| Verse of the day Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2she |
| Voice of the day True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. – Arthur Ashe |
| Prayer of the day O God, we pray that you would cultivate within us a soul that finds joy in our service to others. May we always have eyes that see the needs of our communities and the will to strive to meet them. |
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
God’s presence can be felt and heard in the call to stand up for justice and mercy among the marginalized in this and every society.
– J. Jioni Palmer, “Put Your Shoes On. We Are Marching”
Prayer of the day
May your spirit move through our society with every act of justice and mercy.
When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.
“Through nonviolence, courage displaces fear. Love transforms hate. Acceptance dissipates prejudice. Hope ends despair. Peace dominates war. Faith reconciles doubt. Mutual regard cancels enmity. Justice for all overthrows injustice. The redemptive community supersedes systems of gross social immorality.”—James Lawson
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
This has been a good day of ministry
It has also been a lovely evening with my sweetheart and our precious Stella
As I continue to find my “battle rhythm” in ministry
I am thankful for your guidance, Spirit
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Verse of the day
For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
– 1 Corinthians 3:9-10 (NIV)
Voice of the day
The United States is breaking, painfully, visibly but not irreparably. The cracks have always been there for us to study. Perhaps now we can create the place that holds us all.
– Ginna Green
Prayer of the day
May we repair the cracks in our communities. May we build a place that can hold us all.
Verse of the day
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
– Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
Voice of the day
My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.
– Desmond Tutu
Prayer of the day
May our expressions of love wrap around the whole earth.
As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts. Let no one be provoked to anger or scandal through you, but may everyone be drawn to peace, kindness, and harmony through your gentleness. For we have been called to this: to heal the wounded, bind up the broken, and recall the erring. — Saint Francis of Assisi (from Fr Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation — https://cac.org/daily-meditations/making-peace-in-a-time-of-war-2022-06-17/?utm_source=cm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dm&utm_content=summary
When we think about the people who have given us hope and have increased the strength of our soul, we might discover that they were not advice givers, warners, or moralists, but the few who were able to articulate in words and actions the human condition in which we participate and who encouraged us to face the realities of life. . . . Those who do not run away from our pains but touch them with compassion bring healing and new strength. The paradox indeed is that the beginning of healing is in the solidarity with the pain. In our solution-oriented society it is more important than ever to realize that wanting to alleviate pain without sharing it is like wanting to save a child from a burning house without the risk of being hurt. It is in solitude that this compassionate solidarity takes its shape.
Compassion lies at the heart of our prayer for our fellow human beings. When I pray for the world, I become the world; when I pray for the endless needs of the millions, my soul expands and wants to embrace them all and bring them into the presence of God. But in the midst of that experience I realize that compassion is not mine but God’s gift to me. I cannot embrace the world, but God can. I cannot pray, but God can pray in me. When God became as we are, that is, when God allowed all of us to enter into his intimate life, it became possible for us to share in his infinite compassion.
In praying for others, I lose myself and become the other, only to be found by the divine love that holds the whole of humanity in a compassionate embrace.
Verse of the day
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
– Philippians 4:8
Voice of the day
What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.
– Meister Eckhart, translated by Raymond B. Blakney
Prayer of the day
God of justice, transform our thoughts into action.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 