category
Search by topic, scripture, category etc..
25 Results in 98ms
Display
Sorted By
-
illustration
C. S. Lewis and Despairing in Sanctification
As we try to live a life in obedience to God, the stubbornness of our sins can discourage and frighten us. If we are supposed to have a new heart, why are we still so broken? C.S. Lewis struggled with... -
illustration
When your Good Christian World Falls Apart
In her memoir, Confessions of a Good Christian Girl, Tammy describes the internal turmoil she experienced trying to be a good, rule-following Christian who had unexpectedly built an entire life arou... -
illustration
Lacking a Clear Path to Faith
One common mistake is assuming that everyone else finds faith easy, while we alone struggle. Yet there is comfort in recognizing that we are not alone in our pursuit of Christ in the midst of a broken... -
liturgy
Gracious God, we are called to be a
Gracious God, we are called to be a joyful people, giving thanks for You and Your good gifts. There are times, however, when sin and sorrow grow, pushing joy to the side. We lose sight of Your grace, ... -
liturgy
Father: Thank You for always being
Father: Thank You for always being ready to welcome us and listen to us. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior: born like us, experiencing all that we experience yet sinless, who d... -
liturgy
Lord and God, sometimes we have
Lord and God, sometimes we have thought, even said, that you were nowhere to be found, when life’s insecurities, disappointments, and crushing defeat left us empty and full of despair. In our desolati... -
liturgy
Lord Jesus—the same yesterday, today
Lord Jesus—the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and the author of change, who’s constantly doing “a new thing,” which makes us sit up and take notice. We admit, we’d be more comfortable with a pred... -
liturgy
Adapted from Psalm 79:5-9
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very ... -
liturgy
Inspired by Psalm 130 (C)
Out of the depths, we cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear our voice. Let your ears be attentive to our cries for mercy. Living in frailty and weakness with adversity in our path, we too often buckle in despa... -
liturgy
Prayer of Adoration Gracious God – our
Prayer of Adoration Gracious God – our Father: Sufficient and sovereign, yet, compassionate and kind; You tell us the truth while the world lies to us; You give us light and hope, while all around u... -
liturgy
Precious Lord, take our hand, Lead us
Precious Lord, take our hand, Lead us on, help us stand; We’re tired, we’re weak, we’re worn; Thru the storm, thru the night, Lead us on to the light, Take our hand, precious Lord, Lead us home. The o... -
liturgy
Repent and Return, a prayer of confession
ONE VOICE: Joel 2:13 Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful ALL: We drift away from our true home We forget we are Your beloved We forget we are not God Rend our hearts, O Go... -
liturgy
Heavenly Father, forgive us for delving
Heavenly Father, forgive us for delving so much into our own lives that we forget the love and purpose with which you have created us. When we are faced with doubt and despair, help us to turn to you ... -
illustration
The Silent Daily Anxiety
In his devotional guide on preparing for the rite of confession in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard says that true repentance from the persp... -
Quote
Despair gives courage to a coward. -
Quote
To see sin without grace is despair. To see grace without sin is arrogance. To see them in tandem is conversion. -
illustration
God Forsaken by God
Psalm 22:1 was on our Savior’s lips on the cross, and it is in that context a mystery: God forsaken by God! Christians have been trying to unravel this mystery for centuries, without reaching consensu... -
illustration
Donne, Undone
While movies and novels often present stories of a budding love interest willing to give up everything for “true love” (Romeo and Juliet, for example), the renowned poet, and later clergyman, John Don... -
illustration
Hope in Auschwitz
Rabbi Hugo Gryn used to tell of his experiences in Auschwitz as a boy. Food supplies were meager, and the inmates took care to preserve every scrap that came their way. When the Festival of Hanukkah a... -
illustration
What Happens When we Lose Hope?
Major Harold Kushner was a prisoner of the Viet Cong for more than five years. Kushner describes one of his fellow American prisoners, a tough twenty-four-year-old Marine who had made a deal with thei... -
illustration
Losing Everything
A ship went down in a storm, and only one man survived. He was fortunate enough to land on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. With just a few items in his pocket, he was able to build a small... -
illustration
Sleepwalking in a Dark Wood
For many of us, life can easily become disorienting and discouraging. Existential questions often emerge that never have before. As stressful as modern life can be, it is somewhat comforting to know t... -
illustration
Dickens on Dark Thoughts
The mind in all its intricate beauty can be a place of great anguish. Thoughts can both grip us for the good and plague us for that which is not. In Dickens’ Christmas novella, The Chimes, he describe... -
Quote
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. -
Quote
It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. (Spoken by Galadriel)
Top_level_categories by Topic
A
B
C
- Called by God (1)
- Captives (1)
- Change (1)
- Change the World (1)
- Children (1)
- Christ's Death (1)
- Christ's Resurrection (2)
- Christmas (1)
- Church Leaders (1)
- Cleansing (1)
- Coldness of Heart (1)
- Comfort (3)
- Comfort Zone (1)
- Coming of the Kingdom (1)
- Community (1)
- Compassion (2)
- Confession of Sin (2)
- Confusion (1)
- Consequences (1)
- Controlling God (1)
- Controversy (1)
- Conversion (1)
- Courage (1)
- Cowardice (1)
- Creativity (1)
- Crying Out To God (3)
- The Christian Faith (1)
- The Christian Walk (1)
- The Cross (1)
D
F
G
H
P
R
- Racial Reconciliation (1)
- Reading the Bible (1)
- Reconciliation (2)
- Recovery (1)
- Redemption (1)
- Repentance (2)
- Reputation (1)
- Rescue (2)
- Resilience (1)
- Responsibility (1)
- Restoration (3)
- Resurrection of the Dead (1)
- Resurrection to New Life (2)
- Returning to God (1)
- Revival (1)
- Risks (1)
- Romantic Relationships (1)
- Routines (1)
S
- Sanctification (1)
- Sanctity (1)
- Savior (2)
- School (1)
- Scripture (1)
- Scripture Application (1)
- Search for Quotes, Stories, Illustrations by Author (1)
- Searching for the Truth (1)
- Second Chances (1)
- Self-Centeredness (2)
- Self-Examination (1)
- Self-Love (1)
- Selfishness (1)
- Sexual Immorality (1)
- Sexual License (1)
- Sexual Temptation (1)
- Shame (1)
- Sickness (1)
- Sin (1)
- Sins (1)
- Sorrow (1)
- Staying In Your Comfort-Zone (1)
- Storms (2)
- Struggles (2)
- Stuff (1)
- Surgery (2)
- Surrender (1)
Top_level_categories by Reference