Quotes and Readings of the Day

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Psalm 61

Assurance of God's Protection
To the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day.

Note: Today's Gospel reading is Mark 6:30-46

From the New Revised Standard Version. Reprinted with permission from HarperBibles.

TAGS: Bible, Bible Reading, Christian, Psalm

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Leviticus 6:12-7:10

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the occasion of his anointment: a tenth of an ephah of choice flour as a regular meal offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening, shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. You shall bring it well soaked, and offer it as a meal offering of baked slices, of pleasing odor to the Lord. And so shall the priest, anointed from among his sons to succeed him, prepare it; it is the Lord's--a law for all time--to be turned entirely into smoke. So, too, every meal offering of a priest shall be a whole offering: it shall not be eaten.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the sin offering: the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord, at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered: it is most holy. The priest who offers it as a sin offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in the sacred precinct, in the enclosure of the Tent of Meeting. Anything that touches its flesh shall become holy; and if any of its blood is spattered upon a garment, you shall wash the bespattered part in the sacred precinct. An earthen vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; if it was boiled in a copper vessel, [the vessel] shall be scoured and rinsed with water. Only the males in the priestly line may eat of it: it is most holy. But no sin offering may be eaten from which any blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting for expiation in the sanctuary; any such shall be consumed in fire.

This is the ritual of the guilt offering: it is most holy. The guilt offering shall be slaughtered at the spot where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the blood shall be dashed on all sides of the altar. All its fat shall be offered: the broad tail; the fat that covers the entrails; the two kidneys and the fat that is on them at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which shall be removed with the kidneys. The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. Only the males in the priestly line may eat of it; it shall be eaten in the sacred precinct: it is most holy.

The guilt offering is like the sin offering. The same rule applies to both: it shall belong to the priest who makes expiation thereby. So, too, the priest who offers a man's burnt offering shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that he offered. Further, any meal offering that is baked in an oven, and any that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle, shall belong to the priest who offers it. But every other meal offering, with oil mixed in or dry, shall go to the sons of Aaron all alike.

From Parshat Tsav. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

TAGS: Torah, Torah Reading, Judaism, Leviticus

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The angels teach us to find beauty and worth in all our earthly activities.

-Terry Lynn Taylor,
“Angel Days”

TAGS: Angel Quote, Angels, Earthly Activities, Beauty, Terry Lynn TaylorbrAngel Days

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What, monks, is totality? It is just the eye with the objects of sight, the ear with the objects of hearing, the nose with the objects of smell, the body with the objects of touch and the mind with the objects of cognition. This, monks, is called totality.

-Samyutta Nikaya

From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Buddhism, Buddhist Quote, Objects, Monks, Eye, Mind, Nose, Cognition, Touch

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With love, you should go ahead and take the risk of getting hurt.

-Britney Spears

TAGS: Entertainment Quote, Celebrities, Celebrity Quotes, Music, Spiritual, Celebrity Spirituality, Entertainment, Getting Hurt, Risk

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Without humility heart all the other virtues by which one run toward God seem-and are-absolutely worthless.

-John Climacus

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

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Make your New Years Resolutions! This year, try to eat a little healthier, exercise a little more, and take some serious action to conserve our planet's resources.

TAGS: Eco Tips

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The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

-William Faulkner

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Mountain, William Faulkner

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We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one swift hour before the sunset in which to win them.

-Robert Moffat

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

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Silent presence is always better than silent absence.

-Chaplain Steve Thorny

TAGS: Emotional Health Quote, Health Quote

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The whole purpose of maintaining a home And earning wealth is to provide hospitality to guests. To hoard one's meal when a guest is in the home is improper, Even if it happens to be the nectar of immortality.

Tirukkural 9: 81-82

Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Copyright Himalayan Academy Publications, www.himalayanacademy.com.

TAGS: Tirukkural, Hindu Quote, Hinduism, Tirukkal

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Consider this amazing possibility: You incarnated on this earth just to experience the joy of being alive. Do you even know what gives you joy? Do something about that today.

-Caroline Myss and Peter Occhiogrosso

TAGS: Glow, Holistic Living Quote, Spirituality, Holistic Living

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Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.

-William Sloane Coffin, Jr.

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, William Sloan Coffin

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You shall live by them, but you shall not die because of them.

-Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 85b

As cited in "Jewish Wisdom" by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.

TAGS: Judaism, Jewish Quote

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A believer through his good deeds reaches the position of one who worships all night and fasts during the day.

-Hadith The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by A'ishah bint Abi Bakr

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by A'ishah bint Abi Bakr

From "The Bounty of Allah." Hadith translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York.

TAGS: Hadith, Islam Hadith, Muslim Quote, Muslim

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Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.

-Albert Schweitzer

TAGS: Relationship Quotes, Relationships, Appreciation