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1 Kings 19:12 (NRSVUE)
…and after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire;
and after the fire
a sound of sheer silence.
God meets me in the quiet.
Kathleen Norris
“Silence is not the absence of God—
it is the presence of God unforced.
It is here we learn to listen,
to shed our illusions,
to discover the One
who has been with us all along
in the quiet places we seldom enter.”
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2 Corinthians 4:6 (NRSVUE)
For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”
who has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Love shines through everything.
Julian of Norwich
“The love of God creates in us
such a oneness
that when it is truly seen,
no created thing can separate us from Him.
For love was His meaning from the beginning,
and love shall be His meaning to the end.
So it was,
so it is,
so it ever shall be.”
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1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NRSVUE)
Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Gratitude opens my heart to God.
Mary Oliver
“It is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I give thanks for the mystery of it—
for the grass underfoot,
for the air moving through my lungs,
for the chance
to love what is before me.”
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Colossians 1:17 (NRSVUE)
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
All things are held together in Christ.
Teilhard de Chardin
“By virtue of creation,
and still more of the Incarnation,
nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see.
The divine spark is everywhere,
hidden in matter as fire is hidden in stone.
To live is to set that fire free—
to awaken to the communion of all things.”
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Matthew 5:9 (NRSVUE)
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
I carry peace wherever I go.
John Lewis
“Peace is not simply the absence of war or tension—
it is the presence of justice,
the manifestation of compassion,
the active pursuit of reconciliation.
True peace does not come by standing still—
it comes when love steps forward.”
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John 1:4–5 (NRSVUE)
In him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
The light within me is the life of God.
Rabindranath Tagore
“The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
And so, whenever my heart grows dim,
I remember:
the light within me is the life of God.”
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Scripture:
Ephesians 5:8-9 (NRSVUE) — “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light; for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
Refrain:
I turn toward the light and walk in grace.
Quote:
Wendell Berry: “It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”
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Scripture:
Luke 22:42 (NRSVUE) — “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”
Refrain:
I surrender into love.
Quote:
Thomas Merton: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. But I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.”
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Scripture:
Isaiah 30:15 (NRSVUE) — “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Refrain: In stillness, I remember who I am.
Quote:
Thomas Keating: “Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. In the silence of the heart, God speaks more than words—She is not limited to sound. Be still and let Him be God in you.”
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Matthew 11:28 (NRSVUE) — “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Refrain:
I release what no longer brings life.
Quote:
Rainer Maria Rilke: “I am circling around God, around the ancient tower, and I have been circling for thousands of years, and I still don’t know if I am a falcon, or a storm, or a great song. All that matters is that I keep circling, that I keep releasing what keeps me from flight.”
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Scripture:
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NRSVUE) — The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Refrain:
Grace meets me in the new beginning.
Quote:
Jan Richardson
“Still, this blessing comes— a quiet breath, a gentle nudge, a hand placed lightly at the small of your back as you move toward what is waiting for you. This blessing is not a map. It is not a cure. But it is a beginning, and it says start here.”
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2 Corinthians 3:18 (NRSVUE)
And all of us, with unveiled faces,
seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror,
are being transformed into the same image
from one degree of glory to another;
for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
I become what I behold in love.
St. Clare of Assisi
“Gaze upon Christ.
Consider Him.
Contemplate Him.
As you gaze,
you will mirror His love—
not by trying,
but by resting.”
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Romans 12:5 (NRSVUE)
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ,
and individually we are members one of another.
I was made to belong.
Jean Vanier
“Community is a place of belonging,
a place of vulnerability and trust,
a place where each person’s gift
can be revealed and shared.
It is not a dreamland—
but a school of love.
To live in community is to say to one another:
‘You are not alone.
We are in this together.’”
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John 20:27 (NRSVUE)
Then he said to Thomas,
“Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.”
Even in my wounds, I am becoming whole.
Wendell Berry
“Even in the dark,
the hand may be held,
the wound may be tended.
To walk wounded
is not to walk without grace.
It is to know
the deeper healing that comes
not in spite of pain,
but through it.”
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Matthew 11:29 (NRSVUE)
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
I open my heart to gentleness.
Macrina Wiederkehr
“I will believe the truth about myself
no matter how beautiful it is.
I will believe that gentleness is not a luxury—
it is a way of being holy.
The soft heart,
the quiet word,
the listening soul—
these are sacred things
in a hardened world.”
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Colossians 3:3 (NRSVUE)
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
I am held in the mystery of who I truly am.
Henri Nouwen
“Spiritual identity means we are not what we do,
not what we have,
not what others say about us.
We are the beloved daughters and sons of God.
That is the voice we need to hear most.
That is the truth that sets us free.”
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Micah 6:8 (NRSVUE)
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
God leads me in simplicity and peace.
Simone Weil
“Simplicity is the sign of the divine.
It is not the absence of depth,
but the presence of clarity.
The soul is purified not by addition,
but by subtraction.
God does not shout—
He whispers in what remains.”
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Psalm 42:1 (NRSVUE)
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My longing is a prayer.
Kahlil Gibran
“It is the desire in your heart that is your guide.
And though you may not always find what you seek,
your longing will lead you.
Trust the ache within—
it is the echo of God
calling you home.”
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Matthew 6:11 (NRSVUE)
Give us this day our daily bread.
In bread and breath, God is near.
Barbara Brown Taylor
“The practice of wearing skin,
of touching and tasting and smelling your way toward the Holy—
this is the invitation.
Earth is so thick with divine possibility
that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere
without cracking our shins on altars.”
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Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
Do not despise these small beginnings,
for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin...
God is in the small and the slow.
Mary Oliver
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
To see a world in a blade of grass,
a grace note in the call of a bird—
this is wisdom.
This is enough.”
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