by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Dec 17, 2019 | Identity, Modern Life, Sermon Illustrations, Storytelling
In his book Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth, Hugh Halter opens with an unlikely scenario: taking his teenage daughter to get her first tattoo. While watching his daughter get “inked,” Halter asked the tattoo artist (named Sean) a very interesting...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Dec 10, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
If you read through G.K. Chesterton’s writings, it will not be long before you recognize the recurring theme of joy. Joy, Chesterton believed, ought to be a central experience of the one who realizes the absurdity of his life as a gift. What should have been a...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Dec 3, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
Sometimes it is helpful to see what life looks like on the other side of faith, that is, for those who believe that God does not exist. Bertrand Russell, the renowned philosopher and avowed atheist, had this to say about humanity from the perspective of an atheist:...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Nov 26, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
While it might seem obvious in retrospect, one of the latest breakthroughs in the psychology of happiness has to do with gratitude. Multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between gratitude and happiness. One study, performed by Dr. Dr. Robert A. Emmons of...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Nov 19, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
Psychologists tell us that one of the most difficult conditions a person can be forced to bear is light deprivation. Darkness, in fact, is often used in military captivity or penal institutions to break down an individual’s sense of self. Once a person becomes...
