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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Voice of the Day: Rachel Naomi Remen
“Wounding and healing are not opposites. They're part of the same thing. It is our wounds that enable us to be compassionate with the wounds of others. It is our limitations that make us kind to the limitations of other people. It is our loneliness that helps us to to find other people or to even know they're alone with an illness. I think I have served people perfectly with parts of myself I used to be ashamed of. ” - Rachel Naomi Remen
Prayer of the Day: Slow Down
God, help me to slow down, to move calmly, to look kindly, to find space, so that there is room for You and for others in my life. Amen. - adapted from "Slow Down " by Marcus Braybrooke
Verse of the Day: Pursue the Good
"And to the rest of you, brothers and sisters, never grow tired of doing good." - 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (The Voice)
New Report: Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Women Have Been Raped
Nearly one in five U.S. women has been raped at some time in her life, according to new federal data released Wednesday.
In addition, one in four women has been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, which was conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This landmark report paints a clear picture of the devastating impact that these violent acts have on the lives of millions of Americans,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement accompanying the release of the results.
Mitt Romney Uses KKK Catchphrase
Someone didn’t do his research.
On Tuesday, political commenters reported that GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney has been using a catchphrase in his stump speeches that the Ku Klux Klan favored in the 1920s.
When the white supremacist group used “Keep America American,” it was to rally people against blacks American, gay people, Catholics and Jews. When Romney’s used it, as he did in this Los Angeles Times piece, it was to promise that as president he would “keep America American with the principles that made us the greatest nation on Earth.”
Romney’s isn’t the first campaign mishap that came out of a borrowed slogan. While a candidate’s political slogan can be key to an effective campaign — as President Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogan was — many politicians have shown by example how precarious slogans can be if you don’t do your research.
Prayer of the Day: Unity of the Church
God, we pray today for unity of the church, that we may be of one mind. Help us to overcome our differences while celebrating the unique gifts and insights of each person, denomination, and community. Amen.
Voice of the Day: Scott Bader-Saye
“Following Jesus will mean surrendering the power that masquerades as security in order to love the neighbor and welcome the stranger. It will mean avoiding the safe path in order to pursue the good.” - Scott Bader-Saye
Verse of the Day: Love of the Anointed
"...with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings." - Ephesians 3:18-19 (The Voice)
Top 10 Religion Stories of the Year
Osama bin Laden in 1997. Image via Wiki Commons http://bit.ly/pJ0ufx
Each year, members of the Religion Newswriters Association, the world’s premier association dedicated to helping journalists write about religion, vote on what they believe are the top religion stories of the year.
This year, more than 300 religion journalists cast their ballots in an online survey conducted Dec. 10-13, choosing the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2 in a covert operation in Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALs and CIA operatives ordered by President Barack Obama as the top story of 2011.
See the complete list of RNA's top religion stories of the year inside.
Jim Wallis on Congo, Supply Chain and the Good Samaritan
Children in Congo. Image via Wylio http://bit.ly/s42oFx
Your neighbor is every man woman and child who touched the supply chain used to make your cell phone, used to make the clothes you wear, the computers you type on and the cars you drive.
Your neighbors are all of God’s children. The theological reality that people of faith try to live out is that our neighbor is not defined by geographical proximity. Our neighbor is the person in need.
Sometimes, caring for our neighbor means a change of plans. Sometimes, caring for our neighbor means we have to slow down a little bit. Sometimes, caring for our neighbor might even cost us money.
There are people who haven’t wanted to get involved in the mess by the side of the road. They walk by it and say that it’s somebody elses responsibility. My job, they say, is at the end of the road at Jericho. I’m just being faithful to my shareholders by maximizing profit. My job is just getting the products people want into the hands of those that want them. I can’t be worried about those who get left by the side of the road of my supply chain. If I stop to help clean up the mess along the way it might cost time and money.
Verse of the Day: Never Winded, Never Weary
"But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—never winded, never weary. They will walk—never tired, never faint." - Isaiah 40:31 (The Voice)
Prayer of the Day: Kolkata, India
God, we pray for all families and friends of the victims of the hospital fire last week in Kolkata. Comfort them as they mourn, and grant hope and healing to the survivors. Amen.
Voice of the Day: Amma Sarah
"If I pray to God that all people might be inspired because of me, I would find myself repentant at the door of every house. I would rather pray that my heart be pure toward them than that I changed something in theirs." - Amma Sarah
Verse of the Day: A Holy Way of Life
"Since you are all set apart by God, made holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a holy way of life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Put up with one another. Forgive. Pardon any offenses against one another, as the Lord has pardoned you, because you should act in kind." - Colossians 3:12-13 (The Voice)
Voice of the Day: Thomas Raymond Kelly
"In worship we have our neighbors to right and left, before and behind, yet the Eternal Presence is over all and beneath all. Worship does not consist in achieving a mental state of concentrated isolation from one’s fellows. But in depth of common worship it is as if we found our separate lives were all one life, within whom we live and move and have our being." - Thomas Raymond Kelly
Prayer of the Day: World Leaders
God, we pray for all world leaders, that they might turn away from violence and iniquity and instead embrace the way of righteousness and peace. Amen.
Voice of the Day: Henry Ward Beecher
"The habit of taking each other before God in prayer, familiarly and by name, is eminently beneficial. It will cleanse you. It will sweeten your disposition. It will take away from you every particle of the raven that loves to feed on carrion." - Henry Ward Beecher from Familiar Talks on Themes of General Christian Experience
Prayer of the Day: Advent Watch
Verse of the Day: A Borken Spirit, A Contrite Heart
"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." - Psalm 51:15-17
Jesus Gets the Last Word on Rick Perry's Ad
Jesus Christ. Savior.
FunnyOrDie.com for the win!
"Jesus Christ of Nazareth would like to take this opportunity to refute Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's most recent TV ad."
Watch what just might be the best parody of a political commercial of all time ... inside.