Articles

Response to the Shooting of Jacob Blake from the Rev. Elizabeth McCord

8/27/2020
As we continue to be mindful of the ongoing events in Kenosha and their impact on our students, faculty and staff, the Rev. Elizabeth McCord offers her own reflection.

Call to Prayer - July 27, 2020

7/27/2020
I by nature have a sweet tooth. It’s hard for me to pass on dessert. But I find in these frustrating days I am spending too much time chewing on bitterness. This prayer is a palate cleanser if you, like me, need to be reminded of the sweet things in life.

Call to Prayer - July 20, 2020

7/20/2020
Fear impedes inner peace and can hold us back from living with abundance and grace. Fear is everywhere right now, and I know I am not at my best when trapped in fight, flight or freeze. If you are willing, join me this week in prayerfully listening to our fears, and together let’s seek a path toward greater peace and freedom. The 7-step contemplative prayer/meditation below is one tool to try.

Call to Prayer - July 13, 2020

7/13/2020
This week, if you are willing, join me in praying for our students—not for the plans we must make or the problems yet to be solved—but for the students themselves.

Call to Prayer - July 6, 2020

7/6/2020
I invite you to use your body when praying this week’s prayer. As you are able, stand on your feet. Take a moment to lean forward and back, side to side, connecting to with senses, feeling gravity pull you to the earth and finding a center space where you feel balance and alignment. Take a few deep breaths, lifting your spine, and in prayer, invite God into your week.

In Isolation, a Lesson in Interdependence

6/29/2020
The “new normal” has become a frequently used phrase. I hear colleagues, friends and journalists say it. I even hear myself say it from time to time. Yet every time I do, I feel myself resist a bit. I’m not ready for this to be the new normal, nor am I able to envision what “normal” will look like on the other side of COVID-19. These days, normal seems more like a far off dream, a fantasy, an alternate universe where we would like to dwell, but no longer do.

Call to Prayer - June 22, 2020

6/22/2020
As we return to campus and move more freely about our lives, we are becoming accustomed to wearing masks. Today’s prayer is for this new daily ritual. Even an inconvenience such as this can be sacred spiritual practice.

Call to Prayer - June 15, 2020

6/15/2020
Stories of liberation and songs of freedom fuel courage and redirect us toward paths of release, recovery, justice and healing. This week, let’s be like the prophet Miriam and pray with music.

Call to Prayer - June 8, 2020

6/8/2020
COVID-19 has reminded us how much we need one another, and Mr. George Floyd’s murder has reminded us how we have failed one another The prayer below is to help us hold the things we cannot bear on our own, and it invites us to seek healing and hope for the world.

Call to Prayer - May 26, 2020

5/26/2020
Adapted from the work of 20th Century American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, the “Serenity Prayer” has offered comfort and courage across generations and contexts. The contemplative prayer practice below draws from the Serenity Prayer’s themes. It invites us to discern what we can and cannot change in our lives.

Call to Prayer - May 11, 2020

5/11/2020
"Wow," according to author Annie Lamott, is our essential prayer for beauty and wonder. For me, the "Wow" prayer comes most often in nature: hiking, stargazing, breathing the ocean breeze.

Call to Prayer - May 4, 2020

5/4/2020
In writing about what she calls the three essential prayers—Help, Thanks, and Wow—author Annie Lamott reflects candidly about the struggle to be grateful during difficult times. The following prayer is a gratitude prayer that aligns with the breath.

Call to Prayer - April 27, 2020

4/27/2020
Author Anne Lamott writes there are just three essential prayers: help, thanks and wow. Usually, those three words sum up what our hearts need to say. This week, the prayer most on my heart is just help.

Call to Prayer - April 20, 2020

4/20/2020
When the ancient Israelites were taken into exile in Babylon, they longed for the restoration of their lives and their homeland. This prayer is for finding our place in the unfamiliar times we now inhabit.

Call to Prayer - April 13, 2020

4/13/2020
The oldest known ending of the Gospel of Mark (16:1-8) did not include an appearance by the resurrected Jesus. Rather, it concluded with an angelic vision and Jesus’ female followers leaving his empty tomb in fear and amazement. This prayer is for all who, like those women, seek God in times of despair and find hope that is beyond comprehension.

Call to Prayer - April 6, 2020

4/6/2020
While we ourselves may be new to tragedy on this scale, humanity is not. Throughout the world and across time, cataclysms have shaken humanity. Turmoil and suffering have shattered communities. The book of Lamentations speaks of such unthinkable grief and distress, but buried within the text are a few verses of hope. This week's prayer is for that kind of hope.

Stepping Stones: Spiritual Practices for Today

4/6/2020
When crisis disrupts our lives, our souls long for comfort, stability, and direction. Simple spiritual practices offer solace for these times. Reflection and intentionality throughout the day can form a path, stepping stones that guide us.

A Call to Prayer - March 30, 2020

3/30/2020
This week’s prayer draws on Psalm 27. Among our many prayers at this time, please join me in remembering healthcare professionals for their own health and wellbeing; leaders in all settings for their decision-making; and all those who are physically, financially, emotionally or otherwise especially vulnerable.