“Nature is a holy text for me, an icon, a window to the Divine Presence at work in the world. Just as we spend time gazing upon an icon or our beloved, we can also allow our gaze to be drawn to this most holy and splendid of sights.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
What element of Divine Presence is revealed to you today through nature as icon?
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Home is the center of my being where I can hear the voice that says: “You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests” – the same voice that gave life to the first Adam and spoke to Jesus, the second Adam; that same voice that speaks to all the children of God and set them free to live in the midst of a dark world while remaining in the light. — The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming
Reflection Question: How will listening for God’s voice of love set you free today?
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. – Luke 15: 20
Verse of the day
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out; judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
– Proverbs 31:8-9
Voice of the day
‘Open your mouth for the one who is voiceless’ — for who in the church today still remembers that that is the least of the Bible’s demands in times such as these?
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Prayer of the day
God, give us the courage to speak for those whose voices are unheard and give us the wisdom to stand for what is right and just. Amen.
Verse of the day
Learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.
– Isaiah 1:17
Voice of the day
What unites us is some sense of conviction that as followers of Jesus it’s unacceptable to stand by while people suffer.
– Bob Massey
Prayer of the day
God, give us the courage to seek justice, stand with those who suffer, and turn our compassion into action. Amen.
Verse of the day
Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
– Jeremiah 22:3
Voice of the day
We cannot separate ourselves from the use of power — either as individuals or as a society or as a church. It is a fact of life.
– Helen Bruch Pearson
Prayer of the day
God, give us the courage to speak up for those who are vulnerable and the wisdom to use our power to pursue justice. Help us protect those who are too often overlooked and unheard. Amen.
Every time we see a major crisis in the history of the Church, such as the Great Schism of the eleventh century, the Reformation of the sixteenth century, or the immense secularization of the twentieth century, we always see that a major cause of rupture is the power exercised by those who claim to be followers of the poor and powerless Jesus. What makes the temptation to power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. — In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
Reflection Question: How might you imitate the poor and powerless Jesus today?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” – Matthew 4: 8-10
“Sacred time is time devoted to the heart, to things that matter, to wonder and beauty, to catching glimpses of eternity. Sacred time is not measured in minutes or hours, but offers us an inner sense of expansiveness.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life — A Self-Study Online Retreat
How do you practice and experience sacred time?
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Verse of the day
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
–Isaiah 40:31
Voice of the day
We are startlingly resilient—crafting faith from ashes and reclaiming holy texts that have been unjustly beaten into swords against us.
-Emmy Kegler
Prayer of the day
God, renew our strength when we are weary and give us courage to rise again. Turn what has wounded us into wisdom, resilience, and hope. Amen.
“The practice is to bring your attention back, again and again, to the breath, to the words, to the image of peace and love available to us and the world. We do this gently, knowing that distraction is also an integral part of being human. This is not a form of denial. It is a recognition.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred
What are ways you can cultivate recognizing distraction and gently bringing attention back?
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A wonderful reflection from my friend Steve Harper
David’s words in Psalm 37:25, “I once was young, but now I am old,” shine realistic light on aging: “Now I am old.” Full stop. No side-stepping the truth, no glossing over it. Here is the necessary realism if we are to age well. Older adulthood is the season of life when limitations and diminishments
A Graying Soul: A Necessary Realism #2
