Verse and Voice

Voice of the Day: Emily Vizzo

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Carefully I crafted a loop with the string and tossed it into the river. / I never caught a fish with buttercups or a knotted string. / But I saw them swimming by in fleets of flashing silver / And for me, that was enough." - Emily Vizzo

Verse of the Day: 'Blot Out All My Iniquities'

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities." - Psalm 51:6-9

Prayer of the Day: Ash Wednesday

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

O Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the Lenten journey, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen. adapted from International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)

Voice of the Day: Gayle Brandeis

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Come back to the heartbeat, the pulse, the rhythm we all walk to, regardless of nation or color. Come back to the breath – inhale, take the world deep into your lungs; exhale, give yourself back fully. This is what the body says: release the peace that lives within your skin." - Gayle Brandeis from, The Body Politic of Peace

Verse of the Day: Seeds of Purpose

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11

Prayer of the Day: Honduran Families

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray today for the families of those who died in the prison fire last week in Honduras. Comfort all in their time of mourning and distress. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Verse of the Day: 'Whatever is True...'

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Finally, beloved, 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. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:4-9

Prayer of the Day: Endangered Species

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of all creation, you created animals to roam the earth and fish to fill the seas. We pray for creatures on the verge of extinction, specifically that those responsible for poaching and polluting will be held responsible. Help us to live in a way that does not endanger life, but cherishes and nourishes the life in and around us. Amen.

Voice of the Day: John Muir

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"In God's wildness lies the hope of the world—the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware." - John Muir from Alaska Fragment, 1890

Voice of the Day: Martin Luther King Jr.

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Truth crushed to earth will rise again. How long? Not long! Because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long! Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future and behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch over [God’s] own. How long? Not long! Because the arc of the mortal universe is long but it bends toward justice." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Verse of the Day: Grow in Love

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into [God] who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love." - Ephesians 4:14-16

Prayer of the Day: Racism

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we confess that we still allow ourselves and our neighbors to be divided--by race and culture. We yearn for the day when the evils of racism will cease to exist, when your love will reign over all. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Saint Basil

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness toward all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ." - Saint Basil

Verse of the Day: 'Hold Fast to What is Good'

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21

Prayer of the Day: Peace in Greece

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we continue to pray for the people of Greece as they attempt to keep the peace amid riots and violence. Please heal the wounded, comfort those who mourn, and give discernment and wisdom to both leaders and rabble rousers. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Rachel Naomi Remen

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"In the silence of listening, you can know yourself in everyone, the unseen singing softly to itself and to you." - Rachel Naomi Remen

Verse of the Day: Saving Light Shall Break Forth

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly … Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and [God] will say, Here I am." - Isaiah 58:7-9

Prayer of the Day: Unshakable Curiosity

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Everlasting God, we pray today for those around us who do not know or understand your gift of grace. Give them an unshakable curiosity about you, that they would begin to seek you more and more each day. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Sadhu Sundar Singh

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Diamonds do not dazzle with beauty unless they are cut. Then cut, the rays of the sun fall on them and make them shine with wonderful colors. So when we are cut by the cross, we shall shine as jewels in the [reign of God].” - Sadhu Sundar Singh

Verse of the Day: Bread of Life

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whosoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" - John 6:35

Prayer of the Day: Love

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, thank you so much for your love. Help me to love you with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to love my neighbor as myself. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"At some thoughts one stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide ‘I will combat it by humble love.’ If you resolve on that once and for all, you can conquer the whole world. Loving humility is a terrible force: it is the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky from The Brothers Karamazov

Verse of the Day: You Were Once Aliens

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." - Exodus 22:21

Prayer of the Day: Be Still

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Awesome God, help me to rest and be still, for you said, Be still and know that I am God. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Leonard Cohen

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day." - Leonard Cohen

Verse of the Day: Your God Through Water and Fire

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." - Isaiah 43:2-3

Prayer of the Day: Blessing of Faith, Love, and Peace

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

May the faith that gives us hope, the love that shows the way, and the peace that cheers the heart be ours, this day and every day. Amen. From Prayers of Comfort and Hope

Voice of the Day: Mother Teresa

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“We are called to be contemplatives in the heart of the world -- by seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time…” - Mother Teresa

Verse of the Day: God is Among You

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the [reign of God] was coming, and he answered, 'The [reign of God] is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the [reign of God] is among you." - Luke 17:20-21

Prayer of the Day: Patience and trust

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of all creation, help me to be patient with myself, that I allow myself to be present in each moment. Teach me patience in such a way that all my worries and fears be not hindrances, but opportunities to trust you more. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Pat Conroy

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"'Tell me a story' still comprise four of the most powerful words in English, words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of language, the continuity of the species, the taproot of our humanity, our singularity, and art itself." - Pat Conroy

Verse of the Day: Land and Creatures

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great." - Psalm 104:24-25

Prayer of the Day: Heads of State

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray today for our heads of state. Give them wisdom and discernment as they move about their day, and grant them the courage to seek help in their own spiritual journey. Amen.

Voice of the Day: St. Marcella

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"By heaven's grace, captivity has found me a poor woman, not made me one. Now I shall go in want of daily bread, but I shall not feel hunger since I am full of Christ." - St. Marcella

Verse of the Day: Triumphal Procession

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing [Christ]." - 2 Corinthians 1:14

Prayer of the Day: Neighbors

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Almighty God, we pray for a day when we can see the people around us as your creation, infinitely loved by you. Mend our eyes to see our neighbors in this way, so that we may more fully live out your commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Emily Dickenson

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“How happy is the little stone / That rambles in the road alone, / And doesn't care about careers, / And exigencies never fears; / Whose coat of elemental brown / A passing universe put on; / And independent as the sun, / Associates or glows alone, / Fulfilling absolute decree / In casual simplicity." - Emily Dickenson

Verse of the Day: 'Progress in Joy and Faith'

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith." - Philippians 1:23-24

Prayer of the Day: Latin American Prayer

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

O God, to those who have hunger, give bread, and to us who have bread, give the hunger for justice. Amen. From Bread for the World's Quote of the Day.

Prayer of the Day: Beauty around us

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of all creation, awake us to the beauty around us, that we may see glimpses of you both in nature and in our neighbor. Amen

Voice of the Day: Wendell Berry

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Sabbath observance invites us to stop. It invites us to rest. It asks us to notice that while we rest, the world continues without our help. It invites us to delight in the world’s beauty and abundance.” - Wendell Berry + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Verse of the Day: Jesus Reads the Prophet

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because [God] has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. [God] has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." - Luke 4:18-19

Voice of the Day: Jonathan Safran Foer

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love.” - Jonathan Safran Foer from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Verse of the Day: Face of God

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?" - Psalm 42:1-2 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Prayer of the Day: Loving our enemies

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of grace and peace, help me to love my enemies and listen to those with whom I disagree. Amen

Voice of the Day: John Scotus Eriugena

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Christ wears ‘two shoes’ in the world: Scripture and nature. Both are necessary to understand the Lord, and at no stage can creation be seen as a separation of things from God.” - John Scotus Eriugena

Verse of the Day: Longing for Fulfilment

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." - Romans 8:19-21

Prayer of the Day: Violence in Senegal

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray today for the country of Senegal as it experiences violence around the elections. May peace and understanding prevail against violence and distrust. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Flannery O'Connor

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“When there is a tendency to compartmentalize the spiritual and make it resident in a certain type of life only, the spiritual is apt gradually to be lost.” - Flannery O'Connor, from Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose

Verse of the Day: Power in the Weak and Foolish

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Prayer of the Day: State Legislatures

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for each state's legislature, that they make just and humane choices to help underrepresented communities. We pray that their decisions be sincerely driven by the needs of those they serve, not by greed. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Ben Okri

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"It may be that what you could be haunts you. It is real. It is a weight you have to carry around. Each failure to become, to be, is a weight. Each state you could inhabit is a burden as heavy as any physical weight, but more so, because it weighs on your soul. It is the ghost of your possibilities hanging around your neck, an invisible albatross, potentials unknowingly murdered." - Ben Okri

Verse of the Day: Our Helper

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan." - Psalm 10:14

Prayer of the Day: Temptation

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Almighty God, help me to resist temptation this week. Help me to pinpoint divisive activities that get in the way of my walk with you. May my thoughts, words, and actions give glory to you. Amen.

Verse of the Day: Life and Blessings

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live." - Deuteronomy 30:19

Prayer of the Day: Holocaust Remembrance Day

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, today we lift up all people victimized by the Holocaust. We pray for continued healing of hearts and minds, and that we use this day to commit ourselves to pursuing peace in our community and justice in our society. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Teresa of Avila

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Beg our Lord to grant you perfect love for your neighbor… If someone else is well spoken of, be more pleased than if it were yourself; this is easy enough, for if you were really humble, it would vex you to be praised… Force your will, as far as possible, to comply in all things with others’ wishes although sometimes you may lose your own rights by doing so. Forget your self-interests for theirs, however much nature may rebel." - Teresa of Avila

Voice of the Day: Anne Lamott

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal but you have to care. You do not have to have a complicated moral philosophy. But a writer always tries, I think, to be a part of the solution, to understand a little about life and to pass this on." - Anne Lamott from, Bird by Bird

Verse of the Day: Speak Truth to One Another

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another." - Ephesians 4:25

Prayer of the Day: Strength for the Weary

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, bless those who are weary, that they might find strength in their weakness. Like you restore life to the earth in spring, fill our hearts with renewed hope. Amen.

Voice of the Day: J. R. R. Tolkien

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to." - Bilbo, from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

Verse of the Day: On Defiling What is Good

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with your feet?" - Ezekiel 34:18

Prayer of the Day: For Clean Water

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, you created the seas, the rivers, lakes, and oceans. It is from these waters that we have learned to find life and sustain our bodies. Teach us how to care for the water in our world, how to keep it clean for future generations and cleanse it for those who need it in the present. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Dom Helder Camara

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"To walk alone is possible, but the good walker knows that the trip is life and it requires companions." - Dom Helder Camara

Verse of the Day: Comfort of the Lord

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted [God's] people, and will have compassion on [God's] suffering ones." - Isaiah 49:13

Prayer of the Day:

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, help me to bear the fruit of kindness daily -- with both strangers and friends. Help me to live out your love, exemplified by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Clarence Jordan

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home to be with him, but that he has risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick prisoner [brothers and sisters] with him." - Clarence Jordan

Verse of the Day: Concerning Retaliation

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." - Matthew 5:38-42

Prayer of the Day: Adapted from the Blessed Marianne Cope

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Lord Jesus, you teach us to love God and neighbor, and identify yourself in a special way with the most needy people; hear our prayer. Grant us courage and wisdom so that the we may practice fraternal charity, according to your word and example. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Annie Dillard

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"If you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days." - Annie Dillard

Verse of the Day: Sharing a Common Purpose

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building." - 1 Corinthians 3:8-9

Prayer of the Day: Sabbath rest

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, prepare my heart and mind to rest this weekend. Help me to understand what it means to keep the Sabbath holy in my life. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Dalai Lama

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace." - Dalai Lama

Verse of the Day: One Commandment

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another." - Galatians 5:13-15

Prayer of the Day: Strength in Difficult Times

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Gracious God, we pray for those going through a difficult time. May we all remember the words in Proverbs 3, to trust in you with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, that in all our ways we may look to you to guide our path. Amen.