Sermon Central
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Bill Hybels, The Pastor Of Willow Creek Church ... PRO
Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 3, 2005 (message contributor)
Bill Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Church in Chicago which as over 20,000 people in attendance each week, tells the story of an encounter he had with a young woman: “I recall one time being in a restaurant studying for a message, and a gal looked over from her table and saw me reading my Bible. She said, ‘Why do you study that stuff?’ And I thought, just to stimulate a little discussion, I’d try to knock her off balance. So I said, ‘Because I don’t feel like going to hell when I die.’ I was going to be really blunt, but I took the edge off it a little bit. And she said, ‘There is no such thing as heaven or hell.’ I thought, Well, I got something going now. So I turned in my chair and I said, ‘Why do you say that?’ She said, ‘Everybody knows that when you die your candle goes out — poof ’ I said, ‘You mean to tell me there’s no afterlife?’ ‘No.’ ‘So that means you must be able to just live as you please?’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘Like, there’s no Judgement Day or anything?’ ‘No.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s fascinating to me. Where did you hear that?’ She said, ‘I read it somewhere.’ ‘Can you give me the name of the book?’ ‘I don’t recall.’ ‘Can you give me the name of the author of the book?’ ‘I forget his name.’ ‘Did that author write any other books?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Is it possible that your author changed his mind two years after he wrote this particular book and then wrote another one that said there is a heaven and a hell? Is that possible?’ ‘It’s possible but not likely.’ ‘All right,’ I said. ‘ Let me get this straight. You are rolling the dice on your eternity predicated on what someone you don’t even know wrote in a book you can’t even recall the title of. Have I got that straight?’ I was playing a little Columbo act with her. She looked me right in the eye and...
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Pastor Ray Stedman Told The Story Of Some ... PRO
Contributed by Lynn Malone on Aug 15, 2005
Pastor Ray Stedman told the story of some Americans who were stationed in Korea during the Korean War. While there, they rented a home and hired a local boy to cook and clean for them. These Americans were a bunch of jokesters, and they soon began to take advantage of the young boy’s naiveté. ...read more
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Joni Eareckson, Back In July Of 1967, At 17 ...
Contributed by Martin Kim on Nov 1, 2004
Joni Eareckson, back in July of 1967, at 17 years of age, dove off a diving platform in the Chesapeake Bay. She hit the shallow bottom and broke her neck. She became a quadriplegic. She was paralyzed from the neck down. I will paraphrase what she wrote in one of her books. She writes ...read more
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Wayne Smith Tells Of An Add He Saw In A ...
Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 11, 2004
Wayne Smith tells of an add he saw in a California newspaper one Thanksgiving that read: "Divorce: Only $25- come in and unload that turkey!" And while we may smile at that, isn’t it a sad commentary on our culture ...read more
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Today We Seek To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ...
Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 15, 2007
Today we seek to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we will start with a portion of Dr. King’s "I have a dream speech". …And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this ...read more
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Despite Rejecting Casino Gambling 3 Times Since ... PRO
Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jun 19, 2004
Despite rejecting casino gambling 3 times since 1978, Florida is home to a vigorous gambling industry made up of 31 racetracks, dog tracks, and jai alai frontons; about 26 gambling boats, a state sanctioned lottery, and at least 6 casinos located on Native American reservations throughout the ...read more
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