Doug McKelvey on Rites of Passage and the Sacredness of Ordinary Life

The Russell Moore Show

Russell Moore

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every Moment Holy author Douglas McKelvey on writing prayers for the moments both sacred and mundane. Watch the video of this episode on YouTube here. There are moments in life when something significant is happening, but we don’t quite know how to mark it. Not a wedding, not a funeral—just one of those in-between spaces when we feel that words ought to be said but don’t know how to say them. In this episode, Russell Moore talks with writer and liturgist Douglas McKelvey about the Every Moment Holy series of prayers and the newest volume focused on marking the unique experiences of young adulthood in the new book of prayers, Rites of Passage. Their conversation explores why people often need help finding words for prayer in the most human experiences: grief over a beloved pet, awkward encounters with a former relationship, the anxiety of measuring oneself against impossible standards, or the transitions of young adulthood. McKelvey reflects on the long process of writing these prayers and the sobering responsibility of crafting words that others might speak to God in their most vulnerable moments. They also talk about the unique pressures facing emerging adults today and why the church must learn again how to shepherd people through these seasons. Drawing from the Psalms and the rhythms of historic Christian prayer, McKelvey argues that liturgy doesn’t remove pain or uncertainty. Instead, it helps people remember a deeper truth: that God is present in every moment, even when we don’t yet see how the story will resolve. Resources mentioned in this episode: Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage The Every Moment Holy project Keep up with Russell: Sign up for the weekly newsletter where Russell shares thoughtful takes on big questions, offers a Christian perspective on life, and recommends books and music he's enjoying. Submit a question for the show at questions@russellmoore.com Subscribe to the Christianity Today Magazine: Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This paid message is from Bible Studies for Life, a weekly group curriculum from Lifeway.
0:06.3	Beginning this fall, each weekly session will encourage participants to experience life through a biblical lens,
0:12.4	basing every thought, attitude, and action on the truth of God's word.
0:16.6	From Sunday to every day, you can see biblically and live faithfully.
0:21.0	And right now, you can preview three free sessions at Bible Studies for Life.com
0:25.8	slash adults.
0:31.7	With a prayer, you are putting words to their creator in someone else's mouth.
0:38.8	And there is something more sobering about that.
0:43.8	Hello, this is Russell Moore, and this is the Russell Moore show, brought to you by Christianity Today.
0:49.4	Here, we look for signposts in a strange time by standing fast to what really matters, kingdom
0:56.4	over culture wars, truth over tribalism, pilgrimage over partisanship, sanity over cynicism,
1:03.3	witness over winning, and Christ over everything.
1:06.6	Today we have a conversation to do just that.
1:19.7	About a year and a half ago, our dog Waylon, named after Waylon Jennings, died.
1:25.5	And we were going to have all the kids together to bury him.
1:31.0	And one of the things that I realized is we can't just bury him without saying something. And yet, I felt a little unmoored here with a funeral for a dog,
1:39.7	not knowing what to say. But what I did was, I thought, you know what, I'll bet that in one of my
1:48.3	copies of one of the volumes of every moment, holy, there is a liturgy for just such a moment. And there
1:54.5	was. And so one of the things that we did was to read together this, King creation here was your good creature here was your good
2:05.6	creature o lord pondered and called to life by your own compassionate design here was your good creature
2:12.3	and here were the spaces and the days we shared enjoying the glad company and cheerful fellowship of a fellow creature.
2:20.4	We made room in our lives, room in our home, room in our hearts to welcome your unique
	...

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