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447 illustrations — Vivid stories and real-world analogies for sermon use
A few months ago, I found myself in a café, the kind with large windows that frame the busy street outside. I watched as a young mother gently cradled her newborn in one arm while expertly balancing a cup of...
SermonWise.ai generates complete sermon outlines for any passage across 17 theological traditions. Try it with John.
A few weeks ago, I came across a heartwarming story about a local soup kitchen that had recently faced a difficult season. Their long-time head chef, a spirited woman named Maria, had become ill and was unable to lead the...
For eleven years, Margaret Chen kept a steel lockbox under her bed in a small apartment in Portland. Inside were letters from her estranged father...
This past spring, I had the privilege of attending a small community gathering in our town, where the lives of several families intertwined in a shared mission to serve others. One woman, Sarah, stood out. She had faced tremendous loss;...
Daniel was a young man with dreams as vast as the sky. Raised in a loving family, he excelled in school and garnered accolades for his achievements. Yet, as his confidence grew, so too did his pride. He began to...
When Margaret Chen's husband David deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, he left a handwritten letter tucked inside her nightstand drawer. "Read this when you're afraid,"...
In 1972, a group of musicians in New York City formed the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with a radical idea: no conductor. No single person waving...
In 2019, a middle school in Jacksonville, Florida made national news — not for test scores or athletics, but for a cafeteria. A group of...
In 2019, a young chef named Marcus Samuelsson—already famous for Red Rooster in Harlem—told an interviewer about the moment that redirected his entire career. He...
For eleven years, Margaret Holloway carried a secret through the doors of First Community Church in Decatur, Georgia. She sang in the alto section, organized...
There’s a story about a wise old woman in a small village who had a garden that flourished like no other. Every spring, her garden burst forth with vibrant colors and life, drawing people from miles away. They would come...
For nearly fourteen centuries, the hieroglyphics carved into Egypt's temples and tombs stood in magnificent silence. Scholars gazed at the intricate symbols — birds, eyes,...
A few years ago, I visited a planetarium, where the vastness of the universe unfurled before me like a rich tapestry. As I sat in that dimly lit dome, the images of swirling galaxies and distant stars filled the screen,...
In 1722, a ragged band of Protestant refugees from Moravia arrived on the estate of Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf in Saxony. They were exhausted, divided,...
There’s a remarkable story about a group of scientists who embarked on a mission to explore the depths of the ocean. They developed a submersible capable of reaching the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of our planet. As they descended...
A few years back, I found myself on a small boat, navigating the turbulent waters of a lake during an unexpected storm. The wind howled like a wild animal, and the waves thrashed against the hull, threatening to pull us...
In 2019, a restaurant owner in Memphis named Carlos Whittaker closed his failing barbecue joint after eighteen months of mounting debt and sleepless nights. He...
In our rapidly evolving world, technology often feels like a double-edged sword. On one side, it connects us in ways that our ancestors could only dream of—think of the video calls that let us share birthdays with loved ones across...
As I stood in the quiet of my backyard one evening, a small miracle unfolded before my eyes. I had planted a simple sunflower seed a few months prior, and now, in the golden light of dusk, it towered majestically,...
In our fast-paced world, the act of lament can feel like a daunting task, yet it is a profound opportunity for those of us walking in faith. Imagine a small boat on a stormy sea. The winds howl, and waves...
When Marcus Chen was twelve, his father David was diagnosed with early-onset ALS. Over the next two years, David wrote a series of sealed letters...
Fanny Crosby was six weeks old when a country doctor in Southeast, New York, applied a hot mustard poultice to her infected eyes. The treatment...
When Maria Chen was eight years old, she used to sit in her father's office at Johns Hopkins and flip through his medical textbooks. The...
A few years ago, I met a woman named Maria who lived in a small town. Maria was known for her radiant joy, a light that seemed to shine even on the cloudiest of days. Yet, her journey to this...