| Someone asked me, "How can I find the perfect | | | | this story illustrates taking your past and not |
| sermon illustration?" To answer this question, I would | | | | obliterating it, but transforming it into something that |
| first say that all of the resources you need for a | | | | represents not just your present, but your future |
| perfect sermon illustration are around you. First, | | | | (children today and as they grow up). Now write out |
| never forget the Bible as a primary resource for | | | | the story and file it away. The next time you need |
| narratives and stories to illustrate your points. If you | | | | an illustration about creatively changing your past into |
| use the Bible as a source for sermon illustrations, you | | | | your future, you have one ready. |
| will help to combat the Biblical illiteracy that is rampant | | | | When you are looking at the news on television, do |
| in America, plus it will help to set aside the | | | | the same thing. When you are reading the paper, do |
| misconception that the Bible is irrelevant to | | | | the same thing. When you are reading Black history, |
| contemporary society. | | | | do the same thing. When you are reading the Bible |
| Next, always keep your eyes open to the theological | | | | do the same thing. Illustrations are all around you, just |
| message behind anything that happens. For example, | | | | keep your theological eyes open to see what God is |
| let me pop up yahoo news right now and look at | | | | trying to teach us in these stories. |
| some stories. The first is a story about a woman | | | | Every day attempt to add five of these stories to |
| who has a number of tattoos. She had a tattoo | | | | your archive of possible sermon illustrations. Now |
| about her ex-husband. She changed the tattoo into | | | | when you are ready to preach, you will have a |
| being one about her children. Note, she had a tattoo | | | | number of these stories at hand. Pretty soon you will |
| that represented her past (Ex -husband) changed to | | | | have the exact sermon illustration in your archives |
| one that represented her present (her children). Now | | | | that you need to illustrate your points. |