Psalm on Graduation | The Pastor's Workshop

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God of the common and of the uncommon.

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Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:17, Matthew 5:16, Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 43:18-19, James 5:14-15

God of the common and of the uncommon. You meet us in the ordinary routines of life–when we play and when we rest, while we work and while we worship. And You reveal yourself in the extraordinary, too...

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Author

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:18-19, Genesis 50:19-20, Job 42:10-12, Psalm 116:15, John 12:24

This is the end - for me the beginning of life.

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jobs concluding, stages finishing

Author

Ted Loder

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:18–19, Lamentations 3:22–23, John 12:24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 4:4–5, Psalm 40:1–3

jobs concluding, stages finishing, grieving over, grudges over, blaming over, excuses over. O God, grant me your sense of timing. In this season of ...

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Author

Brittany Burgunder

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Scripture

Philippians 1:6, Psalm 147:3, Hebrews 12:11, 1 Peter 5:10, Isaiah 43:2, Romans 8:28, James 1:2-4

Sometimes the process of growth looks a lot like destruction and pain. But you’ll realize with time that you’re not breaking; you’re healing.

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How to Sing “Happy Birthday”

Author

Mia Levetan

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:1–12 , Isaiah 43:1–2, 1 Samuel 16:6–13, Luke 15:11–32, John 10:14–16 , Psalm 139:1–6

John Berkley told a story about how he loves live professional choir concerts. At one concert, the conductor asked if anyone in the audience was there celebrating their birthday. Now, it was actually ...

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Out of the depths of darkness and

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 130:null, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Acts 3:19, 1 John 2:12, Hebrews 10:17-18, Isaiah 43:25, Colossians 1:13-14

Out of the depths of darkness and despair we have cried out for your mercy, O God. Instead of marking our iniquities with the just weight of our condemnation, you have forgiven us, breathed new life i...

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Author

Rainer Maria Rilke

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Scripture

Psalm 23:4, Philippians 3:13-14, Lamentations 3:22-23, Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, Psalm 30:5, Romans 5:3-5

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.

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Confessing Sins, Seeking God's Grace

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

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Scripture

1 John 1:8-9, Isaiah 43:1-7, Micah 6:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Psalm 133:1-3

Pastor: As Christ’s Church here on earth, we are invited to be a part of a bigger story, welcomed as members of a larger community, and called to a greater mission. In humble repentance we must ack...

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The Messy Middle

Author

William Bridges

Keywords

Crises

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Hebrews 10:23, Romans 12:2, Psalm 37:23-24, Philippians 1:6, Isaiah 43:19, Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Messy Middle In his classic work Transitions, author and professor William Bridges shares an excellent anecdote about life in crisis: it can happen at any time and in a myriad of ways. It also de...

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Author

Erich Fromm

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 14:28-29, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 33:3-6 , Genesis 12:1-4, Exodus 31:1-5 , Isaiah 43:19

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

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Gracious God, we ask for Your

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 43:18-19, Hebrews 10:22, Colossians 3:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:5, Psalm 51:10

Gracious God, we ask for Your forgiveness and receive it with joyful hearts. Renew our minds so that we may discern what is good. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we may be Your witnesses in the world...

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Embracing Failure

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 43:18-19, John 21:17, Luke 22:61-62, Romans 5:3-5, Micah 7:8, Psalm 73:26, Proverbs 24:16

A common trait of human beings is a fear of failure. Most of us find ways of coping with it, but whenever failure rears its ugly head, it’s difficult not to experience the sting of feeling like we are...

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Thus says your Lord, the Lord, your God

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 51:22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 8:36, Isaiah 43:25, Psalm 103:12, Colossians 1:13-14, Ephesians 1:7

Thus says your Lord, the Lord, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more. Live in the freedo...

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Author

Catherine Booth

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Scripture

Psalm 18:16-19, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Isaiah 43:2

The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over.

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Plus Ultra: There is more Beyond

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:9, John 10:10, Hebrews 11:8-10, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 3:20-21, Isaiah 43:18-19, Psalm 16:11, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Before Columbus crossed the Atlantic, many believed the world ended somewhere beyond Gibraltar, reflected in Spain’s royal motto: “Ne Plus Ultra,” meaning, “there is no more beyond.” But when Columb...

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Grace is the Secret to Self-Forgiveness

Author

John R. Claypool

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 1:18, Hebrews 4:15-16, Psalm 130:3-4, 1 John 1:7, Isaiah 43:25

We all have shadows and skeletons in our backgrounds. But listen, there is something bigger in this world than we are, and that something bigger is full of grace and mercy, patience and ingenuity. The...

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Author

Donald S. Whitney

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26-27 , Isaiah 43:1, Psalm 73:25-26, Romans 8:15-16, Philippians 3:20-21

Thus when someone is born again, the Holy Spirit gives that person new Fatherward desires, a new heavenward orientation whereby we cry, “Abba, Father!”

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What Would You Erase?

Author

Kyle Idleman

Keywords

Scripture

John 16:33, Genesis 50:20, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Psalm 119:71, Isaiah 43:2

Recently I read about an experiment done by psychologist Jonathan Haidt. He came up with a fascinating hypothetical exercise, which went something like this: Participants were handed a summary of a p...

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Opening Prayer – You Cannot Love Me More

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 4:, Hebrews 13:5, Isaiah 43:1, John 15:9, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 136:26, Ephesians 3:17-19

You cannot love me more You will not love me less You love me fully Now and always Help me accept the gift of your love Help me trust it Help me accept it fully There’s no need to earn your love...

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The voice of the Lord is over the waters

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 29:3, 9, Mark 1:11, Isaiah 43:1, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:15, Isaiah 42:1, Psalm 29:9

The voice of the Lord is over the waters and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son Fear not,...

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Two Golden Days

Author

Bob Burdette

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 43:18-19, Exodus 16:4-5, 19-21, Lamentations 3:22-23, Matthew 6:34, Philippians 3:13-14, Psalm 118:24

There are two golden days in the week, upon which, and about which, I never worry—two carefree days, kept sacredly free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is Yesterday; Yesterday, with its ...

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Almighty God have mercy

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Scripture

1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7, Psalm 103:12, Isaiah 43:25, Romans 5:8, Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. In churche...

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Holding on to Everything

Author

W. Tamra Chandler

Keywords

Baggage

Scripture

Psalm 55:22, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 43:18-19, Ephesians 4:31-32, 1 Peter 5:7

Poet Donald Hall told the story of a hermit in New Hampshire, a man who passed away leaving behind sheds full of hoarded stuff. In one of the sheds was a box labeled, “string too short to be saved.” ...

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Almighty God, you have surprised us

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 55:8-9, Matthew 13:44, Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 139:7-10, 1 John 1:9, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Luke 2:1-20, John 4:7-26, John 21:1-14, Luke 24:13-35, Matthew 17:1-8, Luke 2:25-38, Luke 1:35-38, Hebrews 13:2, Isaiah 43:19

Almighty God, you have surprised us with your presence in unexpected ways. In the expectations of our routine, we have missed the treasure that you place before us. We come to worship you in community...

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How we Deal with the Desert

Author

Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hosea 2:14, Isaiah 43:19, Psalm 63:1, Matthew 4:1, Deuteronomy 8:2

We all go through desert seasons and have the opportunity to determine how we will respond. The cyclical frustrations I faced in regard to my desire for control, fear, and the longing to feel chosen w...

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God of mercy, we come before you with open hearts

Author

Keith D. Schroeder

Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 4:1, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 80:3, Matthew 16:18, Isaiah 43:19

Leader: God of mercy, we come before you with honest hearts. We bring not only our praise, but also our pain. We confess that at times we have lost heart. Hear now our lament, and kindle in us your ho...

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You Will Get Through This: Sermon Illustration Tuesday

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Crises

Scripture

Exodus 14:22, Deuteronomy 29:5, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 77:19, Isaiah 43:2

You fear you won’t. We all do. We fear that the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave…We wonder: Will this gray sky ever brighten ? This load ever lighten...

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Author

Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 43:19, Song of Solomon 4:7, Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalm 147:3, Isaiah 61:3

If the too obvious, too straight branches of Truth and Good are crushed or amputated and cannot reach the light—yet perhaps the . . . unexpected branches of Beauty will make their way through and soar...

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The mercy of the Lord is from

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 103:17, Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 43:25, Romans 5:8

The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. May the God of mercy, who forgives us all our sins, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life...

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You’ll Get Through This

Author

Max Lucado

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 14:22, Deuteronomy 29:5, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 77:19, Isaiah 43:2, Daniel 6:22, Acts 12:7

You fear you won’t. We all do. We fear that the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave…We wonder: Will this gray sky ever brighten ? This load ever lighten...

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