“When I despair I always remember that all throughout history, the Way of Truth and Love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible. But, in the end, they always fall. Think of it. Always.”—Mohandas Gandhi
“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.'”—Toni Morrison
Verse of the day
Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness and before your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight; while you look for light, he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.
– Jeremiah 13:16
Voice of the day
The greatest spiritual insights seem to derive from the testimonies of those who stand teetering in the dark.
– Cormac McCarthy, “Stella Maris” (2022)
Prayer of the day
In times we find ourselves despondent, remind us that you are present in all circumstances, even as we are on the verge of becoming undone.
“Healing our democracy is part of healing on a collective scale. So participating in a vision for democracy is the ancient practice of world building. When we dream the world we want to inhabit, we can begin to intentionally make it so.”
—Rev. Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza, Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation our Lift Every Voice Book Club selection for October
What are ways you can allow yourself to dream and then intentionally build that vision as a way of bringing healing both to yourself and the collective?
View or listen to our conversation with the author here.
“Sometimes the grief we carry comes from generations before us, our ancestors who were wounded in their own ways through war and heartbreak. We can call upon these ancestors, this Communion of Saints, to support us in our dark journeys.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness
Whether known or unknown, how can you invite your ancestors, with their own experiences of grief, to walk alongside you and lend you support?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with additional resources and guidance, click here. Use code MIDWINTERGOD20 to take 20% off through October 31st.
Verse of the day
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
– Isaiah 58:6
Voice of the day
Learn from the Master of truth, who preached virtue only after he had practiced it.
– St. Catherine of Siena
Prayer of the day
God of truth, let our practice of faith be rooted not solely in rituals, but in a vigorous commitment to liberation.
“Curiosity is the birthplace of compassion, but the greater the psychological distance between us and the other, the less curious we are about one another.”—Rabbi Sharon Brous, The Amen Effect
“If you are not struggling to love people, if you are not trying to build understanding with those you disagree with, then you are not really doing the work of building Beloved Community. The work of building Beloved Community is understanding that we’re not trying to win over people, but to win people over. Historically, winning a war has meant defeating the opponent. There is a clear winner and a clear loser. . . . But in nonviolence, there is no real victory until everyone is on the same side.”—Kazu Haga, Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm
Verse of the day
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.
– 1 Corinthians 1:10
Voice of the day
In community practice, every move you make affects others. Just like a domino game. One shift can create a chain reaction.
– Rick Lowe
Prayer of the day
Loving God, allow us to remain mindful of the impact that our lives have on our neighbors, so we can continue to stand in solidarity with one another.
Verse of the day
Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
– Mark 10:27
Voice of the day
The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.
– Ursula K. Le Guin
Prayer of the day
God, in your image we were created. Light a spark within our hearts to imagine a better world and bring us into building one in return.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 