The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.
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Prayer of the Day: Bring Calmness
God, bring your peace and calmness to the ends of the earth: to Syria where war still rages, to the Philippines as flood waters wreak havoc, and to every space where we, sinners, desperately need your grace. Amen.
Verse of the Day: Savior From Violence
"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence." - 2 Samuel 22:2-3
Voice of the Day: G.K. Chesterton
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." - G.K. Chesterton
Narrative Theology: 'You Might As Well Love'
Pádraig Ó Tuama. Image via Twitter.
Last Sunday, the Catholic singer/songwriter/poet/theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama (who hails from County Cork, Ireland), took to Revolution NYC's "barstool pulpit," to share stories, poems, and wisdom from the spiritual journey — his, yours, ours.
Listen to Ó Tuama's talk inside the blog ...
Voice of the Day: Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Prayer of the Day: Pursuing Peace
Holy God, give us peace in our hearts so that we may further pursue peace in the world. Amen.
Verse of the Day: 'Where You Go, I Will Go'
"But Ruth said, 'Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!'" - Ruth 1:16-17
Sikh Leader Responds to Wisconsin Shootings
Ralph Singh, director of publications and public relations for Gobind Sadan — "God's House Without Walls," a spiritual community rooted in the Sikh tradition with locations in India and the United States — responds to the mass shooting at a Wisconsin Sikh gurudwara that has devastated the faith community.
Sikhism was founded more than 500 years ago in India. Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair, and male followers of the religion wear turbans, which they consider sacred.
"A Sikh, wherever they go in the world, is committed to building community a community of peace, an inclusive community to stand as an affirmation of what we now call pluralism," Singh says.
Listen to what Singh as to say on a video inside the blog ...
QUIRK: Male Gymnast Performs Woman's Routine in 1981
The uneven bars is an Olympic event that only women compete in. (Men compete in variations on the event, in the single horizontal bar and the parallel bars.) But back in 1981, U.S. gymnast Paul Hunt decided to surprise a crowd in Madison Square Garden by performing an uneven bar routine while donning a bright pink leotard and bow. Unfortunately the video doesn’t have the greatest audio quality, but one can imagine the burst of laughter as he bounces back and forth. [via Perez]
Joplin Mosque Destroyed in Blaze; Second Fire This Summer
A Joplin, Mo., mosque has again been the target of a "suspicious" fire, according to the Joplin Globe. The Islamic Society of Joplin reported on Monday the second fire 
this summer — this one engulfing the entire building.
The mosque's Imam said the blaze will not keep worshippers from their prayers. From the reports:
“This should not stop us from serving God,” said Imam Lahmuddin, the mosque’s religious leader. “We still have to fulfill our obligation. We will do our prayer in other places. If we don’t find a place, we will do our prayers in our home. We cannot miss any of the five prayers.”
Verse of the Day: Walk in the Light
"Jesus said to them, 'The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.'" - John 12:35-36
Prayer of the Day: Wisconsin Shooting
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Grant us peace. For the unbearable toil of our sinful world, we plead for remission. For the terror of absence from our beloved, we plead for your comfort. For the scandalous presence of death in your creation, we plead for resurrection. Come, Holy Spirit, and heal all that is broken in our lives, in our streets, and in our world. [In the name of God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer.] Amen.
The prayer for today is excerpted from "Prayers for Peace Offered to the Victims of Wisconsin Shooting" which is featured on the God's Politics blog.
Voice of the Day: Robin R. Meyers
“Indeed, a quick glance around this broken world makes it painfully obvious that we don't need more arguments on behalf of God; we need more people who live as if they are in covenant with Unconditional Love, which is our best definition of God.” - Robin R. Meyers, from Saving Jesus from the Church
Prayers for Peace Offered to Victims of Wisconsin Shooting
Since Sunday's terrible shooting at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Wis., faith communities have been extending their support, thoughts, and prayers to the faith community.
As Christians, we are called to be a voice for peace and nonviolence — to stand against a culture of violence that has allowed for two such hateful acts in three weeks. We at Sojourners extend our deepest sympathis, our prayers lifted high, for all of those affected by the senseless tragedy.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world.
Have mercy on us.
Grant us peace.
For the unbearable toil of our sinful world,
we plead for remission.
For the terror of absence from our beloved,
we plead for your comfort.
For the scandalous presence of death in your creation,
we plead for resurrection.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world.
Have mercy on us.
Grant us peace.
Come, Holy Spirit, and heal all that is broken in our lives, in our streets, and in our world. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
— from Common Prayer
Please comment here to add your thoughts and prayers.
QUIRK: The Time Conan O'Brien 'Pushed the Envelope on Late Night Television'
God bless our media!
Inside the blog, see how Team Coco managed to get dozens of broadcast news anchors to say the same thing ... over, and over, and over again.
"We've gotta get an envelope!" ~ Andy Richter
Verse of the Day: Vanity of Money
"The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity." - Ecclesiastes 5:10
Voice of the Day: The Olympic Creed
“The most important thing in the Olympics is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” - The Olympic Creed via On Being
Prayer of the Day: Water
God, thank you for water that gives life to all creation. May the water we use every day be a reminder to us of your covenant with us humans and all living things on earth. Help me to use your gift respectfully, to share it freely, and to protect the rights of the many who are without clean water. Amen.
Adapted from "Meditations and Devotions on the Millennium Development Goals"
Voice of the Day: Ann Druyan
“And what greater might do we possess as human beings than our capacity to question and to learn?” - Ann Druyan
Prayer of the Day: Sharing Gifts
Gracious God of mercy and justice, move those of us with more abilities to share their gifts with those that have less, so together we can overcome immediate difficulties and long-term structural injustices. Amen. Adapted from "Meditations and Devotions on the Millenium Development Goals"