Procrastination
The Shoe Repair Ticket
Arnold was cleaning out
the attic with his wife when he came across a claim ticket from the local shoe
repair shop. The date stamped on the ticket showed it was over eleven years old.
He asked his wife, "Do you think the shoes will still be in the shop?"
"Not likely," his wife
said. “But it's worth a try."
Arnold drove to the shoe
repair shop and, with a straight face, handed the ticket to the man behind the
counter. The man looked at the ticket and said, “Just a minute. I'll have to go
look for these." He disappeared to the back of the shop.
Two minutes later, the
man called out, "Here they are!"
"No kidding?" Arnold
called back. "That's terrific! Who would have thought they'd still be here after
all this time."
The man came back to the
counter and said, “They'll be ready on Thursday."
Kent Crockett’s Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
The Last Minute
"If it weren't for the
last minute, nothing would get done." --unknown
Kent Crockett’s Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
No Time Like The Present
"There is no time like
the present for postponing what you ought to be doing." --unknown
Kent Crockett’s Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
The Bird & The Mouse
Someone has said, "The
early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the
cheese."--unknown
Kent Crockett’s Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Proud of His New Accomplishment
When the student walked
into the classroom, the teacher said, "I'm proud of you. This is the earliest
that you've been late."
Kent Crockett’s Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Quiet Time
The Importance of Quiet Time
A "Quiet Time" is a time
each day that you get alone with God to read His Word, pray, and seek the Lord.
Some people call it "Devotions."
Many Christians can testify that a daily quiet time is the most important factor in developing a relationship with the Lord and living victoriously. Why is it so important? 2 Chronicles 12:14 tells us that King Rehoboam "did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord." Seeking the Lord on a daily basis can prevent us from doing evil. --Kent Crockett
Steal, Drink, and Lie!
If you don't set aside a
marked time and place to have a quiet time, you probably won't do it for long.
A pastor told a new
convert, "I'm going to teach you to steal, drink, and lie:
Steal
time out of every day to read God's Word
Drink
from it's clear, refreshing
waters
Lie on your bed at night and meditate." --Everyday Light, Selwyn Hughes
You Have to First Get Up
When I was a student in
seminary, a choice man of God named Harry Ironside used to come and teach. I
remember on one occasion somebody came up and said, "Dr. Ironside, I understand
you get up early every morning to read and study your Bible."
"Yes, I' ve been doing
that all my life."
"Well, how do you manage
to do it?" the inquirer asked. "Do you pray about it?"
"No," Ironside replied.
"I get up." --Howard G. Hendricks, and William D. Hendricks, Living By the
Book, Moody Press, 1991, p. 334)
Quips and Quotes
A List of Quips and Quotes
For a list of Quips & Quotes listed by
topic, go to:
www.kentcrockett.com/quotes.htm
http://www.kentcrockett.com/quotes.htm
Decisions Determine Destiny
"It's choice, not chance, that determines our destiny."--Brian Tracy
Reading and not reading the newspaper
"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain
Rejection
Rejection is in the Eye of the Beholder
A young
salesman became discouraged because he had been rejected by so many customers he
approached. He asked a more experienced salesman for some advice.
“Why is it
that every time I make a call on someone I get rejected?”
“I just
don’t understand that,” answered the older salesman. “I’ve been hit on the head,
called dirty names, and thrown out the door, but I’ve never been rejected.”
Rejection
isn’t what happens to us but how we interpret what happens to us.
(Kent
Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers,
2004, 44)
Creating Your Own Rejection
Some people
never realize that they themselves are the source of their own rejection. The
pastor of a large congregation in Dallas told me about his friend who had
visited his church. His friend told the pastor that he wanted to measure the
church’s friendliness. “I’ll stand in the foyer of your church, and I’m almost
certain that no one will shake my hand.”
The pastor
replied, “We have a friendly church. I know that our members will greet you.”
After the
church service, his friend stood in the foyer as hundreds of people walked past
him. After everyone had left, the pastor asked, “Well, did anyone shake your
hand?”
“Not a
single person.”
The pastor
was dumbfounded. “What did you do? You must have done something to keep them
from meeting you.”
His friend
explained that he performed an experiment. “Every time someone started to
approach me, I simply looked away and gave the impression I didn’t want to meet
them. They could sense I was rejecting them, so they turned and walked away.”
This man
demonstrated why some people never form close friendships. They initiate their
own rejection by rolling out an unwelcome mat toward others—using gestures like
frowning, looking away, crossing arms, or staring at the floor. If this man had
warmly smiled at those approaching him, he would have met a number of people.
(Kent
Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers,
2004, 46-47)
A Compliment or an Insult?
I once knew a woman with a history of rejection who was always
suspicious of others’ motives. A friend once complimented her by saying, “You
look nice today.”
The woman replied, “Are you saying that I don’t look nice every day?
You said I look nice today. That must mean you think I don’t look good on other
days.”
Her puzzled friend said, “No, I didn’t mean that. I just think your
dress looks nice. I didn’t mean . . . ”
“Well, I don’t know how to take it any other way. You think I look bad
most of the time, don’t you?”
Because of her twisted perspective, this woman turned a compliment into
an insult. Do you see how viewing others through rejection glasses can sabotage
relationships?
(Kent Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG
Publishers, 2004, 49)
Man's Rejection Can Be God's Direction
"Man's rejection
can be God's direction. God sometimes uses the rejection of hateful
people to move us to a new place or assignment--where we wouldn't have thought
of going on our own. He must slam the door in our face through rejection to get
us to look in another direction. Then when we get to that new place, we thank
God for the rejection rather than being bitter about it." --Kent Crockett
Kent Crockett's Sermon
Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Relationships
Father-Son Relationships
George Sullivan’s worst childhood memory was his father holding a knife to his mother’s throat, threatening to kill her. George started wearing his rejection glasses on the day his dad moved away from his family. He hated his father and swore he would never be like him. As George grew up, every memory of his dad kindled anger within him. Ironically, the more he thought about his father, the more he became like him.
Forty years later, George attended a Promise Keeper’s meeting where the topic of discussion was mending father-son relationships. Now that George was a Christian, God tugged at his heart to forgive his father for the terrible things he had done. He wondered how he could ever have a good relationship with a father who had rejected, abused, and abandoned his own family. Perhaps if he made an attempt to be reconciled, God would set him free from his own hatred.
George began his search to find the man who had abandoned him over four decades before. He decided that if he found him, he would love him unconditionally.
After several months of investigation, his leads took him to a bar in Portland, Oregon. He walked into the tavern and asked the bartender, “Is there a man named Bill who’s a frequent customer here?” The man pointed to an elderly man sitting at a table by himself.
George pulled up a chair next to the 76-year-old man. He stretched out his hand and introduced himself. “Hi, my name is George.”
The old man with the wrinkled face shook his hand, saying, “I have a son named George.”
George replied, “I know, Dad. I’m him. How are you doing?”
His father, who had not seen him since he was a boy, choked up with emotion. With tears rolling down his face, he replied in a nervous laugh, “What took you so long to find me?”
They hugged and spent the next few hours talking about the last 40 years of their lives.
Although he can’t explain it, George’s rejection glasses fell off that day. He not only made peace with his father but also found peace within his own heart by obeying God. He overcame rejection by accepting his father unconditionally, without demanding that he change to meet his expectations.
Reflecting on this new relationship with his father, George said, “God taught me how to be a father to my son. Now He’s teaching me how to be a son to my father.”
[Kent Crockett, I Once Was Blind, But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004, 53-43]
How to Tell Male From Female
Sheila
walked into the kitchen to find her husband, Fred, stalking around with a fly
swatter. "And what are we doing?" she asked.
"Hunting
flies," he responded.
"Oh?
Killing any?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yep. Got 4
males, 3 females," he replied.
Intrigued,
she asked. "How can you tell the difference?"
"Simple."
He replied, "4 were on a beer can, 3 were on the phone."
--From
Weekend Encounter
www.actsweb.org/encounter
"Wisdom" from Yogi Berra
Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours. --Yogi Berra
Wearing a Teflon Attitude
"If you let others
dictate how you feel, you are going to be miserable." --Unknown
Repentance
A Decision to Want Freedom
Repentance
is a decision to want freedom more than bondage.
(Kent
Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers,
2004, 122)
Remorseful vs Repentant
Remorsefulness is sorry for the past, but doesn't want to change the future. Repentance is also sorry for the past, but makes a change in heart so the future will be different. It changes future behavior so the past mistakes won't be repeated. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 203)
Quitting Smoking
On quitting smoking: "If
at first you don't succeed, quit and quit again." --Clearing the Air: A Guide to
Quitting Smoking
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Making a Mess
One little boy prayed,
"Dear Jesus, I'm so sorry I made such a mess in my room today." Then he added,
"But I sure had fun doing it!"
Some people enjoy making
a mess of their lives. Eventually the consequences make life more miserable than
fun. Repentance means you're sorry enough to quit the behavior that's causing
the mess.
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
What To Repent Of
A man responded to the
altar call at the end of a church service. He told the pastor, "I want to
repent."
The pastor asked, "What
do you want to repent of?"
"I don't really know,"
the man replied.
The pastor said, "Do you
see that chair over there? I want you to sit down and guess at it!"
The man got it right the
first time.
It's not hard to know
what we need to repent of. It's usually the first thing that the Holy Spirit
brings to your mind.
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Definition of Repentance
"Repentance means we love
our Savior more than we love our sin." --Kent Crockett
Resurrection
Resurrection Body
A
sedimentary rock that is subjected to heat and pressure becomes a metamorphic
rock. It’s the same rock, but has undergone a change. In the same way, your
resurrection body will be the same one as you have now, but it will have gone
through a transformation. The spiritual body is derived from the natural body.
This is why we must live in our earthly bodies first. “However the spiritual is
not first, but the natural; then the spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:46). (Kent Crockett,
Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 99)
Romans 8:28
A Broken Engagement
A good
friend of mine was engaged to be married. When his fiancé broke off the
engagement, he sunk into depression. Not long after the breakup, he met someone
else. That someone else became his wife. They have now been happily married for
over twenty years. What looked like the greatest disappointment in his life was
divinely engineered to point him to God's best choice. He now thanks God for not
giving him what he thought was best. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook,
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 61)
Recycling Trash
"God takes out trash and
recycles it into something good." --Ron Hutchcraft