More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks

Wayne Rice is founder and director of Understanding Your Teenager (UYT), an organization serving parents of teens and pre-teens. He is adjunct professor of youth ministry at Bethel Theological Seminary (San Diego) and at North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls. He lives with his wife in Lakeside, CA.

Introduction 7
How to choose and use illustrations 9
A Candle in the Darkness 17
A Case of Mistaken Identity 19
A Diet for Losers 21
A Million Frogs 23
A Picture of God 24
A Stranger at the Door 25
A Vision of Jesus 27
A Visit from Space 28
All-Points Bulletin 30
Alligators in Your Pond 31
The Animal School 33
The Antique Vase 35
Are You God? 36
Bad Luck, Good Luck 38
The Balloon Man 39
The Beggar’s Rags 42
Blackout! 44
The Bridge Operator 46
The Burning Hut 47
But Is He Safe? 48
The Call of the Barnyard 49
Chippie’s Bad Day 51
The Dead Cat 52
Desert Pete 54
The Devil’s Triangle 56
The Emperor’s Seeds 58
The Empty Chair 61
The Evangelist and the Post Offi ce 63
“Excuse Me” or “Forgive Me”? 64
The Face on the Puzzle 66
Fake Christians 68
Fishing Eagles 69
G.I. Life Insurance 70
Get Off My Back 72
Good Grief! 73
Grab a What? 74
Grandma’s Gift 75
Great Answers but No Help 78
Great Babies 79
The Great Dane and the Alligator 80
Haven’t I Smelled You
Somewhere Before? 82
Help Is on the Way 84
The Horse Trader 86
How Embarrassing! 88
I Ain’t Lost 90
Inside the Fence 91
Jesus’ Family Tree 92
Jimmy and the Genie 95
Jump! 97
Just a Hyphen 98
The Keeper of the Spring 99
The King’s Driver 101
The Lantern 103
Life Inside the Womb 104
Armed for Salvation 106
The Logic Exam 107
Lost and Found 108
Love and the Cabbie 109
Make Me like Joe 112
Medical Terms You Need to Know 114
Melody in F 116
The Mice in the Piano 117
The Milkman’s Gift 118
The Mud Flats 119
The Native American and the Cricket 121
The Native American and
the Rattlesnake 123
The New Gorilla 125
Nobel’s Legacy 127
Not-So-Identical Twins 129
One More Year 131
The Orphan Girl 132
The Painting in the Warehouse 134
Palm Monday 136
TABLE OF CONTENTS
6
Phamous Phobias 137
The President and the Little Boy 138
The Puppy Nobody Wanted 140
The Quaker and the Atheist 142
Rats in the Tub 143
The Reasonable Hunter 144
The Roadkill Grill 145
The Roar of the Crowd 146
Sarge 147
Save the Starfi sh 149
The Seagull 151
Pinhole Glasses 153
Squirt Squirt 154
Smart Hopis 156
Stephen’s Egg 157
Tear it Down 158
Too Helpful 159
Too Much Prayer? 161
True or False? 162
Two Scoops of Anti-Freeze,
Lice-Killer with Chocolate Sauce! 164
Unbaptized Arms 166
What Will My Reward Be? 168
When Nothing Goes Right 170
Who, Me? 171
Wolves o’ Plenty 173
You Know the Psalm 174
The Zurka Bird 176
Index to topics 178
Index of contributors 184