Illustrations

I took a piece of plastic clay,
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pursued it still,
It moved and yielded at my will.

It came of age when days were past,
And the piece of clay was hard at last...
The form I gave it, it still bore,
But I could change it no more.

I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded it with power and art
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

Jack Whittaker won a $113 million jackpot (after taxes) in 2002. Just two years later he had been arrested twice for drunk driving and ordered to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. His wife, Jewell, said, “I wish I would have torn the ticket up.”

Source: Fox News, 11/4/2004

A lady once said to her pastor, “I’m glad you said you don’t know who is going to help pay for the new Sunday school buildings; for a minute there, I thought you were going to ask us!”

Source: Unknown

A pastor one made the following announcement to his church: “I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it is still out there in your pockets.”

Source: Unknown

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart.—Christina Rossetti

George Moore, a nineteenth century merchant, wrote these words in his pocketbook:

“What I spent I had:
What I saved I lost:
What I gave I have.”

Source: George Moore: Merchant and Philanthropist, Samuel Smiles

In one church that had a special need the people came to the front with their offering. One young girl came with hands cupped and gave a ring. Later, the Pastor brought it back to her and she said, “I gave it to the Lord, not to you.”

Source: Unknown

On the Sunday that a church was supposed to make their giving commitments, the organist fell sick so a substitute was brought in. The pastor gave her a schedule of the service and asked her to think of something to play during the commitment time. At the scheduled time in the service, the pastor said, “I want anyone who is committing $1,000 to the building fund to stand up.” The organist immediately began playing the “Star Spangled Banner.” And that is how the substitute organist became the regular organist.

Source: Unknown

One man in a church said to his friend, “I could give $1,000.00 towards the building and not even feel it.”

His friend replied, “Then give two or three thousand and feel it!”

Source: Unknown

A preacher asked farmer, “If you had 100 cows, would you give 50 of them to the Lord?”

“Yes.”

“If you had 1,000 chickens, would you give 500?”

“Yes.”

“If you had 2 hogs would you give one?”

“Not fair, Preacher, you know I have 2 hogs.”

Source: Unknown