the Web Editors

The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.

Posts By This Author

Prayer of the Day: A Prayer for Others

by the Web Editors 05-10-2013

Dear God, help us to be tireless in testing the choices we make against their outcomes for people, especially the lowly and powerless. Thank you for sending Jesus to show us how to live a life in complete service of others. May we do likewise today. Amen.

Verse of the Day: 'I Will Wait'

by the Web Editors 05-10-2013

But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. - Micah 7:7 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Verse of the Day: The Golden Rule

by the Web Editors 05-09-2013

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. - Matthew 7:12 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Voice of the Day: Madame Guyon

by the Web Editors 05-09-2013

Praying scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead, in this new way of reading with prayer, you must become as the bee that penetrates into the depths of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar. - Madame Guyon + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Prayer of the Day: Thursday Prayer

by the Web Editors 05-09-2013

Good Shepherd, You have a wild and crazy sheep in love with thorns and brambles. But please don't get tired of looking for me! I know You won't. For You have found me. All I have to do is stay found. -A prayer by Thomas Merton from A Book of Hours

Voice of the Day: Dallas Willard

by the Web Editors 05-08-2013

The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples — students, apprentices, practitioners — of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence. Who passed today - Dallas Willard From The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus's Essential Teachings on Discipleship + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Prayer of the Day: Trafficking Victims

by the Web Editors 05-08-2013

God, we pray this weekend for the women, girls, and boys who are trafficked. Give special discernment to the police and law enforcement so that they can effectively expose the perpetrators of sex trafficking. And for those rescued, we pray especially for healing. Amen.

Verse of the Day: 'Give Justice to the Weak'

by the Web Editors 05-08-2013

Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. - Psalm 82:3 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Voice of the Day: Jacques Ellul

by the Web Editors 05-07-2013

One thing, however, is sure: unless Christians fulfill their prophetic role, unless they become the advocates and defenders of the truly poor, witness to their misery, then, infallibly, violence will suddenly break out. In one way or other 'their blood cries to heaven,' and violence will seem the only way out. It will be too late to try to calm them and create harmony. - Jacques Ellul + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Prayer of the Day: Unity of the Church

by the Web Editors 05-07-2013

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.

Verse of the Day: 'The Lord is in Your Midst'

by the Web Editors 05-07-2013

The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; [God] will rejoice over you with gladness, [God] will renew you in his love; [God] will exult over you with loud singing. - Zephaniah 3:17 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Verse of the Day: Pure Religion

by the Web Editors 05-06-2013

Voice of the Day: Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree

by the Web Editors 05-06-2013

Prayer of the Day: 'You Hear our Prayers'

by the Web Editors 05-06-2013

Voice of the Day: Richard Foster

by the Web Editors 05-03-2013

We have real difficulty here because everyone thinks of changing the world, but where, oh where, are those who think of changing themselves? People may genuinely want to be good, but seldom are they prepared to do what it takes to produce the inward life of goodness that can form the soul. Personal formation into the likeness of Christ is arduous and lifelong. - Richard Foster + Sign up to receive our quote of the day via e-mail

Prayer of the Day:

by the Web Editors 05-03-2013

Like a tree planted by living water is the person who commits to your ways, O Lord. Nourish us with your disciplining love; prune our branches for growth. Teach us also to recognize good fruit and to recoil from the bitterness of the bad. Amen. - Common Prayer

Verse of the Day: Love Your Enemies

by the Web Editors 05-03-2013

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:43-48 + Sign up to receive our social justice verse of the day via e-mail

Julian 'J-Kwest' DeShazier on Rhymes & Reasons: The Stories of Hip-Hop

by the Web Editors 05-03-2013

Julian 'J-Kwest' DeShazier

For nearly a decade, the ministry of Julian “J.Kwest” DeShazier has been an exploration in the relationship between music and faith. As artist, this Chicago native has used his unique rhythm to tell stories of deep meaning, inside and out of the church. A 2007 Holy Hip Hop Award winner, his song, “So Blessed,” was featured on the Grammy-nominated compilation Holy Hip Hop: Taking the Gospel to the Streets, and J has been celebrated as “Living Black History” by Urban Ministries International.

In 2012 he and his group, Verbal Kwest, were featured in the Sojourners, OXFAM, and Bread for the World-produced documentary The Line, providing a critical voice against poverty and violence in the U.S. A graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Chicago Divinity School, Julian currently serves as senior pastor of University Church in Chicago, and is a regular contributor to Sojourners, UrbanFaith and Kidult publications.

Editor's Note: There may be some objectional language in the beginning part of this about hour-long interview.

National Day of Prayer: Text of Presidential Proclamation

by the Web Editors 05-02-2013

Editor's Note: Below is the text of President Barack Obama's Proclamation for the National Day of Prayer.

Americans have long turned to prayer both in times of joy and times of sorrow. On their voyage to the New World, the earliest settlers prayed that they would "rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work." From that day forward, Americans have prayed as a means of uniting, guiding, and healing. In times of hardship and tragedy, and in periods of peace and prosperity, prayer has provided reassurance, sustenance, and affirmation of common purpose.

Prayer brings communities together and can be a wellspring of strength and support. In the aftermath of senseless acts of violence, the prayers of countless Americans signal to grieving families and a suffering community that they are not alone. Their pain is a shared pain, and their hope a shared hope. Regardless of religion or creed, Americans reflect on the sacredness of life and express their sympathy for the wounded, offering comfort and holding up a light in an hour of darkness.

Workers Die in Building Collapse

by the Web Editors 05-01-2013

Last Tuesday, a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh that housed five garment factories collapsed, resulting in more than 400 deaths and 2,500 injuries. Estimates are that possibly hundreds more are still missing. Cracks had appeared in the buildings walls the day before and polices ordered it evacuated. Factory managers, however, ordered workers to return. The factories primarily produced cheap clothing for western markets.

Protest rallies have been held this week in Bangladesh. Today, May Day, a procession demanded safe working conditions and the death penalty for the building’s owner, currently under arrest.

The Associated Press reported that Pope Francis commented on the tragedy in his Mass for the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker:

"At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was shocked by a headline about the building collapse that said some of the workers were living on 38 euros [$50] a month. "This was the payment of these people who have died ... and this is called `slave labor,'" he said. Vatican Radio said the pope made the remarks during a private Mass at the Vatican."

Read the Associated Press report.