Christian Living on Doubts

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Deuteronomy 6:4-9 , Job 19:25-27 , Isaiah 43:1-3, Matthew 16:13-18 , 2 Timothy 1:12-14 , Psalm 133:1

My faith life, like that of every one else, fluctuates. There are ups and downs and hot spots and cold spots and boredom and ennui and all the rest can be there. And so I’m not asked on a Sunday morni...

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Author

Abraham J. Heschel

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Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Job 23:10

Faith like Job’s cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken.

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Author

Catherine Booth

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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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Author

Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

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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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Author

Nancy Ortberg

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Faith

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Isaiah 43:2, Hebrews 12:11, Psalm 46:1, 2 Timothy 1:7-8, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 1:6-7

Someone once said that faith is not a personal possession until you have suffered. That person understood that the very nature of faith requires the grit and courage to be in the dark so you can event...

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Holding on to Everything

Author

W. Tamra Chandler

Keywords

Baggage

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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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You’ll Get Through This

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Max Lucado

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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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Almighty God, you have surprised us

Author

Scott B. Bullock

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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

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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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Inspired from Isaiah 43

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:null

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk th...

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The Mule in the Well

Author

Andy Cook

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Scripture

Psalm 40:1-3, Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28

A Louisiana farmer’s favorite mule fell into a well. After studying the situation, the farmer came to the conclusion that he couldn’t pull the mule out, so he might as well bury him. It would be the h...

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Out of the depths of darkness and

Author

Scott B. Bullock

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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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Plus Ultra: There is more Beyond

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The Pastor's Workshop

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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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God of the Impossible – Father, Son and

Author

Richard Herman

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Scripture

Jeremiah 32:17, Luke 1:37, Isaiah 43:25, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 139:7-10

God of the Impossible – Father, Son and Holy Spirit: There’s nothing too hard for you to do, Nothing too complex for You to understand, No place we go that You’re not there, No sin too heinous tha...

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Author

Catherine the Great

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Scripture

Romans 8:1, Isaiah 43:25, Colossians 1:13-14, Ephesians 1:7, Micah 7:18-19, 1 John 1:9

Dieu pardonerra; c’est son métier; God forgives you — it’s his thing. *for contrast

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Farewell to the Known and Dear

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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Scripture

Romans 10:14-15, 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 43:2, Joshua 1:9, Acts 13:2-3

St. Columba was an Irish monk and abbot, who is largely responsible for the evangelization of Scotland. He founded the monastery at Iona, which became a training ground and launching point for further...

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The Love of God Wrapped About Him

Author

Thomas Kelly

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Scripture

Psalm 4:1-3, Psalm 30:5, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 43:2, Psalm 23:4, Job 1:, Job 2:, Job 42:, 2 Samuel 11:, 2 Samuel 12:, Genesis 37:12-36, 1 Kings 17:8-24, Daniel 6:, Psalm 34:18

The sense of Presence! I have spoken of it as stealing on one unawares. It is recorded of John Wilhelm Rowntree that as he left a great physician’s office, where he had just been told that his advanci...

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What Would You Erase?

Author

Kyle Idleman

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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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Beloved: The Truth About Yourself

Author

Henri J. M. Nouwen

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Scripture

Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 139:13-14, Romans 8:38-39, Isaiah 43:1-2, Deuteronomy 31:8, 1 John 3:1, Zephaniah 3:17

Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: “These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot...

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Christ Walks My Path

Author

Columba of Iona

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Scripture

Matthew 28:20, Isaiah 30:21, John 14:27, Exodus 33:14, Isaiah 43:2

The path I walk, Christ walks it. May the land in which I am be without sorrow. May the Trinity protect me wherever I stay, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Bright angels walk with me-dear presence-in...

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Gracious God, we ask for Your

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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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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Inspired by Isaiah 43:1-7

Author

John Birch

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:1-7

The God who breathed this world alive And sustains it day by day, Whose hands flung stars into space And controls our destiny, Says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” The God who filled the ocean...

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Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Author

Max Lucado

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 37:23-24, Isaiah 43:2-3

Bill Irwin was not the first person ever to walk the Appalachian Trail. He was not the only individual to begin in Springer Mountain, Georgia, and conclude on Mount Katahdin, Maine. Other adventuresom...

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Leader: God "makes a way in the sea, a

Author

Chip Hardwick

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:16, Matthew 19:26

Leader: God "makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters." (Is 43:16, ESV) People: Jesus reminds us that "with God all things are possible." (Mt 19:26, ESV) Leader: By t...

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Heavenly Father, we confess that we too often

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Scripture

Isaiah 43:1, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 25:31-46, Isaiah 6:1-8

Heavenly Father, we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are Yours. At times, we live our lives as if there was no God and we fall short of being who You created us to be. We have lived fo...

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Prayer of Adoration Good and Gracious

Author

Richard Herman

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Scripture

Hebrews 4:16, 2 Samuel 12:1-14, Isaiah 43:25, 1 John 1:8-9, Romans 8:28, Psalm 139:1-4

Prayer of Adoration Good and Gracious Lord, You hold us in the palm of Your strong hand, working all things for our good and to Your glory. There is no place we can go that escapes your notice and i...

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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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Faithful Response to Healing

Author

Eunice McGarrahan

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Scripture

Mark 5:14-20, Philippians 3:13-14, Isaiah 43:18-19, Titus 3:5, John 3:3

In the story of Jesus and the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:14-20, Jesus gives new life to that man. When the townspeople saw the result of Jesus’ healing – an entirely new man, almost unrecognizable ...

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Author

Eugene Peterson

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Scripture

2 Samuel 11:12, Exodus 2:23-25, Jonah 1:4, Isaiah 43:25, Micah 7:18-19

When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn't go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us.

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Author

Scott Erickson

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Scripture

Genesis 37:23-28, Exodus 3:11-12 , Isaiah 43:1, John 1:42, Luke 8:26-39 , Psalm 139:13-16

Who we are is deeper than where we find ourselves in this moment. And Jesus illuminates that deeper identity.

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