Subscribe!

Because of the horrifying tragedy in Myanmar (rescue officials think the death toll may climb as high as 100,000), many of us will probably want to lead our congregations through difficult issues like pain and suffering. We've gathered a few illustrations and tagged them as "Free" for the next 30 days to help you in your preaching. Most of these stories come from past tragedies—the tsunami that killed over 400,000 people, Hurricane Katrina, the attacks at Virginia Tech—and obviously speak to the heart of what we're watching unfold in Myanmar.

Every week, Preaching Today posts new illustrations - a mixture of stories, statistics, quotes, humor, and scenes from popular movies or TV shows. As a regular part of our PT Talk sessions, Brian Larson and I would like to take a moment to talk about how we might use some of our illustrations in a sermon. We decided to try this out on a classic: Master Violinist Goes Unrecognized. We felt it was the best illustration of 2007.

To hear us talk about specific and more abstract ways to use this illustration, click "Play" on the audio player below to listen to PT Talk via audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

Share this:

In late 2005, the long-anticipated movie version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was released. It went on to earn $745 million at the box office worldwide (and over $1 billion in DVD sales). On May 16, its sequel—Prince Caspian—arrives in theatres. The world is abuzz. It's safe to assume it will be a hit. It's also safe to assume it will open the door to conversations over its Christological content. You might be planning to weave themes from Prince Caspian into your preaching. Here are a few links to helpful resources from our sister sites:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Rated R)
2. The Forbidden Kingdom (Rated PG-13)
3. 88 Minutes (Rated R)
4. 21 (Rated PG-13)
5. Prom Night (Rated PG-13)

We thought that in light of the current news about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you might need some materials to work with in your church. Below are some book reviews and related stories that may help you find a way forward in addressing particular issues concerning Mormonism from the pulpit or in related pastoral settings. Please exercise caution, however, in relating all Mormon practice to the more fundamentalist branch that is being highlighted in Texas. Most of these resources speak to the Mormon faith in general with a few hints of insight into the FLDS.

PreachingToday.com recently ran an illustration that was the unfortunate victim of embellishment. We've posted the corrected version for your records. These retractions don't happen often for us, but when they do, they often happen because of the very issue just mentioned: embellishment. For this episode of PT Talk, we discuss what happened, why it happened, and how to make sure it doesn't happen.

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Street Kings (Rated R)
2. 21 (Rated PG-13)
3. Prom Night (Rated PG-13)
4. Nim's Island (Rated PG)
5. Leatherheads (Rated PG-13)

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 21 (Rated PG-13)
2. Leatherheads (Rated PG-13)
3. Nim's Island (Rated PG)
4. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
5. The Ruins (Rated R)

A section from Gary Thomas's The Beautiful Fight struck a deep chord with me this morning:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 21 (Rated PG-13)
2. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
3. Superhero Movie (Rated PG-13)
4. Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Rated PG-13)
5. Drillbit Taylor (Rated PG-13)

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
2. Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Rated PG-13)
3. Shutter (Rated PG-13)
4. Drillbit Taylor (Rated PG-13)
5. 10,000 B.C. (Rated R)

Every Friday, the PreachingToday blog is going to offer a pop culture roundup so you can see some of the things that are catching the eyes, ears, and hearts of your listeners...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. 10,000 B.C. (Rated R)
2. College Road Trip (Rated G)
3. The Bank Job (Rated R)
4. Vantage Point (Rated PG-13)
5. Semi-Pro (Rated R)

Because we're well aware you're knee-deep in preparing sermons and meaningful worship gatherings for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday, we've combed through all the materials in our database and put together a special Hot Topic on Easter. Click here and you'll find plenty of illustrations, images, and videos that deal with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

The folks at ChristianityTodayMovies.com have posted a list of the Top Ten Most Redeeming Films of 2007. I think you'll find that it's a pretty eclectic bunch, and there may very well be some fascinating illustrations for you to use as a preacher (with caution, of course).

Our sister site, FaithVisuals, has posted a list of what it feels represents the top media of 2007. You'll surely find some helpful videos, worship loops, and video curriculum to enhance your preaching and teaching.

FaithVisuals is offering a free series of Christmas/Advent videos that deal with consumerism, priorities, and giving. Click here to take advantage of this special offer.

I recently heard the most powerful sermon I've heard in a long time. In just a few minutes, the speaker filled an overly familiar phrase—Merry Christmas—with profound meaning and left me awestruck by the Word of God.

My refuge from the musical monotony of the Christmas season has been Sufjan Stevens' five-disc set, Songs for Christmas. I wanted to buy it when it came out last year because I think Sufjan is one of the more exciting artists out there these days. But a certain lack of cash snowed on my parade. This year I finally got my hands on it, and I'm not sure what else to say except that which is cliché: I can't stop listening to it.

Some of the richest theology concerning Advent is found in the songs we'll sing together in the weeks ahead. Theologians, professors, and preachers have much to offer, but both head and heart are often most moved by the work of musicians. It's maddening, isn't it? You slave over a sermon for hours on end, but it is only when the little girl with blonde curls stands up to sing "Away in a Manger" that the crowd swoons over the startling majesty of the Incarnation.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Philosopher J. P. Moreland's Healing

The Sunday evening service on February 20, 2005, had just ended and I wanted to get home. I was frustrated. …The previous Thursday a virus landed in my chest and throat, and in a period of less than three hours I went from being normal to having the worst case of laryngitis in the thirty-five years since college. On Friday I went to our walk-in clinic and received the bad news. The doctor warned that this virus was going around, she had seen several cases of it in the last few weeks, and there was nothing that could be done about it. I just had to wait it out. The laryngitis would last seven to ten days.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Experiencing Emmanuel in Prison

Locked behind the razor-wire fences of a Florida prison is no place to spend a holiday. I'd spent 15 Christmases under these less-than-festive conditions, but this year my situation looked even bleaker. I was stuck in confinement—a prison inside a prison where the supposed troublemakers are sent. In reality, anyone can find himself in the hole by irritating the wrong person.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Holding All Things in Common

I had been praying regularly with the deacons for one of our members. His wife, Pat, attended our small congregation faithfully, but John hadn't been to church in years. So every Sunday afternoon before the evening service, we prayed for ways to communicate our commitment to John and his family.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Bad Relationships Are Bad for Your Health

Researchers from the University of Utah found there's a price to pay when couples don't get along. Videotapes recorded 150 husbands and wives discussing sensitive issues (how money is managed or doing household chores) and found the following:

Women who buried anger rather than speaking out were more likely to succumb to heart disease than wives who were vocal, the study found. And when women became domineering and controlling, rather than seeking consensus, damage was done to husbands' coronary health.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Brett Favre Breaks NFL Record

On September 30, 2007, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's record for throwing the most touchdown passes in football. His new record stands at 421 passes and counting.

The Associated Press has just released the results of a pre-Halloween poll that asked people about their supernatural/spiritual/superstitious beliefs. You can find the results here.

Here's one of the ten illustrations we have to offer this week to members of PreachingToday. After you've taken a moment to read it, please brainstorm with us in the comments section. How would you use this story in a sermon?

Clark Cothern, a regular contributor to our weekly batch of illustrations, shared this short, but intriguing story. Take a moment to read it, and I'd like to offer just a few words on the other side:

Would you consider yourself successful if you had written a novel a year for 52 straight years? Would you feel successful if you had written shelves of books on mythology, biography, folklore, theology, and travel? One man did all of the above—and in only one lifetime. I kid you not! This one man wrote 85 books in his 89 years on Earth. And get this: the same man even once rescued a young girl from drowning!

But I doubt seriously that you know his name.

As Pottermania rages at a fevered pitch (with the release of both a new movie and the final book in J.K. Rowling's series), perhaps you are wrestling with what to do as a preacher – if anything at all! The choice is yours, of course, but we thought we would offer a few helpful resources to help you navigate the world of Harry Potter and how it intersects with our own: