Please feel free to use anything and everything on this web site that you can for God's honor and glory. Use it as though it were you own, it may well be. In other words, don't give me credit for it, I may have gotten the idea from you. Even though I have been told that I should, I have never copyrighted a sermon in my life, and I do not intend to start now.

There is Nothing on This Site, to my knowledge, that is Copyrighted unless the author has been given credit for it. If you should find anything that Is copyrighted, without the author having been given credit for it, let me know and I will remove it or seek permission from the author to use it.

One great preacher, years ago, said: "It Has Yet To Be Seen What God Can Do With One Preacher Who Is Not Concerned About Who Will Get The Credit."

One preacher wrote, "I would not preach another man's sermon." Then in the very next paragraph he stated, "From time to time I do, as an elder minister told me once," 'Clip a coupon once in a while and use it.' But I never make it a practice to use another's sermon as my sole source." So, now we get to the real truth which is, "I would never preach another man's sermon Word For Word." You never know what some preachers mean when they say, "I would never preach another man's sermon." I don't think I know of any preacher who has, or even could, preach another preacher's sermon word for word. If you don't use anyone's material other than your own, I would like to ask you where you got your own material? Surely no one would be so critical, arrogant, and elitist as to claim originality.

I do not claim "Originality" for anything on this Web Site. I have never prepared an "Original" message in my life. I have always had in my mind ideas, reflection, thoughts, statements, propositions, interpretations, explanations, etc. that I had learned from others. Even when I would try to get alone and prepare an "Original" message, I usually found that the Apostle Paul had preached it before me. I like what another preacher said when he stated, "I milk a lot of cows, but I make my own butter."

The only thing I do claim originality for are my mistakes. Those are truly mine. But, then again, I even got that nature from Adam. (Now, that's called passing the buck.)

I had a Professor in the Seminary that I attended who was always talking about "Plagiarism" as though it was The Most Horrible Sin That A Young Preacher Boy Could Ever Commit. I quoted him quite often in my sermons and went out of my way to be sure to always Give Him Credit for statements that I would use in my messages, which I had heard him make in class. I certainly did not want to be guilty of "Plagiarism". Later as I got older and began to build my own library, which now consist of several thousands of books, I learn that many of the "Great," "Wise," and "Powerful" statements which I had quoted as being from him (he, who was so opposed to Plagiarism) were actually taken from books by Allen Redpath, Vance Havner, and others.

Also, President John F. Kennedy is often quoted as saying, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." However, that statement was first made many years earlier by another famous man. When you quote Kennedy as making that statement, you are giving the wrong person the credit. He Plagiarized the statement himself.

I received an e-mail, that was sent to hundreds of preachers, announcing a new message being posted on a certain preacher's web site. Along with the announcement, it was stated that if we used the message we should be careful to give him credit for it. The big problem that I have is going back 40 years and finding everyone in my congregation the Sunday I preached the same message and telling them that he wants credit for it. I guess it was different though, he titled his message "Stop Lights on The Road To Hell" whereas, I had titled it "Blockades on The Road To Hell." No, it was not original with me. I got it from another student in the Seminary and I have no idea where he got it. I am not trying to be hard or rebuke anyone. I am only trying to point out that if we were as concerned about winning souls and bring honor and glory to God, as we are in trying to impugn the integrity of anyone who would dare not give us credit for something we may claim originality for, the kingdom of God would expand greatly.

Hundreds and hundreds of such examples could be given, but that is not the purpose of this short note. The point is, "If You Find Anything On This Web Site That You Are The Original Author of, I Will Be Glad To Give You Credit For It." However, don't do like one guy who published a sermon on the Web entitled, "Characteristics of The Devil That Christians Should Imitate" and then stated that anyone was free to use it as long as they gave him credit for it. The first time I preached that message was nearly 40 years ago and I don't remember who I got it from but it certainly did not originate with me and it certainly did not originate from a young preacher who probably is not even forty years old yet.

Would it be great if we all would Seek God's Honor & Glory Instead of Our Own?

By the way, nothing in this article should be misconstrued or interpreted as endorsing the practice of claiming credit for work that someone else did. That is dishonest. However, if there is anything on this Web Site that you can use for God's honor and glory, Please Feel Free To Use It. Just don't give me credit for it. I might have gotten the idea or some of the material from you. And, I might call your attention to the fact that there are no contradictions in this paragraph.

Acts 18:26, "And he (Apollos) began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him (shared with him) the way of God more perfectly."

We as Christian should be Anxious to Share Anything and Everything we have with Anyone that the Cause of Christ might be Exalted and Souls Saved. Don't worry whether you get Credit or not for any "Original" thought you think you might have had. Praise God that a Soul Got Saved and Give God The Glory. You will receive your reward in Heaven.(Or, you may be like the Pharisees and want yours now. If so, that is all you will ever receive.) Wouldn't It Be Great If We As Christians Had As Much Wisdom As The World. Read the following article by Bob Richards (the emphasis are mine).

There are many people who could be Olympic champions, All- Americans who have never tried. I’d estimate five million people could have beaten me in the pole vault the years I won it, at least five million. Men who were stronger, bigger and faster than I was, could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground to try to get over the bar.

Greatness is all around us. It’s easy to be great because Great People Will Help You. What is fantastic about all the conventions I go to is that The Greatest in the business will come and Share Their Ideas, their Methods and their Techniques with Everyone else. I have seen the Greatest salesmen open up and show young salesmen Exactly How They Did It. They Don’t Hold Back. I have also found it true in the world of sports.

I’ll never forget the time I was trying to break Dutch Warmer Dam’s record. I was about a foot below his record, so I called him on the phone. I said, “Dutch, Can You Help Me? I seem to have leveled off. I can’t get any higher.”

He said, “Sure, Bob, Come On up to visit me and I’ll Give You All I Got.” I spent three days with the master, the greatest pole vaulter in the world. For three days, Dutch Gave Me Everything that he’d seen. There were things that I was doing wrong and he corrected them. To make a long story short, I went up eight inches. That great guy Gave Me The Best That He Had. I’ve found that sports champions and heroes willingly do this just to Help You Become Great, Too.

John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach, has a philosophy that every day he is supposed to Help Someone Who Can Never Reciprocate. That’s his Obligation.

When in college working on his masters thesis on scouting and defensive football, George Allen wrote up a 30-page survey and sent it out to the great coaches in the country. Eighty-Five Percent Answered It Completely.

Great People Will Share, which is what made George Allen one of the greatest football coaches in the world. Great People Will Tell You Their Secrets. Look for them, call them on the phone or buy their books. Go where they are, get around them, talk to them. It is easy to be great when you get around great people

I (Travis) Believe That:
"Christian Preachers Should Be The Greatest And Most Liberal Givers In All The World, With No Thought of Receiving Anything In Return."

Travis Case
Tearing Down Walls & Building Bridges