A vast resource of forceful preaching and speaking quotations and stories arranged alphabetically under 50 categories, each with 20 scriptural illustrations.

Every preacher, teacher, or writer knows the value of a good illustration in helping connect the truth of the passage with the congregation or class—and how hard it is to come up with good illustrations week after week. This book contains the cream of the crop: 1001 illustrations carefully selected from among thousands on Christianity Today International’s popular website PreachingToday.com. These illustrations are proven, memorable, and illuminating. As the saying goes, they will preach! And they’re fresh, all written within the past seven years. Of course the best illustrations are no good if you can’t find the right one. These illustrations have been arranged according to twelve master topics, each divided into several subtopics. Further, they’ve been indexed according both to Bible references and to 500 keywords. A searchable CD-ROM is included, allowing you to get the illustration into your lesson or sermon with ease.

A convenient source for contemporary illustrations and stories, this book helps users make their messages more memorable, powerful, and relevant to today's media-engaged listeners.

Movies have become the stories of our culture. People love to discuss favorite movies and actors, and this interest can help you communicate God’s Word with power—if you have exciting, movie-based illustrations at your fingertips. Now the editors of PreachingToday.com have gathered the best movie-based illustrations, the scenes that convey biblical truth convincingly. This collection contains 101 complete illustrations straight from popular movies your listeners can relate to. Each illustration is easy to use—you don’t even have to be familiar with the movie to share the truth it portrays. ·Complete index includes multiple keywords and relevant Scripture passages for easy selection.·Each illustration provides plot summary and detailed description of the scene—you can tell the story well even if you haven’t seen the movie.·Exact begin and end times are given for each illustration if you wish to show the video clip.·Each illustration gives background information on the movie—year created, MPAA rating, and more. This handy, to-the-point resource will help you add dramatic muscle to your sermons and lessons. Engage your listeners’ imaginations through the power of movies—and drive biblical truths home to their hearts.

If the apostle Paul had not punctuated his words with images of the armor of God or the racecourse, would we so easily remember his instruction? The march on Washington might have become nothing more than a ragged hike across a majestic mall if Martin Luther King, Jr. had not led us through a "dream" and onto a "mountaintop." Such is the power of illustrations. They contain a hidden dynamic of living that captures our attention and furthers our understanding in a way that no other sermonic tool can match. Can they be overused and their purpose abused? Yes—and by many they are. But to eliminate them completely would be unwise, maintains Bryan Chapell. Instead, he responds to those concerns by reviewing the theory behind illustrations, sharing why they're important, and demonstrating how you can use them effectively in your biblical preaching. This book clearly affirms that illustrations are integral to powerful preaching—not because they entertain but because they expand and deepen applications in the lives of your listeners. They infuse your words with life without comprising the message, making the truth of the Word ring clearly in people's hearts long after your sermon is done.

Anyone who speaks for a living knows that at some point you just run out of relevant stories to tell. And there's nothing more embarrassing to a preacher or teacher than a listener pointing out that they've heard a story three or four times now. What's a busy speaker to do? Edward K. Rowell and Leadership journal have come to the rescue with this fresh compilation of quotes, idea starters, illustrations, and humor to jump-start or add kick to speeches, sermons, and lessons. This easy-to-use volume is the perfect addition to the library of any pastor, teacher, or public speaker.