300 Illustrations for Preachers

Top Highlights

“Naples, Italy, is a city on the verge of bankruptcy. There are problems with organized crime and an underfunded police department. So what are they spending money on? They have begun to DNA test dog feces so that they can prosecute residents who do not pick up after their dogs. In a city with so many problems, especially financial ones, it is strange to spend money on dog droppings. Tommaso Sodano, the vice mayor, says, ‘I know some people find it funny that with all the problems the city has, we would focus on dog poop.’” (source)

“Fear can make us act irrationally. We have fears that keep us from effectively serving the Lord, and the messes these fears get us into are often worse than what we were afraid of in the first place. ‘Fear not,’ God says. ‘I am with you.’” (source)

“After determining the meaning of the text, preachers are not finished with their task of sermon preparation. They must then devote themselves to finding fresh, relevant ways to help people understand and apply their message.” (source)

“Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel says, ‘The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.’” (source)

“During a surprise audit, the U.S. Postal Service discovered that some local managers had temporarily stashed unprocessed mail in parked trailers so that supervisors wouldn’t notice it as delayed. Auditors found millions of pieces of undelivered mail, including 2.3 million bulk-business letters, some of which were delayed nine days, and 800,000 first-class letters, which had been held for three days.” (source)