175 Sermon Illustrations on Encouragement

Let me be a little kinder,

Let me be a little blinder

To the faults of those about me.

Let me praise a little more.

Let me be, when I am weary,

Just a little bit more cheery;

Let me serve a little better

Those whom I am working for.

Let me be a little braver

When temptation makes me waver;

Let me strive a little harder

To be all that I should be.

Let me be a little meeker

With the person who is weaker;

Let me think more of my neighbor

And a little less of me.

Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES

Bundle of sticks cannot be broken; one stick can be. Log burns bright & hot when close to other burning logs; goes out when alone. Can you go to heaven and not go to church? Pointless question. Can you get to Washington D.C. without driving a car or riding a train? Yes, but why would you even want to try?

Do you remember Terry Waite? Church of England emissary sent to Lebanon to negotiate release of Western hostages. Instead, he became a hostage and spent 1,763 days in captivity. Thousands of people prayed for him. Thousands tried to send cards. The International Red Cross in Beirut had boxes and boxes of mail for him. Only one card got through. It was from a Bedford England housewife named Joy Brodier. She prayed for him. And on the second anniversary of his capture she wrote this simple note: "People everywhere are praying and working for your release and the release of the other hostages." She addressed it to "Terry Waite, c/o Hezbullah (Party of God), Beirut, Lebanon." No one still knows how the letter finally got to him. On Nov. 19, 1991 Terry Waite was finally released. Four weeks later he visited a Bedford England housewife and thanked her for her encouragement.

Each fall flocks of migrating geese stop at a meadow near our home. For several weeks those birds fly in long, wavy V-formations over our house, honking as they go. But then, as winter approaches, they are off again on their long flight south.

A student of mine furthered my education and my appreciation for these visitors from the north. I learned that geese fly at speeds of 40 to 50 miles per hour. They travel in formation because as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an updraft for the bird behind it. They can go 70 percent farther in a group than they could if they flew alone... .

Geese also honk at one another. They are not critics but encouragers. Those in the rear sound off to exhort those up front to stay on course and maintain their speeds. We too move ahead much more easily if there is someone behind us encouraging us to stay on track and keep going.

Is there someone flying in formation with you today to whom you might give some “helpful honks?” -- Haddon W. Robinson

MORE GEESE DATA:

1. As each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater range than if each bird flew alone.

2. When it goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag & resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back in formation to take advantage of lifting power of the bird in front of it.

3. When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose takes the point position.

4. The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.

5. When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again.

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From “Lessons from Geese,” by Angeles Arrien, based on the research of Milton Olson.

This summer I heard about a denominational church in Connecticut. There was a fringe member who regularly attended -- a woman. She did her shopping at Salvation Army/Goodwill stores. She wasn't wealthy. Her daughter became pregnant -- unmarried. She had the child. The woman visited the minister and said her daughter wanted the baby baptized. So the minister visited with daughter and asked her, “Who will stand up for the baby? The father?” No, he was no longer in the picture. On the day of the baptism the girl came forward with her baby. Minister, not knowing what would happen, asked the church, “Who will stand up for this child?” Immediately two older men -- church leaders -- stood from separate parts of the room. Slowly, one after another, the entire church stood up. That’s encouragement!

I suppose you’ve heard by now that Joe Miller died on September 3. What? You don’t know who he is? You’ve never even heard of him? Neither had I -- until I read his four-column obituary in the New York Times of September 27, 1998. Please bear with me while I tell you a few things about him. They could be relevant to your own situation.

Mr. Miller was 95 at his death and had a brilliant business career. After earning a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Yale and working for du Pont, he started his own industrial paint company. The Pyrolac Corporation made him a wealthy man.

According to his obituary, Miller “made a fortune” with a protective coating for bathroom fixtures. Then he “made an even larger fortune” by developing a metallic paint that allowed the American automobile industry to make cars available to consumers in a rainbow of colors other than black. He also created a heat-resistant coating that protected the Apollo spacecraft on trips to the moon.

Quite an impressive career, right? But none of these things from his résumé was responsible for the obituary -- complete with a 4” x 6” photo -- in the Times. Here was the headline: “Joe Miller, Who Did His Part For Baseball, Is Dead at 95.” Baseball?

In high school, the sport Joe Miller loved above all others was baseball. And he had a big, strong friend at school who was skilled at soccer and football. The friend didn’t want to play baseball. He resisted Miller’s pressure to take it up. When he finally did, however, he learned quickly and soon outstripped his friend. He went on to have one of the most fabled careers in baseball history. He played in 2,130 consecutive games -- a record that stood until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995.

That’s right. Joe Miller introduced Lou Gehrig to baseball! But chances are that you had never heard of him until now. So what’s the point?

How do you intend to “make your mark in the world”? Must you always be out front and get credit? Are you threatened by people with more skill, personality, or promise than yourself? Do you only want support players for your own achievements?

Your greatest contribution to the company, your church, or your world may come in your unselfish development of another person. When Andrew brought his more outgoing brother, Peter, to Jesus, he was destined to be overshadowed by him. But maybe that was Andrew’s greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God.

Thank God the world has its occasional Joe Miller or Andrew! Are you in position to be someone’s mentor in your field? And there is no nobler spiritual feat than to introduce someone to Jesus. There would be no better way to be remembered.

Astronaut Edward White II made a lady author quite happy at a

Houston reception; "M'am," he told her, "I was reading your book

while in orbit --- and just couldn't put it down."

- Bennett Cerf

Charlie Paddock had one burning ambition -- to become an Olympic champion. This ambition dominated his thinking even as a boy. After having set or tied several world records, including four world records at one time, Paddock claimed the dream of his lifetime by winning the 100 meters in the Olympic Games at Antwerp, Belgium in 1920.

Paddock was speaking once at East Tech High School in Cleveland, Ohio. A little spindley-legged boy was so touched he could hardly speak as he approached Paddock. "Oh, Mr. Paddock, I'd give anything to be a champion just like you." Paddock encouraged the young man and gave him a dream. The youngster worked hard, his body began to develop and in 1936 in Berlin that young man won four gold medals. He set three world records in one afternoon. His name was Jesse Owens.

After he was a champion, Owens told a similar experience in Cleveland as he encouraged a little boy so skinny he was called "Bones." That little boy was so inspired he ran all the way home and told his grandmother, "Grandma, I'm going to be an Olympic champion." In 1948 in London he won the 1000 meter finals in tying Owens' record of 10.3 seconds. In 1952 in Helsinki he set a new record in the hurdles ... his name: Harrison "Bones" Dillard.

What is your dream for the Lord's church here? You must have a dream, a goal, in your heart before much will be done toward the growth and strength of the church. What is your dream for our attendance, for the contribution, conversions to Christ, and all other aspects of the work here? Establish that vision in your heart and then you will work and pray for the fulfillment of that vision ((Proverbs 29:18a).

--via church bulletin, Camden, TN

In the 1919 World Series, the Chicago White Sox face the Cincinnati

Reds. Gamblers got to the Sox, and they threw the series. The

incident was called the Black Sox Scandal.

One of the Sox, "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, was popular with children.

When he left the courthouse after the indictment, legend states that a

tearful boy looked up into his face and begged, "Say it ain't so,

Joe." The boy was heartbroken because his hero had fallen. He needed

someone he could admire, a model of excellence and character.

Christians also need heroes - spiritual heroes. We worship God,

not persons; but models of Christian excellence encourage us. They

show us the way and remind us of God's power to transform and to use

us.

At Asbury 1-27-88... On

the way to class I came upon a young man with a

smile on his face. Two flights of steps lower outside the library was

a dog barking. "Come on, Come on," the young man coached. He was trying to

get the dog to come up the walk way in front of the library. As I came closer

I said, "Is he afraid to come up the steps?" "No," he replied, "he's barking

at a bird in that tree." I commented that sometimes it Is difficult to tear ourselves apart from the IMPORTANT things in life. As I left, the

young man continued to coach the dog to leave the bird and follow him. Later as

I mused about this incident, I was brought to the realization that possibly

God has to pause and coach us to leave behind some of the things that we see to

be important in order to continue following him.

If you should see a fellow-man with trouble's flag unfurled,

An' lookin' like he didn't have a friend in all the world,

Go up and slap him on the back, and holler "How d'you do?"

And grasp his hand so warm he'll know he has a friend in you,

Then ax him what's a-hurtin' him, an' laugh his cares away,

And tell him the darkest night is just before the day.

Don't talk in graveyard palaver, but say it right out loud,

That God will sprinkle sunshine in the trail of every cloud.

This world at best is but a hash of pleasure and of pain;

Some days are bright and sunny, and some all sloshed with rain,

And that's just how it ought to be, for when the clouds roll by

We'll know just how to 'preciate the bright and smiling sky.

So learn to take it as it comes, and don't sweat at the pores

Because the Lord's opinion don't coincide with yours;

But always keep rememberin', when cares your path enshroud,

That God has lots of sunshine to spill behind the cloud.

-- James Whitcomb Riley.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Mark Guy Pearse preached a sermon on Christ's invitation to the

weary and heavy-laden. I had finished my sermon when a good man came

to me and said "I wish I had known what you were going to preach

about. I could have told you something." "Well, my friend," I said,

"may I have it still?" "Do you know why His yoke is light, sir?"

"Well, because the good Lord helps us to carry it, I suppose." "No,

sir," said he, shaking his head, "I think I know better than that.

You see, when I was a boy at home, I used to drive the oxen, and the

yoke was never made to balance as you said. Father's yokes were always

made heavier on one side than the other. Then, you see, we would put a

weak bullock in alongside a strong bullock; the light end would come

on the weak ox, the heavier end on the stronger one. That's why the

yoke is easy and the burden is

light, because the Lord's yoke is made after the same pattern, and the

heavy end is upon His shoulder." --Sunday School Times

When the news of Senator Haynes famous speech in favor of

nullification reached the North, a hardy patriot of New England was so

depressed by the oration, which he believed unanswerable though false

in its spirit and teaching, that he was made ill and finally threw

himself upon his bed in an agony of despair. A few days later, his

daughter brought to him a paper containing Webster's immortal reply to

Haynes. At first he refused to read it or to listen to it, but his

daughter sat beside him and began to read. As she proceeded, the man's

attention was arrested. At length he straightened himself up in bed,

and as he became more deeply aroused broke forth into exclamations of

admiration. Finally, as she concluded the reading he shouted: "Bring

me my boots I am well again!"

In the midst of life's trials, the Christian sometimes becomes

utterly depressed. It seems to him that no ray of hope falls across

his pathway, and that the world steadily deteriorates in moral value.

He can look for no triumph of righteousness. Then, faith turns his

gaze upon the figure of Jesus Christ, and his spiritual imagination

enables him to hear the Master's words: "In the world ye shall have

tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world." And

remembering the glorious triumph of his Lord, he takes courage again

and faces the world with renewed bravery to gain for himself the

victory which overcometh the world. --Rev. G. P. Eckman

Robert Schuller tells a story about a banker who always

tossed a coin in the cup of a legless beggar who sat on the

street outside the bank. But, unlike most people, the banker

would always insist on getting one of the pencils the man had

beside him. "You are a merchant," the banker would say, "and I

always expect to receive good value from merchants I do business

with." One day the legless man was not on the sidewalk. Time

passed and the banker forgot about him, until he walked into a

public building and there in the concessions stand sat the

former beggar. He was obviously the owner of his own small

business now. "I have always hoped you might come by someday,"

the man said. "You are largely responsible for me being here.

You kept telling me that I was a 'merchant'. I started thinking

of myself that way, instead of a beggar receiving gifts. I

started selling pencils -- lots of them. You gave me

self-respect, caused me to look at myself differently."

One wintry day Hawthorne, the American author, went home with a

heavy heart, having lost his government appointment. He cast himself

down, as men generally do under such circumstances, and assumed the

very attitude of despondency. His wife soon discovered the cause of

his distress. But instead of indulging in irrational hysterics, she

kindled a bright fire, brought pen, ink, and paper, and then, lovingly

laying her hand on his shoulder, exclaimed, as she gazed cheerfully in

his face, "Now you can write your book."

The word wrought like a magic spell. He set to work, forgot his

loss, wrote his book, made his reputation, and amassed a fortune. God

fearing women, go and do like wise! --W. J. Acomb

William Barclay suggests that “Paraclete” come from the term used for a person who accompanied a Greek army. It was his task to encourage the soldiers when they had lost a battle. He would often say, “You have just lost the battle, not the entire war.” Carrying no weapons, but being the encourager and advisor to the troops, the paraclete might say to them after they won the battle, “You have just won a battle, not the entire war.” So the Holy Spirit is our helper to encourage us to continue in the great war!

Do not undermine your worth

by comparing yourself with others.

It is because we are different

that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals

by what other people deem important.

Only you know

what is best for you.

Do not take for granted

the things closest to your heart.

Cling to them as you would your life,

for without them,

life is meaningless.

Do not let your life

slip through your fingers

by living in the past

nor for the future.

By living your life one day at a time,

you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up

when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over

until the moment you stop trying.

It is a fragile thread

that binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.

It is by taking chances

that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life

by saying it is impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love

is to give love;

The fastest way to lose love

is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams.

To be without dreams

is to be without hope;

To be without hope

is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life

so fast that you forget

not only where you have been,

but also where you are going.

Life is not a race,

but a journey

to be savored

each step of the way.

I admire my friends who are marathon runners. I don't want to be one of them, but I admire them. I actually did have a bit of a running program going when my kids were little. Every morning, I used to run around the block twenty times, until my son moved the block! Uh, now, while I've never run a marathon, I have watched some. And I've talked to my friends who have done the whole 26-mile distance. If you've ever watched or run a marathon, you've seen those volunteers that are stationed all along the way - the ones with orange slices and the water. As the miles become more and more grueling, the body can actually begin to shut down. Water is desperately needed to avoid dehydration; the potassium in those orange slices replenishes an important deficit in your body. It's questionable if many runners could make it if it weren't for those little refreshment stands.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Walking, Talking Refreshment Stands.”

In a way, I guess all of us are marathon runners. I mean, just look at the course you have to run every day, then every week, then every month, and so on. And all of us reach those points where we feel like we can't go on, where vital systems seem to be shutting down. And that's where the refreshment folks are desperately needed. I hope the folks around you consider you one.

Every one of us needs people who will be our refreshers. Every one of us knows people who need for us to be their refresher. Here's a great example of one of those unsung heroes, as recorded in our word for today from the Word of God. In 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Paul is writing about this lonely season of his life, isolated in Caesar's prison, awaiting what will ultimately be his execution. Now this man who has helped so many run their race needs someone to help him finish his.

And along comes a man with a name that's a mouthful and a ministry that is wonderful. Paul says, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!” Onesiphorus - that name literally means “profit-bringer.” It's something all of us who can be. Someone who makes a person richer because they have been with you.

To be one of God's refreshment stands, you're there for someone when it's awkward and you don't know what to do or what to say ... you're there when it's hard ... when it's inconvenient ... when they're unloveable ... when you have to “search hard” to find a way to get to them. You go out of your way to bring some love and support to a person who needs it. You walk in when everyone else is walking out. Your ministry of refreshment can take many forms. Sometimes it's just a hug. Other times it's a compliment ... a word of encouragement ... a letter or email ... a visit ... noticing something good ... praying with them. It's usually just a matter of obeying, instead of squelching, the prompting of the Holy Spirit to go to someone He knows needs you. Learn to listen to those promptings from God.

God's promise to you is this: “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” He will give back to you with the measure you give. So what effect are you having on the people around you? Are you making it harder for them to run their race? Or are you one of those holy heroes who is offering them the refreshing care they need? You may be the difference in someone running the distance!

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #4531]

There's something about the Olympics that's just larger than life, and there are those images of past Olympic performances that we'll never forget. One of those happened in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Derek Redmond was representing Great Britain in the 400-meter event. Unfortunately, he went down on the backstretch with a torn right hamstring. And the medical attendants started to approach him, but he managed to fight his way to his feet. Maybe you remember seeing this. He set out hopping around the track, desperately trying to finish the race. When he reached the stretch, a large man in a T-shirt came out of the stands, and literally threw aside a security guard, and ran to the injured runner, and hugged him. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. Derek was weeping and in excruciating pain, and his Dad said, "'Derek, you don't have to do this." To which Derek said, "Yes, I do." And Jim Redmond said, "OK then, we're going to finish this together!" And they did. They had to fight off security men ... the son's head was sometimes buried on his father's shoulder ... but they stayed in Derek's lane all the way to the end - as the crowd stood and cheered and even wept.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why You Can Make It The Rest Of The Way."

The other day I got one of those phone calls that make you feel like you've been kicked in the stomach. A good friend called to tell us that his teenage son had died from injuries that he had received in a traffic accident. He asked me to speak at the funeral where, by the grace of God, some of his son's friends gave their hearts to Christ.

Five minutes before my friend called, I'd been reading in Isaiah 46. In light of the devastating blow that had just hit that family, I had to share Isaiah 46:3-4 with my friend. They are our word for today from the Word of God. "...I have upheld [you] since you were conceived, and have carried you since your birth. ... I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Through all the pain of the funeral and its aftermath, I watched this Heavenly Father come down to the field where my friends were in so much pain, and keep His promise to sustain them.

It may be that right now you're struggling to finish. You were running OK, but now you're hurting, you're limping, you're wounded. Maybe you're disillusioned. You're burning out, you're wearing out, and you feel like dropping out. You look down the track at the ground you've still got to cover, and you wonder if you can possibly make it feeling like this. It hurts so bad, you're so depleted, it's tempting to give up your calling, or your marriage, or your commitment, your loved one, your dream.

But someone very strong has left the stands to join you on the field. He's your Heavenly Father who loves you passionately and unconditionally. And His arm is around you. God the Father is hugging His wounded child. After all, He did say, He is a "very present help in time of trouble." (Psalm 46:1) He knows you can't finish this race alone. Listen to Him as He says, "My child, we're going to finish this together."

But you literally may not have the strength or the spirit to even walk another step. Well, that's why His promise is so precious, "I have made you and I will carry you." When a child can walk no further, he says, "Daddy, carry me." That's what God is waiting for you to say. That worn-out child can go farther and faster in his father's arms than he could ever go on his own feet. So can you - in your Heavenly Father's arms.

You can finish the race you started - not with your resources, but because your Almighty Father is saying, "We're going to finish this together!"

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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Our grandson Jordan couldn't wait to tell me. His Grandma had bought a little kit for him called the "Magic Garden." Together, they put together these little plastic pieces that formed the frame for an outdoor scene that had a mountain as its backdrop. Then Grandma helped Jordan pour the liquid from the kit over the crystals that are hiding in designated areas of that frame. The next day Jordan came to our house to see what had happened to that scene. When he stopped by my office to tell me, his eyes got big and his hands were in motion to try to explain to me what he had seen - he just said, "It grow!" And he had this kind of sense of wonderment. He was right - the trees had sprouted full pink foliage overnight, colorful flowers and bushes had bloomed, and, as Jordan said, "Mountain grow snow." Well, sure enough, the mountain had filled in with a cover of snow. Last night's plain plastic frame had suddenly exploded into this fully blooming, technicolor show!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Growing Amazing Gardens."

That "Magic Garden" kit appears pretty plain and unimpressive at first look. But the secret is that there's all kinds of potential beauty there. Of course, you'll never see that beauty if you don't water it to make it grow! By the way - people are like that, too. Including some folks in your personal world right now. They may not look or feel like they're much - but they've got all kinds of potential for beauty ... if someone will water what needs to grow.

God gives us a hint of this life-changing chemistry in our word for today from the Word of God in Ephesians 4:15-16. He says, "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

The "water" in this chemistry for growth is "speaking the truth in love" and things that "build up" those that we're in contact with. If we nurture the good things in people, if we love them by telling them the truth about Jesus and about who they are in Him, we can actually help people start to become more like Jesus, to start producing His spiritual characteristics.

The problem is that we often can't see past the basic "kit" in front of us. We look at our partner, our son or daughter, our mother or father, our fellow believer or co-worker, and all we can see is their "warts," their weaknesses, the things they need to improve. We're experts at seeing the flaws and areas for improvement in other people. Consequently, most of us have already had a lifetime's worth of criticism, put-downs, harshness.

But the eyes of Jesus don't just see what a person is - they see what that person could be - if someone would just water their potential with some encouragement and praise and believing in them. Jesus told Simon, "You are Simon, but you will be 'the rock.'" He saw what Simon could be - and, in fact, what He became in Jesus' amazing garden.

So, what you water will grow. People will become what you call them. And the people in your family, in your church, at the place where you work have so much beauty planted in them by our Creator. But somebody needs to believe in what they could be. So build them up - don't ever tear them down. Build their confidence, don't take it away. Load them up with praise - they don't need the growth-stunting effects of your negatives. You will be amazed at what can happen in the garden of lives around you if you will water them to bring out their latent beauty. In the words of my grandson, "They grow!"

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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If you're a photographer, you love seagulls. They soar so gracefully, almost like they're posing for the camera. They're beautiful - when they're alone. When they're together, they are not so beautiful. One gets on a perch, another comes to knock him off. One gets some food, others attack him for it. Scientists put a red band on the leg of one seagull to find out what happened, and he was pecked to death by the other gulls because he had something they didn't. Now contrast that with those Canada Geese some of us see migrating in the Spring and the Fall. They do everything together. Studies show that those geese almost always travel together, usually in those familiar V-formations. They rotate who's in front so one bird doesn't wear out. Now, if one Canada goose is injured and can't go on, another goose will stay with him until he's ready to join another flock ... they're never left alone. The scientists even believe that the honking that we hear is actually the geese cheerleading for each other - "Honk! You can make it!" "Honk! Mexico or bust!"

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Flying Together Or Flying Alone."

The bottom line on those geese from those who study them is this: they are able to fly up to 71% farther together than they could ever fly alone. So are we who belong to Jesus Christ. We're able to fly a whole lot farther together than we ever could by ourselves. It's just too bad that so many of us are more seagull than goose - we're up there soaring all by ourselves, doing our thing, but missing the power of flying together with other brothers and sisters.

That is so clearly demonstrated in Acts 2, beginning with verse 44, our word for today from the Word of God. "All the believers were together and had everything in common ... Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, enjoying the favor of all the people." Part of the power of these original believers was that they were geese, not gulls. They looked out for one another, provided for each other, and they pursued the Lord together. And they were powerful. The next verse says, "The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Now when's the last time you saw that happening? But then, when's the last time you saw believers together like that?

The "geese" principle actually applies to your family, to your business, to the ministry you're in, to the relationships between believers in your church, and to the relationships between believers in your church with those in other churches - we can fly a lot farther together than we could ever fly alone!

But whether it's your church, your family, or another group, you have to fight to keep the flock together - because too many of us are solo-flying seagulls at heart. Here's Paul's blueprint for keeping the flock together - see how much this describes how you're acting. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit ..." (Ephesians 4:2,3). That's "effort" as in "keep working at everyone staying together."

Maybe you're in a situation where it's getting to be cliques, power blocs, little personal kingdoms, personal egos, personal agendas, and polarizing individualism. Don't get sucked into that. Do whatever you have to do to keep or pull the flock together - write a letter, bring people together, get people praying together, ask for forgiveness, or help folks keep their eye on a mission that unites rather than issues that divide them. If you need to, tell them about the gulls and the geese.

It's time to bring the flock together - and see how far we can fly when we are flying together.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. 'Practical Answers to Real Life Issues'

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A little boy’s prayer: “Dear God, please take care of my daddy and my mommy and my sister and my brother and my doggy and me. Oh, please take care of yourself, God. If anything happens to you, we’re in big trouble”

In the past few days I’ve had a number of responses from people who would love to serve God, but they aren’t quite sure what their role should be.

May I make a suggestion — be an encourager. This is one of the most needed attributes in today’s world. Be an encourager to all who need it — Christian or not. Your kindness may be all it takes to win someone to Christ. In fact, one of the cults uses this technique extensively and for a good reason — it is effective.

Critics abound, but encouragers are scarce. So, if you want to be useful for God and be appreciated at the same time, the choice is obvious — be an encourager! Isaiah 41:6 (NLT) says, “They encourage one another with the words, “Be strong!” Encouragement comes in many forms — maybe just a kind word, a hand held, support in crisis — you’ll find a way. Just try it!

As a small child, during prayer, I crawled under the pews to the back of the church. I don’t think my Dad was in a spirit of prayer as he spanked me.

Why do we pray? Have you ever thought about it? Take it a step further — why do we pray like we do? Think about what you said the last time you gave thanks for your food. Was it the same old rote that you’ve always used? Do we do it out of habit, because we feel we’re obligated to pray?

The man who led me to Christ always prayed like he was really talking to God — one to one. I admired that because that is the way it should be. Our prayer patterns easily get into ruts. Prayer should always be prayer and not an extension of a sermon. It should be one to one between us and God and not said for the benefit of those present.

Prayer between us and the God of creation is a unique privilege which we should take seriously rather than the trivial way we often approach it. Paul said in 2 Cor. 1:10 (NIV), “…On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.” We need to depend on God for our own needs AND the needs of others as we pray.

Even without the torn jeans, he made a scruffy-looking ten-year old. His fifth grade classmates had never seen anyone as poorly dressed and unpolished as Marco. This was his first day of elementary school in a quaint New England town of well-to-do families. Marco’s parents were migrant fruit pickers and his classmates eyed him with suspicion for the first part of the day. Even though they whispered and made comments about his clothes, he didn’t seem to notice.

Then came recess and the kickball game. Marco led off the first inning with a home run, earning him a bit of respect from his wardrobe critics. Next up to kick was Richard, the least athletic and most overweight child in the class. After his second strike (amid the groans of his classmates), Marco edged up to Richard and quietly said, “Forget them, kid. You can do it!” Richard kicked a home run and at that precise moment, something began to change in Marco’s class. Over the next few months, Marco was able to teach the class many new things. Things such as how to tell when fruit was ripe, how to call a wild turkey and, especially, how to treat other people.

By the time Marco’s parents finished their work in the area, the class was preparing to celebrate Christmas. While other students brought the teacher fancy scarves, perfumes and soap, Marco stepped up to the teacher’s desk with a special gift. It was a rock that he delivered into the teacher’s hands which was beautiful and bright. “I polished it up special,” he said.

Years later, the teacher still had Marco’s rock on her desk. At the beginning of each school year, she would tell her class about the gentle boy who taught her and her class not to judge a book by its cover. And that it’s what’s on the inside of others that truly counts.

Henry Ford once said that the ability to encourage others is one of life's finest assets. The auto inventor and manufacturer knew the power of encouragement. He had learned of it as a young man.

Memorable to him was a time, at the beginning of his career, when he made a drawing of his newly built engine for Thomas A. Edison. Young Ford had endured criticism and ridicule. Most mechanical experts of that day were convinced that electric carriages would be the popular passenger cars of the future.

But attending a dinner one evening at which Edison was present, Ford began explaining his engine to the man nearest him at the table. He noticed that Edison, seated several chairs away, was listening. Finally the great man moved closer and asked the young inventor to make a drawing.

When the crude sketch was complete, Edison studied it intently, then suddenly banged his fist on the table. “Young man,” he said, “that's the thing! You have it!”

Years later, Ford recalled, “The thump of that fist upon the table was worth worlds to me.”

The Blob. Yep, that’s what they call this huge inflated pillow-like thing they have at a camp we use in our ministry. The Blob is in the water at the camp beach, sitting there, daring someone to jump off the platform above onto its bouncy launch pad. It’s – well, shall we say — a leap of faith. One person jumps onto the Blob and then they clumsily scoot out to the end that extends into the lake. Then a second person makes the jump. When they hit the Blob, the force of their landing literally launches the person on the end into the air and ultimately into the lake with a loud splash. For the launch to work, there can’t be more than thirty pounds difference in the weights of the two Blobbers. Well, since our son is a pretty big hunk of a guy, he went most of the week without getting Blob-launched … until the campers convinced Frank, our other generous-sized leader, to try it with our son. Every person in the camp was at the beach at two o’clock to see this one, and we weren’t disappointed. Our son made the jump and crawled to the end of the Blob. And then his counterweight friend made the jump. The camp erupted in cheers and gales of laughter as the force of Frank’s landing sent our son into the air like a Cape Canaveral rocket!

Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Faith Launching.”

You see, Frank took a leap of faith and it launched someone else. You know, that shouldn’t be unusual with brothers and sisters in Christ. If you belong to Jesus, there are people around you who could use some faith right now for what they’re facing — but they may need the “jumper cable” of your faith to inspire them to trust God in a big way.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Romans 1:11-12, Paul told the believers at Rome, “I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” There it is — contagious faith, stirring up greater faith in the person they infect.

There’s a great example of that in the Book of Joshua as the Jews are standing on the edge of flooded Jordan River, facing the giants and walled cities of Canaan on the other side. God launched General Joshua’s faith when He says, “Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land” (Joshua 1:6). Joshua then launches the faith of his officers by telling them to get the people ready because they are going to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land God is giving them. Before long, the people are telling Joshua to “… be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:18). Mutually encouraging each other to believe God for something only God can do.

I wonder what your effect is on the people in your personal world. Do you inspire them to trust God for big things, or do you spread anxiety, apathy, pessimism, or negative thinking?

Leave behind your trail of faith! Use critical moments to show your family how to totally trust God rather than worry. Pray boldly with people who share a need with you. Verbalize what you’re trusting God for as a declaration of your faith. Challenge people you serve with to get out of the box of doing what’s always been done, taking no risks, and seeing no miracles.

Faith isn’t just taught — it’s caught. And you should be modeling and encouraging bold trust in an all-powerful God. This isn’t about your great faith. It’s about your great God — a God who deserves nothing less than faith for “great and mighty things we don’t know” (Jeremiah 33:3). As John Newton said, “Thou art coming to a King, great petitions with thee bring; for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much.” When people are around you and your faith, they should be launched higher than they’ve ever gone before!

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. “Practical Answers to Real Life Issues”

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