Sermons

Four Traits of Wise Men! Opening Illustration: In U.S. Navel Institute Proceedings, the magazine of the Naval Institute, Frank Koch illustrates the importance of obeying the Laws of the Lighthouse. Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.  Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow."  "Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out.  The lookout replied, "Steady, Captain," which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.  The captain then called to the signalman, "Signal that ship: ’We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.’"  Back came the signal, "A...

God With Us! God…In The Flesh Opening Illustration: The Man Who Snuck Into Auschwitz In September of 1940, Witold Pilecki, a Polish army captain, did the unthinkable—he snuck into Auschwitz. That's right, into Auschwitz. Pilecki knew that something was terribly wrong with the concentration camp and as a committed (Roman Catholic) Christian and a Polish patriot he couldn't sit by and watch. He wanted to get information on the horrors of Auschwitz, but he knew he could only do that from the inside. So his superiors approved a daring plan. They provided a false identity card with a Jewish name, and then Pilecki allowed the Germans to arrest him during a routine Warsaw street roundup. Pilecki was sent to Auschwitz and assigned inmate number 4859. Pilecki, a husband and father of two, later said, "I bade farewell to everything I had known on this earth." He became just like any other prisoner—despised, beaten, and threatened with death. From inside the camp h...

The Full Armor of God: Prayer Welcome: Christian One Liners Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited, until you try to sit in their pews. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close. When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there. People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church. Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs hard on your front door forever. Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong. If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has. Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them...