Life on Planet Earth on Overwhelmed

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Gracious God, thank you for the

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Gracious God, thank you for the responsibilities you have entrusted to us and for all you have given us to fulfill them. Sometimes, Lord, we can feel overwhelmed by the challenges. A part of us wants ...

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Adapted from Psalm 61:1-4

Author

Chip Hardwick

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Scripture

Psalm 61:1-4

Leader: O God, listen to our cry! Hear our prayers! People: From the ends of the earth, we cry to you for help when our hearts are overwhelmed. Leader: Lead us to the towering rock of safety, for yo...

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Author

Lysa TerKeurst

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I can face things that are out of my control and not act out of control.

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Author

Kevin DeYoung

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My temptation is to tackle everything at once, or nothing at all.

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Author

T. S. Eliot

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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?

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Blessed are we who come to you

Author

Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

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Blessed are we who come to you just as we are, asking to be gathered, hidden, and held, shielded for a time from things too hard for us, too heavy to hold for this long. God, give us...

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Dostoevysky and the Origins of Burnout

Author

Arthur C. Brooks

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In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov , Alyosha, the novel’s central protagonist, asks his father for permission to join a monastery, where he seeks to purify his soul and sanctify his wo...

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Author

George Herbert

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Scripture

Ecclesiastes 3:1, Romans 8:22, Job 14:1, James 1:2-4, Psalm 130:1-2

I cried when I was born and every day shows why.

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Adapted from 2 Chronicles 20

Author

Dustin Ray

Scripture

2 Chronicles 20:6

Pastor: O Lord, we are in over our heads. So many are the sins that we’ve committed this past week, and they condemn us in your presence. Only because you love us with a never-ending, unbreaking, alwa...

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Author

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Scripture

John 1:1-15, Isaiah 9:2, Luke 1:78-79, Philippians 2:6-7, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:23

Just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that all our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil an...

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The Monk and the Cup of Tea

Author

Ruth Haley Barton

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The story is told of a learned professor who went to visit an old monk who was famous for his wisdom. The monk graciously welcomed him into his temple and offered him a seat on a cushion. No sooner ha...

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Overwhelmed by Vision

Author

Annie Dillard

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On the effect of seeing for the first time after Cataract Surgery: The mental effort involved in these reasonings proves overwhelming for many patients. It oppresses them to realize, if they ever do ...

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Almighty God, we have failed to trust

Author

Laura B. Murray

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Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 41:10, Lamentations 3:22-23, Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 8:28

Almighty God, we have failed to trust you. Overwhelmed by the pains of life, we have taken charge and pushed you aside. O God, be gracious to us. Remind us of your daily mercies and redemptive power t...

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Holding on to the Extreme

Author

Linda Evans Shepherd

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Scripture

Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Luke 12:15, Matthew 16:26

Have you ever seen an episode of the A&E TV show Hoarders? It’s a show about perfectly normal-looking people who live in perfectly normal-looking houses who become overwhelmed by their possessions...

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Merciful God, we turn away from the

Author

Laura B. Murray

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Merciful God, we turn away from the pains and cries of our world. Overwhelmed by its brokenness, we ignore the call to engage and love those who are hurting. Father, forgive us, strengthen us, and hel...

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What We Ignore & What We Pay Attention To

Author

Tim Wu

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We ignore so much stuff for a simple reason: if we didn’t, we’d quickly be overwhelmed, our brains flooded until they seized up. Depending on the kind of information, it takes our brains some amount o...

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Author

Bruce Larson

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On days when life is difficult and I feel overwhelmed, as I do fairly often, it helps to remember in my prayers that all God requires of me is to trust Him and be His friend. I find I can do that.

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Losing Control In a Waffle House Hat

Author

Ryan P. Tinetti

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In his book Scream-Free Parenting , family therapist Hal Runkel recounts a visit to the Waffle House with his family that went horribly awry. It was a Saturday morning and the place was busy beyo...

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Hope Chicago Given a Big Boost of Its Namesake

Author

Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

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The celebrated CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes presented a segment on August 14, 2022, titled “Hope Chicago.” The segment tells a remarkable story about what happened to students at a high school on...

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Mammon: The Worst Species of Idol

Author

Andrew Carnegie

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Scripture

Matthew 6:24, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Colossians 3:5, Psalm 115:4-8, Matthew 13:22, Mark 8:36, Ecclesiastes 2:11

Andrew Carnegie rose to become among the world's richest individuals through his steel empire. In the midst of this acquisition of massive wealth at just thirty-three years old—Carnegie conducted ...

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Waiting: Leaning into the Pain

Author

Ashley Hales

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Scripture

Exodus 16:2–4, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:25–26, Matthew 4:2–4, Romans 8:24–25, Psalm 130:5–6

With the global coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020, life stopped. Overwhelmed by the threat of a disease we couldn’t stop and for which we didn’t have the hospital capacity, everyone moved work and s...

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Humbled and a Bit Awkward in Churchill’s Presence

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

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Scripture

Joshua 1:9, 1 Samuel 18:12-14, Colossians 2:2-3, Ephesians 3:17-19, Psalm 147:4-5

In the summer of 1941, Sergeant James Allen Ward was awarded the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary bravery. While flying at 13,000 feet above the Zuider Zee in his Wellington bomber, he climbed out...

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Prayer for Storm Survivors

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

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Scripture

Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25

Jesus, we see You calming storms Storm tossed seas and stormy lives Extend Your power and grace again, Upon us and our fear-filled world Speak peace and healing over bodies and spirits overwhelmed by...

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Father: Thank You for always being

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Psalm 34:14, Luke 15:20, Hebrews 4:14, Romans 6:4, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 25:4-5, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 41:10, John 14:13, James 1:5, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Habakkuk 3:2, Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:19-20

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...

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Our loving Father, You’ve loved us from

Author

Richard Herman

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Scripture

1 Peter 5:7, John 14:27, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 34:17-18, Matthew 11:28-30

Our loving Father, You’ve loved us from everlasting to everlasting. While looking into the future we see only mist and shadows—you see it all with clarity and precision. That which we can only guess a...

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Pastoral Prayer based on Jesus Calming the Storm

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

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Scripture

Mark 4:35-41, Matthew 8:23-27, Luke 8:22-25

When the waves rise high above our ability to see your face… Still my soul, Lord Jesus, Calm the storm in me When the howling wind and the pouring rain drown out the sound of your voice… Still my sou...

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God—We’d like to have had a Hallmark

God—We’d like to have had a Hallmark card kind of week: gentle, quiet and serene, but it’s been anything but that. People died this week—and families and friends grieve. A man got bad news about cance...

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Lord—we’re so anxious we can’t

Author

Richard Herman

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Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14, Romans 12:2, Matthew 1:23, John 11:25-26, Hebrews 13:3

Lord—we’re so anxious we can’t wait! Some of us can’t wait for Christmas to come, while (honestly) some others of us can’t wait for it to be over. We’re not proud of it—but that’s just the way it is ...

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The First Diciples: Real Heroes

Author

Philip J. Rhinelander

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Scripture

Mark 15:22-41, John 19:16-30, 1 Corinthians 1:18

If ever mortal men found a real hero on this earth, those men were the disciples. They, indeed, were hero-worshippers. Then think of the horrid shock and shame which overwhelmed them at the Cross. It ...

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The Miracle of Wine

Author

Augustine of Hippo

Keywords

The miracle indeed of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby He made the water into wine, is not marvellous to those who know that it was God's doing. For He who made wine on that day at the marriage feas...

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