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liturgy
Good and Gracious Lord, You hold us in
Good and Gracious Lord, You hold us in the palm of Your strong hand, working all things for our good and to Your glory. There’s no place we can go that escapes Your notice and is hidden from Your lovi... -
liturgy
All: Gracious God, we have become
All: Gracious God, we have become callous to those in need, holding back compassion yet unsparing with judgment. We defend our motivations, rather than using all you have given us to love and care for... -
illustration
Struggling with Charity
On the fifteenth of each month, Alicia has thirty dollars withdrawn from her checking account to sponsor Belyse, a beautiful, brown-eyed girl from Kenya, who then gets school and a hot meal each day. ... -
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Violence is Intentional
In his excellent book, Just Courage , founder and CEO of the International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen articulates some of the realities behind the systemic oppression of the poor around the world... -
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Not Heeding the Call
Just the other day, I was out on a bike ride for some exercise. Because I work for a high-end cycling company, I had the opportunity to test ride one the bikes we make – a bike that comes with a price... -
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The Dark Side of the Web
In October 2014 Wired magazine reported on the dirty work every social media company must somehow handle: moderating the deluge of exploitative, degrading content posted in unimaginable quantities aro... -
liturgy
Almighty God, too often we settle for
Almighty God, too often we settle for brokenness in our lives. Rather than offering forgiveness, we hold onto offense. Rather than pursuing justice, we turn away . Rather than offering mercy, we c... -
illustration
How We Get our Calling Wrong
First, we get our calling wrong when we imagine that God needs us, to be the hero of our own story, rather than Christ. Second, we routinely misdiagnose the problem of our world, underestimating estim... -
Quote
Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful. -
illustration
Confess Your Mixed Motives
In U2’s song “One,” Bono sings, “Have you come here to play Jesus / To the lepers in your head?”2 Yes, if you are involved in justice work, you probably have. So have I. This isn’t bad. Just honest. W... -
illustration
Atonement
When something has gone wrong, justice needs to be done and seen to be done. Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement examines exactly this same dynamic. The central character, Bryony Tallis, makes a grave mista... -
Quote
Never, never will we desist till we extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times will scarce believe that it has been s... -
Quote
There is something profoundly hypocritical about praising God for God’s mighty deeds of salvation and cooperating at the same time with the demons of destruction, whether by neglecting to do good or b... -
Quote
You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression ... If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Cons... -
liturgy
God of grace, love, and hope: Your
God of grace, love, and hope: Your grace comes when we least expect and don’t deserve it. Your love comes when we can’t comprehend why but we need it the most. Your hope comes at just the right time t... -
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The Cross and the Lynching Tree
In the wake of slavery and the Civil War, there was so much ugliness in black life that one would have had to be blind not to see it. And nothing, absolutely nothing, was uglier than lynching in all o... -
liturgy
As you go forth from this place, may
As you go forth from this place, may you have the courage to confront the dark places. May you trust in God’s goodness to lead you to the living water. May you act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly ... -
Quote
History is not the story of heroes entirely. It is often the story of cruelty and injustice and shortsightedness. There are monsters, there is evil, there is betrayal. That's why people should rea... -
illustration
Preventing Vengeance
I did some of my Clinical Pastoral Education Units in Gastonia. One of the units that I served was the Emergency Department. If there was an incident that was suspected to be gang related, they would ... -
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Justice is Personal
When did the topic of justice become important to you?” Gideon Strauss posed that question to two dozen people crammed into our living room one fall evening in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Some of us wer... -
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A Guard Against Paternalism
Practicing confession is one way to guard against paternalism in both extreme and more subtle ways. For example, we can tell stories of justice in a way that discounts other people’s agency—that is, t... -
liturgy
Gracious God, you tend to the earth as
Gracious God, you tend to the earth as your vineyard, longing for it to bring fruit. You want our society and our lives to look more and more like the Kingdom of Heaven. We work against your plans, so... -
illustration
Returning to a Better America
There are many people who will always want to return to the time when America was great. But was there ever a time when America was a wonderful place for everyone? As I saw on a Facebook meme recently... -
Quote
Tom Joad's farewell speech to his mother: “Then it don’ matter. Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be everywhere — wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll ... -
illustration
May This Body Nourish Us in Faithfulness
At a funeral Mass for a friend of Archbishop Romero who was murdered by the government because of her faith in Christ, Romero invited those present to follow this Lord who died, this God who sacrifice... -
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The White Man’s Burden
In the context of justice, I think what Christians need to confess about their pride isn’t so much about taking credit away from God but from the people we help. One version of this is sometimes refer... -
Quote
When we don’t meet Christ in Scripture and are not regularly being discipled by or discipling others, it is impossible to discern what being a Christian means or to cultivate a relationship with God. ... -
illustration
A Venomous Creature At Your Bosom
Frederick Douglass describes how the evils of slavery and racism acts as a sap on the integrity of both our country and our faith in a God where there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free: Fello... -
liturgy
Labor Day Prayer
O God, Father of us all, we praise you for so binding humanity together that we must each lean upon the strength and labor of others. We ask your blessing on all men and women who have worked to build... -
illustration
A Jubilee Church
From the outside Calvary Church in Holland, Michigan, looks like a typical large church that many Americans attend. The church developed the typical way: it started small and then began to grow. As th...
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A
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B
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C
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D
- Daily Life
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E
- Economics
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F
- Face of God
- Facing your Fears
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G
- Gardening
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- Global Church
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H
- Habits
- Half-Truths
- Hands
- Happiness
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- Hatred
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- Healing
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- Heart
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I
- Identity
- Idolatry
- Idols
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- Illness
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- Immigrants
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- Inaction
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J
K
L
- Labor Day
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- Loving Other Christians
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- The Lamb of God
- The Lord's Supper
M
- Magnificat
- Making a Difference
- Man of Sorrows
- Manipulation
- Manna
- Marginalized
- Marital Problems
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- Martyrdom
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- Masks
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- The Meaning of Life
- The Messiah
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N
O
P
- Pace
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- Pain and Joy
- Parenting
- Parents
- Partisanship
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- Pastors
- Paths
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- Purity
- Purity Of Heart
- Purpose
- The Passing of Time
- The People of God
- The Prince of Peace
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R
- Race
- Race and Reconciliation
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Raising Children
- Real Estate
- Reality
- Rebellion
- Receiving
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- Receiving Gifts
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- Religions
- Religious Conflict
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- Reminders
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- Repentance
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- Rest
- Restoration
- Restoring Sight
- Resurrection
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- Resurrection of the Dead
- Resurrection to New Life
- Revelation
- Revival
- Rewards
- Rich and Poor
- Riches
- Right Relationships
- Righteousness
- Risks
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- Rootedness
- Routines
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- Running to God
- The Rich
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- The Rock
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S
- Sabbath
- Sacrifice
- Sacrificial Giving
- Sacrificial Living
- Sacrificial Love
- Safety
- Salt and Light
- Salt of the Earth
- Salvation
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- Savior
- Scapegoats
- School
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- Science and Religion
- Screens
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- Seeds
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- Segregation
- Self-Achievement
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Centeredness
- Self-Control
- Self-Deception
- Self-Discipline
- Self-Image
- Self-Improvement
- Self-Interest
- Self-Love
- Self-Reliance
- Self-Renunciation
- Self-Righteousness
- Self-Sacrifice
- Selfishness
- Selflessness
- Servant Leadership
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- Service
- Settling
- Sexism
- Shalom
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- Sharing
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- Shepherd
- Shepherds
- Sickness
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- Silence
- Sin
- Sinfulness
- Singing
- Single Parents
- Sins of Omission
- Skepticism
- Slavery
- Smart Phones
- Social Justice
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- Soil
- Soldiers
- Solutions
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- Sorrow
- Speaking Out
- Speaking Truth to Power
- Speech
- Speed
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- Spiritual Disciplines
- Spiritual Hunger
- Spiritual Problems
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- Sports
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- Stranger
- Strength
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- Stress
- Struggles
- Submission
- Success
- Suffering
- Suicide
- Sun
- Superiority
- Surgery
- Surprise
- Surrender
- Sustainability
- Sustainer
- The Sacraments
- The Saints
- The Sick
- The Soul
T
- Taking Up the Cross
- Talking
- Teachers
- Team
- Teamwork
- Tears
- Technological Progress
- Technology
- Temptation
- Tension
- Terrorism
- Thankfulness
- Thanksgiving (General)
- Thanksgiving (Holiday)
- The Temple
- The Trinity
- The Twelve Disciples
- Therapy
- Third Third of Life
- Thirst
- Thoughts
- Time
- TIme Management
- Tired
- Tolerance
- Tongue
- Town
- Tragedy
- Transformation
- Transgressions
- Transitions
- Trauma
- Travel
- Trees
- Trouble
- True Self
- Trust
- Truth
- Turning a Blind Eye
U
W
Top_level_categories by Reference
Genesis
Exodus
Deuteronomy
Ruth
1 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Esther
Job
Psalm
- Ps 1 (11)
- Ps 2 (2)
- Ps 4 (2)
- Ps 6 (2)
- Ps 8 (7)
- Ps 9 (3)
- Ps 10 (3)
- Ps 11 (1)
- Ps 12 (2)
- Ps 14 (1)
- Ps 15 (3)
- Ps 16 (4)
- Ps 18 (1)
- Ps 19 (8)
- Ps 20 (2)
- Ps 22 (2)
- Ps 23 (16)
- Ps 24 (5)
- Ps 25 (3)
- Ps 27 (5)
- Ps 29 (2)
- Ps 30 (6)
- Ps 31 (1)
- Ps 32 (3)
- Ps 33 (7)
- Ps 34 (40)
- Ps 37 (9)
- Ps 39 (2)
- Ps 41 (1)
- Ps 42 (7)
- Ps 46 (26)
- Ps 49 (1)
- Ps 50 (2)
- Ps 51 (23)
- Ps 52 (2)
- Ps 55 (1)
- Ps 56 (1)
- Ps 62 (1)
- Ps 63 (3)
- Ps 66 (2)
- Ps 68 (1)
- Ps 71 (2)
- Ps 72 (6)
- Ps 73 (3)
- Ps 77 (2)
- Ps 78 (4)
- Ps 80 (1)
- Ps 82 (16)
- Ps 85 (4)
- Ps 86 (1)
- Ps 89 (3)
- Ps 90 (13)
- Ps 91 (2)
- Ps 92 (2)
- Ps 96 (4)
- Ps 98 (2)
- Ps 99 (1)
- Ps 100 (4)
- Ps 101 (1)
- Ps 103 (13)
- Ps 104 (3)
- Ps 106 (1)
- Ps 111 (1)
- Ps 112 (1)
- Ps 113 (2)
- Ps 115 (1)
- Ps 116 (2)
- Ps 117 (1)
- Ps 118 (4)
- Ps 119 (22)
- Ps 121 (3)
- Ps 122 (1)
- Ps 124 (1)
- Ps 127 (5)
- Ps 128 (2)
- Ps 130 (4)
- Ps 131 (2)
- Ps 133 (4)
- Ps 136 (2)
- Ps 139 (14)
- Ps 141 (3)
- Ps 143 (1)
- Ps 145 (4)
- Ps 146 (5)
- Ps 147 (5)
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
- Isa 1 (38)
- Isa 2 (3)
- Isa 5 (5)
- Isa 6 (15)
- Isa 7 (1)
- Isa 9 (10)
- Isa 11 (1)
- Isa 25 (2)
- Isa 26 (3)
- Isa 28 (4)
- Isa 30 (4)
- Isa 32 (2)
- Isa 33 (2)
- Isa 40 (26)
- Isa 41 (17)
- Isa 42 (2)
- Isa 43 (12)
- Isa 44 (3)
- Isa 45 (2)
- Isa 47 (1)
- Isa 49 (1)
- Isa 50 (1)
- Isa 51 (1)
- Isa 52 (1)
- Isa 53 (20)
- Isa 55 (19)
- Isa 56 (2)
- Isa 57 (1)
- Isa 58 (23)
- Isa 59 (3)
- Isa 60 (3)
- Isa 61 (23)
- Isa 65 (1)
- Isa 66 (1)