Illustrations

Illustrations

Seatbelts can be a hassle. Some people just don't want to be bothered even when the law requires them to buckle up. According to the Associated Press, a New Zealander named Ivan Segedin took it to an extreme. The police ticketed him 32 times over five years for failing to use his seat belt. Even though this was costing him big money, Segedin refused to buckle up. Finally, instead of obeying the law, the man decided to rely on deception. He made a fake seat belt that would hang over his shoulder and make it appear that he was wearing a seat belt when he was not.

His trick worked for a while. Then, he had a head-on collision. He was thrown forward onto the steering wheel and killed.

Discussing the accident, the coroner described the fake seat belt: "Though his car was fitted with seat belts, an extra belt with a long strap had been knotted above the seat belt on the driver's side, providing a belt to simply sit over the driver's shoulder."

When truly tested, what is fake will fail you.

References:  HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Isaiah 42:17" Isaiah 42:17 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Isaiah 42:17" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Isaiah 57:12-13" Isaiah 57:12-13 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Isaiah 57:12-13" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Jeremiah 10:1-16" Jeremiah 10:1-16 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Jeremiah 10:1-16" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Jeremiah 51:17-18" Jeremiah 51:17-18 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Jeremiah 51:17-18" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Matthew 7:24-27" Matthew 7:24-27 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Matthew 7:24-27" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=2 Corinthians 11:14" 2 Corinthians 11:14 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=2 Corinthians 11:14" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET

Tone:

Warn

References:

HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 6:16-19" Proverbs 6:16-19 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 6:16-19" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 12:17" Proverbs 12:17 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 12:17" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 14:5" Proverbs 14:5 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 14:5" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 15:4" Proverbs 15:4 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 15:4" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 17:20" Proverbs 17:20 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 17:20" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 19:5" Proverbs 19:5 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 19:5" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 19:9" Proverbs 19:9 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 19:9" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Proverbs 24:28" Proverbs 24:28 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Proverbs 24:28" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Romans 1:28-32" Romans 1:28-32 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Romans 1:28-32" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Ephesians 4:2-5" Ephesians 4:2-5 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Ephesians 4:2-5" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Colossians 3:9" Colossians 3:9 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Colossians 3:9" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=1 Peter 2:1" 1 Peter 2:1 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=1 Peter 2:1" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET

Tone:

Warn

In 2004 Bella DePaulo, a visiting professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who specializes in studying forms of human deception, asked college students and members of the community-at-large to keep a notebook to tally up the number of lies they told in one week. By the end of the experiment, DePaulo found that the students had lied at least once to 38 percent of the people they came into contact with, while the community-at-large had lied to 30 percent of those with whom they interacted.

Based on her research, DePaulo insists that we all fall into one of two categories of liars:

Some of us are "self-centered liars"—we lie in order to make ourselves look better to others.

The rest of us are "other-centered liars"—we lie in order to avoid hurting someone else's feelings.

The experiment also found that the proverbial "white lie" was more often told to strangers; deeper lies were reserved for those the liar loved most.

"In everyday life, people are often telling lies," says DePaulo. "[It's] not to get something concrete that they want, like more money, but for psychological reasons…

"Sometimes in our real lives, our valuing of honesty clashes with something else we also value, like wanting to be gracious or kind or compassionate."

Addiction to Television  HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/article_print.html?id=53422" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_printer.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET Printer view

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HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Children"" Children; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Culture"" Culture; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Distractions"" Distractions; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Entertainment"" Entertainment; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Family"" Family; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Focus"" Focus; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Influence"" Influence; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Mind"" Mind; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Priorities"" Priorities; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Spiritual formation"" Spiritual formation; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Teenagers"" Teenagers; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Television"" Television; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Thoughts"" Thoughts; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Time"" Time; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="World"" World; HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=keyword&query="Worldliness"" Worldliness

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References:

HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Matthew 6:22-23" Matthew 6:22-23 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Matthew 6:22-23" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Luke 11:34-36" Luke 11:34-36 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Luke 11:34-36" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Romans 12:2" Romans 12:2 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Romans 12:2" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Philippians 4:8" Philippians 4:8 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Philippians 4:8" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=1 John 2:15-17" 1 John 2:15-17 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=1 John 2:15-17" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET

Tone:

Warn

The average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television per day.

Eighty-two percent of American households have more than one television.

Thirty percent of children say they watch TV in their bedroom.

The average American household has a TV on for eight hours, 14 minutes (more than a third of a day).

America's 15.9 million children aged 2 to 5 watched an average of 3 hours and 40 minutes of television a day during the 2004-2005 TV season.

The typical American home received 104 television channels in 2006.

"Evan Almighty": A Lesson in Prayer?  HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/article_print.html?id=50951" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_printer.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET Printer view

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References:

HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Genesis 6:1-22" Genesis 6:1-22 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Genesis 6:1-22" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Ephesians 6:18" Ephesians 6:18 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Ephesians 6:18" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=Hebrews 11:6" Hebrews 11:6 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=Hebrews 11:6" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET , HYPERLINK "http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/search.html?type=scripture&query=James 5:16" James 5:16 HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=James 5:16" \t "_blank" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://preachingtoday.com/home/img/icon_bible.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET

Tone:

Neutral/Mixed

The movie Evan Almighty is about Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell), a congressman who is told by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.

One evening, as Evan and his wife, Joan (Lauren Graham), are getting ready to retire for the evening, Joan comments, "You know, those boys were having so much fun tonight, I thought I would never get them to bed, and then Ryan did the cutest thing—he asked if we could all pray together."

"Really!" Evan responds. "What…uh…what did you pray about?"

"He met a dog; what do you think he prayed about?"

"Oh, yuck," says Evan. "That's a walking Petri dish, that dog."

Joan continues, "And Jordan was very precise. He prayed for good visibility and good weather on the hiking trip tomorrow."

"The hiking trip?" Evan asks. "Oh, right, yeah, the hiking trip. Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Wanna know what I prayed for?" Joan asks.

"Yeah, what did you pray for?"

"I prayed we'd become closer as a family," Joan replies.

"Honey," says Evan, "you don't need to pray for that to happen. I will make that happen."

"What would you pray for?" Joan asks.

"Me?" Evan asks. "I don't know, praying just—"

"Honey," Joan interrupts, "you're the one who said you wanted to change the world. That's a pretty big job. If it were me, I would take all the help I could get."

As Joan goes to sleep, Evan watches the news and hears a commentator repeating Evan's campaign promise of "changing the world." The commentator remarks that, "Many have tried, and many have failed."

Evan then slips out of the bed and gets on his knees and begins to pray.

"Hello there, hi. This is Evan Baxter. Umm, just wanted to say 'thank you' for everything. Thank you for the new car and for the house. The house is great…umm…love it. I mean, I picked it out, but you created matter and everything, so…I just wanted to say that Joan makes a good point, and that I am now in a position of great power, and I know that with great power comes great responsibility. So, God, please help me change the world. Okay, that's it. I'm hanging up now. God bless—well…you."

Rated PG

Elapsed time: Chapter 2; scene begins at 05:43 and ends at 08:16