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4558 illustrations evoking awe
John Wesley was a radical experimenter in holiness. He tried rising at 4 AM, fasting twice weekly, giving away most of his income—all testing how completely he could offer his body. "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice." Wesley took...
The Anglican Book of Common Prayer opens communion with: "We do not presume to come to this your Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies." It's Ephesians 2:8-9 in liturgical form.
Eric Liddell won Olympic gold in 1924, made famous in "Chariots of Fire." But his greater race came later. As a missionary in China during WWII, he was interned in a Japanese camp. With meager resources, he organized games for...
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery, then returned to the South THIRTEEN TIMES to rescue others—at least 70 people. Slavecatchers offered a $40,000 reward for her capture. She was small, had seizures from an old head injury, and was a Black woman in a violently racist society.
Fanny Crosby lost her sight at six weeks old due to a doctor's mistake. She could have spent her life in bitterness.
In 1727, the Moravian community at Herrnhut began a prayer meeting that continued 24/7 for over 100 years. From that prayer came missionaries—the first Protestant missionaries to slaves in the Caribbean, to Greenland, to Africa.
A wealthy man died, leaving his estate to his lazy nephew. The nephew had done nothing to deserve it—hadn't worked for his uncle, hadn't visited him, hadn't earned a penny of it. The inheritance was pure gift. Some thought it...
David Livingstone went to Africa planning to be a traditional missionary—preaching, planting churches. Instead, God led him into exploration, opening the continent to future missionaries. He spent years mapping rivers, building relationships with tribes, combating the slave trade. Critics said he wasn't doing "real" missions.
Fannie Lou Hamer was beaten, shot at, and impoverished for registering Black voters in Mississippi. When asked why she kept going, she said, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired"—and kept working anyway. Her strength wasn't physical; it came from somewhere beyond herself.
William Carey was a poor cobbler in 18th-century England who hung a hand-drawn map of the world above his workbench. While repairing shoes, he prayed over nations that had never heard the gospel. When he proposed missions to India, church...
On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel in El Salvador. His sermon that evening reflected on John 3:16—God's love poured out in self-giving.
When a Western missionary first arrived in rural India, everything seemed backward—the pace, the values, the social patterns. Her mind, shaped by American culture, kept judging.
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke held crusades across Africa for decades. His organization estimates 79 million people recorded decisions for Christ. Critics questioned the numbers; Bonnke just kept preaching. He believed the Great Commission was meant to be fulfilled with power: healings, deliverances, miracles drawing crowds.
Orthodox icon writers don't "paint" icons; they "write" them—a theological act requiring prayer and fasting. One iconographer spent weeks on an image of Christ, praying before each brushstroke.
Monica prayed and wept for her son Augustine for years—he was brilliant but dissolute, running from God. She once asked a bishop for help; he replied, "The son of so many tears cannot be lost." He was right. Augustine's very wanderings shaped his unique insight.
Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp for hiding Jews. Their barracks was infested with fleas—miserable, biting, constant. Betsie insisted they thank God for everything, including the fleas. Corrie thought she was crazy.
Joseph spent years in a pit, in slavery, in prison—each time because of others' evil choices. His brothers' jealousy, Potiphar's wife's lies, the cupbearer's forgetfulness.
Consider the story of a woman named Lisa, whose heart was burdened by the weight of unforgiveness. Years ago, a close friend betrayed her in a way that left deep scars. For a long time, Lisa's prayers felt hollow, and...
Dear God of Love and Justice, As I pause to reflect on the profound truth that we are made in your image, I am drawn to the powerful words of Amos 5:24: "But let justice roll on like a river,...
Joshua 1:9 calls us to "be strong and courageous" for the Lord is with us wherever we go. This passage not only encourages us but also reminds us of the profound reality of our redemption through Christ. When we embrace...
The sermon illustrates the Eastern Orthodox understanding of theosis, emphasizing that through the Incarnation, humans are called to partake in the divine nature by grace. This transformation is facilitated by the sacraments, prayer, and spiritual disciplines, leading to a mystical union with God, as articulated by the Church Fathers.
When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt insisted on the word "universal"—not just rights for some nations, but for every human being. Critics said it was too broad, too idealistic. She replied that dignity...
As we gather in this sacred space, let us reflect on the profound intersection of *The Peculiar Politics of Christ* and our progressive Christian faith, especially in light of Romans 8:19-22. The Apostle Paul paints a vivid picture of creation...
Isaiah 40:31 reminds us, "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." This powerful promise reveals...