Personal Illustrations

When posting a message on Sermon-Coach.com, I try to avoid using personal illustrations. This isn’t because I feel they’re inappropriate. Rather, it’s because personal stories can’t easily be used by another person.

I especially like it when personal illustrations make the speaker the brunt of a humorous story. I especially don’t like it when the person preaching frequently presents himself or herself as always doing or saying exactly the right thing.

I’ve heard ministers use personal stories quite effectively. But they don’t write sermon starters for the benefit of other speakers.

The message I posted as Sermon Starter #204, “Retired Generals” is highly personal. I was recently asked to give a 15-minute devotional for the board of an international ministry. I sensed the Lord’s presence as I put the thoughts together. The subject was clear as was the desired response. I’m sure the “how to” and the “how long” were clearly understood by those present. Several of the board members thanked me, not only for what I said but apparently the Holy Spirit spoke as well.

The other day a minister friend read a copy that was on my desk and asked why I didn’t share it with others. After some consideration I decided to do so—in spite of the personal illustrations! If you wish, you can read it on my Sermon-Coach.com website, using the link below.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 5

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 5

Sightings of the King (continued…)

In the Bible we see that this is what David did too! He recorded what happened to him and acknowledged it as God’s work. Psalm 57 is an example of such an account. It’s a song of David praising the Lord for His help “when he had fled from Saul into the cave.”

Read these verses and picture yourself in David’s situation.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in You my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until the disaster has passed.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends His love and His faithfulness.
I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, O Lord, among the’ nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

Share and Enjoy

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 4

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 4

Sightings of the King

There’s something important here which, I believe, applies to all of life. When “sightings” of the King begin to multiply, our world starts to get exciting. How thrilling to hear that the Monarch’s presence has been witnessed. God’s bigger dreams quickly come into sharper focus when we’re reminded of His involvement in our lives. When this happens, though, it’s also true that the enemy engages us in fiercer combat.

Even so, I say, “Good for you!” to those who have trained themselves to recognize God in the every day. These are the men and women who find it easiest to sustain their belief in God’s long-range dreams. That’s because they see daily evidence that the Lord hasn’t forsaken them.

It was that way with David. One “God sighting” occurred while, as a young refugee, he was hiding in a cave with his band of so-called outlaws. They were being tracked by King Saul and 3,000 chosen men. When the king had to relieve himself, lo and behold—he did so in the very cave where David was hiding. Then Saul decided to rest there awhile.

David’s friends, far back in the cave, whispered that the Lord had given his enemy into his hands! “This isn’t mere coincidence,” they were saying in essence. “God’s in it.” But the only thing David did was to creep up unnoticed and cut off a comer of Saul’s robe. David knew that in this incident God was saying, “I’m looking out for you, David. See how I can give Saul into your hands whenever I want!” (See 1 Sam. 24:1-4)

There were numbers of situations like this in David’s life. This specific event involved unusual linkage and timing. Of all the caves in that region, Saul chose the very one in which David and his men were hiding. It had to be more than chance that caused Saul to say, “Stop! That cave over there is going to be my restroom for the moment.”

The point is, we all can maintain excitement about God’s larger dreams for us when we keep close track of His involvement in our everyday world. Keeping close track of His involvement is important. I do it as part of my daily journaling. I’ve recorded thousands of such entries in my lifetime. What faith-builders they are.

This exercise is truly one of the most pleasurable aspects of my life. Seldom does a day go by when I don’t see an obvious answer to prayer, some unexpected evidence of God’s care, or maybe special help He provides to do His work in the world.

Possibly some of my “sightings” are coincidence, but I’m convinced an awful lot of them aren’t. And one way or the other, I choose to give God the credit.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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Daring to Dream Again: Keep Track… – Part 3

Keep Track of God’s Involvement in the Every Day—Part 3

We continue with our story from the book Tales of the Resistance, which we began in the last blog post.

The Enchanter’s men scattered, and the taxis screeched to a stop within inches of the stunned Hero.

“Need a ride, buddy?” A burly arm grabbed Hero and pulled him roughly into the front seat. As Hero frantically yanked the door shut behind him, his cab blasted into reverse and squealed around another corner. Within seconds a whole fleet of taxis raced out of alleys and side streets. They drove for a while in a straight line, and then veered off in opposite directions. HARNK! HARNK! HARNK! Their horns blared in great commotion, and for a moment Hero felt safe. No pursuer would know which cab had kidnapped him.

But was he under arrest or under protection? Hero could just read the signs over the huge garage before the overhead door thudded shut behind them: “City Taxi Company.” There was a hustle as the driver detached from the power source. Hero’s door was yanked open and he was pulled out.

“Ey, bub. Big Operator wants to see you in the terminal office.” The cabbie jerked his head to the left, and then drove off. A man in uniform motioned Hero toward a glassed-in office.

The next thing he knew, his wrist was being clasped in the Ranger way. “Well, son. Most Rangers infiltrate Enchanted City as subtly as possible. The whole town knows you’ve arrived, not to mention the powers that be in the Dagoda. But welcome to the Resistance. We are all King’s men and women here, working for the Restoration.”

Hero’s mouth dropped, and Big Operator smiled.

“Yessir, the dispatchers had themselves a job getting you out of that tight spot. It’s not easy moving a taxi vanguard into position on a moment’s notice.

“By the way, I think we picked up most of the orphans. That scattering tactic was pretty effective. The Resistance can use a man like you. How would you like to see the rest of the operation?”

The two walked to the middle of the taxi terminal, a large underground cavern with a huge map of Enchanted City on one wall. Big Operator pointed to purple paper flags stuck all over the map. “Sightings,” he explained. “The King has been sighted all over the city. The Enchanter’s nervous …. Our informants say the Dagoda’s been a hot place with a whole lot of fire flying.” …

Hero’s mind would not stop whirling. He didn’t know which question to ask first. “But—but what about the Enchanter? How do you get by with this in the middle of Enchanted City?”

Big Operator smiled, but it was a grim expression. He put his arm around the lad’s shoulders. “Make no mistake. The Enchanter is evil and he’s dangerous—never forget it. The closer the Restoration, the more Sightings of the King—the more dangerous and desperate he will become.” Then his smile became almost cocky. “But the truth is, the Enchanter only has power over those who fear him. Here in the Taxi Resistance, we are subjects of the King. Consequently, we are not afraid.”

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

Share and Enjoy

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