Every Moment Holy

Every Moment Holy #1

by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

EVERY MOMENT HOLY is a book of liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life--liturgies such as "A Liturgy for Feasting with Friends" or "A Liturgy for Laundering" or "A Liturgy for the First Hearthfire of the Season." These are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Prayer, Devotional, Christianity, Theology

277 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2017

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

[Jon Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gives words to my heart when I don't have any of my own. I'm thankful for it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book was first announced, I was honestly skeptical about its usefulness, especially since I come from a very not-liturgical background. Now, having read through it in its entirety and used a select few of the liturgies personally, I can fully, sincerely say it's wonderful. From a liturgy for the first snowfall (already used) to one for feasting with friends, these liturgies really point me upward toward Jesus, reminding me of the Creator and Lord of All instead of navel-gazing. Great book... you'll probably want several copies!

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent spiritual resource for every home.

Favored liturgies include:

Before Beginning a Book
Lament upon the Finishing of a Beloved Book
For a Husband & Wife at Start of Day/Close of Day
For a Fleeting Irritation

Of the many liturgies included, I particularly appreciate the thoughtfulness of the following:

For Domestic Days
For the Hurried Preparation of a Meal
Before a Meal Eaten Alone
For Those Who Feel Awkward in Social Gatherings
For One Who Has Suffered a Nightmare
For Leavings
For Those Facing the Slow Loss of Memory
For Those Who Weep Without Knowing Why
For Waiting in Line

I would love to see an expanded version of this, particularly with attention to different types of lifestyles. There aren't liturgies for childbirth or breastfeeding (though there are two for the changing of diapers), for those who lack material resources, for trauma victims, and for those whose experiences don't line up with generic suburban lifestyles (liturgies for yard sales, shopping, the first hearthfire of the season, and sleeping in tents aren't balanced by liturgies for taking public transit, donating items, renewing leases, et c.).

I'd also just love more: liturgies for experiencing bitterness, for those who have been hurt by others, for broken relationships, for welcoming a new family member, for joining a new family (marriage, adoption), for the start and end of the school year, for the submission of an application, for entering a new stage of life...this book could be so long!

I've had this for about a week now and have already turned to it many times. It's not a book to shelve, but one to keep on the table or nightstand and use for regular reflection. I appreciate how many of the liturgies are call and response, making them useful for praying in community. The language of the prayers is meaningful, with metaphors and images that remain in my mind after prayer. I look forward to using Every Moment Holy in regular personal worship from now on.

[Janae Byler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love liturgies and this book did not disappoint. The specific prayers for the mundane moments of our life were beautiful and grounding. Sometimes the liturgies were so specific I couldn't enjoy it but there are many beautiful prayers in this book

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I intended to read this devotionally and slowly, but curiosity got the best of me and I knocked the whole thing out in 24 hours. I’ll be coming back to these beautiful prayers often.

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do I say about this book?

Liturgical writings are new to me, and I picked this up after a couple friends shared some beautiful portions.

This book was what my heart needed as it offered encouragement, perspective, and conviction. I soaked up every word & was frequently moved to tears. I already cannot wait to reread it and need to purchase volume 2 soon! 🥹


“Today is for mourning. So let us grieve together as those who know the world is broken, but who yet hold hope of its restoration.”


“…each blossom shouting… death is a lie… beauty and immortality are what we were made for.”

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful prayers that are very meaningful. I found them very comforting on different occasions. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of five was so many of them were too specific. I would have found it even more meaningful if there would have been some more general themes.

[Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, meditative, and worshipful, Every Moment Holy is a blessing.

A few (among many many many) of my favorite liturgies:
• For Fiction Writers
• Before Beginning a Book
• Lament upon the Finishing of a Beloved Book
• For Stargazing
• Of Praise to the King of Creation
• For Leavings
• For Inconsolable Homesickness
• For a Fleeting Irritation
• For Those Fearing Failure
• …and so many more. As I was nearing the end of my book, I started listing my favorites in a special place in my journal.

For personal prayer, family worship, or petition and praise in a gathering, this is a lovely, poetic, convicting, joyful collection of liturgies.

[Tori Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible. McKelvey puts into words the emotions and feelings I often didn’t have the language to pray. Not only did this book of liturgies stir my faith and dependence on the Lord in prayer, but it served to minister to others and encourage fellow brothers and sisters. I’d encourage anyone to have this book on hand at all times!

[Eleasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could start a quiet revolution in spiritual formation in each household it belongs to. There is a liturgy for pretty much every moment (--and inspires one to write a liturgy for a moment you encounter that isn't in there) -- a liturgy for doing laundry ("laundering" as per Douglas McKelvey), a liturgy for medical providers, a liturgy before eating a meal alone, a liturgy for stargazing, a liturgy for nights & days of doubt, a liturgy for the paying of bills, and so forth. The practice of having this book on our kitchen table is helping me submit everything I do & each moment of pause unto God. It's designed intentionally. I passed the book around the table so we could each read a section of "Liturgy for Feasting with Friends" when I had friends over for dinner. I shared "Liturgy for Welcoming a New Family Pet" on a visit to a friend with a chronic medical condition to encourage her soul. It's a faithful companion. I now bring this book with me everywhere I go.

[Heather Donaghy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had Every Moment Holy pretty much since the beginning of Lockdown (March 2020). It’s a beautifully presented modern liturgy book. It’s not the traditional or maybe repetitive liturgy we are used to in Church culture (we shouldn’t write this off either - some of it is gold). Instead, it’s fresh, giving words and prayers to ordinary and defining moments of our day, everything from daybreak to before we go to sleep: morning coffee, daily chores, employment, relationships, loss, gardening, birthdays, loneliness, music, reading, cooking a meal... and much more! The premise is that we have the opportunity to be present with God throughout our day, even in the mundane! I’ve found it to be a helpful start to the day, an encouragement to share with others and my go to book when I don’t have the words to commune with God myself!

[Jacob Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tool. It has brought so much contemplation and joy everywhere I have shared it. What a great piece to read to and with others.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent! A modern classic that will likely pass the test of time.

I find few modern devotionals to be very good - or even worth reading for that matter. My favorites are all from writings that are at least a hundred years old. But that leaves a big experiential gap between those devotions and my own daily life experience. While many of life’s dealings are the same as they were in that time, in the modern world we also deal with very different things than our forebears did. This book fills this gap, with prayers for all kinds of modern situations. The prayers even have an old feel to them and are more doctrinally rich than most modern devotionals (though still not to the level of many of my past favorites). This devotional is filled with prayers (liturgies) for modern situations, such as: a liturgy for when I feel nervous; a liturgy for when I’m experiencing road rage; a liturgy for when I’m giving a speech; or a liturgy for when a pet dies.

While I did find some of the language a bit too poetic and over the top for the prayers to feel genuine, over all the prayers in this were fantastic and really helped to recenter my daily thoughts on Christ.

Side note: I listened to some of this via audio - and of the two narrators, one was terrific; however the other tried to be too dramatic to sound like someone sincerely praying - which is a big deal when voicing prayers. It made me less able to actually pray while listening. Otherwise however, this was superb.

[Heather Tully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! read most mornings for a year.

[Claire Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so beautiful. I was brought to tears reading many of these liturgies. Excited to implement this excellent resource more in our family and home.

[Ada Tarcau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure chest of pearls. Helps the heart see heaven reaching down to touch this earthly mundane moment. I have really missed this blessed awareness the liturgies so beautifully evoke.

[Anne Harmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was highly recommended by my pastor, so I came to it very (possibly too) excited and with high expectations. While I love the idea of having little liturgies for various parts of life, this didn't quite live up to my expectations. Several of the liturgies are extremely specific: "For the Keeping of Bees," "Before Taking the Stage," "For Those Experiencing Road Rage." Of course, many do not apply to my life but might be applicable to others: "For the Changing of Diapers" and "To Mark the First Hearthfire of the Season" among them. Overall, I guess this just didn't move me as much as I expected it to, but that's not necessarily its fault.

I do keep returning to one gem, "Upon Randomly Thinking of Another Person," which I use often for my friends who live far away:

"God, as I hold ______
a moment in my thoughts,
I ask that you would hold them
eternally in yours,
remaining ever at work
in their heart and life,
even now directing their paths
toward your good ends."

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book!
The book itself is bound and furnished for a splendid holding experience.
The illustrations and layout upon quality paper make the book a feast for the eyes.
The liturgies are far ranging, random at times, always Biblical, often incredibly insightful into the human heart and the application of the gospel.
Having read this book through, I will now aim to use it in life and ministry.
Very expensive...but worth EVERY penny!

[Treva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read through this book of prayers slowly one prayer a day in order. over time. As I've gotten older I have come to appreciate written books of prayers. They give me words to pray that I don't have within myself. I loved this book and its range of prayers. It is not my most favorite which is Valley of Vision hence 4/5 stars.

[Erin Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, beautiful, meaningful! Love this book.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic treasure of prayers and liturgies! It's not a sit down and read the whole things kind of book, but rather a have it nearby all the time kind of book.

[Florin Wishnew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should get a copy and keep it handy.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

These prayers are beautiful. They demonstrate what it means to pray without ceasing, and help us to see that there is no circumstance too mundane for talking about to our Creator, Who cares for us and all our comings and goings.

I listened to the audiobook in the dark nights of wakings and sadness and fear. In those moments and hours where new words were needed in my worn and disheveled prayers and cries to the Lord, this volume was a balm to my soul and reinforced the lessons lately working in my life, to despise not the small beginnings, the small moments, the small choices that bring growth over time.

I didn't grow up in a denomination which used liturgies, and frankly didn't appreciate them or even think about them at all beyond some ignorant idea that they couldn't be real prayer because they were scripted. How wrong I was. In this season of life, my soul craves more and more the prayers of the saints, those who by their writings teach me to pray better and more deeply, more richly and more frequently; who remind me to trust that God sees us and meets us in the small moments and the dark nights of the soul.

Through the inclusions of Scripture and the beautifully crafted words of prayer, this book has helped me to turn my heart, mind, and soul toward the Lord in more small moments than was my wont. It has been a blessing indeed.

[Esther Hallel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read cover to cover. Every Moment Holy is a book of interactive prayer liturgies compelled by an awareness of God's presence in the everyday moment of our lives.

I will always treasure this book in particular from various group settings, whether our nervous excitement of the next performance together or the bright sadness of saying another goodbye.

Every Moment Holy is intended for the ordinariness of our days and may be enjoyed privately but I confess I liked using it with others on occasions haha sorry.

Anyway, the liturgies are written well and thoughtfully and have a quiet, inspirational effect in recognizing God's work in our moments. It's a precious work

4 stars-- Good

[Natalie :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most thoughtful and kind gifts I’ve ever received — thank you to my good friend Keira! I confessed to her that I have this grudge against liturgies & those who talk about them. I held that liturgies themselves are pompous and arrogant & people who talk about them only do so in order to sound scholarly and pretentious. It sounds silly but it was a real (unkind!!!) assumption that I held deeply. This book is gorgeous and it convinced me to love liturgies and, in so doing, broke down barriers & has helped me to revere Gods holiness more and more!!!!!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://greenroomblog.org/2018/03/04/...

I am excited today to introduce you to a beautiful and phenomenal resource, Every Moment Holy. The book is an excellent cross between John Baillie’s classic A Diary of Private Prayer and Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy Of the Ordinary. Andrew Peterson wrote the foreword for the book, which highlights some of his journey:

Several years ago some good friends gave me a book. The fact that they gave me a book and not a gift card is evidence of our friendship, because my love language is books.

The book I received was Scottish minister John Baillie’s A Diary of Private Prayer, and it not only reminds me fondly of those friends, but it represents my earliest realization that I need help praying.

Growing up in a nondenominational church in the American south, I was suspicious of anything that could be described as liturgical, assuming as many do that prayer should be extemporaneous and “from the heart,” and anything less was in danger of becoming rote at best and ritualistic at worst. Baillie’s book is arranged into morning and evening prayers for each day of the month, plus special prayers for Sundays. Our family tried them hesitantly at first, but soon found ourselves reaching for the book more and more, in the end treasuring it so much that I bought copies and gave them to friends.

If you come from a liturgical tradition you may find it surprising that I was so surprised by all this; it may be perfectly obvious to you that there’s a good reason certain prayers have survived for centuries. But the fact is, there are millions of Christians the world over, for a host of reasons, who have never engaged in liturgical worship. For many of us, this old thing is a new thing, and that brings with it some discomfort—but also a heightened appreciation for the ancient rhythms of prayer and meditation which have been more or less absent from our experience.

And as much as we may need this new (to us) language for prayer, those who grew up with it may also need our fresh enthusiasm for it to remind them what a profound gift it is to speak these ancient tongues, not just to know but to be reminded by all the saints how wide, high, deep and broad is the love of God in Christ. It is through this great cloud of witnesses that the Lord is teaching us to pray.



I, like Andrew Peterson, was raised in a tradition that, while emphasizing prayer and discipleship, did not value the kind of liturgy shown in this book. I have already been challenged and encouraged by the prayers in this book and plan to continue using this book and encouraging my family to join me as well. Every Moment Holy was produced and published by The Rabbit Room:

The Rabbit Room was conceived as an experiment in creative community. After author/singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson visited the Oxford home of C.S. Lewis, he returned to Nashville with a conviction that community nourishes good and lasting work. The Rabbit Room, the name of the back room of the pub where the Oxford Inkings (including Lewis, Tolkien, and Charles Williams) shared their stories, began as a simple blog of contributing authors, songwriters, artists, and pastors.

Over the years, the Rabbit Room has grown to include podcasts, a thriving music and book store, Rabbit Room Press, a yearly conference called Hutchmoot, the singer-songwriter series The Local Show, and an office in a 150-year-old farmhouse called North Wind Manor.

Here is a trailer where Andrew Peterson describes the genesis of this project. Douglas McKelvey, the writer of these liturgies, also shares his thoughts as to why he would work on such a project and why he chose Rabbit Room as the publisher:


Every Moment Holy is divided into a few different categories, though the author is quick to say these categories should be considered only as guidelines. The categories include liturgies of the hours, liturgies of labor & vocation, liturgies of creation & recreation, liturgies of blessing & celebration, liturgies of petition & provision, liturgies of sorrow & lament, liturgies of the moment, and liturgies for table blessings. Here’s an excerpt from their liturgy for fiction writers:

Lord, let me love the reader, ever writing for their good, writing words that might, in the employ of your Spirit, bring life and hope and conviction. And when I have written lines that are but my own vain ramblings, or when I am too enamored of my own cleverness, grant me the humility and the courage to make the hard choices, to amputate my own ego. Reveal these deficiencies to me before I send my words out into the world, that I might not add to the noise. But if I do, may it please you by your grace to turn my darkness to light so that even the fruits of my pride and insecurity would be redeemed for the good of your people and the furtherance of your kingdom and the glory of your name.

As if the physical resource was not great enough, the publishers have made available some of the liturgies and beautiful illustrations online. You can download some of the liturgies here, as well as purchase prints of the stunning illustrations from the book.

Thanks for Rabbit Room Press for providing a complimentary copy of Every Moment Holy for my review. I heartily recommend this fine resource for your church and/or for your individual use.

Click here to purchase your own copy of Every Moment Holy from Rabbit Room Press.

Image Credit: Doug McKelvey

[Haley Stricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of liturgies has been one of my greatest companions of 2021. From morning coffee to arriving at the ocean to setting up the Christmas tree, it has put language to the sacredness of everyday life and given me words in moments when I had none.

[Cheyenne Langevelde · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful, convicting, and encouraging liturgical books I've ever read, especially from the modern age. Highly recommend it to anyone!

I also may have ordered volume two upon finishing this one.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toll! Wärmste Empfehlung. Ästhetisch in jeder Hinsicht pleasing. Außer dass es an manchen Stellen ein bisschen weniger reformierte Theologie sein könnte.

[Clara Biesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I apparently forgot to put this on my goodreads a couple months ago when I read it. It's gorgeous. If you are looking for liturgies for everyday things, this is a lovely collection.