Every Moment Holy, Volume III: The Work of the People

Every Moment Holy #3

by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

Every Moment Holy, Volume The Work of the People is a book of over 100 new liturgies for daily life, drawing on a range of writers, artists, poets, songwriters, pastors, and illustrators (with Douglas Kaine McKelvey both writing and editing). With prayers by Malcolm Guite, Ellie Holcomb, Philip Yancey, Ruth Chou Simons, Sho Baraka, Andrew Peterson and more, this collection represents a community of believers engaged in the work of reminding all of us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose and eternal hopes even in the midst of the everyday moments that make up our lives.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Prayer, Poetry, Devotional, Theology, Spirituality

432 pages, Imitation Leather hardcover

Published November 10, 2023

About the author

The remote descendant of Scottish horse-thieving ancestors, Douglas Kaine McKelvey has already bested the dubious achievements of his predecessors by penning five published books and penning lyrics for more than 250 songs recorded by a variety of artists including Kenny Rogers, Switchfoot, and Jason Gray.

Douglas is currently completing the manuscript for a YA sci-fi/fantasy novel and making slow progress on a companion volume to "Every Moment Holy."

McKelvey was born in New Hampshire and raised in East Texas, but now dwells in the long shadows somewhere south of Nashville with his Norwegianish wife. They have three half-Norwegianish adult daughters and two sons-in-law.

He also has a small, fearless dog that believes it can fly.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will collect almost any book of prayers, and this one is special. McKelvey has not only written many prayers for this volume, as he did with the previous two books, but gathered from contemporary and historical sources. Christina Rossetti rubs shoulders with Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt and my soul is at peace. Multiple artists contributed to the volume, and their work flows together well. I especially enjoyed the liturgy for solo gamers and for contemplating poetry (by Luci Shaw & McKelvey).

[Amelia Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as a graduation gift and have read through nearly every liturgy. Last night the one that blessed me was the liturgy for rest and sleep!

Moved to Denver and sleeping in a new place is always challenging… so resources like this mean so much to me right now!

[emma jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this book. It’s not really intended to be read straight through, but because I like checking things off my GoodReads, and because I wanted to familiarize myself with all the different moments represented in this volume, I read the whole thing.
It is poignant, poetic, and moving. I love the focus given to the mundane and the extraordinary. I love that especially in the liturgies for sorrow and lament, both the sin and suffering wrapped up in each of the various struggles were given equal attention. I also love the versatility of a book like this. The right liturgy can be read as a mini devotional at an event, sent as an encouragement to a friend, prayed during quiet time with the Lord, or memorized to be deployed at an opportune moment.
This volume in particular—the work of the people—had many liturgies that were especially relatable to me and the people around me.

[Hayden Harp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book of liturgies by a friend, so I was excited to see it featured in my library’s Faith display! Every Moment Holy offers prayers for the everyday life, from birdwatching and learning a language, to dealing with anxiety and mourning a loss. This book helped remind me to take everything to God in prayer, even the little, seemingly silly things! There is also so much wisdom and joy in each prayer, highly recommended!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow my favorite of the 3 - I love the breadth and depth and thoughtfulness this was assembled with. Can't wait to revisit as needed.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first volume! Just lovely!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I so appreciate the beauty and eloquence of others, putting thought and feeling into words when I am not able to. Joys and heartaches alike are so helpfully written here, in an effort like the psalmists to point me to my Savior.

[Allison Redd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually I don't read through the Every Moment Holy books in a short time -- I read them a little at a time, a day here or there. But I took this with me on a retreat and once I started reading I just kept going. These prayers helped thaw my heart during a time of grief, uncertainty, and sadness, that is still ongoing. As I read and prayed through each liturgy, I thought of friends and family and estranged ones who might appreciate these words of hope. My project for the new year is to send copies of these liturgies to those whom God leads me to think of as I am reading, from volumes I-III.

[Jessica Telian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a year to slowly make my way through this book, savoring each liturgy as I read it, and oh, it's so good! It contains some of my very favorite liturgies, and the rich words of all of them encouraged me greatly. I'm so very thankful for the Every Moment Holy books, as they have grown my faith in many ways.

[Allison Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good. I have turned to these often recently. The depth and beauty speak into the heart in a way not many things can. Also, this work is much larger than the first - I’ve yet to obtain the second, but now am even more excited to read that!

[Bill Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed the 2017 book "Every Moment Holy, Volume I: New Liturgies for Daily Life". In this third volume of "Every Moment Holy" books, subtitled "The Work of the People", you will find liturgies for use in a number of different ways. Some prayers are written with the intent of daily or routine recitation, and others are for use on special, memorable, difficult, or even tragic occasions. The prayers included in the “Liturgies of the Moment” section are designed for memorization so that they can be recalled at need. It is hoped that the liturgies in this book, no matter how they are used, will serve as prayers to encourage readers in practicing mindfulness of the constant presence of God and will draw them toward greater recognition of the eternal echoes resounding in every moment of our lives. This third volume was conceived as an explicit labor of community from beginning to end. The prayers offer spiritual reflections for everyday life. I especially appreciated the liturgies of labor and vocation.
More than sixty authors, poets, and songwriters were invited to contribute original prayers, and seven artists were invited to create the accompanying prints. Bible verses accompany the liturgies.
The book is divided into the following sections:
Invocation
• Liturgies of Labor & Vocation
• Liturgies of Creation & Recreation
• Liturgies of Blessing & Celebration
• Liturgies of Petition & Provision
• Liturgies of Sorrow & Lament
• Liturgies of the Moment
• Benediction
The book includes short bios of the contributing writers and artists. Among the writers were: Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Malcom Guite, Ellie Holcomb, Sandra McCracken, Fernando Ortega, Andrew Peterson, Dorothy Sayers, and Philip Yancy.
It’s likely that not all of the prayers will be appropriate for your particular situation. In that case, you can just skip those that aren’t appropriate for you. Overall, this would be an excellent book to add to your daily devotional reading.

[Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit Room Press sent me a copy of “Every Moment Holy Volume 3: The Work of the People” in exchange for an honest review.

I first became aware of Every Moment Holy in 2020, when my school gave me a copy of the first volume as a high school graduation present. I was given volume two last year as a present. However, I was completely unaware that there was a third volume. I was delighted when that changed.

As with the first two volumes, this book aesthetically knocked it out of the park. It’s a really nice faux leather over board book. The coloration was well-chosen (blue cover, gilded pages, red ribbon bookmark). The page layouts are masterfully crafted and there’s really appealing art throughout.

The content also lives up to the prior two volumes. This volume specializes in liturgies related to vocation and everyday circumstances. There’s also a diversity of liturgical structures. Some are designed for personal use, some corporate, there are different parts, etc. Yet all this is helpfully qualified by the introduction, that each liturgy can easily be modified for a variety of uses beyond their on-paper design.

Altogether, I recommend all three volumes of Every Moment Holy. I’ve been edified by the content and I believe that you will be too.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED the first book in this series and was so excited to read this one. Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. It was fine, but whereas the first felt much more liturgical, this one felt like a series of poems, and a lot of them were multiple pages long--not exactly handy for memorizing and having as prayers in the back of my mind. Overall it was fine, but nowhere near as good as the first volume

[Sarah Gerbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as with previous volumes, this is a fabulous resource to keep close at all times. And as it turns out, this book changed my life by leading me to the artist for my own book published this year. Emily Person, one of EMH Vol. 3 artists, is now Moonflower’s.

I am grateful for the words and artwork found in this volume. I must say, it is my favorite of the three and I highly recommend it to EVERYONE!

[Jessica Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful collaborative project, with many talented and insightful writers. There are prayers to encourage people in a wide variety of life situations, though I felt that most of the liturgies in the main body of the book were more instructive and devotional than practical for actual use. (Many are quite long, and a bit more specific than may fit the experience of most readers.) I found the liturgies of the moment section most useful for application as personal prayers.

[Emma Schramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received EMH Vol. III in the mail yesterday, and have been reading through prayer after prayer. The artwork, the prayers, the outpouring of adoration communally…it is a beautiful and holy (no pun intended) thing!

To say the EMH books have been helpful aids to my prayer life would be an understatement, and I am very, very thankful for the gift they have been to me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Cheyenne Langevelde · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Loved this collection. There was a very good variety among all the liturgies written, with some touching my heart more than others. My only complaint would be that some of the liturgies felt more rough and unpolished compared to the flow of others, but that's a subjective thing.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and loved all three volumes of prayers and liturgies by this author. They are such a dear part of my daily time of devotion reading and have been a great source of comfort, inspiration, encouragement and hope. This is a resource I plan to read through again and again.

[Kaylee Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful, incredibly comforting, and a wonderful resource to help remember God and acknowledge the holiness in the ordinary moments of life. I wish I could memorize all of these so I’d have them ready to use at a moment’s notice.

[Gabbie Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the 3

[Aeromama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite volume.

[Heather Denenea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for new moms

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a sort of companion to me this year, and will continue to be. So good. Highly recommended.

[Julia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this one so much!!

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

profound, emotive, lyrical

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these are less applicable to my life than others, but there are a few that I keep coming back to. I'll have to go pick them out sometime.

[Emma Schramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “Every Moment Holy” volumes are my favorite prayer books. This pocket edition of Volume III doesn’t lose any of the beauty found in the larger version, and is great for when out and about!