"The faith that assures me that creation and history are in God's hands and these hands transform death into life, hatred into forgiveness and darkness into life — this gives me hope. The faith that makes me see how people truly cooperate with God's action in the world through sincere love gives me hope."

Standing before 300 people who work for LGBT acceptance in their Christian churches, Mark Bowman opened the "Rolling the Stone Away" conference to remember the history of the LGBT movement and to look toward future needs. I had addressed other Christian churches occasionally, but most of my four decades in LGBT ministry was spent in Catholic circles. I had read about others who moved their denominations forward but had personally met very few.

Holy Cross Sr. Betsy Devasia has been working for the empowerment of women in northeastern India for nearly two decades. She began with economically poor neighbors of her convent in Guwahati, a major city in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. She then focused on school dropouts. She also reached out to widows, who face social discrimination. Today, hundreds of people have found a better life because of her service with the Women's Development Centre.

"As each day offers us a new beginning, may we graciously accept the invitation to live well. Remind us of the miracle of each moment and fan the fires of love and life in our being. Let your creative spirit foster hope in adversity and give new life to what is tired or torrid in our lives and world."

GSR Today - I'd like to start the new year off by looking back at the old one. For the third year in a row, I have compiled a list of 10 noteworthy stories (in no particular order) for you to revisit or to read for the first time. We have some really great ideas up our sleeves for 2018. We can't wait to journey through this new year with you!

"If we are to be artisans of peace, our social context is our canvas, and our actions, responses and choices are our brush strokes. I don't know about you, but most of my opportunities for growing in nonviolence present themselves close to home — friends, family, coworkers, you name it."

As Pope Francis reminds the world to pray for peace on Jan. 1, Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe hopes the message of the women of northern Uganda will reach forgotten corners of the world where conflicts are just beginning to fade and wounds are still fresh. Nyirumbe is overseeing the creation of the Transformative Peace Education curriculum, part of a partnership with the University of Oklahoma that gives survivors, not academics, responsibility for designing the program.

For the last few years, I've spent the days leading up to the new year in the cozy confines of a retreat center in western Massachusetts. While friends send text messages about New Year's Eve, I share silence with a group taking a prayerful pause at year's end. In silent, guided reflection there is the invitation to reflect on all that has been, to pray for all that will be, and to bless the time we have.

See for Yourself - At a friend’s early New Year’s Eve party, I ended up in an enlightening conversation with another party-goer near the veggie dip.