The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.
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Prayer of the Day: Guide Through the Wilderness
12-11-2013
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever Christ may send you. May Christ guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May Christ bring you home rejoicing at the wodners he has shown you. Amen.
- Adapted from Common Prayer: A Liturgy of Ordinary Radicals
Verse of the Day: Isaiah 11:1-3
12-10-2013
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
- Isaiah 11:1-3
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Prayer of the Day: God of all time
12-10-2013
You keep us waiting. You, the God of all time, want us to wait for the right time in which to discover who we are, where we must go, who will be with us, and what we must do. So thank you … for the waiting time.
- From the Iona Community Worship Book
Voice of the Day: Bill McKibben
12-10-2013
“Advent: the time to listen for footsteps - you can't hear footsteps when you're running yourself.”
- Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben
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Voice of the Day: Marianne Williamson
12-09-2013
"Most of us don't lack compassion so much as we avoid it. We resist compassion in the United States with a peculiar hypocrisy, extolling the virtues of volunteerism, for instance, while making volunteerism more of a necessity by diminishing our budgetary commitments to the poor and powerless. ... Our primary response to human suffering appears to be making sure it occurs on the other side fo town or the other side of the world."
- Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson, in Everyday Grace
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Prayer of the Day: Into Darkness and Messiness
12-09-2013
All-powerful God, we acknowledge that your son was born into the darkness and messiness of this world. We offer the messiness and darkness in our own lives to you. We pray that we may reconcile with God, neighbor, and self as we prepare for the coming of our Lord.
Verse of the Day: Psalm 72:18-19
12-09-2013
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be [God's] glorious name for ever; may [God's] glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
- Psalm 72:18-19
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Prayer of the Day: Stir our Hearts
12-06-2013
Lord, when we strive after healing in the world and nourishment for those who hunger, we find you at our side. Whenever we long to see your face, help us not to avoid the corners of our communities where you most often dwell. Stir our hearts that we might seek and find you today in those places where you have promised to be. Amen.
- Adapted from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
Voice of the Day: Brother Roger of Taizé
12-06-2013
"If, in spite of our inner contradictions, we set out again every morning towards Christ, it is not with any kind of normality in mind. It is with the ultimate goal in view, the goal beyond our hopes, that of becoming conformed to the very likeness of Jesus himself."
- Brother Roger of Taizé
Brother Roger of Taizé
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Verse of the Day: Matthew 3:1-3
12-06-2013
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
- Matthew 3:1-3
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WATCH: How the Media Treated Women in 2013
12-06-2013
There was a lot to celebrate this year for women in the media. But some things aren't changing fast enough. Check out an overview of how the media treated women this year below courtesy of the folks over at Miss Representation.
'The Most Important Political Leader of the 20th Century': Jim Wallis on the Life of Nelson Mandela
12-05-2013
Nelson Mandela died on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. catwalker/Shutterstock
In response to the passing of Nelson Mandela, Jim Wallis, President of Sojourners, issued the following statement:
"Nelson Mandela was the most important political leader of the 20th century. While Roosevelt and Churchill helped protect the West and the world from Hitler’s Nazism, Mandela heroically exemplified the historic movement against colonialism and racism that oppressed the global south, depicted so dramatically in South Africa’s apartheid. And from a Christian point of view, Nelson Mandela combined justice and reconciliation like no other political leader of his time, shaped by the spiritual formation of 27 years in prison. Mandela’s life has blessed the world with courage and hope. For me, Nelson Mandela has been an ideal of what leaders can be. Being with him after his release from prison, and being present at his presidential inauguration, gave me a sense of a moral authority that I have never experienced with any other political leader."
Verse of the Day: Romans 15:12-13
12-05-2013
And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:12-13
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Voice of the Day: Monica Jeddah Otto
12-05-2013
"If our life's destiny is centered only on our five senses, then it is earthly, but if we can connect from within and find an internal spirit of Truth, it becomes heavenly. This is pure love that has no boundries. This is the love that Jesus talk about."
- Otto Monica
Monica Jeddah Otto
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Prayer of the Day: Act Faithfully Through the Spirit
12-05-2013
God of unending grace, our lives are rooted in your limitless and life-giving gift. Your son Jesus Christ invites us to respond to your foundation of grace by living our faith through acts of service, compassion, and justice. We pray for those around us whose families are torn apart by unjust laws. Empower us by your Spirit to act faithfully in the name of your son. Amen.
Voice of the Day: Katerina Katsarka Whitley
12-04-2013
"To wait. To hope. To dream. We share these human longings — we creatures of the Almighty."
- Katerina Katsarka Whitley
Katerina Katsarka Whitley, from Waiting for the Wonder
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Prayer of the Day: Your Reign Draws Near
12-04-2013
God of our salvation, all our longing is known to you, our sighing is not hidden from you. You comfort your people. We pray for ourselves and those dear to us. Your reign draws near. We pray for our community and for our neighbors. Your salvation reaches to the ends of the earth. We pray for the world, that your kingdom may come and your will may be done. Amen.
- Adapted from Take Our Moments and Our Days (Vol. 2): Advent through Pentecost
Verse of the Day: Isaiah 52:7-10
12-04-2013
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
- Isaiah 52:7-10
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Verse of the Day: Romans 13:11-12
12-03-2013
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- Romans 13:11-12
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Prayer of the Day: Free from Fear
12-03-2013
Lord, it was not enough for you to care for the poor. You chose to become one of them by descending as you did. Keep us free from fear and selfish preoccupations that we may walk as you walked among the poor, sick, and dying in body and spirit. Amen.
- From Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals