Illustrations

Dwayne frantically turned to his wife and muffled the phone’s mouthpiece. With an ashen face he quietly repeated the last comment from the telephone conversation he was having with his parents. He whispered to Ashley, “Dad said we can go to their house for Thanksgiving or they can cut us out of their will. He says it’s our choice.”

Source: In Other Words

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

1. Phone conversations last thirty seconds.

2. Old friends don’t care if you have lost or gained weight.

3. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

4. If someone forgets to invite you to something, they can still be your friend.

5. You can watch a game in silence for hours without your buddy thinking, “He must be mad at me.”

6. You know that great chocolate comes from a vending machine.

7. If another guy shows up at a party with the exact same outfit you are wearing, he just might become your new best friend.

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.

On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. The quaint stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely. The faint etchings read:

Beneath this stone, a lump of clay,
Lies Arabella Young,
Who on the twenty-fourth of May,
Began to hold her tongue.

Source: Unknown

Question: Can I be a Christian without joining the church?

Answer: Yes, it is possible. It is something like being:

A student who will not go to school

A soldier who will not join an army

A citizen who does not pay taxes or vote

A salesman with no customers

An explorer with no base camp

A seaman on a ship without a crew

A businessman on a deserted island

An author without readers

A tuba player without an orchestra

A parent without a family

A woman was visiting some people who lived on a farm, and she noticed a pig limping in the back yard with a wooden leg. She asked the farmer, “What happened to the pig?” The farmer said, “Oh, Betsy is a wonderful pig.

Michael Jordan is probably the best player the NBA has ever seen. He gave this insightful look into the incredible success that he enjoyed:

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”—Michael Jordan

Source: Bits and Pieces

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

A submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as the cushion of the sea. Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the waters below are never stirred.

Charles Bradlaugh was an outstanding atheist in England. Down in one of the slums of London was a minister by the name of Hugh Price Hughes. All London was aware of miracles of grace accomplished at his mission.

Charles Bradlaugh challenged Mr. Hughes to debate with him the validity of the claims of Christianity. London was greatly interested. What would Mr. Hughes do? He immediately accepted the challenge and in doing so added one of his own.

Fact #1 Books write themselves without the need of an author.

Fact #2 Cars build themselves without the need of a manufacturer.

Fact #3 Music composes itself into beautiful harmonies without the need of a composer.