Verse of the day
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
– 1 Corinthians 3:16
Voice of the day
O green vigour of the hand of God, in which God has planted a vineyard, it shines in the heights like a stately column, You are glorious in your preparation for God.
– St. Hildegard of Bingen
Prayer of the day
God who is the vine, remind us, your branches, that your Spirit resides in our bodies. Let us grow in how we can best reflect your love and mercy.
When we learn to live in forgiveness, we grow in our capacity to become men and women of peace. What is true of peace in a social context is also true in the areas of politics and the economy, since peace permeates every dimension of life in common. There can be no true peace unless we show ourselves capable of developing a more just economic system. — Against War: Building a Culture of Peace, p. 83
Jesus was a revolutionary, who did not become an extremist, since he did not offer an ideology, but Himself. He was also a mystic, who did not use his intimate relationship with God to avoid the social evils of his time, but shocked his milieu to the point of being executed as a rebel. In this sense, he also remains…. the way to liberation and freedom. — The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society
Verse of the day
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
– Matthew 5:6
Voice of the day
I am all for churches being a part of the nonviolent marches and protests that have happened in the wake of violent killings, but these protests happen only after a tragic event has taken place. I want the church to be what prevents these acts from ever happening. I want the church to be the community that is so dedicated to loving our neighbors, to caring for the poor and neglected, and to living out true reconciliation that these killings do not even take place.
– John M. Perkins
Prayer of the day
Redeemer and righteous one, set our hearts ablaze as we go out into the world to avert harm and care for each other.
“In a world which runs nonstop where we are always accessible, we have to make the choice to step out from under its tyranny of demands. Sabbath calls us to restore ourselves and remember that the world will go on without our labors. It is ultimately an act of humility which means to remember our earthiness.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Monk in the World: An Online, Self-Study Retreat
How do you practice Sabbath?
The call to compassionate ministry is a great call. But we must not be fearful. We must not say, “I can’t do that.” When we are aware that we are the beloved, and when we have friends around us with whom we live in community, we can do anything. We’re not afraid anymore. We’re not afraid to knock on the door while somebody is dying. We’re not afraid to open a discussion with a person who underneath all the glitter is much in need of ministry. We’re free.
I have experienced that constantly. When I was depressed or when I felt anxious, I knew my friends couldn’t solve it. Those who ministered to me were those who were not afraid to be with me. Precisely where I felt my poverty, I discovered God’s blessing. — A Spirituality of Living
Verse of the day
Seek good and not evil, that you may live, and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.
– Amos 5:14
Voice of the day
The hope is based in people and only in people. The hope is not in any particular system of government, any particular church style, any particular law. But it’s a hope in man—in the basic goodness of man—but without being blind to the evil that’s in us too.
– Elizabeth McAlister
Prayer of the day
God who we encounter through people, keep us aligned against evil and aspiring toward the good we are capable of.
“If we can make the time to hold our envy at a distance and examine it, we can look carefully enough at the focus of our envy to help us identify what we are actually passionate about. . . [W]e begin to know ourselves better and realign with our passions more accurately.”
—Lisa Colón DeLay, The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today our Lift Every Voice Book Club selection for May and June
What passions are at the root of your envy, and what invitation to realignment are you receiving?
View or listen to our conversation with the author here.
To wait with openness and trust is an enormously radical attitude toward life. It is choosing to hope that something is happening for us that is far beyond our own imaginings. It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life. It is living with the conviction that God molds us in love, holds us in tenderness, and moves us away from the sources of our fear. — Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit
“Wandering along the cobblestone paths, Sophia’s shoulders felt heavy and her back ached. Nevertheless, she stopped in various shops to say hello to friends and tell them where she was headed.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Journey to Joy: A Fairy Tale for Thresholds & Transitions
What is your current relationship to the concept of community? Do you experience it as a support system, a burden, something longed for, an ambiguous unknown?
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 