Book Review: Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
“Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6:10
Book Information: Volume 1: Liturgies for Daily Life
Author: Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Pages: 320
Publisher: Rabbit Room Press
Year: 2017
Have you ever struggled with knowing what to pray? Do you ever wonder if what you’re praying is “vain repetition”? How do you know if what you’re asking God for is a request that He will answer?
If you have wondered these things as I have, this post’s book may be for you.
In this handsome volume of prayers, Doug McKelvey masterfully weaves theology in poetic prayer as we go through our daily lives. Scattered throughout the book are beautiful “wood-carved” illustrations by Ned Bustard, each full of Christian imagery.
Setting the stage for the book is a thoughtful Foreword by author and songwriter Andrew Peterson. Here, he reminds us that when we remember God’s eternal Story that frames our lives, every day and every moment becomes sacred. He then invites us to take up the challenge to “[remember] the holiness of each moment” and “reclaim the sacredness of our lives.” (p. xii)
The rest of the book is not meant to be read straight through in one sitting, though I would highly recommend at least skimming it. Doing so can help you to see the many times and places where prayer can invade our lives..
If you struggle with poetry or if you’re looking for a treatise or tips on how to pray, then this book is not for you. If you’re looking for a good book on prayer, I recommend Paul Miller’s A Praying Life instead.
There is a “down-to-earthiness” about these prayers that may border on irreverent for some. If you are one who has trouble bringing every little thing to God, then this might not be for you either. But if you this is the very area you want to grow in, then this may just be the thing for you.
The easiest way to get started may simply to connect it to something that you do all the time anyway, like at a meal or at a regular time (there are even two liturgies for changing diapers!). I suggest that you peruse the Table of Contents and pick one or two to pray. As those become habits, then add another one. Old ones can be memorized and personalized so that they are not rote but tailored to the moment.
Or use the prayers in a particular area of struggle. For example, if money is an issue for you, then read the liturgies on those topics and let those help guide you so that when you are tempted to spend or hold back from giving, these prayers can help guide you towards godly choices.
If you have every wondered how we might pray God’s kingdom will come, that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven, this book will help. By putting words to the longing of our hearts throughout the ordinary moments of our days, we can connect the dots, making every moment holy as we live before our God.
How This Book Helped Me
When I think of the word “liturgy,” I think of structure, rigidity, or formality. When I was younger, I thought it was inferior to the more spontaneous and organic.
But as I have aged, I have begun to see that form and structure isn’t always bad. In a previous post, I even shared about creating a “liturgy” of spiritual disciplines or a rule of life to form a spiritual “spine” for our days.
This is also helpful for me when it comes to prayer. As I had shared in my book review on A Praying Life, I struggle with prayer—staying on track or praying beyond my own wants and desires.
So this book was helpful to stretch me to think about other things to pray about, especially in the midst of the mundane things. As a homemaker, I do a lot of ordinary things. Knowing that I can invite God into these things help me to be holy.
Far from being stilted, these prayers have helped me to stretch my concept of prayer. I never thought about praying when I start—or finish—a book. I had not considered praying before paying a bill or when I hear birdsong.
After a few, I began to think about how I can pray about the tasks in my own life and how I might pray in the midst of them, such as when I brush my daughter’s teeth. Not only that, I have been challenged through these prayers to go beyond the task to consider the deeper spiritual significance behind these.
At its very core, this book has been a helpful encouragement for me to stay connected with God throughout the day. From the beginning to the end, I am learning to pray at all times—not for my own small pursuits, but that His kingdom ways will invade even my ordinary moments.
A Quote and A Question:
“…this book reminds us that there are no unsacred moments; there are only sacred moments and moments we have forgotten are sacred. If that’s true, then it is our duty to reclaim the sacredness of our lives, of life itself. And the first step is to remember—to remember the dream of Eden that shimmers at the edges of things, to remember that the madman on the corner was made in God’s image, to remember that work and play and suffering and celebration are all sentences in a good story being told by God, a story arcing its way to a new creation.”—Foreword, by Andrew Peterson
Take a moment to remember that the life we live is sacred because we now live in light of eternity. How might this shed new perspective on the everyday moments in your day? How might we remember the sacredness of the ordinary, mundane, and even menial in your life? Then take some time to dive in to this book and learn!
Additional Resources:
If you enjoyed this volume, there are two more to enjoy:
Volume 2: Grief, Death, and Hope, 384 pages, Every Moment Holy, 2021
Volume 3: The Work of the People, written by range of writers, poets, artists, songwriters, pastors, illustrators, Douglas Kaine McKelvey editor, 432 pages, Every Moment Holy, 2023
To honor the work of the writers, purchase rights to print copies here. These are inexpensive, depending on the size of gathering, $1-$15
If you’d like something on the go, they also offer an app. Some liturgies are free; others are available for a nominal subscription fee.
Their website offers videos of 12 of their liturgies, read by different Christian leaders.
