Sermon Illustrations on Moments

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My Gift to You

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 119:36, Acts 20:35, Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 6:1-4, Exodus 35:21

One day, the famous surrealist painter Salvador Dalí walked into a New York bookstore and asked for a copy of his own autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí . The young clerk immediately...

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Sleepwalking in a Dark Wood

Author

Dante Alighieri

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 119:105, 2 Corinthians 4:6, John 1:5, Isaiah 50:10, Psalm 23:4

For many of us, life can easily become disorienting and discouraging. Existential questions often emerge that never have before. As stressful as modern life can be, it is somewhat comforting to know t...

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The Day of Epiphany

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 6:1–8, Genesis 28:10–22, 2 Kings 22:8–20, Acts 9:1–19, Luke 24:13–35 , Psalm 119:105

The Texas-based pastor Matt Chandler spent a decade working with teenagers, and during that time, he realized how a specific change takes place between sixth graders and ninth graders. As Chandler say...

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What Would You Erase?

Author

Kyle Idleman

Keywords

Scripture

John 16:33, Genesis 50:20, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Psalm 119:71, Isaiah 43:2

Recently I read about an experiment done by psychologist Jonathan Haidt. He came up with a fascinating hypothetical exercise, which went something like this: Participants were handed a summary of a p...

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Modern Parents Need Help with Technology

Author

Andy Crouch

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 11:18-19, Proverbs 22:6 , Exodus 20:8-10, Matthew 6:33, Romans 12:2, Psalm 119:37

If there is one word that sums up how many of us feel about technology and family life, it’s Help! Parents know we need help. We love the way devices make our lives easier amid the stress and busy...

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Nudges for the Better

Author

Andy Crouch

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 30:19 , Proverbs 4:26-27, Genesis 2:9 , Matthew 6:22-23 , Romans 12:2, Psalm 119:105

As popularized in Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s fascinating book by the same name, nudges are small changes in the environment around us that make it easier for us to make the choices we want to ...

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Pete Carroll’s Call and the Error of “Resulting”

Author

Annie Duke

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 7:24-27, Galatians 6:7-8, Proverbs 16:3, Psalm 119:105, James 1:5

One of the most controversial decisions in Super Bowl history took place in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. The Seattle Seahawks, with twenty-six seconds remaining and trailing by four...

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Will Cain Kill Abel?

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:1-16, Hebrews 11:4, 1 John 3:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:105

Some years ago when radio was still a primary source of entertainment, a French dramatist was commissioned to write the script for the debut episode of a Bible study radio series. For the most part, ...

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Remembering who we are and whose we are

Author

Mia Levetan

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 8:1, Genesis 19:29, Exodus 2:24, Exodus 6:5, Exodus 13:3, Exodus 32:13, Leviticus 26:42-45, Deuteronomy 4:10, Deuteronomy 8:2, 18, Judges 3:7, Psalm 78:11, 1 Samuel 1:11, 19, Psalm 63:6, Psalm 74:2, Psalm 77:11, Psalm 78:35, 42, Psalm 105:42, Psalm 106:45, Psalm 111:5, Psalm 119:52, 55, Psalm 143:5, Isaiah 44:21, Isaiah 57:11, Jeremiah 14:21, Jeremiah 51:50, Jonah 2:7, Mark 14:72, Matthew 26:75, Luke 22:61, Luke 22:19, Matthew 27:33-55, Mark 15:22-41, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:16-30, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 12:2

God remembers Noah. God remembers Abram. God remembers Lot. God remembers the Israelites. The Israelites, in the book of Judges, do not remember God—this was their problem. God remembers Hannah. The P...

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One Mile at a Time

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 16:4, 1 Kings 17:8-16, Joshua 3:14-17 , Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 119:105

Journalist Eric Severeid recalls a valuable lesson he learned at seventeen while preparing for an ambitious journey. He and a friend had set out to canoe from Minneapolis to the historic fur-trading p...

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Something Permanent

Author

Hugh Halter

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26, Hebrews 8:10, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Isaiah 49:16, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 119:11

In his book Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth , Hugh Halter opens with an unlikely scenario: taking his teenage daughter to get her first tattoo. While watching his daughter get “inked...

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Star: A Poem

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 9:2, Psalm 119:105, John 8:12, Malachi 4:2, Luke 2:25-32

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh:a star shall come out of jacob. Numbers 24:17 KSV No star is visible except at night, Until the sun goes down, no accurate north. Da...

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Follow the Bubbles

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:26, John 14:26, Psalm 139:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Isaiah 42:16, Psalm 119:105

When I graduated from college I was given one of the greatest opportunities of my young life. A group of my friends were told that if we were able to purchase a flight to the Cayman Islands, we would ...

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The Most Powerful Choices in our Lives

Author

Andy Crouch

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Daniel 6:10, Proverbs 4:23-27, Psalm 119:9-11, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The most powerful choices we will make in our lives are not about specific decisions but about patterns of life: the nudges and disciplines that will shape all our other choices. This is especially tr...

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Two Enriching Words

Author

Richard J. Foster

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 26:3-4, Genesis 4:63 , Luke 2:19 , Philippians 24:8, Psalm 119:15

Two Hebrew words deeply inform and enrich our understanding of meditative prayer: haga and siach . Our English Bibles most often translate both of these words with the simple word “meditate...

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“Remember the Signs” from The Silver Chair

Author

Casey Clark

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 7:24, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105, Joshua 1:8, Deuteronomy 6:6-7

In C. S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair, Jill meets the lion, Aslan, high atop a mountain before her quest begins to save a prince. Aslan shares four important signs for her to remember along the way. These ...

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The Path of Explaining

Author

Emily P. Freeman

Keywords

Decision-Making

Scripture

John 14:26, Romans 12:1-2, James 1:6, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6

In her book, The Next Right Thing, Emily Freeman describes the difficulty in making decisions, including the decision that would eventually lead to her enrollment in Graduate school. After a prolonged...

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The Gift of College Students

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 3:1-10, Ecclesiastes 12:1 , Proverbs 2:1-11, Mark 10:17-22 , 1 Timothy 4:12 , Psalm 119:9-11

I have been moved to a different course of action, however, inspired largely by my daily exposure to college students in a great university during the course of a preaching and teaching ministry that ...

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What is Vision?

Author

Chuck Swindoll

Keywords

Scripture

John 9:39, Habakkuk 2:2-3, Colossians 3:2, Psalm 119:18, Ephesians 1:18

Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, to perceive God’s power, to focus on God’s plan In spite of the obstacles….Vision is the ability to see above and beyond the majority. Vision is perception...

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Blurring the Lines

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

1 Kings 3:16-28, Micah 6:8, Proverbs 3:5-7, Matthew 22:15-22 , James 1:5 , Psalm 119:105

Richard Mouw, the former president of Fuller Seminary and a professor of philosophy, shares an amusing anecdote from a lecture by the esteemed Catholic ethicist Charles Curran. During his talk, Curran...

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Equivocating on Promises: Pierre from Tolstoy’s War & Peace

Author

Leo Tolstoy

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Galatians 5:16-17, Matthew 5:37, Proverbs 14:12

In this excellent little character study, Tolstoy describes the inner monologue of the character Pierre Bezuhov from War & Peace , who is able to justify and convince himself that a promise made ...

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Selling Light

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:1–12, Isaiah 60:1–3, 1 Kings 18:20–39, Matthew 5:14–16 , Philippians 2:14–16, Psalm 119:105

In A Life Worth Living , C.A. Roberts tells of meeting W.C. Coleman, founder of the Coleman Lantern Company. At eighty-four, Coleman recalled how he went from pauper to millionaire overnight. ...

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Lucy's Advice

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105, Matthew 7:7-8, Isaiah 30:21, Matthew 16:24-26

In a “Peanuts” comic strip, Lucy sets up a small stand with a sign: “Advice—5 cents.” Charlie Brown approaches, looking for guidance. “Lucy, I need help,” he says. “What seems to be the trouble?” she ...

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Too Many Choices!

Author

Ashley Hales

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 30:19–20, Joshua 24:14–15, 1 Kings 18:21, John 14:6, Matthew 11:28–30, Psalm 119:105

When every option is available to us, we don’t actually have freedom; we tend to shut down. I experienced what sociologists call choice overload (or paralysis) and decision fatigue. If you’ve ever tri...

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Making Pearls Out of Irritations

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Job 23:10, Psalm 119:71, Hebrews 12:11, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Romans 5:3-5, Isaiah 48:10

Most of us are aware of the fact that pearls come from oysters, but do you know how they are formed? It all begins with an irritation. Some foreign particle, for example, a piece of sand, works its wa...

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Cairns and Inherited Ways of Prayer and Worship

Author

Tish Harrison Warren

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:10, Psalm 61:2, Hebrews 12:1, Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 119:133

Years ago, during a vacation in New Hampshire, Jonathan and I climbed Mount Washington, which is notorious for erratic weather. It can change from sunny and warm to snowing in a few hours. The wind is...

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Spiritual Battles on the Journey of Faith

Author

Ruth Haley Barton

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 3:1–7, 1 Kings 3:5–12, Daniel 1:8–17, Matthew 4:1–11, 2 Corinthians 1:13–15, Psalm 119:105

While I am not one to see a demon behind every bush or spiritual warfare in every difficulty, the fact is that we are regularly engaged in the struggle against good and evil—whether we know it or not....

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Missing the Signs

Author

Eunice McGarrahan

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 12:54-56, Matthew 16:1-4, Isaiah 60:1, Romans 13:11, Psalm 119:105, Genesis 12:1

Earl Palmer frequently tells the story of a cross-country with two other young pastors early in his pastoral ministry. They were making a cross-country trip from the East Coast back to California. I...

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Missing the Stars

Author

Keywords

Blindness

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:18, Colossians 3:1-2, Ephesians 1:18, Psalm 119:18, Matthew 13:16-17, Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1

Søren Kierkegaard told a parable about a rich man riding in a lighted carriage driven by a peasant who sat behind the horse in the cold and dark outside. Precisely because he sat near the artificial l...

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All Learning Ought to Lead to Love

Author

Brennan Manning

Keywords

Scripture

Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Proverbs 3:3-4, Micah 6:8, 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 , James 3:17 , Psalm 119:105

Anthony of Padua opened every class he taught with the phrase, “Of what value is learning that does not turn to love?”

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