Illustrations Archives

• Unity, Worship  (August 2, 2007)
  In the book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer gives this interesting illustration: "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?
• Self  (August 2, 2007)
  Last December Cynthia Crossen, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal interviewed a number of Christmas shoppers. One said that she bought two scarves, one to give away and one to keep.
• Seed  (August 2, 2007)
  Russet potatoes are one of America's favorite varieties. They were developed by Luther Burbank in 1872. He noticed a potato plant with an unusual bud. He watched the bud until it dropped. When he opened it he found 23 seeds. He selected two that seemed better than the rest and from these two seeds have come all Russet potatoes.
• Treasure  (August 2, 2007)
  Barbara Walters called her one of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 1995. She's been on David Letterman's show and invited to appear with Oprah Winfrey.
• Sacrifice  (August 2, 2007)
  In September, 1997 newspapers in Wellington, New Zealand carried the tragic story of a young girl who saw a puppy that had been struck by a car. She ran to aid the injured animal and was herself struck by a car and killed. How sad that a person should lose her life in trying to save a dumb animal.
• Sacrifice  (August 2, 2007)
  "He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much." (James Allen)
• Transformation, Conversion  (August 2, 2007)
  Oscar Cervantes is a dramatic example of the Spirit's power to transform lives. As a child, Oscar began to get into trouble. Then as he got older, he was jailed 17 times for brutal crimes. Prison psychiatrists said he was beyond help. But they were wrong! During a brief interval of freedom,
• Rules  (August 2, 2007)
  The Toyota television commercial is interesting. It shows someone in a sport utility vehicle heading for the beach or the slopes, driving through the city on a Tuesday. An onlooker is amazed. It is Tuesday. He must go to work. Then the last line appears on the screen, "Make Your Own Rules."
• Top Ten Things People Won't Say When They See The Christian Bumper Sticker  (August 2, 2007)
  10. "Look! Let's stop that car and ask those folks how we can become Christians." 9. "Don't worry, Billy, those people are Christians - they must have a good reason for driving 90 miles an hour." 8. "What a joy to be sharing the highway with another car of Spirit-filled brothers and sisters." 7. "Isn't it wonderful how God blessed that Christian couple with a brand-new BMW?"
• Reward  (August 2, 2007)
  In September 1997, newspapers in Wellington, New Zealand reported the story of rescue workers who worked heroically to save lives after a landslide. Officials honored the rescue workers at a luncheon. All of them got sick from food poisoning!
• Things To Ponder About In Our World  (August 2, 2007)
  If you throw a cat out a car window, does it become kitty litter? If corn oil comes from corn where does baby oil come from? Why do they put Braille on the number pads of drive-through bank machines? If it's tourist season, can we shoot them?
• Relationship, Intimacy With God  (August 2, 2007)
  "One of the best ways of describing our relationship with God is to think in terms of the human relationship of courtship and marriage. Those of us who are married can remember when we fell in love with that person to whom we are now married. We remember how focused our thoughts were on that other person.
• Temptations  (August 2, 2007)
  Researchers at Duke University Medical Center studied 1700 older Americans and discovered that those who regularly attended religious services had stronger immune responses that those who did not.
• Purpose,Commitment  (August 2, 2007)
  James Emery White has a new book being released next month, called Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter in an Urgent Day (InterVarsity). I particularly enjoyed one of the illustrations he shared: "I once ran across an old book that has become a prized part of my library.
• Talents, Abilities  (August 2, 2007)
  John Huffman observes, "God smiles when we use our abilities. You saw the movie Chariots of Fire. Remember the Scot Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, who declared,
• Talent  (August 2, 2007)
  A mangy looking guy goes into a restaurant and orders food. The waiter says, "No way. I don't think you can pay for it." The guy says, "You're right. I don't have any money, but if I show you something you haven't seen before, will you give me the food?" "Deal!" replies the waiter.
• Commitment, Consecration  (July 24, 2007)
  There is an old story about the Greek Marathon. Muscular, conditioned runners paced nervously near the starting line for the long-distance race. The time was near. They "shook out" their muscles, inhaled deeply, and put on their "game faces." In the midst of it all, a young stranger took his place at the starting line.
• Commitment, Investment  (July 24, 2007)
  "You will invest your life in something, or you will throw it away on nothing." (Haddon Robinson)
• Comfort, Aging  (July 24, 2007)
  Trendwatching.com (4-23-04) reports that, "High quality mattresses are 'hot' in the US, as cash-rich baby boomers flock to specialty stores to get the top in comfort for their aging bodies.
• Church, Community  (July 24, 2007)
  "Community requires commitment. The church must be more than a Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Lions' Club. All of those organizations have a very valid place in our society, because they are involved in service for others; but they don't go to the depth of sharing that the church of Jesus Christ encourages."