True, sourced stories for sermons and lessons. Search by keyword, theme, or Bible book.
33 illustrations found
Takacs Came to Learn
In 1938 Karoly Takacs was a sergeant in the Hungarian Army and a member of his country's world champion pistol team. During an army exercise a grenade exploded in his right hand, his shooting hand, and shattered it.
Thanking Everybody Behind One Cup of Coffee
Writer A.J. Jacobs decided to thank every person who had a hand in his morning cup of coffee. He started with the barista and kept going: the people who roasted it, the truckers who hauled it, the farmers who grew it, even the folks who made the cup and the lid.
The Janitor Who Left Millions
Ronald Read pumped gas and worked as a janitor in Brattleboro, Vermont. He wore old flannel shirts, drove a used car, and gathered fallen branches for his wood stove.
The Oldest Tree Ever Cut Down
In the summer of 1964, a geographer named Donald Currey was studying ancient bristlecone pines below Wheeler Peak. He found a tree local mountaineers called Prometheus.
The Runner Who Wouldn’t Take the Win
In December 2012, at a cross-country race in Burlada, Spain, Kenyan Olympic medalist Abel Mutai was way out front. Just short of the finish, he got confused and pulled up about ten meters early, thinking he had already crossed the line.
The Shortest Home Run Trot in Softball History
In April 2008, Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky hit the first home run of her life, but she missed first base, turned back, and tore up her knee.
Togo Ran the Longest Leg
In January 1925, diphtheria broke out in Nome, Alaska, and the town needed antitoxin fast. Planes could not fly in the winter conditions, so dog sled teams formed a relay to carry the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome.
Tu Youyou Looked in the Old Books
Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite spread by mosquitoes, and it has killed millions over the centuries. In the 1970s a Chinese scientist named Tu Youyou took an unusual approach.
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.
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.
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."
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.