60-Second Sermon
266 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAbraham Lincoln ... Mary Cassatt ... Bob Ross. What do these have to do with anything? And how does any of it relate to the Gospel message? Tune in to 60-Second Sermon and find out. Just one minute ... that's all it takes. You can make the time.
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Episodes
That's Not Pie in the Sky
June 24, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBJust as Memphis is known for its barbecue and Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks, the village of Denby Dale in Northern England is known for its meat pies. The pies are only cooked for special occasions, however, and only 10 pies have been made since 1887, with the last one being cooked in the year 2000. The scarcity of the pies isn’t the most unique thing about the culinary curiosity; that distinction would belong to the pie’s size. The most recent Denby Dale pie was 40 feet long,...
Fear of Ejection
June 17, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBWith friends like these, who needs enemies? Listen to what happens when fear turns into panic, and how it relates to Jesus's words in Matthew: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Support the Show.
Do the Right Thing
June 10, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBAs Christians, we should be the leading voices of unity and love in troubling times. Bible Reference: James 4:17 Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. Support the Show.
Crabs in a Bucket
June 03, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBAs Christians, we aren’t called to be buckets, but pipes … all in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God. Who will feel respect, encouragement, and love flowing through you this week? Support the Show.
The Superfan
May 27, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBNichelle Nichols was a ground-breaking actress on Star Trek, but after only a year on the show, she informed the creator that she was ready to move on to a Broadway career. The day after making her intentions known, she was approached by a Trekkie who called himself “her greatest fan,” and told her that she couldn’t leave the show. He reminded her that she was a vital role model for African-American children and young women across the country, and he informed her that her show was the only ...
Mail Time!
May 20, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBThe U.S. Postal Service began parcel post delivery on January 1, 1913, which allowed customers to send packages through the mail. Just a few weeks later, Jesse and Mathilda Beagle took advantage of the new service by sending a package to Jesse’s mother. The package was just shy of both the weight and size limits, and it made it to its destination a few miles away within the same day. The cost was 15 cents, and the package was insured for $50, although the goods inside were hard to put a pri...
Sinking Ships
May 13, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBWhat can we learn from the extreme decision of a Spanish commander during the 1500s, and how can that relate to how we live today? Today's Passage: Jeremiah 6:16 Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. Support the Show.
Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping ...
May 06, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBWhat would you do with $86,400? What if you received that in your bank account every morning? In a way, we all do. Listen to how this relates to Ecclesiastes 3:1: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Support the Show.
Deluxe Apartment in the Sky
April 29, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBGustave dreamed of building himself a cozy apartment with an adjacent laboratory where he and his scientist friends could perform experiments and share with each other the latest ideas and inventions. Shortly after its completion, the simple apartment became the envy of the elite throughout the world, not because of its amenities, but because of its location in the structure that named after Gustave, the Eiffel Tower. In 1 Corinthians (4:18), we are encouraged to not look “to the things t...
Great Mind
April 22, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBThe parents of the young German boy were concerned when he wasn’t speaking as soon as the other children his age. He eventually began talking, but most around him noted he was withdrawn from the world, even as a boy. During school, some of his teachers used the following words to describe him: mentally slow, unsociable, adrift forever in his foolish dreams. After failing the college entrance exam the first time he took it, it would have been easy for him to allow himself to be shaped by the...
Lightning Rod
April 15, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBRoy Sullivan was a U.S. park ranger at the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. In 1942, Sullivan was seeking shelter during a thunderstorm when a lightning bolt struck him, running down his leg and burning a hole in his shoe. Sullivan survived the ordeal and was driving down the road 27 years later when lightning bounced off a tree and shot through the open window of his truck, striking Sullivan and burning off his eyebrows and eyelashes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Sullivan was struck...
Not-So-Sticky Situation
April 08, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBIn 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, was trying to develop an ultra-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally ended up creating a weak, re-positionable adhesive, but he couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Five years later, a colleague asked to use the adhesive on the back of a bookmark for his hymnal. The idea took off, and a new product was created and rolled out to the public in 1979 ... the post-it note. Paul tells the Ephesians (5:15-17) – and us – to “look carefully t...
Red Scare
April 01, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBYou couldn’t turn on the television without hearing a news report about the health scare. The world was in an uproar, government officials were trying to figure out how best to handle it, and parents were taking special precautions with their children. Billion-dollar industries were brought to their knees and suffered its effect for years. What was this entity that plagued the world? Red M&Ms in the 1970s. In Matthew 5, Jesus says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sak...
Survivor
March 25, 2020 14:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBTsutomu Yamaguchi was a 29-year-old engineer in Japan. On August 6, 1945, he was preparing to head back home after a three-month business trip in Hiroshima. On the way to the station, however, he realized he forgot an item at his workplace and went back to retrieve it. Upon returning to the station, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb only 3 km away from Yamaguchi. He was left with burns, ruptured eardrums, and temporary blindness from the ordeal, but he survived and was abl...
House of Cards
March 18, 2020 15:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBBryan Berg is an architect known for creating record-setting structures that leave onlookers in awe. After graduating with degrees from Iowa State and Harvard, he began touring the world and designing his structures for corporations around the globe. Berg isn’t only known for building, however; he’s also known for his destruction. As soon as he completes his buildings, he immediately tears them down, which would be a very dangerous proposition except for the fact that all of his buildings a...
One Man's Dream
March 11, 2020 15:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBWalter dreamed of making it big, but it seemed like it wasn’t meant to be. On the heels of a failed business venture, he moved to Los Angeles in the hopes of becoming an actor. This attempt failed as well, and he was left with nothing but beans to eat as his debts escalated. Walter began to seek funding for his latest concept, but was rejected by over 300 financiers. He didn’t give up, though, and his idea grew from a figment of his imagination into a $50 billion a year corporation known as...
Cereal Killers
March 04, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBIn the 1800s, two brothers, John and Will, were carrying out research on nutrition and the impact certain foods can have on a body. While making dough, one of the brothers forgot about his batch when leaving it out to dry. Much later, when the brothers tried to roll out the forgotten dough, it splintered into dozens of individual pieces. Not ones to let anything go to waste, the brothers decided to go ahead and bake the pieces, and they accidentally discovered a new food called granose, whi...
Slinking Around
February 26, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBNaval engineer Richard James was stationed at a Pennsylvania shipyard in the 1940s and faced the same struggle as many other sea-faring officers … how to stabilize sensitive instruments aboard ships in rough seas. James developed springs that would hold the instruments in place, but discovered another use for them when he knocked one of the springs from the shelf and watched as it moved from the shelf to a stack of books, to a tabletop and then to the floor. After making some modifications...
Unexpected Gift
February 19, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBEdward St. John, the CEO of St. John Properties, challenged his employees to meet a portfolio goal over a 40-year period. The company was able to meet the goal this year, only 14 years after setting it, and St. John decided to thank his employees. At the company’s annual Christmas party, St. John decided to give his employees a special bonus … $10 million to divide among them. In Romans, we are encouraged to “never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord.” (12:11;...
Finding His Voice
February 12, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBWhen Jimmy was six years old, he experienced a traumatic move that caused him to stutter, which led to him becoming a selective mute. Over the next eight years, he would not speak to anyone outside his house … not clerks at stores, not teachers at school, not even students in class. That all changed one day when he was 14 and was challenged by a teacher with whom he had developed a close relationship to recite from memory in front of the class a poem he wrote. The teacher noticed the stutte...
Horse of a Different Color
February 05, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBOver 200 years ago, Mount Tambora, a volcano on an island in Indonesia, erupted and literally changed the world. The explosion was heard 1,600 miles away and the ash was so massive that it caused the temperature across the world to drop two degrees and lead to a year without summer. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but 1816 is the coldest year on record since the 1400s and the effects of the eruption caused rivers to freeze and crops, livestock, and people to die. The impact was so severe that...
Feeling Groove-y
January 29, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBMany songs are easily identified by their chorus or their intro, or the first few lines of lyrics. Games and apps have been built around the process of identifying music. Arthur Lintgen, a self-proclaimed music buff and audiophile, takes this concept to the next level. What makes Lintgen’s identification technique stand out is that he doesn’t have to listen to three or four notes before naming a song. In fact, he doesn’t have to listen to the song at all. Lintgen is able to name songs by h...
High A-spire-ations
January 22, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 861 KBIn the 1930s, William Van Alen began designing what he thought would be the tallest building in the world, measuring in at 925 feet tall. Around the same time, however, another architect began working on a building at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan that would stand at 927 feet, making it the tallest skyscraper. Van Alen publicly conceded defeat, and he and his employer went off to lick their wounds … at least that’s how it seemed. In Philippians 1, we are assured that “He who began a good wor...
Don't Be Silly!
January 15, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBIn 1972, an inventor and a scientist developed a concept they thought would revolutionize the healthcare industry. They created a substance to spray on a broken arm or leg that would create an instant cast, but they couldn’t find any takers. Instead of giving up, they decided to focus their attention on pushing their product toward another industry, where it became a huge success under its new name … Silly String. In 2 Corinthians, we are told that we “will be enriched in every way so that...
Uninhabitable
January 08, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBA beautiful island sits off the coast of Brazil, but the Brazilian government has ruled it off limits to visitors. Its residents, which number approximately one for every square meter of space on the island, would surely invite you to stop by if they could. Unfortunately for them, they don’t have that capability, so the 110-acre island remains uninhabited by humans, but is home to hundreds of thousands of snakes, giving the island its appropriate name … Snake Island. Matthew writes that “w...
Bring In The Trash
January 01, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBLike many countries, Sweden was looking for the best energy source to power their region. They settled on a process called “district heating,” a process that heats water running throughout pipes in buildings and homes, providing heat for its occupants. In order to generate the heat, they had to have resources to burn, so they began importing fuel from other countries. But what’s unusual is that the exporting countries began paying Sweden to pick up the fuel. Why? Because the fuel used by S...
Ode to Hope
December 25, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 853 KBThe young waitress and poet had dreams of becoming an actress, which wouldn’t have been a surprise to those who knew her, since everyone considered her to be exceptionally pretty. Somewhere along the way she became disenchanted, however, and her dreams of tinseltown faded away. One of her poems, entitled “The Street Girl,” was autobiographical in nature, and told of a girl who longed for the days when she could make the right choices, days that she was sure could never be reclaimed. In ...
Sentences of Love
December 18, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBBrandt encouraged Amber to give her life to Christ, telling her that he loved her and wanted her to turn to God for forgiveness and salvation. He approached Amber and gave her a long, emotional hug, during which they both shared in a private conversation known only to them and God. What makes Brandt’s words and example so remarkable – and why they have touched the heart of a nation – are that they weren’t done in a church or at an outreach event … Brandt expressed his feelings and showed t...
The Ready Replacement
December 11, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBIn 1915, Wally Pipp began playing baseball for the New York Yankees. He is considered one of the best power hitters of his era, and he led the American League in home runs in 1916 and 1917. Before a ballgame a few years later, he complained to his manager about having a headache and asked to be replaced at first base for the game. The manager obliged, replacing him with a young, unproven player who had only been in the league a little over a year. The new player took advantage of his oppor...
12 Seconds
December 04, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBWhat could you do in 12 seconds? Two brothers spent many years and almost all of their money, just for 12 seconds. In 1903, that’s all the time it took for the Wright brothers to revolutionize the transportation industry and do what no one thought was possible. In Ephesians, we are told to “be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the times are evil.” (5:15-16) 12 seconds … that’s how long the Wright brothers stayed in the air for the fir...
Heat Wave
November 27, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBThe cavity magnetron revolutionized World War II by producing electromagnetic waves of a short enough wavelength to be used at military radar installations. Like many wartime inventions, however, no one knew what to do with the device once peace was established. Percy Spencer, an American engineer, walked by a discarded radar set in 1945 and was shocked when he felt a chocolate bar in his pocket melt almost immediately. And like some of us, he also had an egg explode in his face after plac...
Off The Cuff
November 20, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBTRANSCRIPT: In the late 1800s, cloth was expensive, and a walk through a puddle often meant the ruination of a man’s pants. On the way to an English wedding after a rainstorm, one man decided to roll up the bottom of his pants to prevent the legs from getting wet and ruined. The American guests at the wedding saw the rolled-up bottoms of the pantlegs and assumed it was the latest English trend, leading them to wear their pants in the same fashion when they came home, and revolutionizing t...
The Peaceful Duel
November 13, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBJames Shields was the Illinois state auditor, and he was fed up with reading the satirical articles written at his expense by a representative in the Illinois state legislature. The author refused to retract his statements, and both men determined that the best course of action would be to fight in a duel. Just before they embarked in battle, the representative’s assistant convinced him to retract his articles, and the two would-be duelers stepped down in peace. Shields, the state auditor...
Camp Nothing
November 06, 2019 16:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBLast week, someone told me about their favorite state park, and what made it so special to them. In their opinion, it wasn’t just the 696 acres of the park that made it great. Nor was it watching the sunset over the 26-acre lake. It wasn’t the cozy and rustic cabins on the property, nor the roaring fires in the fireplaces. What made it so special in this person’s mind was the thing that connected all of the amenities at the park … nothing. Or more specifically, that you didn’t have to do a...
Different, But The Same
October 30, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBThe twin brothers were put up for adoption by their parents, and for 40 years, they grew up without knowing any details about each other. One day, James decided to find out all he could about the brother he never knew. After a lengthy search, James discovered some amazing details about his twin brother. Even though the adoptive families never met, James’ brother’s family had also named their son James. Both brothers entered into law enforcement, and both discovered they were talented in car...
Par For The Course
October 23, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBMajor James Nesmeth was an avid golfer, but he was also a POW during the Vietnam War. He didn’t let the confinements of his situation affect his hobby, however, as he would visualize himself playing 18 holes of golf each day, walking around his small cell, swinging an imaginary club, and watching a ball that only he could see soar into the distance. When he was rescued many years later, he once again took up the hobby he loved, this time playing actual rounds of golf instead of the imagina...
Big Elephant, Small Rope
October 16, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBAs Ranji walked through the Indian elephant camp, he was amazed at the size of the elephants and their tusks, but even more amazed that there were no cages or fences keeping them in place. Instead, each elephant had a tiny rope tied around its ankle and attached to a small stake in the ground. Astounded, he asked the elephant keeper why they didn’t simply walk away from the camp. The keeper informed him that a small rope was tied around the elephants’ leg when they were small, and as they g...
One Man's Junk
October 09, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBThe couple enjoyed going to yard sales together, and in the summer of 2007 they happened upon a small non-descript white bowl they both liked. It was only five inches in diameter, but they both agreed that the $3 price tag made it a worthwhile addition to their mantle. It wasn’t until six years later that they decided that maybe there was more to the bowl than they originally thought, so they decided to have it appraised. Needless to say, they were shocked to find out that the bowl was over...
The Benefactor
October 02, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBJames Macie was a 16th-century scientist educated in the finest English universities, but due to being born under questionable circumstances, he never felt a part of the English high society in which his family lived. This likely factored into how he handled the vast wealth he accrued during his lifetime, which was eventually passed on to a fledgling country instead of his homeland of England. Later in life, Macie ended up taking on the last name of his actual father instead of the placeho...
The Scholar
September 25, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBJohann Philippe Baratier was a German scholar. He published 11 works during the 18th century and authored many more unpublished manuscripts. He grew up with a highly structured educational framework, which led to his ability to speak fluent French, Latin and Dutch, in addition to his ability to read Greek fluently. Within three years of studying Hebrew, he was able to translate the Old Testament into both Latin and French. And while those feats are remarkable in and of themselves, there is...
A Daunting Task
September 18, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBIt was perhaps that most daunting speech of William Safire’s career. In the summer of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were preparing to walk on the moon .. and the entire world would be watching. Safire was the speechwriter for then-president Richard Nixon, and it was his job to write a speech that would capture the attention of the nation and ease the anxiety of the moment. However, the speech that Safire undoubtedly wrestled over wasn’t one that President Nixon delivered on national...
Christmas Colonel
September 11, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 858 KBDuring the Christmas season, citizens in Japan begin envisioning the image of a man with white hair and a beard, inevitably smiling a mischievous grin. He has a ruddy complexion and always seems to be wearing the same outfit. While Christmas in America is oftentimes accompanied by pictures of Santa Claus, the images in Japan are a little different. Instead of Santa Claus, Christmas to them is represented by Colonel Sanders … yes, that Colonel Sanders. In Ephesians, we are told that “God, ...
A Resting Place
September 04, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 599 KBJames Polk’s campaign platform was simple. He was young, and he would do everything he planned in one term and then step down. After he was elected as the 11th U.S. President, he followed through on his campaign promise. But what makes Polk’s story even more interesting is what has happened since his death. Due to family and legal entanglements, Polk’s body has been moved three times, with a fourth move lingering as a present-day possibility. In death, Polk could end up moving almost as ma...
Unending Trek
August 28, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 626 KBTwenty years ago, film financier Caroline Hamilton listened as a friend described his adventures as a polar explorer. She thought to herself, “If he can do it, so can I.” But she took it a step further and did something that had never been done. After putting an ad in a local English newspaper, she had a collection of 20 amateur adventurers, all women, some of whom had never hiked before. During the trek, some of the team nearly froze to death, but the group eventually completed the 416-mi...
Frozen Frogs
August 21, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 599 KBWood frogs are similar to every other animal in the world, with one big exception. Every year, they freeze to death, only to come back to life when Spring arrives. Each September, two-thirds of the water in their bodies turns to ice, their hearts stop beating, and their blood stops flowing. They are for all intents and purposes, dead. And then, as the months become warmer, they thaw out and hop away, as if nothing happened. In Romans, Paul tells us “If we have united with Him in a death li...
Secret City
August 14, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 599 KBFrom the outside, Oak Ridge, Tenn. seemed to be a town like any other. Neighborhoods consisted of single-family homes with white picket fences, parents doing yard work and mowing the grass while children played in the yard or rode their bikes. But the town of 75,000 held a darker secret. The writer of Proverbs tells us that “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (28:13) It wasn’t a coincidence that no one on the out...
A New Use
August 07, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 599 KBIn the early 1800s, a German doctor discovered a specific bacterium in food that was leading to many illnesses in the area. By the early 1900s, the discovery had turned into a public health hazard, and it was identified as one of the most dangerous contagions in the world. By the early 2000s, people were paying to have this toxin injected into their bodies. Proverbs rhetorically asks us, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without...
Rough Rider
July 31, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 599 KBThe colonel was leading a charge during the Spanish-American War, but the charge had stalled. His superiors ordered the troops to hold their position, but the colonel argued that they should be allowed to proceed. In Matthew (10:38-39), Jesus challenges us that “whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The colonel was willing to sacrifice his life in battle, and he led his t...
Be Switzerland
July 24, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 626 KBAs the child began his first day of school, he nervously turned to his mother and asked, “How do I make new friends?” His mother looked down at her son and offered him this advice: “Be Switzerland.” She went on to explain to her young son how Switzerland is a neutral country and encouraged her son to be friends with everyone and to treat all the other students equally. In James 2, we are reminded that “if you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ y...
Good Blood
July 17, 2019 15:00 - 1 minute - 626 KBAncient Greek and Roman philosophers developed a system of medicine known as Humorism to describe the inner workings and makeup of the human body. Hippocrates described a system consisting of four humors in the body, with each one determining the temperament of an individual. The more of one substance a person had, the more likely he/she was to have certain traits. In other words, a person’s faults, errors, and crimes were due to his/her bad blood. In Romans 5, Paul reminds us that “while...