Category Archives: Sermon Illustrations

All Men Dream

Vision

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, awake to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence – Quoted from Alpha Magazine June 1995

Goal Setting

Vision

In an amazing longitudinal study on goal setting, Yale University surveyed the graduating class of 1953 on commencement day, to determine if they had written goals for what they wanted their lives to become. Only three percent had such a vision. In 1973, the surviving members of the class of 1953 were surveyed again. The three percent who had a vision for what they wished their lives would become had accumulated greater wealth than the other 97 percent combined.
From: http://www.allianceonline.org/FAQ/strategic_planning/what_s_in_vision_statement.faq

Martin Luther King – I Have a Dream Speech

Vision

Extract:
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

How Many Legs Does A Cow Have?

Truth

There is a story about Abraham Lincoln who was arguing with a political opponent.
“How many legs does a cow have?” he asked his adversary.
“Four, of course,” came the disgusted reply.
“That’s right,” agreed Lincoln. “Now suppose you call the cow’s tail a leg; how many legs would the cow have?
“Why, five, of course,” was the confidant reply.
“Now, that’s where you’re wrong,” said Lincoln. “Calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”

Grasping Water

Truth

You cannot grasp water in your hand. It drops through your fingers
You cannot grasp truth in your mind.
It drops through your thoughts.
You can only posess water by drinking it,
Taking it into your body.
You can only posess truth by living it,
Taking it into your heart.
Celtic Parables, Robert Van De Weyer, p10

The Sobering Effect Of Truth

Truth

Any of us more than twenty-five years old can probably remember where we were when we first heard of President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.

British novelist David Lodge, in the introduction to one of his books, tells where he was–in a theater watching the performance of a satirical revue he had helped write. In one sketch, a character demonstrated his nonchalance in an interview by holding a transistor radio to his ear. The actor playing the part always tuned in to a real broadcast. Suddenly came the announcement that President Kennedy had been shot. The actor quickly switched it off, but it was too late. Reality had interrupted the staged comedy. For many believers, worship, prayer, and Scripture are a nonchalant charade. They don’t expect anything significant to happen, but suddenly God’s reality breaks through, and they’re shocked.
Brian Powley