Category Archives: Sermon Illustrations

Faith in the Face of Death (John Chrysostom sermon review)

Posted on 2012/05/20 by Shawn Thomas

While admittedly not sporting the kind of title we would find attached to many sermons today (“Excessive Grief at the Death of Friends”!) this message by John Chrysostom is a real gem.  The text of his message is I Thessalonians 4:13, where … Continue reading →

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Why Do YOU Applaud?

Posted on 2012/05/12 by Shawn Thomas

     After Louisiana College graduation this morning, my mom, who had driven down from Oklahoma to see our daughter Libby and our daughter-in-law Ashley graduate, asked: “Who was that man who so enthusiastically led the opening hymn at graduation?”      … Continue reading →

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Bonhoeffer on Your Daily Bible Reading

Posted on 2012/05/06 by Shawn Thomas

Last Thursday I shared some insights from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, for the National Day of Prayer.  The same book contain several helps for our daily time in God’s word.  In Life Together he uses the term “meditation,” but he is … Continue reading →

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Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right

Posted on 2012/05/05 by Shawn Thomas

The words of this old hymn are very pertinent for me right now – in a number of ways – and perhaps they may minister to you, too.  Samuel Rodigast (1649-1708), the son of a Lutheran minister in Germany, wrote this … Continue reading →

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Bonhoeffer on Prayer

Posted on 2012/05/03 by Shawn Thomas

As today is the National Day of Prayer, I wanted to share some observations on prayer from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. The book focuses on the importance of fellowship in the church, but includes some helpful observations on the practice … Continue reading →

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Fleeting Laughter, Lasting Pain

Posted on 2012/04/30 by Shawn Thomas

Most of us have been guilty at some point of poking fun at someone without thinking of the pain it might be inflicting on them.  In Peter Ackroyd’s Dickens, he tells the story of John Coleman, who lived opposite the … Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens on Criticism

Posted on 2012/04/18 by Shawn Thomas

“ … one of the reviewers [of Dickens’ books] suggested that ‘it does not appear certain to us that his books will live …’.  But what did Dickens make of such criticism?  A few weeks later he was walking with … Continue reading →

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Sermon Illustrations from Peter Ackroyd’s “Dickens”

Posted on 2012/04/17 by Shawn Thomas

Preachers find illustrations for sermons from every sphere of life, including their own personal experiences and, of course, the hilarious things their children say.  Many pastors also glean sermon illustrations in the course of their reading as well.  I am currently … Continue reading →

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