By: GUNNY HARTMAN

GUNNY HARTMAN — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:03:54 +0000

Admittedly, illustration variety is not my greatest strength, but I almost always disappointed by the sermon illustration books I’ve bought.

They all seem to have the same tired and/or outdated stuff and they’re often hard to navigate categorically.

I also find illustrations of a personal nature, particularly where children are involved, get the audience’s attention.

Good stuff. Thanks.

By: chip

chip — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:08:35 +0000

Ordinary Illustrations
Good advice. One of the best illustrations I ever heard was Dr. Tony Evans who talked about the frustrations of rinsing soap out a dish soap bottle. As the water quickly flushed into the tiny nozzle, the bubbles would overflow and frustrate him. When he did it slow and steady he accomplished his goal. He whispered the moral at the end. We get illustrations from the majestic, but we should never forget the mundane too.

I once had cheap, dried-up dollarstore basil to illustrate tired Christian lives. I used fresh, green, leafy basil that still had roots to show the vitality and attractiveness of an abundant life. I even described the people in the checkout line smelling the fragrance and running to get some themselves. Out of all the latenight tireless exegesis, that resonated most with my first church >:-(

Those incidents are object lessons, but when we describe our “a-ha!” moments of reflection, they become illustrations. Nonetheless, we can get stuck in a mundane mode too. Peter’s point is well taken–”Vary your illustration resources”.

Thanks Brother Mead; send us your bill.

chip.

Comments on: Illustration Variation – Part 1

By: GUNNY HARTMAN

By: chip