True, sourced stories for sermons and lessons. Search by keyword, theme, or Bible book.
195 illustrations found
Twelve Seconds at Kitty Hawk
Everybody was watching Samuel Langley. He had backing from the Smithsonian and the War Department, and the press followed his every move.
Two Runners Who Stopped to Pick Each Other Up
In a women's 5,000 meter heat at the 2016 Rio Olympics, New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin tripped and fell, accidentally taking American Abbey D'Agostino down with her.
Tyndale’s Last Prayer
In 1523 William Tyndale asked the bishop of London for permission to translate the New Testament into English. The bishop said no.
Vincent Coleman Sent One Last Message
On the morning of December 6, 1917, a French munitions ship caught fire in Halifax Harbour. Train dispatcher Vincent Coleman learned the burning ship could explode.
Wallenberg’s Paper Shields
In the summer of 1944, nearly 200,000 Jews were still left in Budapest, and the authorities planned to deport them too. Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish businessman with no diplomatic experience at all, arrived on July 9 as a diplomat at the Swedish legation.
Walter Scott Counted on His Fingers
Walter Scott was an early preacher in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. Studying Acts 2:38, he taught that people respond to God by believing, repenting, and being baptized, and that God responds with forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.
Wangari Maathai Started with One Tree at a Time
Wangari Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940 and became the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate. In 1976, while serving with the National Council of Women of Kenya, she introduced a simple idea: plant trees with ordinary people.
Washington Hands Back the Power
When the Revolutionary War was over, George Washington could have held on to command of the army, and plenty of people expected him to. Instead, on December 23, 1783, he stood before Congress in Annapolis and resigned his commission.
Water at the Well-House
Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing as a small child, and for years she lived in what she later called a still, dark world. In March 1887 a teacher named Anne Sullivan came to Alabama.
Wesley’s Heart Was Strangely Warmed
John Wesley was an ordained minister who had even sailed to America as a missionary. Yet he struggled.
Where the Scriptures Speak
In 1809 in western Pennsylvania, Thomas Campbell was trying to explain to friends how Christians could stop dividing. He offered a simple rule: "Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
Wilma Rudolph: My Mother Told Me I Would
Wilma Rudolph was born premature, the 20th of 22 children, and as a little girl she battled pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio, which left her with a weak leg and a brace.
Wisdom Is Still Laying Eggs
In 1956, biologists put a band on a Laysan albatross at Midway Atoll. She was already about five years old.
With Malice Toward None
On March 4, 1865, with the Civil War nearly over, Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address. Instead of gloating, he spoke of both sides humbly.
Yellowstone Welcomed the Wolves Back
Early managers at Yellowstone National Park saw wolves as nothing but destructive predators. Between 1914 and 1926, at least 136 wolves were killed in the park, and by the 1940s wolf packs were nearly gone.