by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 29, 2019 | Mystery, Sermon Illustrations
In 1884, an English schoolmaster named Edwin Abbott Abbott wrote a story about a two-dimensional world called Flatland, inhabited by various shapes (circles, squares, etc.). In Flatland, there is height and width but no depth—the shapes are stuck in two dimensions....
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 15, 2019 | Church, Sermon Illustrations
In her excellent book, Liturgy of the Ordinary, author Tish Harrison Warren deals with an issue on many people’s minds: why is it that so many people, especially younger generations, don’t consider church an essential part of their life and faith? Warren...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 8, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
The value of a US hundred-dollar bill is not based on where it has been or how it has been used. Its value is not determined by its shape, size, or color. A one-dollar bill in American currency has the same shape, size, and color as a hundred-dollar bill. If you want...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 7, 2019 | Book Reviews, Conflict, Leadership
When I first received a review copy of The Politics of Ministry by Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman, and Donald Guthrie, I knew I needed to read this book. Why? Because I have become convinced that so much of the conflict, the pain that exists in the church is the result...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 1, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
While we are comparing, consider this. What we call “poverty” today would have been considered middle class just a few generations ago. In 2000, the average “poor” family had goods and services rivaling middle-class families of the 1970s: 60 percent had microwaves, 50...