[Propertalk] More free illustrations from SermonSuite

[Joe Parrish]

                             Mary Austin
                                                                    
                                                                
                                                            
                                                                                                  The Treat in the Trick
                                                            As long as there have been prizes to win in life, there has been cheating. The story of Jacob reveals tricks at every turn, as he schemes to inherit the family fortune and make off with his father's blessing. Recent events in the news business give us an unlikely parallel to Jacob's story, and a chance to think about the place of tricks and deceit in our lives now. The unfolding story of News Corp (the global media empire owned by Rupert Murdoch) and the tricks used by its flagship British tabloid The News of the World to collect the latest news have prompted several high-level executives to resign, and even cast doubt on the Wall Street Journal, the venerable American paper owned by the parent company. Deceit and deception served The News of the World well for a long time, and fed our collectively insatiable appetite for tidbits about celebrities and royal figures. The paper and it s editors -- and Murdoch's entire media conglomerate -- are now facing a reckoning very much like the one Jacob encounters in this story from Genesis....more


Treasure and Trash
                                                            Once there was a childless king who was dying. Anxious to choose a successor, he called for applicants to be considered. The first prospect said, "I have strong legs and sure feet. With them I will visit every home in the land. I will give my feet to the kingdom."
                                                                 Another applicant said, "I have strong hands, They are fit to do the work of a king. I offer them to the kingdom." A third claimed, "I have many talents and am more gifted than any other man in the realm. I feel I should be king so badly, that I will give all my riches to the kingdom."...more
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                               Wayne Brouwer
                                                                    
                                                                
                                                            
                                                                                                      Belonging
                                                                                 When I was in high school a new music teacher came to town. He was fresh out of college and full of ambition. But here he was, stuck in a very rural community where people didn't put up with (as they called it) "long-haired music," either from the Beatles or Beethoven.
                                                                 Still, he was determined to teach us good music. We were going to sing selections from Handel's Messiah for our Christmas concert. Most of us had never heard of Georg Frederic Handel, and when we first tried to sight-read through the selections we became convinced we didn't like his music....more







                                                            
                                                                
                                                                    
                                                                        
                                                                    
                                                                    
                                                                        
                             C. David
                                                                        McKirachan
                                                                    
                                                                
                                                            
                                                                                                      Jerry Springer
                                                                                 The first time I stumbled across the show that courts and rewards insanity in front of millions of open-mouthed viewers is a dim recollection. It had to do with a sojourn away from work because of the flu. Every once in a while fever and a cough that rattles the toe nails demand that I stop; working, reading, writing, driving, functioning as a productive person. At such moments I have just enough energy to push the channel button once every few minutes and stare at the emptiness of day-time television. If I’m lucky there are reruns of Star Trek, X-files, or some movie that allows me to relax enough to drift off and indulge in dreams that resemble science fiction fantasies. On one such occasion, I tripped over Jerry Springer. There are few things I can’t imagine but one of them is why people watch s uch things....more






                                                            
                                                                
                                                                    
                                                                        
                                                                    
                                                                    
                                                                        
                               Janice Scott 
                                                                    
                                                                
                                                            
                                                            Sleep On It!
                                                                                 One very good way of solving apparently insoluble problems, is to sleep on them. My parents taught me from a very young age that if I wasn't sure what to do about something, I should sleep on it. And this was especially true in relationships. If someone had upset me and I wanted to hit back, the message was always the same - sleep on it. By the next day everything always felt a lot better and I was able to view things more dispassionately.....more






                                                            
                                                                
                                                                    
                                                                        
                                                                    
                                                                    
                                                                        
                               Leah Thompson 
                                                                    
                                                                
                                                            
                                                                                                      One Pearl
                                                            Object: a pearl necklace or a picture of a pearl
                                                            Today our gospel lesson talks about the kingdom of heaven. What do you think the kingdom of heaven is like? (allow answers) In the gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a lot of different things. One of the things he says is this: "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."...more


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