Verse and Voice

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.

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.

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

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

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: 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.

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.

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

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

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: 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.

Voice of the Day: Brennan Manning

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Christianity doesn't deny the reality of suffering and evil... Our hope... is not based on the idea that we are going to be free of pain and suffering. Rather, it is based on the conviction that we will triumph over suffering." - Brennan Manning

Verse of the Day: Peace for the Nations

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"[God] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;" - Micah 4:3

Prayer of the Day: South Sudan

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of peace, we continue to pray for the country of South Sudan. Help their leaders to pursue holistic peace, and comfort those who have been victimized by recent violence. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Esther de Waal

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Anyone who loves words will tend to let themselves be satisfied by them, and as a result stop short of true satisfaction. For true satisfaction...comes when I am silent and listen.... When God’s voice is drowned out by incessant clamor, whether inner or outer, in whatever shape or form, then continuous dialogue with God becomes impossible." - Esther de Waal from A Life-Giving Way

Verse of the Day: New Commandment

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35

Prayer of the Day: Restoration for Those Rescued From Sex Trafficking

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God of healing, we pray for restoration of the girls, boys, men, and women, who have been rescued from the sex trafficking industry. Provide safe and secure shelters, with loving and compassionate caretakers, to aid in their healing process. Send your spirit to calm their minds, bodies, and souls. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Elizabeth Gilbert

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"To me, the ending felt so correct and so appropriate that it seemed to bend over backward to kiss the beginning." - Elizabeth Gilbert

Verse of the Day: 'Quiet Words of the Wise'

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good." - Ecclesiastes 9:17-18

Prayer of the Day: Joy

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Creator God, be our greatest desire. Let us be filled with the joy of knowing we are yours. Amen.

Prayer of the Day: Warmth

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, as the weeks grow colder, the winter harsher, we pray for the homeless and those without shelter or heat. Give them unexpected warmth, comfort, and community. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Stanley Hauerwas

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Saints cannot exist without a community, as they require, like all of us, nurturance by a people who, while often unfaithful, preserve the habits necessary to learn the story of God.” - Stanley Hauerwas from “The Gesture of a Truthful Story” in Critical Reflections on Stanley Hauerwas’ Theology of Disability

Verse of the Day: Content in All Circumstances

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:11-13

Voice of the Day: e.e. cummings

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Anyhow:from my standpoint the only thing--if you're some sort of artist--is to work a little harder than you can at being who you are:while if you're an unartist(i.e. aren't)nothing but big&quick recognition matters." (sic) - e.e. cummings September 7, 1959, from a letter to his daughter.

Verse of the Day: Justice For the Oppressed

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more." - Psalm 10:17-18

Prayer of the Day: For Those Who Search

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Almighty God, we pray for those in need of your love and mercy. May their hearts be filled with joy and comfort, knowing that you are always with them. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Rowan Williams

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

“Our present ecological crisis, the biggest single practical threat to our human existence in the middle to long term, has, religious people would say, a great deal to do with our failure to think of the world as existing in relation to the mystery of God, not just as a huge warehouse of stuff to be used for our convenience.” - Rowan Williams

Verse of the Day: Serve and Extend Love

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." - Romans 12:11-13

Prayer of the Day: Landslide in the Philippines

God's Politics Editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, we pray for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines who were affected by a landslide last week. Comfort all families, give strength to the rescue workers, and grant peace to the survivors. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Alice Walker

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Anybody can observe the Sabbath but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week." - Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens

Verse of the Day: Justice in the Land of the Lord

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off— those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate, and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right." - Isaiah 29:19-21

Prayer of the Day: Light of the World

God's Politics Editor — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, you are the light of the world, you have overcome all darkness. May we share your light with those who are searching -- with words and actions that are pleasing to you. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Kelly James Clark

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"My life is not simply a meaningless conglomeration of serendipitous events and unremarkable happenstance. Rather, it is a series of divine appointments with the goal of shaping my character." - Kelly James Clark

Verse of the Day: Bearing with One Another in Love

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:1-3

Prayer of the Day: John 3:16

God's Politics Editor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

God, thank you for sending your son into this world, to us a broken people, held captive by sin. Help us to trust in Jesus Christ alone as our savior, and help us to spread your love in our actions. Amen.

Verse of the Day: Wait for the Lord

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" - Psalm 27:13-14

Prayer of the Day: Hunger and Thirst for Justice

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Sustaining God, we pray for those who are hungry and thirsty. And for those of us who are not physically in need, teach us to thirst for justice. Amen.

Voice of the Day: Margaret Backhouse

God's Politics Editor — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Upon this basic truth all the principles and actions of the Society of Friends are founded. Each [person] is seen as having intrinsic value, and Christ is equally concerned for the other as for me. We all become part of the divine family, and as such we are all responsible for one another, carrying our share of the shame when wrong is done and of the burden of suffering." - Margaret Backhouse

Voice of the Day: John Howard Yoder

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"The work of God is the calling of a people, whether in the Old Covenant or the New… That men and women are called together to a new wholeness is itself the work of God, which gives meaning to history.” - John Howard Yoder

Verse of the Day: Endurance

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

"Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." - James 5:11

Prayer of the Day: Families of Immigrants

God's Politics Editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Loving God, we pray for the immigrant families, especially those who are separated from their loved ones because of walls and borders. Comfort them in their sorrow, but give them hope for the future: that one day lawmakers’ hearts will be changed and loved ones will be reunited. Amen.