Charismatic Illustrations

Proverbs 20:19Universalspiritual vigilancethe danger of deception

Guarding the Soul Against Flattering Lips

Just as plants have evolved defenses against harmful insects, the soul requires vigilance against those who deceive through honeyed words.

Psalm 27:1Universalcourageperseverance

205 words

Contemporary

The Light That No Riot Could Extinguish

On the night of September 30, 1962, the University of Mississippi campus erupted into violence. Thousands of rioters hurled bricks, fired guns, and overturned cars...

229 words

Movie Analogy

Chariots of Fire: Eric Liddell's Missionary Parents - Anglican (Proverbs 22:6)

In the heart of a bustling Chinese village, amid the vibrant colors of market stalls and the rhythmic sounds of life, young Eric Liddell found himself under the loving care of his missionary parents. They were not merely raising him;...

Proverbs 22:6Universal

340 words

Contemporary

When the Harvest Workers Found Their Voice

On September 30, 1962, roughly 150 farm workers and their families crowded into a hall in Fresno, California, for a gathering that would reshape American...

Proverbs 31:8-9Universaljusticesolidarity

253 words

2 Chronicles 20:12Universal

When the Map Runs Out

In the early 1980s, a young American named Paul Farmer traveled to Cange, Haiti — a village perched on the central plateau, so poor and...

218 words

Isaiah 30:33Universaldivine judgmentaccountability for sin

Tophet Ordained: Divine Justice and the Wicked Man Warned

The annihilation of Assyrian power unfolds as a great funeral obsequy, well known among Eastern nations.

203 words

Vivid Retelling

The Word Became Flesh: John 1:1-18

Cinematic retelling of John's Prologue

Universal

806 words

Isaiah 55:11Universaltransformationthe Word

The Word That Would Not Be Contained

In a cramped workshop on Mainz's Quintinsstraße, sometime around 1455, Johannes Gutenberg lifted a freshly printed sheet from his wooden press and held it to...

251 words

Luke 4:18Universalcompassionjustice

When Bearing Witness Becomes Holy Work

In January 1843, Dorothea Dix stood before the Massachusetts state legislature and read aloud words that made grown men flinch. For eighteen months, this retired...

246 words

The Cure in the Venom

In a dusty laboratory at the Australian Reptile Park north of Sydney, keeper Billy Collett does something that looks like madness. Several times a week,...

Numbers 21:4b-9Universal

246 words

Romans 1:20Universalwondercourage

What the Storm Already Knew

In June of 1752, Benjamin Franklin walked into a gathering thunderstorm outside Philadelphia with a silk kite, a hemp string, an iron key, and a...

269 words

Leviticus 5:33Universalpreparation for ministryspiritual discipline

Seven Days of Consecration: Preparation for Holy Service

Exell observed that no priesthood merits acceptance if entered without notice, preparation, or deliberate thought.

Universalhomileticspreaching technique

220 words

Show Don't Tell

Show Don't Tell: John 1:1-5

Imagine standing on the shores of a vast, untouched ocean at dawn. The sky is painted in the delicate hues of a new day, the soft brush of light stretching across the water, revealing the depths of its mystery. This...

Universal

315 words

Show Don't Tell

Show Don't Tell: Psalm 67

Vivid sensory description for preaching Psalm 67

adults

168 words

Isaiah 26:3-4Universaldependence on Godthe nature of faith

Trust as Leaning: The Weak Hand in God's Strong Hand

Trust is not mere intellectual assent or emotional confidence.

Alexander Maclaren

247 words

Isaiah 39:20Universalidolatry versus true faiththe powerlessness of false gods

Graven Images Cannot Save Themselves

Isaiah condemns the absurdity of idolatry through the image of a *pesel* (graven image) crafted to not topple over. A wooden idol, planed smooth beneath and weighted above to prevent tipping at the slightest push, was deemed worthy of worship—yet...

204 words

The Woodpecker Who Listened Through the Bark

Deep in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, the pileated woodpecker practices a three-part ritual that mirrors Jesus's invitation in Matthew 7. First, the...

Matthew 7:7-8Universal

236 words

The Contractor Who Came Back to Ninth Ward

When Earl Thibodaux retired from thirty-two years of commercial construction in Baton Rouge, his wife expected him to finally sit still. Instead, Earl loaded his...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

223 words

Proverbs 16:2Universalself-deceptiondivine judgment

The Deception of Self-Judgment Before the Eyes of God

The ablest theologians have settled that good intention cannot sanctify an immoral act; yet an evil intention will certainly corrupt even the best performances.

231 words

Proverbs 22:6Universalparenting

The Bend in the Sapling

In 1964, a Japanese horticulturist named Masahiko Kimura began training a juniper sapling using the ancient art of bonsai. He did not force the tree...

233 words

John Woolman's Undyed Coat

In the 1750s, a prosperous New Jersey shopkeeper named John Woolman closed his ledger book, stepped out from behind his counter, and began walking away...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

246 words