illustrations
Enhance your next sermon.
The Hallmark Aisle Epiphany
Updated:Use to invite people to adopt the Psalms as a regular diet of sacred poetry, not a crisis-time crutch. Great before a series in Psalms or when teaching on praying Scripture.
The Prayer Circle Freeze
Updated:Use when encouraging congregational prayer participation. Invite people to pray the Psalms as ‘training wheels’—a school where the Spirit tutors our language and desire.
“You’re So Prosaic”
Updated:Use to challenge a metrics-driven congregation to reengage the heart. Transition to the Psalms as God-given poetry that rehumanizes obedience and rekindles love.
Hiking with the Guide Who’s Also the Summit
Updated:Use when calling believers to persevere: Jesus is both our companion now and our destination later. Great for transitions into discipleship, suffering, or sanctification—presence now, glory then. Emphasizes perseverance over convenience.
The Community Garden That Won’t Stay Down
Updated:Use to frame ministry cycles: God’s work often moves through seasons of loss and renewal. Encourage weary teams—don’t quit after the frost. Plant again. Ideal for volunteer appreciation, vision resets, or perseverance over discouragement.
Porch Lights After the Blackout
Updated:Use when urging the church to be a faithful presence: small, steady brightness matters. Perfect for outreach encouragement, prayer nights, or serving your city—every congregation can be light in the darkness.
The Embassy Compound on a Dark Street
Updated:Use to cast vision for the church’s calling in a weary culture: local congregations function as outposts of heaven—visible, steady, hospitable—until the King returns. Ideal for membership Sundays, mission statements, or unity over ego.
Who Holds the Gavel Sets the Room
Updated:Use to teach patience under unjust seasons: illegitimate power is loud but temporary. God limits and overturns it so His people don’t bend to evil. Great for sermons on integrity, endurance, and hope under pressure.
The Hustle That Can’t Buy Sleep
Updated:Use to contrast anxious striving with faith-filled diligence. Perfect for teaching Sabbath rhythms, trust in God’s provision, or closing with a prayer for those carrying work anxiety.
The Builder Who Watched His Work Come Down
Updated:Use to call people from self-reliance to dependence on God. Preach that skill and sweat matter, but fruitfulness rests in God’s presence—perfect for a message on work, vocation, or dedicating a new season/project.