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HomeIllustrations

50,739 Illustrations

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Sermon Illustration

The Day They Opened the Spillways

In the summer of 1983, record snowmelt from the Colorado Rockies forced engineers at Glen Canyon Dam to open the spillways for the first time...

Psalm 29Universal

232 words

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Sermon Illustration

Finding Angels in Everyday Moments

In our fast-paced world, we often find ourselves struggling to recognize the sacred moments that surround us—those divine whispers that guide our hearts and decisions. Just as the prodigal son wandered far from home in Luke 15:11-32, searching for fulfillment...

Luke 15:11-32Missional

285 words

Contemporary

The Gospel Hidden in Grotesque Company

In 1955, Flannery O'Connor published *A Good Man Is Hard to Find*, a short story collection that scandalized readers across the American South. Writing from...

Luke 15:1-2Universalgracebrokenness

236 words

Sermon Illustration

Sitting a Little Closer Each Day

In Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's *The Little Prince*, a lonely fox teaches the young prince what it means to form a real bond — what the...

Universalpatience

245 words

Sermon Illustration

The Deadly Arms That Hold You Safe

On coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific, the sea anemone is a terror. Its tentacles carry nematocysts — microscopic harpoons loaded with venom — that paralyze...

Nahum 1:7Universal

216 words

Sermon Illustration

Science Illustration: Truth-Seeking and Integrity in Research

A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a science fair where young minds presented their innovative projects. One particular exhibit caught my attention: a group of high school students had built a miniature ecosystem in a clear,...

Matthew 6:25-34Universal

251 words

Commentary

Black Church Tradition Lens Commentary: John 14:1-14

We read John 14:1-14 as a profound promise of liberation and presence. Jesus assures us that He is preparing a place for us, a promise that transcends the suffering and systemic injustice we face. This passage speaks to the heart of our hope: Jesus is both the way and the truth that leads to life, a

John 14:1-14Black ChurchDeliverance: God's active role in liberating the oppressed.Holistic Salvation: Encompassing body and soul, individual and community.

pastor

498 words

Sermon Illustration

The Name on the Mailbox

In 2019, a family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, finalized the adoption of their eight-year-old son, Marcus, who had spent four years in foster care. The...

Romans 8:14-17Universal

252 words

Contemporary

When Mourning Became Color

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura was in his studio in lower Manhattan when the Twin Towers fell. Ash and...

Psalm 30:11Universalbeautysuffering

264 words

Sermon Illustration

Science Illustration: Wise Use of Data and AI

As I sat in the quiet of my office, a colleague shared with me an astonishing story about a group of scientists who had gathered data from millions of sources to understand the complex web of life on our planet....

Psalm 104:24-30Universal

254 words

Sermon Illustration

The Carpenter Who Finally Opened His Toolbox

For eleven years, Raymond Guthrie built furniture in his garage workshop in Terre Haute, Indiana — cherry wood tables, oak bookshelves, hand-turned walnut bowls. His...

Philemon 1:6Universal

234 words

Sermon Illustration

The Donor Who Never Knew Her Name

In 2018, a stranger in Memphis walked into a kidney donation center and offered one of her kidneys to anyone who needed it. No specific...

Romans 5:5-11Universal

240 words

Sermon Illustration

The Light Left On

When Hurricane Katrina swallowed the Lower Ninth Ward in 2005, Margaret Johnson spent three days on her rooftop with nothing but a wool blanket and...

Psalm 27Universal

242 words

Sermon Illustration

Handel's Hallelujah from the Ashes

By 1741, George Frideric Handel was a broken man. Four years earlier, a stroke had paralyzed his right arm — doctors declared he would never...

Psalm 30Universal

248 words

Sermon Illustration

The Day Coach Morales Didn't Cut Me

Marcus Webb had every reason to expect the axe. He'd skipped two preseason practices, talked back to an assistant coach, and his attitude had poisoned...

Titus 2:11-12Universal

261 words

Sermon Illustration

William Wilberforce and the Bible That Demanded Action

In 1787, William Wilberforce sat in his home at 4 Old Palace Yard, Westminster, wrestling with a decision that would define his life. He had...

James 1:22Universal

255 words

Contemporary

Twenty-Seven Years That Saved a Nation

On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela walked through the gates of Victor Verster Prison in Paarl, South Africa, a free man after twenty-seven years behind...

Genesis 50:20Universalforgivenessperseverance

249 words

Contemporary

Grace That Enters Through the Wound

In 1955, from a dairy farm called Andalusia outside Milledgeville, Georgia, a young Catholic woman named Flannery O'Connor published a short story collection that disturbed...

Romans 5:20Universalgracebrokenness

223 words

Sermon Illustration

Charles Templeton and the Danger of Assumed Immunity

In the late 1940s, Charles Templeton was the most electrifying young evangelist in North America. He preached to stadiums of thousands, served as vice president...

1 Corinthians 10:1-13Universal

235 words

Sermon Illustration

When Love Sounds Like "Lean on Me

Bill Withers grew up in Slab Fork, West Virginia, a coal mining town so small it barely appeared on maps. His father died when Bill...

Universallove

226 words

Movie Analogy

A Man for All Seasons: Reasoned Conscience - Catholic (1 Peter 3:15)

In the vibrant tapestry of the Tudor court, we find Sir Thomas More, a man whose very soul echoed the struggle between loyalty to his conscience and the weight of a crown. Picture him, standing resolute in a dimly lit...

1 Peter 3:15Roman Catholicfaith and reasonconscience

adults

311 words

Lens Perspective

The Dark Passage You Cannot Map

In the monastery at Avila, Teresa once described the interior castle as having rooms the soul must enter without knowing what lies ahead. The deepest...

Joshua 1:9Charismaticcourage

255 words

Sermon Illustration

The Free Table on Lavaca Street

Every Saturday morning in Austin, Texas, a retired chef named Margaret Huang sets up a long folding table on Lavaca Street, covered with a white...

Isaiah 55:1-9Universal

238 words

Application Point

Living Faith: Anabaptist Lens Principles for Daily Life

Proverbs 3:5-6 beckons us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and to lean not on our own understanding. This wisdom is not just an abstract principle; it is a living, breathing call to action in our daily...

Proverbs 3:5-6Anabaptist

252 words