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Finding Illustration Gold Mines
James S. Stewart, one of the greatest preachers in history, said, "Omnibus volumes of sermon anecdotes are the last refuge of a bankrupt intelligence." All preachers and teachers will probably have to declare bankruptcy someday. The varied demands on the church professional and the need to communicate in an inviting way to contemporary culture require greater use of illustrations and therefore a greater need for such volumes.
The way some people talk, one would think that illustrations are appendages to a sermon. A minister doesn’t write a sermon and then add illustrations. Illustrations are as much a part of the sermon as the reasoning or outline. Many ministers can testify that an illustration is frequently all people remember of a sermon.
We all would agree that the best illustrations come from the speaker’s own experience and research. Still, there are times when illustration collections can be a lifesaver. The problem is that many collections have illustrations that are virtually unusable. Many are collected from a time well in the past and do not ring true in our age. My recommendations today are for three illustration books that will consistently supply good, fresh illustrations.
I get the most consistent use out of James Hewett’s Illustrations Unlimited (from Tyndale House). This 400-page book is filled with more than 1,700 illustrations. Hewett was best known as the editor of Parables Etc, a newsletter that supplied illustrations from preachers. Illustrations Unlimited is like a collection of the best from the newsletter. There is a wide variety of illustrations from poems to jokes to quotations. There is also a CD-ROM version.
Another excellent source for illustrations is 1,500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Baker Book House), edited by Michael Green, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Green taught at Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute before moving to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Christianity Today has issued a collection of some of the best illustrations from its magazines. The title of the first book is Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion (Tyndale House). Not all the illustrations are perfect, but many are quite good. The collection was edited by Craig Brian Larson and Drew Zahn. Those buying the book also get a searchable CD-ROM. The first book was followed by another helpful collection, More Perfect Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion.
Let me be bold enough to recommend one out-of-print book that is still available on amazon.com and some of the used book sites. I recommend it for three reasons: Standard Publishing published it, it is very good, and my father wrote it. It is One Thousand Windows by Robert Shannon. (Please forgive me for the shameless plug, but one can find some great illustrations there.)
PREVIOUS COLUMNS:
January 18, 2006 - Dealing With the Dark Side
January 4, 2006 - Libraries Without Walls
December 21, 2005 - Communication Concepts from Secular Circles
December 7, 2005 - Words of Wisdom for Women's Ministry
November 23, 2005 - Magnificent Help from the Magazine Rack
November 9, 2005 - Invigorating Volunteers; Developing Disciples
October 26, 2005 - Overcoming Overwhelm
October 12, 2005 - Big Ideas for Smaller Churches
September 28, 2005 - For You and Youth
September 14, 2005 - A Potpourri of Books
August 31, 2005 - A Potpourri of Web Sites
August 17, 2005 - Hart-to-Heart Talks
August 3, 2005 - Ken Can Help
July 20, 2005 - Easum Has Some Advice
June 22, 2005 - Get Real with Bobb Biehl
June 9, 2005 - Let Len Lend a Hand
May 29, 2005 - A New Angle on Church Growth
May 15, 2005 - It's Your Turn
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