This article can be used for numerous cases as a sermon illustration:

not realizing a brother/sister has fallen away until it’s already too late.
the reality of calamity and trial in our lives… How grief adds to grief. Job?
any other ideas?

Fri, Aug 20 2010
PARIS (Reuters) – A French woman discovered her 42-year-old son had been buried in the same cemetery where she was attending her brother’s funeral, after she had tried to invite him to the ceremony, a newspaper said Friday.
The family were leaving the cemetery near Lille, Wednesday when one of …

From some notes I had… someone may find it useful for teaching or preaching…
Jehovah – The Lord – Exodus 6:2-3
Jehovah-Adon Kal Ha’arets- The Lord of Earth – Joshua 3:13
Jehovah-Bara – The Lord Creator – Isaiah 40:28
Jehovah-Chatsahi – The Lord my Strength – Psalm 27:1
Jehovah-Chereb – The Lord the Sword – Deuteronomy 33:29
Jehovah-Eli – The Lord my God – Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Elyon – The Lord Most High – Psalm 38:2
Jehovah-Gador Milchamah – The Lord Mighty in Battle – Psalm 24:8
Jehovah-Ganan – The Lord Our Defense – Psalm 89:18
Jehovah-Go’el – Lord my Redeemer …

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn’t have one.
To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.
To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.
To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.
To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to a premature baby..
To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure …

Acts 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Some men marvelled, others mocked.
Marvelled: something that causes wonder, admiration, or astonishment; a wonderful thing.
Mocked: To attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision. To ridicule by mimicry of action or speech; mimic derisively. To mimic, imitate, or counterfeit. To challenge; defy.
Consider the account of Michal, the daughter of Saul. At one time she marveled at …

There are many “one another” commands found in the New Testament. In the study guide for Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, Tim Keller offers a helpful breakdown of categories in affirming one another, sharing with one another, and serving one another. These form, he says, “nine ‘community-building practices’—specific behaviors that build Christian community.” For more details on each point, see pp. 58-71.
Affirm
1. Affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts.

Romans 12:10: “Honor one another”
James 5:9: “Don’t grumble against each other”
Romans 12:3-8: Confirm the gifts of one another

2. Affirm one …

A friend mentioned recently about a thought he’d heard on the radio concerning investors and consumers.
The point made by the radio commentator was, if someone purchased a top of the line Mac computer several years ago, and another person invested that same amount of money into Apple stock at the same time, the computer would be devalued today, but the stock would have grown significantly, bringing wealth to the individual.
I have been thinking today about the value of investing, and remembering that what I am investing into the Kingdom is …

Isaiah 21:6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Isaiah 21:11-12 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.
In vs. 11, the opening words, “the burden of…” means, “the harsh prophecy for…” Numerous times in the book of Isaiah, the prophet begins his words toward a people, person or …

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/27/georgia-university-tells-student-lose-religion-lawsuit-claims/
Lawsuit Claims College Ordered Student to Alter Religious Views on Homosexuality, Or Be Dismissed
A graduate student in Georgia is suing her university after she was told she must undergo a remediation program due to her beliefs on homosexuality and transgendered persons.
The student, Jennifer Keeton, 24, has been pursuing a master’s degree in school counseling at Augusta State University since 2009, but school officials have informed her that she’ll be dismissed from the program unless she alters her “central religious beliefs on human nature and conduct,” according to a civil complaint.
“[Augusta …

I couldn’t help but notice the parallel of this story to the issues of the Church. How often are those who are still reachable mistaken for being dead… “too lost” to reach? They’ve been written off by a church who should be preparing for their return instead of their funeral? And how often are those who are backslidden placated to and treated as though they’re still alive and “OK” when the reality is they are far from saved?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/26/earlyshow/main6713545.shtml
(CBS) In a case of mistaken identity, two Arizona families were shocked …

Experts: Ansel Adams photos found at garage sale worth $200 million
By Alan Duke, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Man paid $45 at a California garage sale for 65 glass plates
Experts concluded negatives were lost Ansel Adams photos
Photos are a “missing link” in Adam’s career
Adams was the “father of American photography.”

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Rick Norsigian’s hobby of picking through piles of unwanted items at garage sales in search of antiques has paid off for the Fresno, California, painter.
Two small boxes he bought 10 years ago for $45 — negotiated down from $70 — …