people argue, "I do believe in Christ. I believe in the Church, and I believe in the Bible. Isn't that enough? No! You must RECEIVE Christ. I may go to the airport. I have a reservation. I have a ticket in my pocket. The plane is one the ramp. It is a big, powerful plane. I am certain that it will take me to my destination. They call the flight three times. I neglect to g....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=All Aborad'>Email this<a>I Am the Doorhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGeorge Adam Smith, the 19th Century biblical scholar tells of traveling one day in the holy land and coming across a shepherd and his sheep. He fell into conversation with him and the man showed him the fold into which the sheep were led at night. It consisted of four walls, with a way in. Smith asked him, “This is where they go at night?” “Yes,” said the shepherd, “and when they are in there, th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Am the Door'>Email this<a>Everyone Loves A Paradehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt was October 29, 1896 when Charles Lindbergh was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of his solo flight of the Atlantic Ocean. 750,000 lbs. of ticker tape poured onto the streets. <br> <br> But the biggest ticker-tape parade was on March 1, 1962, for astronaut John Glenn after he became the first American to orbit the earth in a spacecraft. The sanitation department cleaned up ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Everyone Loves A Parade'>Email this<a>Too Importanthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Mercedes-Benz TV commercial shows one of their cars colliding with a concrete wall during a safety test. Someone then asks a Mercedes engineer why their company does not enforce their patent on their car’s energy-absorbing car body. The Mercedes’ design has been copied by almost every other car maker in the world in spite of the fact that they have an exclusive patent. The engineer replies in a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Too Important'>Email this<a>Gift Wallethttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA lawyer had successfully handled a difficult law case for a wealthy friend. Following the happy outcome of the case, the friend and client called on the lawyer, expressed his appreciation of his work and handed him a handsome Moroccan leather wallet. <br> <br> The lawyer looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possible compensate hi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gift Wallet'>Email this<a>Why?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn February 15, 1947, Glenn Chambers was headed for Quito, Ecuador to begin his ministry in missionary broadcasting. Before departing, he wanted to write his mother a letter. But all he could find for stationery was a piece of advertising on which was written the single word "Why?" He scribbled a note around it and sent it off. He boarded his plane, but it tragically crashed before reaching its d....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Why?'>Email this<a>Commitment To Givehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEric Hulstrand writes in Leadership magazine: "While I was preaching one Sunday, an elderly woman, Mary, fainted and struck her head on the end of the pew. Immediately, an EMT in the congregation called an ambulance. <br> <br> As they strapped her to a stretcher and got ready to head out the door, Mary regained consciousness. She motioned for her daughter to come near. Everyone thought she was su....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Commitment To Give'>Email this<a>Ready Like Thishttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxYears ago, when 20th Century Fox advertised in the New York papers to fill a vacancy in its sales force, one applicant replied:<br> <br> "I am at present selling furniture at the address below. You may judge my ability as a saleman if you will stop in to see me at anytime, pretending that you are interested in buying furniture. When you come in, you can identify me by my red hair. And I will have....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ready Like This'>Email this<a>Marriage and Divorcehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"Marriage and Divorce magazine discovered that one out of every three marriages ends in divorce, but when the couple is married in a church ceremony, and they attend church regularly, and they pray and read the Bible together, then the chances for divorce drop to one out of 1,105." - Rick Warren....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Marriage and Divorce'>Email this<a>Carrot, Egg And Coffee Beanshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Carrot, Egg And Coffee Beans'>Email this<a>This Is Not A Watchhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeveral decades back an inventor had a daring vision for a better kind of watch. After working on his idea for some time and building a prototype, he decided to go to Switzerland, the world capital of watchmaking, to seek backing for the manufacture of his new design. When the renowned Swiss watchmakers examined his invention, they said, "This is not a watch. It doesn't have hands to tell time. I....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=This Is Not A Watch'>Email this<a>Change of Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFormer president Jimmy Carter tells a wonderful story about a change he made in his life that enhanced his marriage. Here is the story as he tells it:<br> <br> "Perhaps because of my Navy training, punctuality has been almost an obsession. Rosalynn has always been adequately punctual, except by my standards. A deviation of five minutes or less in our departure time would cause a bitter exchange.<....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Change of Life'>Email this<a>Your Last Dayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt's a classic Peanuts cartoon. Charlie Brown says to Lucy, "Someone has said that we should live each day as if it were the last day of our life." "Aaugh!" cries Lucy. "This is the last day! This is it!"<br> She dashes away screaming, "I only have 24 hours left! Help me! Help me! This is the last day! Aaugh!"<br> "Some philosophies," says Charlie Brown, "aren't for all people."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Your Last Day'>Email this<a>Word of Mouth Evangelismhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEveryone knows that the best form of advertising ever invented and the one that is still most successful is word-of-mouth — people telling other people. About forty years ago there used to be an automobile named the Packard. Packard was the last car manufacturer to get into advertising. It didn’t happen until old man Packard died, because whenever he was approached to buy some advertising for his....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Word of Mouth Evangelism'>Email this<a>Turning Toward The Lighthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy named Bobby entered his first science fair in second grade. Because his Mom has a green thumb, they decided to experiment with the growth of plants. He took two small green plants and placed one on a sunny windowsill and the other in a cardboard box. After a couple of weeks, Bobby checked on the two plants. The one on the windowsill had grown a couple of inches and had vibrant green ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Turning Toward The Light'>Email this<a>Bridge Building Belongs to You and Mehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere were two unmarried sisters who had such a bitter fight that they stopped speaking to each other. Unable or unwilling to leave their small home, they continued to use the same rooms and sleep in the same bedroom. A chalk line divided the sleeping area into two halves. The chalk divided rooms so that both sisters could come and go and get her own meals without trespassing on their sister's sp....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bridge Building Belongs to You and Me'>Email this<a>Apathy Replaces Religion In Britainhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBaptist Press <br> <br> A recent poll indicates a striking decrease in the number of people in Britain who believe in God. In 1968, a Gallup poll found that 77 percent of people said they believe in God, but that number has fallen to just 44 percent today, according to the Telegraph in London. Britons also believe their nation is becoming a more secular country, though many wish it wasn't so: 81....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Apathy Replaces Religion In Britain'>Email this<a>The Pupose Of The Lighthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<br> "There is an old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. Once a month he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, though, a woman from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Pupose Of The Light'>Email this<a>The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxNoah was a drunk<br> Abraham was too old<br> Isaac was a daydreamer<br> Jacob was a liar<br> Leah was ugly<br> Joseph was abused<br> Moses had a stuttering problem<br> Gideon was afraid<br> Samson had long hair and was a womanizer<br> Rahab was a prostitute<br> Jeremiah and Timothy were too young<br> David had an affair and was a murderer<br> Elijah was suicidal<br> Isaiah preached naked<br> Jona....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The next time you feel like GOD cant use you, just remember...'>Email this<a>Regret Winning Lotteryhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"The wife of the lottery winner who took home the richest undivided jackpot in U.S. history says she regrets his purchase of the $314.9 million ticket that has thrust her family into the public spotlight.<br> <br> 'I wish all of this never would have happened,' Jewel Whittaker told The Charleston Gazette. 'I wish I would have torn the ticket up.'" - The Charleston Gazette, Dec. 14, 2004....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Regret Winning Lottery'>Email this<a>Jesus and Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIs Jesus featured on television at Christmastime? According to a National Religious Broadcasters analysis of 48,000 hours of programming during December 2002, 90% of programming did not have a significant spiritual theme. Some 7% had a religious or spiritual theme but did not refer to Jesus. Jesus was the focus of only 3% of Christmas programming. - Enrichment (Winter 2004)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Jesus and Christmas'>Email this<a>Living Among The Peoplehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSoren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian told this story: <br> <br> A prince who wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Living Among The People'>Email this<a>The Maker Of Allhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPhilip Yancey in his book Disappointment with God wrote this:<br> "Imagine for a moment becoming a baby again: giving up language and muscle coordination, and the ability to eat solid food and control your bladder. God as a fetus! Or imagine yourself becoming a sea slug – that analogy is probably closer. On that day in Bethlehem, the Maker of All that is took form as helpless, dependent newborn.”....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Maker Of All'>Email this<a>Christmas Surveyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhat do people believe about the birth of Christ? A few days ago Newsweek Magazine conducted a poll asking some questions about Christ and His birth.* Here are some of the results:<br> <br> 67% - believe that the entire story of Christmas is historically accurate<br> 24% - believe the story of Christmas is a theological invention<br> <br> If Jesus had never born, people believed there would be:<b....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Survey'>Email this<a>Christmas Celebrations Turn Uglyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChristmas 2003 brought several instances of pieces on earth and bad will toward men.<br> <br> In San Rafael, California, two men exchanged gifts and were offended by what the other gave. In the resulting fight, each man hit the other over the head with a flowerpot. Both were hospitalized.<br> <br> Twenty-year-old Brandi Nicole Nason was also less than pleased with the gift she received. When her ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Celebrations Turn Ugly'>Email this<a>Some Assembly Requiredhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI imagine that every parent’s nightmare on Christmas Eve is a certain box with those three scary words printed on top: Some Assembly Required.<br> <br> Don Shelby tells the story about the father who had ordered a tree house for his children for Christmas one year. The time came to assemble the tree house. He laid out all the parts on the floor and began reading the instructions. To his dismay, h....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Some Assembly Required'>Email this<a>Christian Hope Had Changed His Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome years ago a military airplane crashed at Sonderstrom Air Force Base in Greenland. Twenty-two people were killed. The runway and the nearby fields were strewn with bodies. It was a tragic and horrible moment. There was only one chaplain on the base at the time… and the entire burden was laid on him to bring comfort and the Word of Christ to a shocked community staggered by the horrendous acci....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christian Hope Had Changed His Life'>Email this<a>Knowing Christhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLinda Ellerbee, a noted television journalist, wrote an article for McCall's Magazine a few years back. The article was titled "The Five Best Things I Know" . . . The following are the five best things she knew:<br> <br> 1. Do what you believe is right.<br> 2. In this world, a good time to laugh is any time you can.<br> 3. Always set a place in life for the unexpected guest.<br> 4. If you don't w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Knowing Christ'>Email this<a>God Is Interested Your My Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJim Moore is senior minister of St. Luke's in Houston, Texas. At a breakfast with a friend, who is now a sales representative for a large national company, the friend told Dr. Moore about a recent exchange with his new sales manager.<br> <br> It seems Moore's friend was driving his new boss around town when they happened to pass near the friend's home. This friend asked the new sales manager if h....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Is Interested Your My Life'>Email this<a>Christmas 1914http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe war in Europe was only four months old, yet it had already reached a savagery unknown until that time. After the initial success of the German army, the war became a desperate trench struggle with a very high casualty count. The promise of early success seemed like a far away dream. The snow and the cold of 1914 made things even worse, but as the darkness fell on Christmas Eve something ha....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas 1914'>Email this<a>Spiritual Changehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlthough most adults (62%) consider themselves to be “deeply spiritual,” nearly half of the public (46%) is satisfied enough with their spiritual condition that they have no aspects of their spirituality that they would like to change. The proportion of adults with no specific changes in mind ranged from two-thirds of atheists and agnostics (67%) and six out of ten adherents of non-Christian fait....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Spiritual Change'>Email this<a>Spiritual Satisfactionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEight out of every nine adults (87%) is able to identify an activity that they say brings them the greatest degree of spiritual satisfaction or fulfillment. No particular activity or effort was named by more than one out of every four individuals as providing such satisfaction. The most common effort was attending church services and events, which 23% named as the most fulfilling spiritual activi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Spiritual Satisfaction'>Email this<a>Disabled Surfer Stays Joyful Amidst Adversityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBethany Hamilton, once ranked as the best amateur teen surfer in Hawaii, lost an arm to a tiger shark in October 2003. Both her compassion and competitiveness, however, have reached a new level.<br> <br> Soon after the attack she began to raise money to restore a man's eyesight. While visiting New York City, she gave her ski coat to homeless girl. When asked about the gift, she said she had more ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Disabled Surfer Stays Joyful Amidst Adversity'>Email this<a>Living In Sinhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWith tongue in cheek, Mark Twain spoke of the two-faced life we all live: I am constructed like everybody else and enjoy a compliment as well as any other fool, but I do like to have the other side presented. And there is another side. I have a wicked side. Estimable friends who know all about it would tell you and take a certain delight in telling you things that I have done and things further t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Living In Sin'>Email this<a>Missing the Pointhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne New Year's Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was the float represented an oil company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas (C. Neil Strait, Minister’s Manuel, 1994, 315).....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Missing the Point'>Email this<a>What Prayer Can Dohttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe great preacher and pastor of Chicago's famous Moody Church, A.C. Dixon declared, "When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on. Nor am I disposed to undervalue any of these things in their proper place, but when we rely upon prayer, we get what Go....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Prayer Can Do'>Email this<a>Tie in to the destruction of the Templehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the Hobbit by JRR Tolkein Bilbo Baggins has met Gollum for the first time. Bilbo is lost and needs to find his way out of Gollum's cave. Gollum will show him the way out if he can answer a riddle.<br> <br> This thing all things devours,<br> Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;<br> Gnaws iron, bites steel;<br> Grinds hard stone to meal;<br> Slays king, ruins town,<br> And beats high mountain down.<br....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Tie in to the destruction of the Temple'>Email this<a>Sand And Stonehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTwo friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE." They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. T he one who had been slapped got stu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sand And Stone'>Email this<a>Kicking Backhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxhe mother of four young boys often had difficulty curbing their energy, especially in church. But when her minister preached on "turning the other cheek," the boys gave him their undivided attention. “No matter what others do to us,” he said, “we should never try to ‘get even.'”<br> <br> That afternoon the youngest boy came into the house crying. Between sobs he said he'd kicked one of his broth....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Kicking Back'>Email this<a>An Act Of Faithhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"At last I understood: in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God's hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy. <br> SOURCE: Yancey, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" p.93....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=An Act Of Faith'>Email this<a>A Necessary Attitudehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA few years ago Dr. Nick Stinnett of the University of Nebraska conducted a group of studies called the "Family Strengths Research Project" <br> <br> Stinnett and his researchers identified six qualities that make for strong families. The first quality and one of the most important to be found in strong families was the quality of appreciation. Families that are strong are strong in part, Dr. Sti....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Necessary Attitude'>Email this<a>On To Of The Fence Posthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful, and begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=On To Of The Fence Post'>Email this<a>Thankful To Whomhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHarriet Martineau was an atheist. One morning she & a Christian friend stepped out into the glories of a beautiful fall morning. As Harriet saw the brilliant sun peaking through the haze, & the frost on the meadow, & the brightly colored leaves making their way lazily to the ground, she was filled with the beauty & burst forth with "I am so thankful. I'm just so grateful for it all." And her beli....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Thankful To Whom'>Email this<a>The Meaning Of Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPerhaps in the end it is the poet who comes closer to the real meaning of life than any of us could. Wrote poet Courtland Sayers:<br> <br> 5,000 breathless dawns all new; 5,000 flowers fresh in dew. 5,000 sunsets wrapped in gold; 1 million snowflakes served ice cold. 5 quiet friends, 1 baby's love; 1 white sea with clouds above. 1 June night in a fragrant wood, 1 heart that loved and understood. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Meaning Of Life'>Email this<a>Thanksgivinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI recall, as a little barefoot boy with a cowlick of snow-white hair on my forehead, standing erect in my classroom and repeating the "Pledge of Allegiance" one Thanksgiving season. Our nation was at war and times were hard. My teacher had lost her husband on the blood washed shores of Normandy. As we later bowed our heads for prayer she wept aloud. I did too. All the class joined in. She stumble....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Thanksgiving'>Email this<a>Taking Our Blessings for Grantedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA story is told of Abraham Lincoln. One day the President summoned to the White House a surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland from the state of Ohio. The major assumed that he was to be commended for some exceptional work. During the conversation Mr. Lincoln asked the major about his widowed mother. She is doing fine, he responded. How do you know asked Lincoln. You haven't written her. But she h....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Taking Our Blessings for Granted'>Email this<a>The Source of Thanksgivinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI will remind you of that wonderful Children's holiday classic "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." It was released a few years ago as a movie staring Jim Carrey. You'll recall in the story how the Grinch enters all the homes by way of their chimneys disguised as Santa Clause. He takes all the presents and ornaments, the trees and stockings, and even their food down to the last morsel. He drags his ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Source of Thanksgiving'>Email this<a>Seven Things To Be Thankful Forhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx* for automatic dishwashers. They make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family come in for their after-dinner snacks.<br> * for husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house. They usually make them big enough to call in professionals.<br> * for the bathtub -- the one place the family allows Mom some time to herself.<br> * for children who put away their things and clean u....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Seven Things To Be Thankful For'>Email this<a>Better Not Bitterhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf we are not thankful then we can become bitter. If we are not thankful, then it becomes too easy to sit around and ponder the question: why me?<br> <br> Dr. Jim Moore, pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in Houston wrote a book entitled "You Can Grow Bitter or You Can Grow Better". He writes that he got the idea for the title from a young woman who once came to him in a most tragic moment in her life. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Better Not Bitter'>Email this<a>With Heart and Hand and Voiceshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMartin Rinkert was a minister in the little town of Eilenburg in Germany some 350 years ago. He was the son of a poor coppersmith, but somehow, he managed to work his way through an education. Finally, in the year 1617, he was offered the post of Archdeacon in his hometown parish. A year later, what has come to be known as the Thirty-Years-War broke out. His town was caught right in the middle. I....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=With Heart and Hand and Voices'>Email this<a>Plunging To Murky Earthhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA family was out vacationing at the lake one summer. Dad had been puttering out by the boat house. Two of his sons, a 12-year old and a 3-year old were down playing along the dock. The 12 year old was supposed to be watching his little brother, but he got distracted. The 3 year old, little Billy, thought that would be a good time to check out the shiny aluminum fishing boat tied up at the end of ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Plunging To Murky Earth'>Email this<a>The Captiol Declarationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Dome of the Capitol in Washington D.C. has this inscription: "One God, one law, one element; And one far off, divine event to which the whole creation moves."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Captiol Declaration'>Email this<a>Here Comes The Star!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBill Keane's comic strip, Family Circus, has communicated a beautiful truth about Christmas. As the children were setting up their nativity set, little Dolly held up the baby Jesus and declared, “Here's the star of Bethlehem!” <br> <br> SOURCE: Houston Chronicle, Family Circus, Dec. 23 1988.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Here Comes The Star!'>Email this<a>Becoming The Besthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSomeone once asked Wayne Gretsky, the great hockey player, how he managed to become the best goal-scorer in the history of the game. He simply replied, "While everyone else is chasing the puck, I go where the puck is going to be."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Becoming The Best'>Email this<a>Every Day is a Special Occasionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAnn Wells related a story from her life to the well-known Rev. Leonard Sweet. She said, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.<br> <br> ‘This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie."<br> <br> He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite: silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Every Day is a Special Occasion'>Email this<a>Taking Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGod asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.<br> <br> Henry Ward Beecher....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Taking Life'>Email this<a>Keeping Hope Alivehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAt the university there was a piano teacher that was simply and affectionately known as "Herman." One night at a university concert, a distinguished piano player suddenly became ill while performing an extremely difficult piece. No sooner had the artist retired from the stage when Herman rose from his seat in the audience, walked on stage, sat down at the piano and with great mastery completed th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Keeping Hope Alive'>Email this<a>A Christian Way to Fight?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen tempers flare and a fight breaks out during a baseball game, it is a tradition that players and coaches rally to support their teammates. So what do you do if you are a Christian ballplayer?<br> <br> One Christian who played for the Seattle Mariners some years ago explained how he dealt with such bench-clearing brawls. When his intuition indicated a fight was imminent, he would scan the oppo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Christian Way to Fight?'>Email this<a>A Christian Way to Fight?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMost of us could identify with Neil Melly's frustration. Air travel often involves delays, denials, and desperate circumstances. Melly was in Los Angeles International Airport, attempting to get to Australia. Problems developed when Melly was unable to purchase a ticket because he lacked a valid credit card.<br> <br> Most of us might slink away in embarrassment. A flight from LAX to the other sid....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Christian Way to Fight?'>Email this<a>Origin of Thanksgivinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFor Christians, Thanksgiving means more than just turkey and football. Most of us have a vague notion that this holiday began when the Pilgrims invited their Indian neighbors to dinner to thank God for his provisions. But there really is much more to the story.<br> <br> The Atlantic crossing in the fall of 1620 had been an extremely difficult journey for the Pilgrims. For two months, 102 people w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Origin of Thanksgiving'>Email this<a>Thought Provoking Storyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe university professor challenged his students with this question: <br> <br> Did God create everything that exists? <br> <br> A student bravely replied, "Yes, God did!"<br> <br> "God created everything?" the professor asked.<br> <br> "Yes, sir," the student replied.<br> <br> The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the princip....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Thought Provoking Story'>Email this<a>Tithing Christians Would Meet Global Needhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA husband and wife team of researchers, the founders of Empty Tomb, Inc., in Champaign, Illinois, have tracked American and American Christian expenditures as well as global needs. John and Sylvia Ronsvalle have estimated that $70-$80 billion a year could meet the most essential human needs around the world. "Projects for clean water and sanitation, prenatal and infant/maternal care, basic educat....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Tithing Christians Would Meet Global Need'>Email this<a>Hurricanes Show the Natural Hand of Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe onslaught of hurricanes, marching one after the other in the fall of 2004 prompted many people to think more about God. It is safe to say that there were countless prayers for God to temper the might of the storms. Others realized they were seeing the power of God through nature. Kevin Harless, 32, who was sightseeing in Panama City Beach, Florida, was more of a theologian than he may have re....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Hurricanes Show the Natural Hand of God'>Email this<a>I Just Stopped To Helphttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little girl who was late coming home for supper. Her mother made the expected irate parent's demand to know where she had been. <br> The little girl replied that she had stopped to help Janie, whose bicycle was broken in a fall. <br> "But you don't know anything about fixing bicycles," her mother responded. <br> "I know that," the girl said. "I just stopped to help her cry."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Just Stopped To Help'>Email this<a>Humbling Experiencehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFormer Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan tells the story of being on Air Force One. He was in the back compartment of the jet while President Reagan was in the front of the compartment. The phone rang in the back compartment and the voice said, "Mr. Donovan, the president would like for you to join him for lunch." Secretary Donovan straightened his tie and thought to himself how important he was....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Humbling Experience'>Email this<a>Tell Them Who You Arehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Tell Them Who You Are'>Email this<a>Gambling Addictionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSlot machines are most addictive form of gambling<br> by BP Staff <br> <br> <br> NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Slot machines have become the most addictive form of gambling both in the way state governments have latched on to them to generate tax revenue and in the way gamblers can't get enough of them.<br> <br> State and local governments gained about $6 billion from taxing casino gambling last year, a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gambling Addiction'>Email this<a>Power Over Ushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen we hate our enemies we give them power over us - power over our sleep, our appetites, our happiness. They would dance with joy if they knew how much they were worrying us. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but it is turning our days & our nights into hellish turmoil.<br> <br> Dale Carnegie....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Power Over Us'>Email this<a>The Best Treatment for Mental Healthhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDr. Karl Menninger, the famous American psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health & was answering questions from the audience. One man asked, "What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Everyone there expected him to answer, "Consult a psychiatrist." To their astonishment he replied: Leave your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Best Treatment for Mental Health'>Email this<a>The Transformation of a Hideous Beetlehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne afternoon, a man, lying in a canoe close to shore, saw many beetles in the muddy bottom of the lake. He felt sorry for these lowly creatures which would never know any other world except gloom and mud and water. Then a big, black beetle came out of the water. He crawled up on the gunwale and sat there blinking at him. Under the heat of the sun the beetle died. Then a strange thing happened. H....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Transformation of a Hideous Beetle'>Email this<a>Watching Life Pass Byhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy was asked what his father did by an older man. The boy answered, "He watches." "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh no", the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?" "I don't know if I can tell you everything, but I can name a few things." "Well, tell me," the curious man replied.<br> <br> "He watches TV, he watches Mom do the housework, he watches for t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Watching Life Pass By'>Email this<a>No Black Dotshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen Benjamin Franklin was 27 years old, he decided he would take control of his life. He selected 12 virtues he wanted to acquire, and kept a daily chart of his progress in the development of each one. Whenever he missed the mark, he put a black dot beside that virtue. His goal was to ultimately have no dots on the chart. This method contributed to Franklin's success as an inventor, publisher, a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=No Black Dots'>Email this<a>How is John Quincy Adams?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?" The former president replied graciously, "Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How is John Quincy Adams?'>Email this<a>The People With Roseshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJohn Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. <br> His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The People With Roses'>Email this<a>Prayer Changed Flight Patternshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI remember the first time my older son Jim and I worked as counselors with the Billy Graham Crusade. It was at Shea Stadium in New York. The airplanes from La Guardia Airport flew over the stadium, dozens by the hour.<br> <br> On the opening night of training, the Reverend Billy Graham started talking with us from the podium as the engines roared overhead. He paused, glanced up and quietly said, ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Prayer Changed Flight Patterns'>Email this<a>Blessing In Disguisehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe royal advisor to a great king was famous for finding<br> the positive side of everything.<br> One day the king fell from his<br> horse, injuring his foot so badly<br> that it grew infected and had to<br> be amputated. When the advisor<br> calmly told the king, “Don’t worry—everything<br> happens for the best,” the king angrily<br> ordered him thrown into the dungeon.<br> Soon after, on an oce....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Blessing In Disguise'>Email this<a>Working Alonehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAfter months of participation on a special self-directed project team, Bob decided his time<br> would be better spent working<br> from home. He stopped attending<br> the weekly meetings and asked to<br> be updated by e-mails instead.<br> Bob enjoyed the quiet time he spent working<br> away from the group. But he soon discovered<br> the drawbacks of being away from the<br> team. Without bouncing i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Working Alone'>Email this<a>A Simple Solutionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFor as long as famer Wilson could remember, a<br> large rock had been imbedded<br> in the middle of his field. At the<br> start of every planting season,<br> Wilson stomped into the field,<br> armed with a pickax and determined<br> to rid his land of the nuisance.<br> But he managed only to<br> chip away at the large stone. Every year, he<br> plowed around the rock—cursing at it and<br> dreaming ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Simple Solution'>Email this<a>Making The Right Choicehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMy wife and I once had to choose which of two houses to<br> buy. One was a beautiful house<br> in a decent neighborhood. The<br> other was half the house in twice<br> the neighborhood.<br> We chose the better neighborhood. But<br> from the day we walked into that lesser house,<br> we complained about the things it didn’t have<br> that the other house did. We never enjoyed our<br> new house or its....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Making The Right Choice'>Email this<a>What's In Your Naturehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA monk and one of his students were taking a<br> walk through a forest. They<br> came upon a scorpion<br> squirming in a deep puddle.<br> The monk reached toward the scorpion to<br> remove it from the water, but the creature stung<br> him. Again the monk reached for the scorpion<br> and again the creature stung him.<br> “Teacher, why do you keep trying to help the<br> scorpion when it stings you?....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Whats In Your Nature'>Email this<a>Every Day Is Greathttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA70-year-old father called his son in a<br> panic one morning and said, “I woke up<br> this morning and found my basement flooded!<br> A pipe has burst and ruined all my walls,<br> the rug, couches, TV…everything! The place<br> is a disaster.”<br> The son remarked, “That’s great, huh, Dad.”<br> The father asked, “What? What’s great?”<br> The son optimistically replied, “Like you<br> said, Dad, yo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Every Day Is Great'>Email this<a>Video Game Builds Characterhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPeter Molyneux is the creator of several popular video games. His genre is what is known as "god games" where the player influences a simulated world. In the 1980s, Molyneux designed his first simulation game. "He posted an ad and having precisely calculated a flood of orders warned the post office and cut a bigger hole through which to receive his mail. He received two orders; one, he said, was ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Video Game Builds Character'>Email this<a>A Long Flighthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe first transcontinental flight across the country from New York, NY to Long Beach CA was completed by American aviation pioneer Cal P. Rodgers in an early Wright flyer called the Vin Fiz after a soft drink company that sponsored the trip. On September 17, 1911 he left Sheephead Bay at Brooklyn NY and arrived in California on December 10, 1911, 84 days later. Rodgers actual time in the air was ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Long Flight'>Email this<a>Hoping To Goodnesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLucy planned a picnic for the next day. She says to Charlie Brown, "I just hope to goodness that it doesn't rain ..." Walking away, Charlie answers, "Hoping to goodness is not theologically sound." Charlie's right. "Hoping to goodness" is not sound. Fixing our hope upon God is.<br> <br> Robert L. Short, The Parables of Peanuts, (New York, Harper and Row, Publishers, 1968), pp. 273.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Hoping To Goodness'>Email this<a>God's Timetable Not Ourshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI heard a story which illustrates how we often confuse God's timing with ours. A country newspaper had been running a series of articles on the value of church attendance. One day, a letter to the editor was received in the newspaper office. It read, "Print this if you dare. I have been trying an experiment. I have a field of corn which I plowed on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday. I did all the cu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Timetable Not Ours'>Email this<a>The Right Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, "Prayers won't help you get out of here any faster." Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God." <br> SOURCE: Our Daily Bre....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Right Prayer'>Email this<a>Prayer Changes Mehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn a scene from Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis, Lewis has returned to Oxford from London, where he has just been married to Joy Gresham, an American woman, in a private Episcopal ceremony performed at her hospital bedside. She is dying from cancer, and, through the struggle with her illness, she and Lewis have been discovering the depth of their love for each other. As Lewis ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Prayer Changes Me'>Email this<a>The First Billionairehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe very first person to reach the status of billionaire was a man who knew how to set goals and follow through. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. But three years later at the age of 53 he had what appears to be a nervous breakdown.<br> <br> His entire body....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The First Billionaire'>Email this<a>The Old Farmer's Feelingshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPerhaps you have heard the story of the old farmer who, with his wife, was celebrating fifty years of married life. Life on a farm can be tough; commitment is required. And you have to be frugal.<br> <br> Their children gave them a party during which lots of friends congratulated the honored couple. They looked at old pictures, brought out old phonograph records. The fifty-year couple even danced....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Old Farmers Feelings'>Email this<a>A Letter of Appreciationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the book "A Window on the Mountain," Winston Pierce tells of his high school class reunion. A group of the old classmates were reminiscing about things and persons they were grateful for. One man mentioned that he was particularly thankful for Mrs. Wendt, for she more than anyone had introduced him to Tennyson and the beauty of poetry. Acting on a suggestion, the man wrote a letter of appre....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Letter of Appreciation'>Email this<a>Not One of Them Ever Thanked Mehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBishop Gerland Kennedy of California tells the true story of a shipwreck off the coast of Evanston, Ill. Many years ago. The students of Northwestern University came to the rescue. One student, Edward Spenser, personally saved the lives of 17 persons that day. Years later a reporter was writing a follow up story on the event, and went to interview the now elderly Spenser. When asked what was....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not One of Them Ever Thanked Me'>Email this<a>An Inventory of Blessingshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPerhaps Daniel Defoe gave us some good advice through his fictitious character Robinson Crusoe. The first thing that Crusoe did when he found himself on a deserted island was to make out a list. On one side of the list he wrote down all his problems. On the other side of the list he wrote down all of his blessings. On one side he wrote: I do not have any clothes. On the other side he wrote: B....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=An Inventory of Blessings'>Email this<a>All For Moneyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBernice Kanner states in her book, "Are you Normal About Money," "What surprised me most was the incredible lengths that some people will go to for money. For example, 21% said they would wolf down a worm for $300, while 26% said they wouldn't touch it for less than $1000. Meanwhile, 59% would eagerly shave their heads for $10,000. <br> Your approach to money says more about you than probably any....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=All For Money'>Email this<a>What Would You Payhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn April, 1996 there was an auction of Kennedy memorabilia (the "ultimate garage sale"), which grossed $34.5 million dollars. <br> <br> JFK's rocking chair sold for $442,500. <br> <br> One of Jackie's fake pearl necklaces sold for $211,500. <br> <br> A set of golf clubs (just the woods): $772,500. <br> <br> Thirteen pairs of salt and pepper shakers sold for $11,500. <br> <br> Those things had lit....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Would You Pay'>Email this<a>Cell Phone Mannershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFriends and I were chatting over dinner in a restaurant. A man at the next table told his cell-phone caller to hold on. Then he stepped outside to talk. When he returned, I said, "That was very thoughtful." <br> <br> "I had no choice," he nodded and said to me. "You were making too much noise."<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Cell Phone Manners'>Email this<a>The Church Is a Search and Rescue Teamhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSearch and rescue personnel risk their lives in tumultuous seas, deep forests, remote mountains, and desert wastelands. Wherever they're needed they go. When called, they respond, because lives are in danger.<br> <br> A Search and Rescue Team in Colorado puts it this way: "Millions of people visit the mountains of Larimer County, Colorado, each year. A few will become lost, stranded, or injured …....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Church Is a Search and Rescue Team'>Email this<a>Lonely Granddad Seeks Family To Adopt Himhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxItalian's appeal in classified ads tugs heartstrings across nation.<br> <br> MILAN, Italy - "Elderly retired school teacher seeks family willing to adopt grandfather. Will pay."<br> Lonely Giorgio Angelozzi, 79, published his appeal in the classified pages of daily Corriere della Sera over the<br> weekend, tugging on heart strings across family-loving Italy.<br> The classics teacher has lived alo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lonely Granddad Seeks Family To Adopt Him'>Email this<a>Triumph Of Marriagehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe first marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. <br> <br> The second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience. <br> <br> The third marriage is the triumph of stupidity.<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Triumph Of Marriage'>Email this<a>Seeing The New Realityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt was said that the great Michelangelo attracted a crowd of spectators as he worked. One child in particular was fascinated by the sight of chips flying and the sound of mallet on chisel as the master shaped a large block of white marble. Unable to contain her curiosity, the little girl inquired, "What are you making?" Pausing, he replied, "There is an angel in there and I must set it free."<br>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Seeing The New Reality'>Email this<a>Doing Duty For Duty's Sakehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxNo man ever does a duty for duty's sake but only for the sake of the satisfaction he personally gets out of doing the duty, or for the sake of avoiding the personal discomfort he would have to endure if he shirked that duty; also I indicated that there is no such thing as free will and no such thing as self sacrifice.<br> <br> -In "Eruption" Mark Twain....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Doing Duty For Dutys Sake'>Email this<a>Doing What You Don't Want Tohttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDo something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.<br> <br> -Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar<br> <br> Mark Twain....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Doing What You Dont Want To'>Email this<a>Moving Mountainshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary. Un....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Moving Mountains'>Email this<a>Service Is Its Own Rewardhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBorn over sixty years ago in Yugoslavia, she responded to God's call on her life while still a teenager. A missionary's strong challenge to give her life to teaching in India resulted in her appointment to the city of Calcutta. Some months later she saw a sight which completely revolutionized her life, and would ultimately bring her world wide fame as Good Housekeeping magazine's "Most-Admired-Wo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Service Is Its Own Reward'>Email this<a>Nolan Ryan's Careerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy 1989, baseball player Nolan Ryan reached an incredible 5,000 strikeouts, and all those no hitters. Ryan is a phenomenal baseball player.<br> <br> In his rookie year, 18 years earlier, Gil Hodges was the manager of the Mets, and was impatient with Ryan. Although Ryan could consistently throw the ball over ninety miles an hour, most of the time it didn't go over the plate. He was walking everybo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Nolan Ryans Career'>Email this<a>No One Expected Mehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI dreamed death came the other night <br> And heaven's gate swung wide. <br> With kindly grace an angel fair <br> Ushered me inside. <br> And there, to my astonishment <br> Stood folks I'd known on earth. <br> Some I'd judged and labeled as <br> “Unfit”, “Of little worth”. <br> Indignant words rose to my lips, <br> But never were set free <br> For every face showed stunned surprise <br> No one ex....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=No One Expected Me'>Email this<a>High School Football Player Scores Touchdown of the Yearhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly called it the "Play of the Year." A local newspaper called it "the touchdown heard around the world." Sports shows everywhere told the story.<br> <br> Jake Porter, 17, a member of the Northwest High football team in McDermott, Ohio, was born with chromosomal fragile X syndrome, a common cause of mental retardation. He couldn't read. He could barely write h....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=High School Football Player Scores Touchdown of the Year'>Email this<a>Power Of Womenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the United States, twenty-five percent of women earn more than their husbands. They control about 80% of household spending, buying 81% of all products and services. Using their own money, they comprise 47% of U.S. investors. They write 80% of all the checks written in the U.S., purchasing 75% of all over-the-counter medicines and 82% of groceries. Forty percent of all business travelers are w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Power Of Women'>Email this<a>Living The Christian Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThis is a story about a little girl who, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the Preacher's sermon this morning confused me." <br> <br> The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?" <br> <br> The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" <br> <br> "Yes, that's true," the mother replied. <br> <br> "He also said that God lives within us. Is th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Living The Christian Life'>Email this<a>The Lost Sheephttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHave you heard the story of Shrek, the merino sheep that had evaded capture and shearing for 6 years? When he was finally discovered in his high mountain cave of New Zealand by musterer Ann Scanlan, he was almost unrecognizable as a sheep. The first thing his rescuer did was pin back his wool so he could see to walk. <br> <br> There was such an interest in Shrek's return that the owner kept him i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Lost Sheep'>Email this<a>Lost In Americahttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to the North American Mission Board Research Division, there are 192 million lost people in America today and that number is growing by almost 2 million each year! <br> SOURCE: NAMB, 1998.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lost In America'>Email this<a>Self Restrainthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJohn Hildebrand who has lived in the Artesian Valley, near Fowler, Kansas, since he was two years old, remembers why the valley has the name it does. "There were hundreds of natural springs in this valley. If you drilled a well for your house, the natural water pressure was enough to go through your hot-water system and out the shower head." There were marshes in Fowler in the 1920s, where cattle....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Self Restraint'>Email this<a>I Never Livedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman in the hospital was weeping after being told she was terminally ill with cancer. When a friend sought to console her she replied, "I'm not weeping because I'm dying. I'm weeping because I never lived." The awareness of limits and wasted time means we can take up a conscious stance with regard to our own inevitable mortality. It is this mature insight that will protect us from slavishly fo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Never Lived'>Email this<a>The Stopped Up Damhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a beautiful lake that lost its zesty freshness. The water formerly had been clear. It was alluring to animals and people alike. But it became covered with a green scum. The farm animals became ill from drinking the water. Finally someone came by the lake who understood the problem. Debris collecting from the hard spring rains had stopped up the dam and prevented the free flow of water, ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Stopped Up Dam'>Email this<a>Outreach to the Poor and Wealthyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA well-dressed European woman was on a safari in Africa. The group stopped briefly at a hospital for lepers. The heat was intense, the flies buzzing. She noticed a nurse bending down in the dirt, tending to the pus-filled sores of a leper.<br> <br> With disdain the woman remarked, "Why, I wouldn't do that for all the money in the world!"<br> <br> The nurse quietly replied, "Neither would I."<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Outreach to the Poor and Wealthy'>Email this<a>Youngster Puzzled By Granparents 'Retardment'http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAfter a spring break at school a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday. One child wrote the following:<br> <br> We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live here in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Milpitas, CA. Now they live in a place with a lot of other retarded people. They live in a tin box and have ro....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Youngster Puzzled By Granparents Retardment'>Email this<a>Is Divorce A Sin?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlthough Bible scholars and teachers point out that Jesus taught that divorce was a sin unless adultery was involved, few Americans buy that notion. Only one out of every seven adults (15%) strongly agreed with the statement “when a couple gets divorced without one of them having committed adultery, they are committing a sin.” A similar percentage (16%) moderately agreed with the statement. The v....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Is Divorce A Sin?'>Email this<a>Christians Have Same Incidence of Divorcehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlthough many Christian churches attempt to dissuade congregants from getting a divorce, the research confirmed a finding identified by Barna a decade ago (and further confirmed through tracking studies conducted each year since): born again Christians have the same likelihood of divorce as do non-Christians. <br> <br> Among married born again Christians, 35% have experienced a divorce. That figu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christians Have Same Incidence of Divorce'>Email this<a>Divorce Among Christianshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBorn Again Christians Just As Likely to Divorce As Are Non-Christians<br> September 8, 2004 <br> <br> (Ventura, CA) - Recent legislation, lawsuits and public demonstrations over the legality of gay marriage are just one battlefront regarding the institution of marriage. A new study released by The Barna Group, of Ventura, California, shows that the likelihood of married adults getting divorced is....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Divorce Among Christians'>Email this<a>One Little Problemhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1174 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: A separately standing eight-story bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa. The tower was to be eight-stories and 185-foot tall. There was just one "little" problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the foundation was far too shallow....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=One Little Problem'>Email this<a>Which Way?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn a recent NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000 meter course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him. Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Which Way?'>Email this<a>Growth In A Mustard Planthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA gardener, prompted by curiosity, counted the seed pods on a medium-sized mustard plant. There were 85. The average number of seeds in each pod was eight. Since two crops in a given year could be matured, the gardener figured that it was possible in the interim between February and mid-October to produce a yield of 462,000 seeds, all from one original plant. Many other species of plants far exce....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Growth In A Mustard Plant'>Email this<a>Judging Othershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman was waiting at an airport one night<br> There were several long hours to wait for her flight.<br> She hunted for reading in the airport's gift shop<br> bought a big bag of cookies -- found a place she could drop.<br> <br> She was engrossed in her book, but she happened to see<br> a man sat beside her -- as bold as can be<br> and grabbed up a cookie from the bag in between<br> which she tr....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Judging Others'>Email this<a>Working Hardhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDavid Livingston, one of the most virile Christian leaders of all time, had as his motto "Fear God, and work hard." He learned it in his austere home in Scotland and practiced it all his life. Livingston belongs to that select company of souls who not only know that not only good intentions are not enough but know also that their most strenuous efforts will not complete the really big jobs. Even ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Working Hard'>Email this<a>Sometimes Love does not Count The Cost of its Commitment:http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWilliam Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child's breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the littl....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sometimes Love does not Count The Cost of its Commitment:'>Email this<a>Courage to Commit: Stand Up and be Countedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome years ago premier Khrushchev was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was severely critical of the late Premier Stalin. While he was speaking someone from the audience sent up a note: "What were you doing when Stalin committed all these atrocities?" Khrushchev shouted, "Who sent up that note?" Not a person stirred.<br> <br> "I'll give him one minute to stand up!" The seconds ticked off. St....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Courage to Commit: Stand Up and be Counted'>Email this<a>Are you Gods wife?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?” “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boys reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Are you Gods wife?'>Email this<a>How will the church be lighted?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeveral centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How will the church be lighted?'>Email this<a>Wilma Rudolph Overcame Obstacles to Win Olympic Goldhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. Born prematurely, doctors did not expect Wilma to survive. She did, but at the age of four, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, leaving her left leg paralyzed. She learned to walk with the aid of a metal brace.<br> <br> When Wilma was nine-years-old, she removed the leg brace and began walking without it. By age 13, she developed a rhythmi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Wilma Rudolph Overcame Obstacles to Win Olympic Gold'>Email this<a>Sharpening The Axhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don't get it," he said. "Every time I che....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sharpening The Ax'>Email this<a>How To Livehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWork like you don't need the money.<br> Love like you've never been hurt.<br> Dance like nobody's watching.<br> Sing like nobody's listening.<br> Live like it's Heaven on Earth....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How To Live'>Email this<a>Farmer Fleminghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHis name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.<br> <br>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Farmer Fleming'>Email this<a>Irish Friendship Wishhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMay there always be work for your hands to do;<br> May your purse always hold a coin or two;<br> May the sun always shine on your windowpane;<br> May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;<br> May the hand of a friend always be near you;<br> May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Irish Friendship Wish'>Email this<a>Vehicle For Ministryhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThink of how often in scripture it is the woman who is the vehicle for ministry.<br> Who prompted Jesus to perform His first miracle? A Woman!<br> Who ministered to Christ during His public ministry? The women!<br> Who anointed the body of Jesus? The women!<br> Who stayed with Jesus throughout his trial and crucifixion? The women!<br> Who were the first witnesses to the resurrected Savior? The wo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Vehicle For Ministry'>Email this<a>Pastor Search Committeehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWe do not have a happy report to give. We have not been able to find a suitable candidate for this church, though we have one promising prospect. Thank you for your suggestions. We have followed up on each one with interviews or by calling at least three references. The following is our confidential report.<br> <br> ADAM: Racial ancestry could not be confirmed. Good man but has problems with his ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pastor Search Committee'>Email this<a>1,100 Computers Become Supercomputerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDon't throw away that old computer. You might be able to use it for something big.<br> <br> The New York Times reports the birth of a homemade supercomputer about to be ranked as one of the fastest machines in the world.<br> <br> Supercomputers traditionally cost $100 million to $250 million and take years to put together. But the faculty, technicians, and students at Virginia Polytechnic Institu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=1,100 Computers Become Supercomputer'>Email this<a>Offering Ourselves to Servehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite's primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Offering Ourselves to Serve'>Email this<a>Do Not Let Him Find You Found Sleepinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAugustine, a man in the 5th century who became Bishop of the church and a saint in history, originally lead a life of sin giving himself over to whatever pleasures presented themselves. His mother had earnestly prayed for him his entire life that he would give his life to the service of Christ, but Augustine persisted in his sins until one day he sat with a friend on a bench weeping over the stat....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Do Not Let Him Find You Found Sleeping'>Email this<a>Christ Returnhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a woman who is buried under a 150-year-old live oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church in rural Louisiana. In accordance with this woman's instructions, only one word is carved on the tombstone: "Waiting."<br> <br> Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995, p. 275.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christ Return'>Email this<a>Facing The Enemyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA 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 had a problem getting the men to stay awake to hear the lectures. During the 1965-67 classes, however, the men, hearing the same basic lectures, were alert and too....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Facing The Enemy'>Email this<a>Bedtime Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMany of you are familiar with the childhood prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep, " but I was little surprised to learn that it is a shortened version of an Old English prayer, which goes like this:<br> <br> Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,<br> bless the bed that I lie on.<br> Before I lay me down to sleep,<br> I give my soul to Christ to keep.<br> <br> Four corners to my bed,<br> four angels there a....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bedtime Prayer'>Email this<a>People Get Readyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA few years ago Curtis Mayfield passed away. At the height of the Civil Rights struggle Curtis Mayfield, the lead singer of The Impressions, wrote his most memorable lyrics. Listen to the Chorus:<br> <br> People get ready<br> There's a train, a comin'<br> You don't need no baggage<br> You just get on board<br> All you need is faith<br> To hear the diesels hummin'<br> Don't need no ticket,<br> You....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=People Get Ready'>Email this<a>Prayer For Dinnerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Christian farmer spent the day in the city. <br> <br> In a restaurant for his meal, he sat near a group of young men. After he bowed his head to give thanks for his food, one of the young men thought he would embarrass the old gentleman. <br> <br> "Hey, farmer, does everyone do that out where you live?" <br> <br> The old man calmly replied, "No, son, the pigs don't!"<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Prayer For Dinner'>Email this<a>American Army Of Twohttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxRebecca and Abigail Bates lived on the coast of Massachusetts, near a little village named Scituate. Their father was the keeper of the lighthouse, which stood at the entrance of the harbor and warned ships away from the rocky coast. <br> <br> <br> One day Rebecca and Abigail were up in the tower, polishing the great glass that sent the light far over the sea. Their father and mother had rowed ac....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=American Army Of Two'>Email this<a>Stepping Outhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts his foot down he finds a rock beneath him. <br> — F. B. Meyer....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Stepping Out'>Email this<a>Believing The Impossiblehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlice laughed. "There’s no use trying," she said: "one can’t believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven’t had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. <br> <br> <br> SOURCE: Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Believing The Impossible'>Email this<a>Willing To Be Usedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe climax of the United States Declaration of Independence is not the glowing words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident." It is the list of names at the end of the document—men who were willing to stake their fortunes, their sacred honor, and their lives on a few convictions that changed the world. <br> <br> Jesus changed the world with a few who were willing to die for what they believed.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Willing To Be Used'>Email this<a>William Booth's Passion for the Homelesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne morning, near the turn of the 20th century, Bramwell Booth visited his elderly father, William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army. The elder Booth didn't even say "good morning" to his son.<br> <br> "'Bramwell!' he cried, when he caught sight of me, 'did you know that men slept out all night on the bridges?' He had arrived in London very late the night before from some town in the south of ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=William Booths Passion for the Homeless'>Email this<a>Ballplayer Todd Walker on Humilityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChicago Cubs second baseman Todd Walker has learned he doesn't need to be a star player in order to make a difference. After six seasons of starting for mediocre teams, Walker helped Boston reach the post season in 2003, setting a Red Sox single-season record with five home runs in the AL playoffs.<br> <br> When the Red Sox released the 6 foot tall, 180 pound ballplayer for a less-expensive field....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ballplayer Todd Walker on Humility'>Email this<a>Stranded Passengers from September 11 Reunitehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere were 200 passengers on Flight 929 from London to Chicago on September 11, 2001. As they neared the North American coast, the pilot informed them that, due to a national emergency, they were going to land in Gander, Newfoundland.<br> <br> According to the Chicago Tribune, "Onboard were families, friends, a couple just married and a few others headed to weddings, another returning from a fune....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Stranded Passengers from September 11 Reunite'>Email this<a>The Virtuous Castle of Workhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBrazilian theologian, Rubem Alves, suggests that we imagine ourselves locked in a room with no windows or doors. No matter how nice the room is furnished we will very quickly become bored and suffer claustrophobia. Inevitably we will begin to probe the walls and floor, looking for a way of escape. Then, Alves suggests, that we imagine ourselves in a castle with a thousand and one luxurious rooms,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Virtuous Castle of Work'>Email this<a>When Anxieties Finally Come Truehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFor several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you."<br> <br> William Ma....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=When Anxieties Finally Come True'>Email this<a>A Worry Tablehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome of us would do well to emulate the woman who realized that her fears were ruining her life, so she made for herself a "worry table." On tabulating her worries she discovered that 40 percent will never happen; 30 percent were all about decisions that cannot be altered; 12 percent were about others' criticism of me, most untrue; 10 percent were about my health, which gets worse as I worry; 8 p....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Worry Table'>Email this<a>Created for Faith not Fearhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native ai....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Created for Faith not Fear'>Email this<a>Leave The Trouble In God's Handshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGeorge Muller Massena, one of Napoleon's generals, suddenly appeared with 18,000 soldiers before an Austrian town which had no means of defending itself. The town council met, certain that capitulation was the only answer. The old dean of the church reminded the council that it was Easter, and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God's hands. They followed his advice.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Leave The Trouble In Gods Hands'>Email this<a>What's Involvedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChristian spirituality isn’t about sitting at the feet of some guru for a seminar at a retreat. It isn’t about having a nice comfortable, safe dose of spirituality in your life to make you feel good whenever your thoughts run deep about ultimate questions and eternal destinies. Jesus called people to follow Him – and there was only one place He was going: a cross. The true nature of spiritual liv....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Whats Involved'>Email this<a>Finding Perspectivehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt’s something like what Coach John McKay of USC said to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre Dame. McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of beaten worn-out and thoroughly depressed young football players who were not accustomed to losing. He stood up on a bench and said, "Men, let’s keep this in perspective. There are 800 million Chinese who don’t even know this game w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Finding Perspective'>Email this<a>The Constitution Is a Boat!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAs an immigrant, my mother lived in constant fear of deportation. You could miss up to four questions on the citizenship test, and Mom missed five. The question she flunked on was: "What is the Constitution of the United States?" The answer she gave was: "A boat." Which wasn’t entirely wrong. The USS Constitution was docked in Boston. But the judge instantly denied her citizenship. My father stor....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Constitution Is a Boat!'>Email this<a>Prayer and Forgivenesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWe cannot come to God in honest prayer when we have not forgiven one another<br> transgressions: A young boy saw a pack of cigarettes on the ground and decided to try them. He went to a field near his home and, after several fumbling attempts, got one to light up. It didn't taste good; indeed, it burned his throat and made him cough. But it made him feel very grown up.<br> <br> Then he saw his fa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Prayer and Forgiveness'>Email this<a>We Are Not Tenacioushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAround 1870 New York City had one of the most hotly contested mayor’s races in its history. The incumbent was Mayor John Tweed--Boss Tweed he was called. He was running for reelection. The Boss Tweed machine represented politics at its very worst. The entire administration was corrupt to the core. A number of dedicated people decided that they were fed up with this kind of politics and the good p....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=We Are Not Tenacious'>Email this<a>Our Three Deepest Needshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA few years ago on television, a public speaker was giving a talk about the three deepest needs we have as persons. What would you imagine those to be? The first need we have, the speaker said, is to know someone who will listen to us. We all have a story to tell, a need to verbalize our feelings. We want someone who will listen to that. Secondly, he claimed, we want the person listening to belie....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Our Three Deepest Needs'>Email this<a>Money Is Like Sea Waterhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSomeone asked John D. Rockefeller (of all people) "How much wealth does it take to satisfy a person?" He replied, "Just a little bit more." The Romans had a proverb: "Money is like sea water; the more you drink, the thirstier you become."<br> <br> The Sign in the Subway, Carveth Mitchell, CSS Publishing Company....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Money Is Like Sea Water'>Email this<a>I Planted The Seedshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the movie Shenandoah, James Stewart plays a Virginia farmer during the Civil War years. He begins every meal with the same prayer: “Lord, I planted the seeds, I plowed the ground, I gathered in the harvest. If I hadn’t of put the food on the table it wouldn’t be here. But we thank you anyway.” We had all better understand the role of grace and mystery in life or we too might fall pray to the s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Planted The Seeds'>Email this<a>Leaving It All Behindhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf thou art rich, thou art poor, for like an ass whose back with ingots bows, thou bearest thy heavy riches but a journey, and death unloads thee.<br> <br> William Shakespeare.<br> <br> Definition: Ingot - A lump of metal, esp. of gold, silver or steel, cast in convenient form (usually oblong) for transport and storage.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Leaving It All Behind'>Email this<a>How Wealthy Are We?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFrom the standpoint of material wealth, we Americans have difficulty<br> realizing how rich we are. Robert Heilbroner, who has written dozens of books on the subject of the economy, suggest that we go through a little mental exercise that will help us count our blessings. Imagine doing the following, and you will see how daily life is for more than a billion people in the world.<br> <br> 1. Take ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How Wealthy Are We?'>Email this<a>The Ring-tailed Monkeyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMen who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a fa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Ring-tailed Monkey'>Email this<a>We all Need Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMy mom regales me with a specific story that always brings a smile to my face, along with a sense of wonder that my sisters and I, as small children, could grasp things so easily.<br> <br> When we were little, we would have a hard time paying attention to our mother. So when those times would come, my mother would put her hands at the side of our face, turn our face to hers, and say "Look at me.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=We all Need It'>Email this<a>Belief In Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA tale is told about a small town that had historically been "dry," but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. <br> <br> A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. <br> <br> The owner of the bar sued the chur....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Belief In Prayer'>Email this<a>The Spirit's Influencehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWatching the National Basketball Association play-offs on television...after the game, the coach of the losing team was being interviewed. He was not happy with the way his team played and he said, “We deserved to get beat because we were absolutely listless out there tonight. We had no drive, no emotion. We were like zombies… just going through the motions. We had no life at all!” And then he sa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Spirits Influence'>Email this<a>Telling The Storyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxElie Wiesel tells a story of a rabbi who throughout his life maintained a weekly ritual. Every week he would go to a special place in the forest, light a fire and say a prayer that told the story of God's salvation. The rabbi's students, deeply influenced by the old man, continued his ritual for many years after his death. However, little by little, they changed the tradition. First they lost the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Telling The Story'>Email this<a>All Things Work Togetherhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA young man accepted for the African missionary field reported at New York for "passage," but found on further examination that his wife could not stand the climate. He was heartbroken, but he prayerfully returned to his home and determined to make all the money he could to be used on spreading the Kingdom of God over the world. His father, a dentist, had started to make, on the side, an unfermen....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=All Things Work Together'>Email this<a>Praying For The Deadhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAt church staff meetings, Jim Kochenburger's senior pastor gave updates on illnesses and deaths in the congregation. One week, when Jim wasn't paying close enough attention, he prayed for God to heal a guy the pastor had just announced was dead.<br> "THAT impressed everyone," says Jim. -- ALL-STAR BLOOPERS FROM ALL-STAR YOUTH LEADERS, Group, Loveland, Co., 2001, p. 23.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Praying For The Dead'>Email this<a>God's Answershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI believe that God only gives three answers to prayers. One is "yes," two is "not yet," and three is, "I have something better in mind." -- Arthur Caliandro, long-time senior minister, Marble Collegiate Church, NYC in GUIDEPOSTS, November, 2002.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Answers'>Email this<a>God's Will Be Donehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn her fine book RESPONDING TO GOD, Martha Graybeal Rowlett claims that all our prayer needs to be put into the context of what God's will is for our life. She reminds us of Jesus' example in Matthew 6 when he prayed "Your will be done" before he even prayed "Give us this day our daily bread." -- (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1996), p.126....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Will Be Done'>Email this<a>Pray It Awayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA study of older adults done by the University of Florida revealed that their greatest weapon in the war against stress is prayer. Ninety-six percent of the senior adults interviewed for this study chose prayer as their top tool for dealing with stress. -- "Pray Away Stress" by Diane Benson Harrington, Family Circle, January 20, 2004, p. 30.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pray It Away'>Email this<a>Shrek 2http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxShrek and the Princess Fiona, just returned from their honeymoon, are summoned to the castle of Fiona's parents to receive their blessing. The only problem is that the king and queen don't know that Fiona has married an ogre. As evil forces conspire to undermine their marriage, Shrek, Fiona, and just about everyone else, must learn to sacrifice and look past appearances in order to live happily e....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Shrek 2'>Email this<a>Boxer Refuses to Be Consumed by Bitternesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn June 17, 1966, two black men strode into the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, New Jersey, and shot three people to death. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a celebrated black boxer, and an acquaintance were falsely charged and wrongly convicted of the murders in a highly publicized and racially charged trial. The fiercely outspoken boxer maintained his claims of innocence and became his own jailhouse lawy....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Boxer Refuses to Be Consumed by Bitterness'>Email this<a>Resisting Changehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSomeone has made a list of Time Tested Excuses for Resisting Change in the church:<br> <br> 1. We tried that before.<br> 2. Our church is different.<br> 3. It costs too much.<br> 4. It's too radical a change.<br> 5. We don't have the time.<br> 6. Not enough help.<br> 7. Our church is too small for it.<br> 8. The congregation will never buy it.<br> 9. We've never done it before.<br> 10. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Resisting Change'>Email this<a>Waves Of Worryhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSeveral years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!" The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as "the cushio....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Waves Of Worry'>Email this<a>It Is No Longer Ihttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSoon after Augustine's conversion, he was walking down the street in Milan, Italy. There he met a prostitute whom he had known most intimately. She called but he would not answer. He kept right on walking.<br> <br> "Augustine," she called again. "It is I!"<br> <br> Without missing a beat and with the assurance of Christ in his heart, he replied, "Yes, but it is no longer I."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=It Is No Longer I'>Email this<a>The Piece Of Ironhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOnce upon a time there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed.<br> <br> “I’ll master it,” said the axe… and his blows fell heavily upon the piece of iron, but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally ceased to strike and gave up in frustration.<br> <br> “Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it wo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Piece Of Iron'>Email this<a>Inside Outhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little girl was visiting her grandmother one beautiful spring morning. They walked out into grandmother’s flower garden. As grandmother was inspecting the progress of her flowers the little girl decided to try to open a rosebud with her own two hands. But no luck! As she would pull the petals open, they would tear or bruise or wilt or break off completely. Finally, in frustration, she said, “....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Inside Out'>Email this<a>Heretic!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMax Lucado, tells the following story with wit and style,<br> <br> Some time ago I came upon a fellow on a trip who was carrying a Bible. "Are you a believer?" I asked him. "Yes," he said excitedly. I've learned you can't be too careful. "Virgin birth?" I asked. "I accept it." "Deity of Jesus?" "No doubt." "Death of Christ on the cross?" "He died for all people." Could it be that I was face to fa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Heretic!'>Email this<a>Brave Enough To Take Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is story told out of Persia about a General who had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment of execution draws near, the spies are brought to the Persian General, who asks the question, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?" One spy, faced with this dilemma, hesitated for a long time. It w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Brave Enough To Take It'>Email this<a>How Will You Respond?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI once read about two young boys who were raised in the home of an alcoholic father. As young men, they each went their own way. Years later a psychologist who was analyzing what drunkenness does to children in the home searched out these two men. One had turned out to be like his father, a hopeless alcoholic. The other had turned out to be a teetotaler. The counselor asked the first man, "Why di....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How Will You Respond?'>Email this<a>Being Made Wholehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx In 1994, police officer Craig Gavras was injured in the line of duty. His injury resulted eighteen subsequent operations, and in the amputation of his right leg. Right after the amputation, while Craig was still lying in a hospital bed, his wife Monica commented, "We'll find some way to turn this negative into a positive." <br> A few days later, Craig saw a young boy who had lost one leg to ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Being Made Whole'>Email this<a>Life's Defining Momentshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx I once heard of a legend originated in a small town in Germany that for a number of years experienced poor harvests. The townspeople prayed at the beginning of a new year saying, "God, our harvests have been so poor and so scarce, for one year will you let us plan everything?"<br> God said, "All right, for one year."<br> They immediately set their plans for abundance into motion, and God comp....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lifes Defining Moments'>Email this<a>Untapped Resourcehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool:<br> <br> During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. <br> <br> Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. <br> <br> With little money for clothes or ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Untapped Resource'>Email this<a>He Will Returnhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMarch 11, 1942. Corregidor, in the Philippines. I’m sure most of the WWII veterans in the congregation today can tell you what happened that day.<br /> <br /> The Japanese forces were invading the Philippines, and on a day that marked the beginning of a dark chapter for the American and Filipino forces, General Douglas MacArthur prepared to leave, uttering what was to become probably his ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=He Will Return'>Email this<a>Bible Versionshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxResearch Reveals Ministers' Favorites Among Various Bible Versions<br> Allie Martin, Agape Press<br> <br> A new study shows that, although there are many different Bible versions available, the market continues to be dominated by just five. The study by Ellison Research surveyed 700 pastors and found that the Bible version most likely to be used by pastors in their work is the New International V....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bible Versions'>Email this<a>Mommy, Was That God?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI recall the story of a little girl who, when trains were popular transportation, was taking her first train ride with her parents. As night descended, the mother took the girl, who was clearly quite anxious, and placed her on the upper bunk of the sleeper. She told her little one that up there she would be nearer to God and that God would watch over her.<br> <br> As silence enveloped the young l....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Mommy, Was That God?'>Email this<a>Peace Of Mindhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDuke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:<br> <br> 1. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.<br> <br> 2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.<br> <br> 3. Not wasting time and energy fighting condi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Peace Of Mind'>Email this<a>Moral Absoluteshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA recent Gallop Poll demonstrated our readiness to jettison old concepts of right and wrong if they conflict with what we want to do. In the survey, people were asked to agree or disagree with this statement. "There are a few moral absolutes; what is right or wrong usually varies from situation to situation." Seventy percent of respondents agreed. Only twenty-seven percent disagreed. -- Gary E....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Moral Absolutes'>Email this<a>Mothers' Maintenance Manualhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMany of us take better care of our cars then we do our mothers and yet we only expect our cars to last 5 or 6 years but we expect our mothers to last for a lifetime. Maybe we need a maintenance manual for mothers so we would know how to take care of them at least as well as we do our automobiles. Here are some items that might be included in such a manual. <br> <br> Engine: A mother's engine is....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Mothers Maintenance Manual'>Email this<a>From God's Perspectivehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAn elderly minister who liked to visit people in hospitals. He often would take along a little, embroidered bookmark that he carried in his Bible. On the back of the bookmark were a group of tangled threads with no apparent pattern. He would hand this bookmark, with the back facing up, to those who were hurting or upset and say, “Look at that and tell me what it says.”<br> <br> As they looked ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=From Gods Perspective'>Email this<a>The Value Of Mothershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1865 William Ross Walker penned the immortal words, "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." Years later in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation recognizing Mother's Day for the first time. Since then, every president has done the same. This underscores how highly we value and love the mothers of this land. Such honor is appropriate because a mother's ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Value Of Mothers'>Email this<a>Unexpected Answers to Problemshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHow do you solve a personal problem? Let's say you have a fondness for gossip or quarreling. How do you stop? Or suppose you have a life-controlling addiction to alcohol or drugs or sex. How do you get free?<br> <br> Sometimes the answer is something that seems totally unrelated.<br> <br> For example, in the middle of winter when your feet are cold, you may try putting on thicker socks or a blank....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Unexpected Answers to Problems'>Email this<a>Unchurched Adults Doubleshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxNumber of Unchurched Adults Has Nearly Doubled Since 1991<br> <br> May 4, 2004 <br> <br> (Ventura, CA) Since 1991, the adult population in the United States has grown by 15%. During that same period the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million – a 92% increase!<br> <br> These startling statistics come from the most recent tracking study o....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Unchurched Adults Doubles'>Email this<a>Reflections Of A Motherhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI gave You Life, <br> But <br> I cannot Live it for You. <br> <br> I can give You Directions, <br> But <br> I cannot be There to Lead You.<br> <br> I can take You to Church, <br> But <br> I cannot make You Believe. <br> <br> I can Teach You Right from Wrong,<br> But <br> I cannot always Decide for You. <br> <br> I can buy You Beautiful Clothes,<br> But <br> I cannot make You Beauti....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Reflections Of A Mother'>Email this<a>Didn't Look Like An Elephanthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking.<br> <....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Didnt Look Like An Elephant'>Email this<a>Heart Of Goldhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWe are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Heart Of Gold'>Email this<a>It's People I Can't Standhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLucy stands with her arms folded and a resolute expression on her face, while Charlie Brown pleads with her. "Lucy," he says, "you must be more loving. The world needs love. Make this world a better place, Lucy, by loving someone else." At that Lucy whirls around angrily and Charlie goes flipping over backwards. "Look, you blockhead," Lucy screams. "The world I love. It's people I can't stand!"<b....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Its People I Cant Stand'>Email this<a>Taking On Christ's Likenesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA number of years ago Henry Drummond wrote a classic sermon titled "The Greatest Thing in the World." He concluded his sermon by suggesting that if you put a piece of iron in the presence of an electrified field, that piece of iron itself will become electrified. And in the presence of that electrical field, it is changed into a magnet. As long as it remains in contact with that field of power, i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Taking On Christs Likeness'>Email this<a>Christian Men 'Marginally Satisfied' with Churchhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCharisma News Service<br> <br> More than 85 percent of Christian men nationwide say they are not<br> spiritually challenged. According to a Barna Research Group (BRG) survey<br> released yesterday, nearly six in 10 men are "marginally satisfied" with<br> their church experience. The study, which was commissioned by Promise<br> Keepers (PK), revealed that while spirituality and faith may not be to....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christian Men Marginally Satisfied with Church'>Email this<a>Marathon Monkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Japanese Buddhist priest completed an ancient running ritual in the Japanese mountains that took seven years and covered 24,800 miles. 44 year old Genshin Fujinami is the 47th monk to survive the ritual which dates back to the 8th century, and the first since 1994. Traditionally, any monk who starts on the journey but finds he cannot complete it must take his own life. (Sounds like a call to yo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Marathon Monk'>Email this<a>Sharing Your Faithhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to an executive with the North American Mission Board, 92% of Southern Baptists will die without ever sharing their faith with another person. - Postmodern Pilgrims (Broadman & Holman, 2000)<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sharing Your Faith'>Email this<a>Letting God Use Youhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA conversation took place many years ago between D. L. Moody, before he became the great evangelist, and another man. The man said to Moody, "You know, the world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man who is totally committed to Him." Those words went deep into Moody's heart, and he prayed, "Lord, I want to be that man."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Letting God Use You'>Email this<a>He Said It!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMax Lucado<br> <br> I love the story of the private who ran after and caught the runaway horse of Napoleon. When he brought the animal back to the emperor, Napoleon thanked him by saying, "Thank you, Captain."<br> <br> With one word the private was promoted. When the emperor said it, the private believed it. He went to the quartermaster, selected a new uniform, and put it on. He went to the offic....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=He Said It!'>Email this<a>It's A Done Dealhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMax Lucado<br> <br> Are a bride and groom ever more married than they are the first day? The vows are made and the certificate signed--could they be any more married than that?<br> <br> Perhaps they could. Imagine them fifty years later. Four kids later. A trio of transfers and a cluster of valleys and victories later. After half a century of marriage, they finish each other's sentences and order....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Its A Done Deal'>Email this<a>Praying For Reaganhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPeggy Noonan, in her book "When Character Was King" shares a fascinating story about President Reagan and his belief in Prayer: <br> <br> "'Do you know about his ulcer?' Nancy Reagan asked me. We were talking about his early days in the governorship. He came home a few months into his new job, looked at Nancy and said he didn’t feel good. He told me, 'I spent thirteen years at Warner Brothers, an....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Praying For Reagan'>Email this<a>A Prayer For A Nation At Warhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOur Father in Heaven, <br> <br> We thank You that You know exactly what is going on here on earth. We sinful human beings constantly find ourselves confused, distressed, and alarmed because of our own behavior and that of others. What miseries result from our sinful ways!<br> <br> Lord, we find ourselves at war. Many of us believe that this war is just; others own differing views. But whatever ou....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Prayer For A Nation At War'>Email this<a>How To Win The Warhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt was said of Desert Storm, “the air war won the ground war.” <br> <br> The fervent, faithful praying of a few in a well-developed prayer center can win the ground war for the troops of Christians going out into their places of work and neighborhoods to bear witness to Jesus Christ.<br> <br> SOURCE: Terry Teykl, Making Room to Pray, p. 45<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How To Win The War'>Email this<a>Lifestyle Worth More Than Profithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAt the great market in Mexico City, an old native named Pota-lamo had twenty strings of onions hanging for sale.<br> <br> An American tourist asked him, "How much for a string of onions?"<br> <br> "Ten cents," said Pota-lamo.<br> <br> "How much for two strings?"<br> <br> "Twenty cents."<br> <br> "How much for all twenty strings?" asked the American.<br> <br> "I would not sell you my twenty string....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lifestyle Worth More Than Profit'>Email this<a>The Passionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCrucifixion originated in the Persian Empire but was used by barbarians in other cultures as well. It was usual for the convicted criminal to first be flogged. With artistic detail the whipping would be carried out in such a way so as to maximize the pain in the allotted timeframe in which the crucifixion would occur. This meant that if a victim were to hang on the cross for several days (as was ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Passion'>Email this<a>Attitudes Drive Behaviorhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxApril 26, 2004<br> George Barna Report<br> <br> Overall, 4 out of every 5 teenagers (80%) have engaged in some type of music piracy in the past six months – including making copies of CDs for other people, downloading free music (other than promotions or giveaways), or uploading their own music files to the Internet to share with others. Based on an examination of more than 70 behavioral and atti....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Attitudes Drive Behavior'>Email this<a>Faith Matters?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxApril 26, 2004<br> George Barna Report<br> <br> The study shows that born again Christian teens are not much different than are non-born again teens in terms of holding an anti-piracy moral position. Just 10% of Christian teens believe that copying CDs for friends and unauthorized music downloading are morally wrong, compared to 6% of non-born agains (the four-point difference barely qualified as....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Faith Matters?'>Email this<a>Four Views on Piracyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxApril 26, 2004<br> George Barna Report<br> <br> Teens were asked whether they feel two common forms of music piracy – copying CDs for friends and downloading unauthorized music from the Internet – were morally right, morally wrong, or not a moral issue. Only 1 in every 13 teenagers (8%) expressed moral opposition to piracy – claiming that both copying CDs for others and unauthorized downloading w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Four Views on Piracy'>Email this<a>Teens And Musichttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFewer Than 1 in 10 Teenagers Believe that Music Piracy is Morally Wrong<br> <br> April 26, 2004 <br> George Barna Report<br> <br> (Ventura, CA) – For decades, music has created a source of identity and enjoyment for teenagers. While that has been true for many years, a major recent change concerns how teenagers acquire their favorite musical styles and artists. Millions of teens now copy CDs for....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Teens And Music'>Email this<a>The Choices We Makehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMatthew 7:13-14<br> <br> On a wide six-lane highway, it is easy to crowd lots of cars onto the road. Entering the highway is pretty easy since ramps feed into the right lane every few miles. Conversely, staying on a narrow sheep path running from the pasture to the barn forces you to walk slowly with one foot directly in front of the other. The sheep path is a picture of the narrow way—God's way—....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Choices We Make'>Email this<a>Casino Promotes Gambling as a Solution to Debthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA casino in New Mexico ran an ad that offered an interesting solution for those facing financial problems. The Isleta Casino & Resort bills itself as "Home of Albuquerque's Loosest Slots and Hottest Table Games."<br> <br> The casino put out a TV commercial showing images of dollar bills floating down to an outstretched hand while an announcer said, "So the holidays have passed, and those credit c....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Casino Promotes Gambling as a Solution to Debt'>Email this<a>The Affect Of Musichttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"A song can often touch people in a way that a sermon can't. Music can bypass intellectual barriers and take the message straight to the heart. It is a potent tool for evangelism.<br> <br> In Psalm 40:3 (NCV) David says, 'He put a NEW song in my mouth ... Many people will see this and worship him. Then they will trust the Lord.' Notice the clear connection between music and evangelism: 'Then they....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Affect Of Music'>Email this<a>Letting People Drownhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. <br> <br> The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. <br> <br> As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Letting People Drown'>Email this<a>Some Groups Are More Generous Than Othershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Barna Group survey also identified segments of the population that are the most and the least likely to tithe their money to churches and other worship centers.<br> <br> The segments that were most likely to give at least ten percent to their house of worship included evangelicals (14% did so); adults with an active faith (12% of those who had attended church, prayed and read the Bible during....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Some Groups Are More Generous Than Others'>Email this<a>Tithing Has Not Changedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn total, one out of every twenty households (5%) tithed their pre-tax income to non-profit organizations. A large majority of those individuals actually gave ten percent or more of their income to churches – a group that represents 4% of the national population of households.<br> <br> When the survey examined the behavior of born again adults – those who have made a significant personal commitme....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Tithing Has Not Changed'>Email this<a>Giving to Churcheshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChurches continue to be the dominant recipients of people’s generosity. Close to two out of every three households (63%) donated some money to a church, synagogue or other place of religious worship during 2003. That percentage has remained constant since 2001, but is somewhat lower than the number of church donors identified in 2000 and in 1999 (66%).<br> <br> The mean amount of money donated to....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Giving to Churches'>Email this<a>Giving to All Non-Profits, Including Churcheshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGiving to All Non-Profits, Including Churches<br> <br> Overall, 80% of all households donated some money to at least one non-profit organization during 2003. That is consistent with the figures of the prior two years, but somewhat lower than had been reported in 2000 (84%) and 1999 (87%).<br> <br> The total amount of money donated to all non-profit entities, including churches and other houses of....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Giving to All Non-Profits, Including Churches'>Email this<a>Finishing Stronghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy Max Lucado<br> <br> Remain. Hang in there. Finish. Stick to it until it is done.<br> Unfortunately, very few of us do that. Our human tendency is to quit too<br> soon. Our human tendency is to stop before we cross the finish line.<br> <br> Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things:<br> A partly mowed lawn. A half-read book. Letters begun but never<br> completed. A....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Finishing Strong'>Email this<a>Roman Sentinel Stands Guard to the Very Endhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius destroyed the city [of Pompeii in A.D. 79], many people were buried in the ruins. Some took cover underground, and the place became their burial chamber. Those who chose a high hiding place were also unable to escape destruction. But a Roman sentinel was found at the city gate, his hands still grasping his weapon. That was where he had been placed by the captain.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Roman Sentinel Stands Guard to the Very End'>Email this<a>Wrong Way Riegelshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story of "Wrong Way Riegels" is a familiar one, but it bears repeating. On New Year’s Day 1929, Georgia Tech played UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In that game a young man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for UCLA. Picking up the loose ball, he lost his direction and ran 65 yards toward the wrong goal line. One of his teammates, Beeny Lom, ran him down and tackled him just before he scored for th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Wrong Way Riegels'>Email this<a>So Far Awayhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Bible says in Psalm 103 that God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. Do you understand how far that is? <br> <br> Let me just give you a hint. If you were to travel north from anywhere, at what point would you begin going south? At the north pole. But if you were traveling east from anywhere, at what point would you being going west? You could go east forever and never be go....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=So Far Away'>Email this<a>Two Ears To Hearhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGod gave us two ears but only one mouth. Some people say that's because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it's because He knew that listening was twice as hard.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Two Ears To Hear'>Email this<a>Walt Disney's Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWalk Disney was fired by a newspaper for lacking ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Walt Disneys Life'>Email this<a>Dick Clark's Painhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen his older brother was killed during WWII, he first withdrew into a shell. Then he began to listen to the radio to ease his pain. Soon he was dreaming about hosting his own radio show. That led Dick Clark to start American Bandstand.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dick Clarks Pain'>Email this<a>Ray Kroc's Retirementhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA relatively unsuccessful marketer of restaurant equipment, he didn't sell his first hamburger until age 52. At a time when many people prepare for retirement, Ray Kroc built McDonald's from a handful of hamkburger stands into the world's largest food chain.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ray Krocs Retirement'>Email this<a>Fred Astaire Can't Dancehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAfter Fred Astaire's first screen test, a 1933 memo from the MGM testing director said, "Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Fred Astaire Cant Dance'>Email this<a>African Death Tollhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEvery single day, 9,500 African contract AIDS. The daily death toll is 6,500. - Christian Reader (Sep/Oct 2003)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=African Death Toll'>Email this<a>Zambia's Death Tollhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHIV/AIDS is projected to wipe out half of Zambia's 10 million inhabitants. The disease has already resulted in more than a million deaths and created nearly 600,000 orphans. - Christian Reader (Sep/Oct 2003)....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Zambias Death Toll'>Email this<a>Team President Redeems Athletehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLou Johnson, a 1965 World Series hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers, tried for 30 years to recover the championship ring he lost to drug dealers in 1971. Drug and alcohol abuse cost him everything from that magical season, including his uniform, glove, and the bat he used to hit the winning home run in the deciding game.<br> <br> When Dodger president, Bob Graziano, learned that Johnson's World Ser....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Team President Redeems Athlete'>Email this<a>Sin Is Like Shopping with a $1 Million Billhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen I heard about Alice Pike's arrest, two questions came to mind. Alice is the woman who tried to pay for her Wal-Mart purchases with a $1 million bill. My two questions: "There isn't really a $1 million bill, is there?" and, "What was she thinking?"<br> <br> The answer to the first question is no, silly. The U.S. Treasury doesn't make a bank note with that many zeros. I don't know how high the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sin Is Like Shopping with a $1 Million Bill'>Email this<a>Don't Forget the Resurrection!http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJohn MacArthur <br> <br> In 1874, a Baptist minister named Robert Lowry penned one of the most stirring hymns to ever exalt the resurrection of Jesus Christ--"Low in the Grave He Lay." Notice how these verses contrast the impotence of death and suffering with the resurrection power of Christ: <br> <br> Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior; Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! Vainly they wa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Forget the Resurrection!'>Email this<a>The Lord's Baseball Gamehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFreddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. <br> <br> The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named 'Love.' <br> <br> Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because "Love never fails." <br> <br> Th....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Lords Baseball Game'>Email this<a>Surrender at Gethsemanehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy Greg Laurie<br /> <br /> Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt as though your friends and family had abandoned you? Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood? Have you ever had a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life? If so, then you have an idea of what the Lord Jesus went through as He agonized at Gethsemane.<br /> <br /> Hebrews tells us, &q....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Surrender at Gethsemane'>Email this<a>Surviving The River Of Deathhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMax Lucado, in his book, “Six Hours One Friday,” tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.<br> <br> A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Surviving The River Of Death'>Email this<a>All The Differencehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAll but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than philosophies, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder. <br> In 1900 B.C. Judaism’s Father Abraham died. In 483 B.C. Buddhist writings say Buddha died “with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind.” June 6, 632 A.D. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=All The Difference'>Email this<a>Who To Follow?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him, “Why have you done such a thing?” He answered, “Well, it’s like this: Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. You didn’t know which way to go; and there at the fork were two men—one dead, and one alive—which one would you ask to show you the way?”....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Who To Follow?'>Email this<a>The Warm Arms of Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMax Lucado <br> <br> Bob Russell is a friend of mine who preaches in Kentucky. His father passed away a few years ago. The funeral was held on a cold, blustery, Pennsylvania day. The snow-covered roads precluded the funeral procession, so the director told Bob, "I'll take your dad's body to the grave." Bob couldn't bear the thought of missing his father's burial, so he and his brother and their s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Warm Arms of God'>Email this<a>A Father's Lovehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx<br> <br> In Surprised by Children, Harold Myra writes:<br> <br> <br> One afternoon my older brother Johnny and I were walking home from school when we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by four older boys we didn't know. Johnny was a good fighter, but they pushed us into a field, threw ropes around us, and shoved us down on the ground.<br> <br> "What did we do?" we demanded. "We didn't do anyth....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Fathers Love'>Email this<a>Exercise Your Faithhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDavid Jeremiah <br> <br> Hoisting several hundred pounds of free weights over his chest, famous <br> 49er Jerry Rice said, "I'm willing to make the sacrifices, to do the work. There's not many out there with my endurance or my desire." <br> <br> Some of us lift weights and burn calories for countless hours at the gym. Do we display that same determination in our spiritual lives? Since none of us ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Exercise Your Faith'>Email this<a>Prophit Of Prophceyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhat Profit is Prophecy?<br> Adrian Rogers<br> <br> I am always amazed by people who say we shouldn't study prophecy. Some<br> fear we will go off into fanaticism. Others think prophecy is simply<br> "pie in the sky by and by." Still others feel prophecy is unrelated to<br> reality. But one-fourth of the Bible is given over to prophecy! Did the<br> Holy Spirit make a mistake? Of course not! There....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Prophit Of Prophcey'>Email this<a>A Descriptionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJesus was tied to a post and beaten at least thirty-nine times – and probably more – with a whip that had jagged bones and balls of lead woven into it. Again and again the whip was brought down with full force on his bare shoulders, back, and legs …<br> <br> <br> At first the heavy thongs cut through skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Description'>Email this<a>Swooning Saviorhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxQ and A<br> One lady wrote in to a question and answer forum: <br> <br> <br> Dear Sirs, <br> Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the <br> cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think? <br> <br> <br> Sincerely, Bewildered. <br> <br> <br> Dear Bewildered, <br> Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; han....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Swooning Savior'>Email this<a>Monkey Businesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThinking that the human body just evolved on it's own is like thinking you can give a million monkeys typewriters and set them to work, they'd eventually come up with the complete works of Shakespeare.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Monkey Business'>Email this<a>The Easter Bunny Did Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxVery often the emphasis placed on various religious celebrations gets clouded by the emphasis placed on them secularly. Even children can become somewhat confused over the meaning and importance.<br> In the cartoon THE FAMILY CIRCLE the two children have found their Easter baskets and are enjoying them. One asked, "Who colored all these eggs?" To which his sister replied, "The Easter bunny."<....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Easter Bunny Did It'>Email this<a>Opened Cageshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn the Isle of Capri in the Bay of Naples, members of the local Christian parish have a traditional ceremony every Easter which is a powerful symbol of all that Christ's Resurrection means. Each family gathering for the early Sunday morning Easter celebration carries a bird cage. The crowded church and the plaza outside are jammed with the people of Capri carrying cages. After the benediction all....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Opened Cages'>Email this<a>Jesus And Funeralshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his autobiography, A SONG OF ASCENTS, Dr. E. Stanley Jones tells about a lay friend of his who was called upon to conduct a funeral service. He wanted to do it properly and in the best Christian tradition. So he turned to the New Testament to find out how Jesus conducted funerals. And he found that Jesus didn't conduct funerals at all. All he dealt with were resurrections. <br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Jesus And Funerals'>Email this<a>God's Plan For Humanityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSir Oliver Lodge is quoted as saying that smashing an organ is not equivalent to killing an organist, nor is killing the organist equivalent to stopping the music.<br> And killing Christ did not stop God's plan for humanity . . . <br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Plan For Humanity'>Email this<a>An Empty Tombhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf Easter says anything at all to us it is that Jesus will always be with us. The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contained the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned, because in it rests the bodies of English nobles and notables. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones it contains. Arlington cemetery in Washington, D.C., ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=An Empty Tomb'>Email this<a>The Perfect Care for What Ails Youhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxNo moveable parts<br> No batteries to wear out<br> No periodic checkups needed <br> Low energy consumption <br> High energy yield <br> Inflation-proof <br> No monthly payments <br> No insurance requirements <br> Theft-proof <br> Non-taxable <br> Non-polluting <br> And, of course, fully returnable!!<br> <br> <br> Hugging is healthy:<br> <br> It relieves tension.<br> It combats depression.<br> It r....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Perfect Care for What Ails You'>Email this<a>Lady Killershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxProf. Goldthwaite Dorr, Ph.D. and his band of misfit criminals pose as musicians so that they can "practice" their arts in the root celler of the unsuspecting Mrs. Munson. Their aim is to dig a tunnel to an adjacent casino and make off with the loot, but events conspire to complicate their plans. <br> <br> Movie's Sermon General's Warning: <br> The Ladykillers contains a lot of strong profanity, ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lady Killers'>Email this<a>NASA's All Wethttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCreationist Says NASA's All Wet, Mars Never Inhabited<br> Allie Martin, Agape Press<br> <br> A former evolutionist who is now a biblical creationist says the recent<br> discovery that water once covered part of Mars does not prove that life<br> once existed on the red planet. Recently scientists of the National<br> Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have displayed photographs<br> from tw....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=NASAs All Wet'>Email this<a>Show A Little Kindnesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOur pastor was organizing an evangelistic outreach using small acts of kindness to demonstrate Christ's love. He phoned several neighborhood grocery stores and laundromats for permission to do specific services.<br> <br> On one call, the employee who answered the phone hesitated, then said, "I'll need to ask the manager, but first, let me make sure I understand: You want to clean up the parking l....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Show A Little Kindness'>Email this<a>A Complete Failurehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen the English playwright Oscar Wilde arrived at his club late at night after witnessing the first presentation of a play that had been a complete failure, someone asked. "How did your play go tonight, Oscar? <br> <br> "Oh," said Wilde, "the play was a great success. The audience was a failure." <br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Complete Failure'>Email this<a>Only Onehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy Greg Laurie<br> <br> I have heard it said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do<br> everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I<br> ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do."<br> <br> One godly man or woman can make a dramatic difference, even in the<br> darkest of circumstances. Jesus put it this way:<br> <br> "You are the salt of the earth. But what good ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Only One'>Email this<a>Can A Pastor Ever Win?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIf he visit's his flock he's nosey. <br> <br> If he doesn't - he's lazy or a snob. <br> <br> If he preaches longer than 10 minutes it's too long. <br> <br> If he doesn't - he can't be bothered to prepare for services. <br> <br> If he runs a car he's worldly. <br> <br> If he doesn't he's always late for appointments. <br> <br> If he tells a joke he's flippant. <br> <br> If he doesn't he's f....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Can A Pastor Ever Win?'>Email this<a>God's Instrumentshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA small church in Sierra Leone, Africa, dreamed of having an organ with which they could make beautiful music to praise the Lord. They had saved up $200 to put towards the organ; they trusted God to provide the rest. So the local missionary sat down to pray as he wrote a letter to a friend back in the States. Strangely, the letter was sent to the wrong address. It ended up in the hands of an ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Instruments'>Email this<a>Murder For Hirehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his book, LIVING WITHOUT A MAGIC EIGHTBALL, Sidney Sowers tells of a study conducted by a psychology professor in which 652 people were asked, "What is the least amount of money you would take to push a button to kill a person inside a black box, providing no one would ever know what you did?" Some 25 to 45 percent of the people said they would kill for money, for as little as $20,000 to $50,....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Murder For Hire'>Email this<a>Riches Aren't Everythinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his book Raising a Modern-Day Knight, pastor Robert Lewis reminds men that worldly success rarely offers true contentment and peace. He quotes the Napoleon, who wrote in a letter, "I am tired of glory at twenty-nine; it has lost its charm; and there is nothing left for me but complete egotism. "<br> There is also a quote from a wealthy and powerful Spanish caliph who wrote that in spite of....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Riches Arent Everything'>Email this<a>Only A Donkeyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe donkey awakened, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride.<br> <br> <br> He walked into town and found a group of people by the well. "I’ll show myself to them," he thought.<br> <br> <br> But they didn’t notice him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.<br> <br> <br> "Throw your garm....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Only A Donkey'>Email this<a>Hesitation Can Be Lethalhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the fall of 2003, a string of Southern California wildfires eventually claimed two-dozen lives. The flames moved at a speed faster than people could flee.<br> <br> Responding to complaints that some residents did not receive enough warning, Sgt. Conrad Grayson said, "We're begging people to leave, and they don't take us seriously. They want to pack some clothes, or fight it in the backyard wit....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Hesitation Can Be Lethal'>Email this<a>Key To Changehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChip Ingram <br> <br> Ask any butterfly if God has changed its life, and the answer will be a resounding YES! But according to the respected Gallup and Barna research organizations, you wouldn't get the same response from the average American who believes in Christ. <br> <br> Sadly, recent research from both Gallup and Barna indicates that the decision to follow Christ makes surprisingly little d....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Key To Change'>Email this<a>Not Worth Ithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment. <br> <br> Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys full of youthful after-school enthusiasm came down his street beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not Worth It'>Email this<a>To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn this classic Academy Award-winning film, when a poor black man is accused of raping a local white woman, Atticus Finch is appointed to defend him in court. The accusation and ensuing trial bring out the worst in many of the townsfolk and provide important life lessons about truth, self-control, and mercy for Finch's children, Jem and Scout.<br> <br> Topics: Giving Offering Debt Kindness ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962'>Email this<a>Strength Traininghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the late 1880s, you would have been astounded to see a small Canadian<br> man lift a platform holding 18 men and weighing 4,337 pounds. Louis Cyr<br> became known as the strongest man in North America and Europe. Strongmen<br> spend their lives conditioning their bodies so their strength shouldn't<br> surprise us.<br> <br> What should surprise us is the strength of a different kind of strongma....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Strength Training'>Email this<a>Ignorance Isn't Blisshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAccording to Peter Kendall in the Chicago Tribune, Ruben Brown, age sixty-one, was known on the south and west sides of Chicago, as the friendly neighborhood cockroach exterminator with "the Mississippi stuff." The Mississippi stuff was a pesticide Brown had bought hundreds of gallons of in the South, and it really did the trick on roaches. Brown went from door to door with his hand sprayer, and ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Ignorance Isnt Bliss'>Email this<a>Divided By Truthhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxListen to Adrian Rogers: <br> <br> <br> It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. <br> It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, then falsehood that comforts and then kills.<br> It is not love and it is not friendship if we fail do declare the whole counsel of God.<br> It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie.<br> It ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Divided By Truth'>Email this<a>Can You Handle The Truth?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEven if you never saw the movie “A Few Good Men,” you’re probably familiar with one scene. <br> <br> <br> Tom Cruise plays a military lawyer and is interrogating tough-guy Jack Nicholson.<br> <br> <br> Cruise is getting nowhere and finally yells, “I WANT THE TRUTH!” <br> <br> <br> And Jack Nicholson shouts back. “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" <br> <br> <br> Truth is difficult stuff. Sometimes it’s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Can You Handle The Truth?'>Email this<a>Basing Truth On Feelingshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPontius Pilate asked the classic question, “What is truth?” Do you know what Americans think about truth? <br> <br> <br> · By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always<br> relative to a person’s situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers.<br> <br> <br> · People are most likely to make their moral and ethical decisions on the basis of whatever feels right or ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Basing Truth On Feelings'>Email this<a>Here Kittyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOnce there was a man named Jim who let his dog out to do its business late one night.<br> <br> <br> He watched some TV and then remembered to let the dog back in. When he opened the door, he was shocked at what he saw! In his dog’s mouth was his neighbor’s cat, dead!<br> <br> <br> "Bad dog! BAD DOG!" said the panicked man.<br> He took the cat away and looked at it. He couldn’t bring himself to te....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Here Kitty'>Email this<a>Seeking the Approval of Othershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHe had been waiting his entire career for this one moment. With just<br> four seconds left-his team trailing by six points in the championship<br> game-Steven caught the quarterback's perfectly placed pass and sprinted<br> down the sideline. Seventy thousand fans erupted, raucously cheering for<br> Steven as he crossed mid-field and headed for the end zone.<br> <br> He was the center of attention....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Seeking the Approval of Others'>Email this<a>Seeing Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne day on the way home from church a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me." <br> <br> The mother said, "Oh! Why is that? <br> <br> The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" <br> <br> "Yes, that's true," the mother replied. <br> <br> "He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?" <br>....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Seeing God'>Email this<a>Finnish Speeder Pays Record Finehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJussi Salonoja was speeding. On February 11, 2004, Helsinki police stopped the 27-year-old Finnish sausage maker driving 80 kilometers an hour in a 40 kph zone.<br> <br> Salonoja is no stranger to illegal speeds. Back in 2000, he was caught cruising the highway at 200 kilometers per hour, for which he paid a hefty fine. This time the fine was higher.<br> <br> Finland's lawmakers have little toler....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Finnish Speeder Pays Record Fine'>Email this<a>You've Got Mailhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"You've got mail." Many of us hear those words each day as we log on to<br> the Internet to check our email. The phrase was also popularized by a<br> movie of the same title a few years ago. Remember when the only option<br> to connecting to the World Wide Web was through a phone modem with a<br> tortoise like connection speed of 28k? Then we expanded to 56k. Then to<br> cable, broadband, and DSL....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Youve Got Mail'>Email this<a>What is Prayer?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxBy Thelma Wells<br> <br> You may ask, "How can I pray when I may not know what prayer is?"<br> Someone has said, “Prayer is the heart’s sincere desire - unspoken or<br> expressed.” Prayer is communicating with God, sharing with God your<br> dreams and desires, listening to God for answers to your prayers,<br> calling on God when you are in distress, and thanking God for His<br> goodness to you.<....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What is Prayer?'>Email this<a>Insignificant Goalshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome years ago a headline told of three hundred whales that suddenly died. The whales were pursuing sardines and found themselves marooned in a bay. Frederick Broan Harris commented, "The small fish lured the sea giants to their death. They came to their violent demise by chasing small ends, by prostituting vast powers for insignificant goals." -- John C. Maxwell, DEVELOPING THE LEADER WITHIN YOU....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Insignificant Goals'>Email this<a>Pursuing Evilhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOnce some disciples of Rabbi Pinchas ceased talking in embarrassment when he entered the House of Study. When he asked them what they were talking about, they said: "Rabbi, we were saying how afraid we are that the Evil Urge will pursue us." <br> "Don't worry," he replied. "You have not gotten high enough for it to pursue you. For the time being, you are still pursuing it." -- Friedman, Dialo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pursuing Evil'>Email this<a>Just Onehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxRecently, in a hospital for alcoholics, I met a man who told me a story all too familiar. For seven years he had remained sober. Not one drink had he taken during this time. Then one night he was walking home with a friend from work. The friend suggested they stop for a beer. He only intended to get a soft drink but when he saw the beer he decided that just one would not hurt him. After all, he h....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Just One'>Email this<a>Disgracing Godhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn the 1700s missionaries from the London Missionary Society faced a multitude of obstacles and temptations in the South Pacific. Many of their problems on the island of Tonga came from other Europeans, who considered the missionaries a threat to their freewheeling lifestyle. One of the tactics used to undermine the work of the missionaries was to taunt them and mock them for their sexual purity.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Disgracing God'>Email this<a>Weakest Linkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPeople are the weakest link: In national defense, Marine guards at the American embassy in Moscow were discovered to have allowed Soviet agents into top-secret areas after being seduced by women spies. Millions of dollars spent on a new embassy building were considered wasted, as security plans for it were leaked to the Russians, and our national strength against enemies was held up to ridicule.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Weakest Link'>Email this<a>Deadly Beautyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMy grandmother grew the prettiest flowers in our county. She spent hours planting, weeding, watering, and caring for each delicate bloom according to its unique needs.<br> One evening I watched, bewildered, while Grandma yanked at a purple morning glory whose shoots were twisting around a tender grapevine. Grandma tore out the stubborn roots, discarding the blossoms in the lane. Later Grandma....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Deadly Beauty'>Email this<a>Just Oncehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe alcoholic never dreamed he would end up in the gutter when he took his first drink. But he could remember saying, "One drink never hurt anyone."<br> The man who cheated on his wife never dreamed he would lose his wife and children because of yielding for one fleeting moment. But he could remember thinking, "Who will ever know?"<br> The fish who took the bait never dreamed a hook was....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Just Once'>Email this<a>A Take For Every 'Body'http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThis is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and <br> Nobody...<br> <br> There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do <br> it...<br> <br> Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, <br> but Nobody did it.<br> <br> Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. <br> Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Take For Every Body'>Email this<a>Rising Above Our Hurtshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIt takes courage to set aside jealousy and rejoice with the achievements<br> of a rival. Would you like an example of someone who did?<br> <br> Standing before ten thousand eyes is Abraham Lincoln. An uncomfortable<br> Abraham Lincoln. His discomfort comes not from the thought of delivering<br> his first inaugural address but from the ambitious efforts of<br> well-meaning tailors. He's unaccustom....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Rising Above Our Hurts'>Email this<a>Missing Outhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLeith Anderson, a pastor, shares an experience of disappointment. <br> As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew the Dodgers would trounce the Yankees. Unfortunately, the Dodgers never got on base, and his excitement was s....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Missing Out'>Email this<a>This Is Goodhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend <br> with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at <br> every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or <br> negative) and remarking, "This is good!" <br> <br> <br> One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting <br> expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the <br> king. The friend had ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=This Is Good'>Email this<a>Life Through His Bloodhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxEleven days after a terrible earthquake in Russia, a mother and her infant were pulled alive from the rubble. Mother Teresa was among those who came to nurse the survivors. As she walked through the hospital, she came upon the woman, badly crushed and near death, with a healthy baby lying beside her. Puzzled at the difference in their condition, Mother Teresa asked the nurses if this was the c....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Life Through His Blood'>Email this<a>Veil Tornhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA pastor explained to a group of children that the veil in the temple that separated the outer area from the holy of holies was split as Christ hung on the cross. <br> "How big was the hole?" asked one boy. <br> The pastor said, "Big enough for anyone to get through."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Veil Torn'>Email this<a>Dead Lambhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA lighthouse was being built on the rocky coast of Wales. When the building was almost finished, one of the workmen stumbled and fell through the scaffolding and onto the rocks below. The other workers were shocked at what had taken place and did not dare look down. They backed slowly down their ladders. To their surprise and joy they saw their fellow workman lying on the grass, shaken up and bru....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dead Lamb'>Email this<a>Paul's Sufferinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe Apostle Paul spent roughly one-quarter of his missionary career in prisons. John McRay wrote in Christian History: <br> Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged—a humiliating, painful, and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated as prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Mutilated, bloodstained clothing was not replaced, even in the cold of wint....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Pauls Suffering'>Email this<a>God Doesn't Existhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He began to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects.<br> Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God.<br> <br> The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists."<br> <br> "Why do you say that?" asked the customer.<br> <br> "Well, it's ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Doesnt Exist'>Email this<a>Learning To Forgivehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job. His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Learning To Forgive'>Email this<a>Not What You Say, What You Dohttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAdoniram Judson went to the King of Burma to ask him if he might have permission to go to a certain city to preach. The king, a pagan, but quite an intelligent man responded, "I'm willing for a dozen preachers to go but not you, not with those hands. My people are not such fools as to take notice of your preaching but they will note those calloused, work-scarred hands."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Not What You Say, What You Do'>Email this<a>Showing Love And Loyaltyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTolstoy once told a story of a Czar and Czarina who wished to honor the members of their court with a banquet. They sent out invitations and requested that the guests come with the invitations in their hands. When they arrived at the banquet the guests were surprised to discover that the guards did not look at their invitations at all. Instead they examined their hands. The guests wondered about ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Showing Love And Loyalty'>Email this<a>Social Hall Mentalityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA certain sea-side town was justly proud of its rescue squad. They were able seamen with a concern for others. Whenever there was a shipwreck on the jagged rocks that protruded along the coast near the little town, the members of the rescue squad would quickly man their rescue boats and make their way out to render whatever aid they could, even under the most dangerous conditions.<br> In orde....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Social Hall Mentality'>Email this<a>Forwarding The Gospelhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe gospel must be preached afresh and told in new ways to every generation, since every generation has its own unique questions. The gospel must constantly be forwarded to a new address, because the recipient is repeatedly changing his place of residence.<br> <br> Citation: Helmut Thielicke, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 3.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Forwarding The Gospel'>Email this<a>Love Knothttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOn February 14, the business of Valentine's Day is to ardently pursue love interests and warmly renew those already in progress.<br> <br> Daniel Webster, a 19th century lawyer and statesman, was courting his wife-to-be, Grace Fletcher. As he held skeins of silk thread for her, he suggested, "Grace, we've been engaged in untying knots; let us see if we can tie a knot which will not untie for a lif....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Love Knot'>Email this<a>Nailed To The Crosshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHollywood star and director Mel Gibson felt called by God to make his film The Passion of the Christ, a portrayal of the final 12 hours of Jesus' life on earth. Although the film has been criticized for being anti-Semitic, Gibson has never pointed a finger at the Jews. Instead, he says all of us are responsible for Christ's death.<br> <br> In the movie, Gibson portrays this in a remarkable way. W....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Nailed To The Cross'>Email this<a>I Took Your Placehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near and the driver got out and said,"I always park there! You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Took Your Place'>Email this<a>Resurrection Seedhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Resurrection Seed'>Email this<a>King Of Comebackshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThe 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks will go down as that of a comeback. So in the November 12, 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated, they ranked the 10 greatest comebacks in world history. Among those making the list:<br> 1. Muhammad Ali, 1974. Seven years after being stripped of his title and his boxing license, ‘The Greatest’ KO’s George Foreman in Zaire ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=King Of Comebacks'>Email this<a>Living Your Dreamhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTwenty-eight years ago, motivational speaker Steve Chandler interviewed California Governor Arnold Swarzenegger, a well-known body builder at the time, about his plans as an aspiring actor. That interview is quite interesting in light of subsequent events:<br> I asked, "What are you going to do next?" <br> And with a calm voice, he said,"I'm going to be the No. 1 box office star in all of....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Living Your Dream'>Email this<a>Sick And Tiredhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome people's lives change because of an epiphany, a blinding flash of realization that they can't live the way they always have in the past. For Bessie Pender, it was nothing that dramatic. One day she admitted to herself that she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired," and she began to cry. And pray. And that's when Bessie's life began to change.<br> Bessie experienced her moment ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sick And Tired'>Email this<a>Mountain Climbinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1982, mountain climber Mark Wellman suffered a serious fall while climbing Gables Peak, a summit in California. Wellman broke his back, and was instantly paralyzed from the waist down. But Mark Wellman has not let his injuries rob him of his passion. He still enjoys "alpine skiing, cross country skiing and white water kayaking." And he still climbs mountains, with the help of a climbing bu....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Mountain Climbing'>Email this<a>God's Lovehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxHow Do You Spell Valentine?<br> <br> For God so loVed the world<br> that he gAve<br> His onLy<br> begottEn<br> SoN.<br> That whosoever<br> believeth In Hin<br> should Not perish<br> but have Everlasting life....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Gods Love'>Email this<a>The Heaven Of Servicehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDr. Laura Schlessinger writes: "I was out at my mother and father’s house, a seventy mile round-trip from my own, because my mother needed a little help. She needed a little help because my father, who has full-blown Alzheimer’s, had taped duct tape all over the three long windows in the bathroom, so that the “little people” who haunt his days and nights wouldn’t be able to look in. She needed a ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Heaven Of Service'>Email this<a>Service Requires Actionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out.<br> A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."<br> An objective person walked by and said, "It’s logical that someone would fall down there."<br> A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits."<br> A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.<br> A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.<br> An IRS ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Service Requires Action'>Email this<a>How To Live Lifehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, I HAVE TWO OPTIONS AS TO HOW I WILL LIVE MY LIFE:+<br> <br> #1 By the "clock" - That is, manage my life by such external forces as my<br> <br> <br> Commitments<br> Appointments<br> Schedule<br> Goals<br> Activities<br> <br> <br> #2 By the "compass" - That is, lead my life by such internal values as my<br> <br> <br> Calling<br> Vision<br> Values<br> Mission<br> Direction<b....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How To Live Life'>Email this<a>What Really Mattershttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxChris Dewelt is a professor of missions at Ozark Christian College in JoPlin, Missouri. I once heard him speak at a convention, and I remember these powerful words: "I am to be the same person whether I'm holding a Communion tray in my hand or a remote control. I am to be the same person whether I'm in a hotel room five hundred miles from home or in the family room with my kids. I am to be the sa....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Really Matters'>Email this<a>How Honest Are You?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxRecently, Reader's Digest magazine ran an online poll on the subject of honesty. Two thousand six hundred and twenty-four respondents answered questions about cheating on their income tax, taking home office supplies, or telling "little white lies" to save someone's feelings. <br> The survey revealed that 71% of men and 61% of women admit to taking home office supplies. Sixteen percent of res....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How Honest Are You?'>Email this<a>Awl For The Goodhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn 1809, Simon Renee Braille and his wife Monique welcomed their fourth child into the world-- a lively boy named Louis. They lived in a small stone house near Paris where Braille was the local harness maker. Leather working tools are dangerous, so the toddler had been instructed not to go into his father's shop alone. <br> <br> But when Louis was still small, he slipped into the shop, and with c....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Awl For The Good'>Email this<a>A New Lighthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxOne 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. Then she had an operation in an Ontario hospital. She said, “I just can’t believe it,” as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes. She wept - when for the 1st time in her life she saw a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted her e....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A New Light'>Email this<a>Getting The Air Outhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn one of his meetings, D.L. Moody was explaining to his audience the truth that we cannot bring about spiritual changes in our lives by our own strength. He demonstrated the principal like this: <br> <br> “Tell me,” he said to his audience, “how can I get the air out of the tumbler I have in my hand?” <br> <br> One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.” <br> <br> But Moody replied, “That would cre....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Getting The Air Out'>Email this<a>I'm Only A Mirror Fragmenthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA well-educated, Greek philosopher named Dr. Alexander Popaderos taught an ethics class every summer on the island of Crete. This particular summer, during the last few minutes of the last day of class, Dr. Popoderos said “Now are there any questions before we go?” <br> <br> Just as he was getting ready to dismiss the class, a little, rather timid looking man in the back of the room, carefully ra....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Im Only A Mirror Fragment'>Email this<a>Twas the night of Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'Twas the night of Christmas,<br> But I just couldn't sleep.<br> I tried counting backwards,<br> I tried counting sheep<br> The leftovers beckoned<br> The dark meat and white,<br> But I fought the temptation with all of my might.<br> <br> Tossing and turning with anticipation,<br> The thought of a snack became infatuation!<br> So I raced to the kitchen,<br> Flung open the door,<br> And gazed at t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Twas the night of Christmas'>Email this<a>I Am A New Yearhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. <br> <br> I am your next chance at the art of living. <br> <br> I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months. <br> <br> All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination. <br> <br> All the good that you tried for and didn’t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=I Am A New Year'>Email this<a>An End In Mindhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxDr. Ari Kiev of Cornell University observed that from the moment people decided to concentrate all their energies on a specific objective, they began to surmount the most difficult odds. He concluded, "The establishment of a goal is the key to successful living." <br> Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 14<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=An End In Mind'>Email this<a>New Year Resolutionshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAt the beginning of a new year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ new year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. "Why weren’t my resolutions posted?" She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her re....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=New Year Resolutions'>Email this<a>The Beginning Of Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.<br /> <br /> She was feeling what so many of us feel during the ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Beginning Of Christmas'>Email this<a>Chocolate Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'Twas the night before Christmas and all round my hips<br> Were Fannie May candies that sneaked past my lips.<br> Fudge brownies were stored in the freezer with care<br> In hopes that my thighs would forget they were there.<br> <br> While Mama in her girdle and I in chinstraps<br> Had just settled down to sugar-borne naps.<br> When out in the pantry there arose such a clatter<br> I sprang from my....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Chocolate Christmas'>Email this<a>Get Readyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPlan as though Christ were not coming for ten years. Live as though He<br> were coming in ten seconds.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Get Ready'>Email this<a>What Are You Countinghttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxCount your blessings instead of crosses;<br> Count your gain instead of losses.<br> Count your joys instead of woes;<br> Count your friends instead of foes.<br> Count your smiles instead of tears;<br> Count your courage instead of fears.<br> Count your full years instead of lean;<br> Count your kind deeds instead of mean.<br> Count your health instead of wealth;<br> Count on God instead of our yo....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Are You Counting'>Email this<a>The Christmas Spirithttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx I heard about a woman who took her son Christmas shopping because she thought he would have a wonderful time looking at holiday decorations, seeing window displays, watching animated toys, and so forth. After a few minutes the youngster began to fret and cry; then one of his shoelaces came untied and he started tripping over his own feet.<br> As she bent down to tie his shoe, his mother said in....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Christmas Spirit'>Email this<a>The Little Things Counthttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx When Mark Twain's daughter, Susy, was very small, she once cried as if her heart would break because a picnic had been canceled on account of rain, and while trying to console herself she had broken a favorite toy. <br> Susy's mother tried to console the girl, saying, "There, there, Susy. You mustn't cry over little things." <br> The child's reply, although ungrammatical, was profoundly philos....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Little Things Count'>Email this<a>Buying Christmas Giftshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMan is a creature who buys football tickets three months in advance, but waits until Christmas Eve to do his Christmas shopping.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Buying Christmas Gifts'>Email this<a>The Miracle Of Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx G. Ray Jordan once expressed the miracle of Christmas like this in his book PREACHING DURING A REVOLUTION (Anderson, Ind.: Warner Press, 1962): "God walked down the stairs with a baby in his arms."....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Miracle Of Christmas'>Email this<a>Forgetting Jesushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his DECEMBER FOOL'S DAY, poet Johnston G. Patrick says: <br> <br> "Along the pathway of the stars<br> we toil toward the Moon and Mars.<br> Good God! Have we lost our mind<br> in leaving Bethlehem behind?"<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Forgetting Jesus'>Email this<a>The Reason For Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"The fact of Christ," writes Dr. Carnegie Simpson, "does not indeed show us everything, but it shows us the one thing we need to know--the character of God. God is the God who sent Jesus. That God is Love."<br /> <br /> Jesus not only showed us that the nature of God was Love; He also showed us that we are important in God's eyes. In fact, we were the reason for Christmas. A....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Reason For Christmas'>Email this<a>The Lost Screwhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx JoAnne Stellato wrote in to Taste of Home magazine (Dec./ Jan. 2004) with her own version of the woman who lost a valuable coin and turned the house upside down to find it. A few years ago at Christmas time, JoAnne was baking a large batch of cookies. After pulling the last pan out of the oven, JoAnne noticed that her dough mixer was missing a screw. Somewhere in those thirteen dozen cookies ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Lost Screw'>Email this<a>Holiday Memorieshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx In 1984, political commentator George Stephanopoulos traveled to the Sudan to work in the refugee camps with an organization called Save the Children. Refugee camps are seed beds of tragedy--so much poverty and disease and helplessness. And that's why Stephanopoulos was so touched by the refugees' courage. That Christmas, some of the Ethiopian refugees built a small church out of cardboard an....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Holiday Memories'>Email this<a>Being Neighborlyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx Every Hanukkah, the Markovitz family of Pennsylvania put a lit menorah in the window of their house. It stood out in contrast to all the Christmas decorations in the windows of their neighbors. <br> One year, vandals broke out the front window of the Markovitz home, the window that held the menorah. The whole Markovitz family was shaken by the senseless hatred of this act. After getting the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Being Neighborly'>Email this<a>What's Your Motivationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWinston Churchill said these words to the American people from the White House in December 1941, a few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.<br> "Fellow workers, fellow soldiers in the cause, this is a strange Christmas Eve. Almost the whole world is locked in a deadly struggle. Armed with the most terrible weapons which science can devise, the nations advance upon each other.<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Whats Your Motivation'>Email this<a>Christmas Prayerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx An old preacher was praying with great oratorical effects in the midst of a violent hurricane. As the earth quivered and the heavens roared, he cried out, "Send us the spirit of the children of Israel, the children of Moses, the children of the Promised Land."<br> Another brother prayed with more earnestness, "Lord, don't send nobody! Come yourself. This ain't no time for children."<br> That i....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Christmas Prayer'>Email this<a>Don't Give Uphttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx There is a great lesson in the story of Ben Hur. Do you remember it? Ben Hur was a young Jewish lad who is charged with a crime he did not commit. In a travesty of a trial he is condemned to the galleys. They chained him to a bench in the hold of a ship and to an oar. For weeks and months, then years he is forced to pull on that oar. If he should ever slack up, he will feel the sting of the lash....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Dont Give Up'>Email this<a>A Difficult Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was an article sometime back about a man who got caught in a cement mixer. He drove one of those big cement trucks that mixes cement as it carries it to a construction site. This poor fellow was cleaning the mixer. He climbed down into it with a hose to wash out the remaining wet cement. Unfortunately, the hose caught on a lever and pulled it to the "on" position. Suddenly this ma....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Difficult Christmas'>Email this<a>The Meaning Of Christmashttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx'T'was the night before Christmas and all through the town<br> Not a sign of Baby Jesus was anywhere to be found.<br> <br> The people were all busy with Christmas time chores<br> Like decorating, and baking, and shopping in stores.<br> <br> No one sang "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed".<br> Instead, they sang of Santa dressed-up in bright red.<br> <br> Mama watched Martha Stewart, Papa drank ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Meaning Of Christmas'>Email this<a>Believing The Impossiblehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAlice laughed. "There’s no use trying," she said: "one can’t believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven’t had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. <br> <br> SOURCE: Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Believing The Impossible'>Email this<a>Healed From Angerhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAuthor and speaker Tony Campolo tells this story:<br> I was in a church in Oregon not too long ago, and I prayed for a man who had cancer. In the middle of the week, I got a telephone call from his wife. She said, "You prayed for my husband. He had cancer." I said, "Had?" Whoa, I thought, it’s happened. <br> <br> She said, "He died." I felt terrible. <br> <br> She continued, "Don’t feel bad. When....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Healed From Anger'>Email this<a>God Will Providehttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a man in England during the 1900’s who also saw the power of Jesus to feed a group of people. The man was George Muller and he founded several orphanages which cared for as many as 2,000 children. One night Muller was informed that the supply of food was gone at one of the houses. The next morning he joined the children at breakfast. There was a bowl, and plate and glass in front of eac....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=God Will Provide'>Email this<a>Home For The Holidayshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home f....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Home For The Holidays'>Email this<a>The Christmas Stormhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx"This is about a modern man, one of us, he was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man, generous to his family, upright in his dealings with others. But he did not believe in all that incarnation stuff that the Churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense to him and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just could not swallow the Jesus story about G....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Christmas Storm'>Email this<a>What Are You Thankful For?http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxI understand that the late Dr. Fulton Oursler used to tell of an old <br> woman who took care of him when he was a child. Anna was a former <br> slave who, after emancipation, was hired by the family for many years.<br> <br> He remembered her sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and <br> her eyes gazing upward as she prayed, "Much obliged, Lord, for my <br> vittles." <br> <br> He asked ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Are You Thankful For?'>Email this<a>A Different View Of Halloweenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?" <br> <br> The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin." God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. <br> <br> Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., <br> <br> ....and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Different View Of Halloween'>Email this<a>Psalm 23http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxPsalm 23 <br> <br> This an eye opener; probably we never thought nor looked at this Psalm in this way, even though we say it over and over again. <br> <br> The Lord is my Shepherd That's Relationship! <br> <br> I shall not want That's Supply! <br> <br> He maketh me to lie down in green pastures That's Rest! <br> <br> He leadeth me beside the still waters That's Refreshment! <br> <br> He restoreth....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Psalm 23'>Email this<a>If We Are Like Jesushttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. Well, as such things go, one thing led to another. The sales meeting lasted longer than anticipated. Their flights were scheduled to leave out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and they had to race pell mell to the airport....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=If We Are Like Jesus'>Email this<a>When The Wine Runs Outhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTo the Jewish people wine symbolized joy. The Jewish rabbis had a saying, ‘Without wine there is no joy.” At the wedding in Cana their joy had run out!This statement by the mother of Jesus goes beyond liquid refreshment at a wedding. It is symbolic of our lives. It is a reminder of the emptiness of our life without Christ. It is a scary thing when the “wine runs out.”<br> <br> Ernest Hemmingway w....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=When The Wine Runs Out'>Email this<a>What It Is Like Being A Christianhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?" <br> <br> The woman replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch brings you in and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What It Is Like Being A Christian'>Email this<a>Stowaway in Cargo Boxhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen Charles McKinley, a 25-year-old shipping clerk in a New York warehouse, found himself in trouble with the law, he couldn't get his mind off heading for home to where his parents lived in suburban Dallas. He thought he could save himself money by shipping himself home in an airline cargo crate, so that is what he did.<br> <br> On Friday, September 5, 2003, after filling out paperwork describi....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Stowaway in Cargo Box'>Email this<a>How To Get To Heavenhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA man may go to heaven......<br> without health, without wealth;<br> without fame, without a great name;<br> without learning, without earnings;<br> without culture, without beauty;<br> without friends and without a thousand other things---<br> But he can never go to Heaven without Christ.<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=How To Get To Heaven'>Email this<a>Teach Them Integrityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxJohn Maxwell tells in his book, “The Leader Within You,” the story of the building of the Great Wall of China. They built it so high that no one could get over it. And they built it so thick that no one could tunnel through it. They built this gigantic wall that still exists today. And then the people of China sat down behind the wall, feeling that their future was secure.<br> <br> But in the fir....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Teach Them Integrity'>Email this<a>Hogs And Hypocriteshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA Christian once visited a farmer to talk to him about Christ. <br> <br> "I wouldn't come to church up there." the farmer said. <br> <br> "I know old Sam and Bill who both go to church there and claim to be a Christian and they don't live any differently from me. I'm as good as they are." <br> <br> Everywhere the farmer went he told about the hypocrites in that Church. <br> <br> Months passed and....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Hogs And Hypocrites'>Email this<a>A Father's Forgivenesshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxIn his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace , Phillip Yancey tells the story of Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway grew up in a very devout evangelical family, and yet there he never experienced the grace of Christ. He lived a libertine life that most of us would call "dissolute"… but there was no father, no parent waiting for him and he sank into the mire of a graceless depression. A short story he wrot....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A Fathers Forgiveness'>Email this<a>What Fathers Thinkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxFocus on the Family in their “Pastor’s Weekly Update” reported the results of Family Circle Magazine’s 2003 survey of fathers. Among the findings were:<br> <br> * 94% feel building a family is the hardest and most important thing a man can do.<br> <br> * 71% say fatherhood is more demanding than they expected, while 88% say fatherhood is more rewarding<br> <br> * 87% say the rewards of fatherhood....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=What Fathers Think'>Email this<a>Endangered Languageshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxLinguists from Britain's University of Manchester warn half of the world's 6,000 languages will be extinct by 2050. Endangered languages include Modern Aramaic, the descendant of Aramaic, the language used by Jesus and the disciples. Other languages won't even last until 2050, including Oro Win and Piraha from lowland Amazonia in South America. Only three Oro Win speakers live today, while those ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Endangered Languages'>Email this<a>The Real Seven Wonders Of The Worldhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA teacher asked her students to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. The students cast the most votes for:<br> <br> 1. Egypt's Great Pyramids <br> 2. Taj Mahal <br> 3. Grand Canyon <br> 4. Panama Canal <br> 5. Empire State Building <br> 6. St. Peter's Basilica <br> 7. China's Great Wall<br> <br> While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not t....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Real Seven Wonders Of The World'>Email this<a>Teens on Cohabitationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxAmericans aged 13 to 17 who believe unmarried couples living together is acceptable:<br> <br> Teens overall: 70 percent<br> Churchgoing teens: 50 percent<br> ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Teens on Cohabitation'>Email this<a>The Refiner's Silverhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxMalachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." <br> <br> This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Refiners Silver'>Email this<a>Modeling How A Christian Man Dieshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWhen New Testament scholar William Lane taught at Western Kentucky University, contemporary musician Michael Card was a student of his, and they developed a friendship that led to a discipling relationship. Card's book, The Walk, describes the intertwining of these two lives that grew out of their days together at the university. William Lane worked to live out the meaning of redeemed life to the....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Modeling How A Christian Man Dies'>Email this<a>In Spite Of Murderhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxThere was a young man named David who killed six innocent people in New York. He was finally caught and sent to prison for life. One day a fellow inmate began to tell David that God loved him, and was ready to forgive him for all his sins, even the murders he had committed. It took a while, but David did ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins, make him a new person, and give him a place in heaven. ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=In Spite Of Murder'>Email this<a>Sinful From Birthhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSome years ago the Minnesota Crime Commission released a statement more in line with what the Bible teaches about man’s basic nature.<br> ‘Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish, and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, his uncles’ watch. Deny him these once, and he seethes with rage and aggr....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Sinful From Birth'>Email this<a>NFL Teammates Must Overcome Incompatibilityhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTime printed a photograph of the back of Washington Redskins quarterback Jeff George (his helmet off, revealing a big, white-skinned bald spot) sitting on the bench flanked by two African-American teammates, each with a supportive hand on his shoulder.<br> <br> The caption read, "What counts most in creating a successful team is not how compatible its players are, but how they deal with incompati....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=NFL Teammates Must Overcome Incompatibility'>Email this<a>Listening Slowlyhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxWriter Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. "I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day," he recalled in his book Stress Fractures. "Before long, things around our home started reflecting the patter ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Listening Slowly'>Email this<a>The Heartbeathttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA nurse on the pediatric ward, before listening to the little ones’ chests would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe. But she never got a response to equal four-year-old David’s. Gently he tucked the stethoscope in his ears and placed the disk over his heart. <br> <br> “Listen,” she said, "What do you suppose that....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=The Heartbeat'>Email this<a>My Favorite Stationhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxGood listening is like tuning in a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time. Trying to listen to my wife while looking over an office report is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time. I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention. To tune into my partner, I must first choose to put away ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=My Favorite Station'>Email this<a>People Listen To Your Walk More Than Your Talkhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSaint Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to accompany him to<br> town to preach. The novice was honored at the opportunity. The two set<br> out for the city, then walked up and down the main street, then several<br> side streets. They chatted with peddlers and greeted the citizens.<br> <br> After some time they returned by another route to the abbey. The younger<br> man reminded Francis ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=People Listen To Your Walk More Than Your Talk'>Email this<a>Slow Downhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxSlow me down, Lord. I'm going too fast.<br> I can't see my brother when he's walking past. I miss a lot of good things day by day,<br> I don't know a blessing when it comes my way.<br> - Unknown....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Slow Down'>Email this<a>A False Standard of Measurementhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA little boy came running to his mother, shouting, "Mother, I am nine feet tall." <br /><br> <br /><br> His mother responded, "Don't talk such nonsense." <br /><br> <br /><br> "But," he said, "I really am nine feet tall. I measured myself." <br /><br> <br /><br> "Well, how did you measure yourself?" asked his mother. <br /><br> <br /><br> "I ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=A False Standard of Measurement'>Email this<a>Bird Lessonshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxRussell Spray writes, "Glancing out of my picture window, I was impressed by an interesting sight. A robin was busily flitting about in the rain, stopping only momentarily to sing his lovely, trilling song. Unlike the other birds, this fine- feathered creature wasn't seeking shelter from the downpour, but was delighting himself in the shower. He knew that much valuable food was being made ....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Bird Lessons'>Email this<a>Condensed Versionhttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxA copywriter applying for a job at a newspaper was asked, "Are you good at condensing material?" "Sure," he replied. "O.K. Do a rewrite on this and really cut it short," said the editor with tongue in cheek as he handed him a copy of the Ten Commandments. The applicant hurriedly read the material and in a few minutes returned with the rewrite and was immediately hir....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Condensed Version'>Email this<a>Lesson of the Knightshttp://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspxTwo knights were traveling toward each other on the same road when they came to a shield suspended between them. One of the horsemen said it was gold, while the other insisted it was silver. Soon they were fighting about it. But when it was over, they discovered that they were both right – and both wrong! The shield was gold on one side and silver on the other.....<br /><a style='font-family:Arial;font-size:small;font-weight:normal;' href='http://www.ifindsermons.com/emailrss.aspx?link=http://www.ifindsermons.com/illustration.aspx&title=Lesson of the Knights'>Email this<a>