How NOT to be a sermon illustration

If you happened to be at Antioch Sunday morning for Mother's Day you heard just how mean the preacher's wife can be. Apparently the so-called Senior Pastor thought it would be funny to share a story about when he and the wife were dating and how he hurt his head (as if anything could hurt THAT head!) and she stood and laughed at him.

Right here is the main point in NOT being a sermon illustration: what the future wife should have done was rush to his side, "bless your heart" him to death and get an ice pack....if this had been done, it would have been forgotten, thus no sermon illustration for the pastor 20+ years down the road! He would have forgotten the sweetness!

So really what is one to do? I mean, a pastor needs illustrations, but are those really kind moments remembered or just the mean ones? Should one be constantly on the lookout to give the man an illustration so he can make better points, spread the gospel and further God's kingdom? I think so! I'm sure the future wife in question was only thinking down the road and that if she laughed at that moment, he could use it somewhere down the road to make a point in a sermon....after all, we are called to live a life worthy of pointing others to Christ and if that just happens to mean laughing at a preacher who knocked his own self silly, well then....laugh away and praise God for pastors with hard heads!

In an effort to spread the Gospel, don't try so hard to not be a sermon illustration but rather go be a sermon illustration for your pastor today! It'll help him out greatly! As for my pastor, he better be really thankful that he bought me an awesome Mother's Day present and took me out to eat.....saved him another knock on the head and NOT from a door frame! :) I love you, Jason Aultman, and today if you come running down the hallway and jump too soon and hit your head on the door frame again in efforts of trying to scare me...well, rest assured, I'll run to your side, make sure you're alive and still giggle!

Isn't He Worthy?

We sang a song yesterday in church that I just absolutely love! Its Worthy is the Lamb written by Kathryn Scott....here are the words:

Worthy worthy Lamb of heaven
Seated on the throne
Faithful author of salvation
You're the kingdom come
And now we're joining with the angels singing
Worthy is the Lamb
We're casting down our crowns before You singing
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy worthy worthy is the Lamb
Worthy worthy worthy is the Lamb

As Jason preached out of Colossians 1 on how faith and love are forever intertwined, those words kept resounding in my heart and mind. He spoke of how faith is vertical and love is horizontal.

God's faith comes down to us and then we are able to pour His love out onto others around us. Isn't He worthy of that? He loved us! John 15:13

We want our own ways a lot of times, but His ways are always MUCH higher than ours. Isn't He worthy of that? Isaiah 55:9

We think our plans are perfect and all would work out, but He's had plans for us all the time, isn't He worthy of us to follow those? Jeremiah 29:11

We collect our material possessions and become greedy and don't want to tithe and give, but isn't He worthy? Matthew 19:21

Some folks just really try our patience and we want to just ignore them or yell at them, but aren't we called to love? Isn't He worthy of that? Luke 10:27

We want to hold very tightly to those we love and keep them safe and near, but some are called to go, even in sorrow He will reward. Isn't He worthy? Psalm 126:6

How will the world hear if we aren't willing to speak up and tell of His great love for us?!! Isn't He worthy? Romans 10:14

Yes! Worthy is the Lamb! He is worthy to receive everything we could possibly offer and so much more! The wealthiest folks on this planet are poverty stricken compared to His wealth. Then again, some of the poorest folks on this planet are wealthy beyond imagination because of what He has offered them! Lets lay aside the prejudices, the disagreements, the wars, the fighting, the bickering, the economic levels, the political debates, the grudges, etc etc etc and lets just love! After all....isn't He worthy?!!!!! Lets throw down our crowns at His feet and join with the angels and sing "WORTHY IS THE LAMB!!"