What is Forward Day by Day?
Forward Day by Day offers a brief daily devotion based on scripture readings. It also includes a suggested action based on each day’s meditation, along with a suggested focus for prayer. Forward Day by Day has been published since 1935, though the format has been updated over the decades.
Who writes the meditations each day?
We invite authors to write a month’s worth of meditations, so over the course of the year, you will savor the writing of twelve different people. We strive to offer diversity of age, culture, race, and so on. Both lay people and clergy write. Most are Episcopalians, but some authors belong to other Christian traditions. You can learn about this month’s author by visiting our About the Author page online.
Can I become an author for Forward Day by Day?
We are always looking for new voices to invite as authors for Forward Day by Day. If you are interested in writing, visit our Writer’s Guidelines page, where we offer instructions for submitting sample meditations.
Who publishes Forward Day by Day?
Forward Day by Day is published by Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church. Forward Movement’s mission is to inspire disciples and empower evangelists, and we do this work by offering Forward Day by Day, books, pamphlets, courses, conference, apps, and digital tools. Forward Movement is a self-sustaining non-profit based in Cincinnati, OH. We rely on sales and donations to fund our ministry.
Is Forward Day by Day published in other languages?
Yes, we also publish in Spanish as Adelante día a día.
How do I subscribe?
You can receive our print publication, either in regular print or large print. There is also an email subscription if you prefer that. Visit our Subscription page to order your subscription.
What about my church?
Many churches receive bulk subscriptions to Forward Day by Day. We refer to these as standing orders, as they automatically ship each quarter. No need to renew as long as the bill is paid! These are offered at discounts from the individual subscription price, beginning with 10 copies. Your church can order any quantity at 10 or more. We have some orders well over 1,000 copies!
Can I get a gift subscription for a friend?
Yes, just visit our Subscription page to start the subscription.
What if I want to cancel my subscription or change my address?
Contact our friendly customer service team by phone (800-543-1813) or email to make changes to your subscription.
I’m an individual subscriber, and I haven’t received the latest issue yet. What do I do?
Sometimes items are lost or delayed in the mail. If you do not receive Forward Day by Day on time, you can contact us and ask us to reship your copy. We will be glad to receive requests starting one week before the date of a new issue. For example, if you haven’t received your November issue by October 24, please contact us by phone (800-543-1813) or email.
I’ve received my regular print standing order (i.e. bulk subscription). When will my large print arrive?
It’s really hard to predict when shipments will arrive. The regular and large print standing orders are prepared at similar times and typically enter the mail stream within days of each other. Our goal is always for their delivery to happen early in the month preceding the start of the new issue. For example, we strive for the November issue to arrive in early October. If your standing order has not arrived 7-10 days before the start of an issue, please contact us by phone (800-543-11813) or email to request a reshipment so that you have the booklets before the issue begins.
I want to change my standing order (bulk subscription) quantity online. Where do I find that?
All changes to standing orders can be made with our customer service team. And we will be able to tell you in just which issue the changes will apply. Just call or email!
Can I read Forward Day by Day online?
Yes, we post the meditation on our website each day. It’s also posted on Facebook (in English and in Spanish) and Twitter, which we encourage you to follow.
Is there an email?
Yes, you can subscribe here to receive the meditation in your inbox each morning.
Can I listen?
Yes, we offer the Forward Day by Day Podcast on all your favorite podcasting services. The podcast is released at 12:00 a.m. (ET) each day so it’s ready for you when you wake up. Every podcast listening service (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.) is slightly different with unique settings that give you flexibility in how you listen. We only control the content and the timing of the release, and unfortunately don’t have influence on your devices personal settings. Explore these settings on your device or contact their customer support to help you always listen to the latest episode, even if you miss a day, or chose to start with all un-played episodes. These settings also let you control the speed of playback if you’d like to speed up or slow down the readings, among other features to get the most out of your listening experience.
Is there an app?
Yes, you can read Forward Day by Day on our app for Apple or Android. The app also includes daily prayers, the assigned scripture readings, and other resources for prayer.
What about ebooks?
We publish each quarter’s issue as a Kindle book on the Amazon store.
What about Braille?
Written in Braille grade 2, this edition is sent free to any person who is visually impaired. Requests can be made by phone at 800-543-1813 or by email.
How do you choose the scripture readings for each day?
The scripture readings for Sundays, Holy Days, Holy Week, and Easter Week are appointed by the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a three-year cycle of scripture readings used by the Episcopal Church and most mainline Protestant denominations. This lectionary follows the seasons of the church year and includes the major feast days. The weekday scripture readings are from the Daily Office, a service of daily prayers found in The Book of Common Prayer. Both the RCL and the Daily Office lectionary can be found in editions of The Book of Common Prayer that were published after 2007, pp. 889-1001 or on our website.
How do you choose the scripture or psalm passage printed at the top of the page?
The authors who write the meditations for Forward Day by Day select a passage from the readings for the day to highlight and reflect upon. Occasionally the author chooses to use a Daily Office passage on a Sunday or holy day instead of a reading from the RCL. We note this at the end of their meditation.
What are the sources for the scripture readings?
The psalms listed are from the Psalter in The Book of Common Prayer, because that is the source cited by both the Episcopal RCL and the Daily Office lectionary. The numbering of the psalm verses in the Psalter sometimes differs from the numbering used in most Bibles (regardless of which translation of the Bible you are using). The wording of the psalms in The Book of Common Prayer will also be somewhat different from the wording of the Bible you are using, just as wording for all scripture varies in different versions of the Bible. The important thing is that regardless of numbering and wording, the meaning is the same.
Occasionally a canticle is listed as one of the scripture readings. The canticles are found in The Book of Common Prayer, pages 47-53 and 85-96, and are numbered 1 through 21. Most of the canticles are drawn from scripture; if space allows, in the scripture listing at the top of the page in Forward Day by Day we cite the biblical reference as well as the canticle number from The Book of Common Prayer.
The Old and New Testament passages in Forward Day by Day are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. If an author wants to use the particular wording from another translation, the abbreviation for that version is indicated in parentheses after the passage. Some commonly used translations: (KJV) means King James Version; (RSV) means Revised Standard Version; (NIV) means New International Version; (CEB) means Common English Bible.
What do the asterisks, brackets, and parentheses in the scripture listings mean? The weekday readings from the Daily Office lectionary include psalms for both morning and evening prayer; an asterisk is used to separate these. Brackets indicate psalms that may be omitted. Parentheses indicate verses that may be omitted from a psalm or Bible reading.
For the Sundays between the Day of Pentecost and First Sunday of Advent, the RCL offers two tracks of Old Testament readings; both tracks are listed are listed, separated by "-OR-."
For more information, please see p. 888 and p. 934 in The Book of Common Prayer.
Your scripture listing includes a book that’s not in my Bible. What’s up?
Every now and then, our assigned readings include books from the Apocrypha. These books might include Tobit, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus or Sirach, or some other books. The Apocrypha is a set of books in the Bible, written in the time between when the Old Testament was completed, and the New Testament begun. While many Protestant traditions do not consider these to have the authority of scripture, other Christians, especially Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox traditions, receive the Apocrypha with full authority.
We Anglicans take a typically middle way. We consider the Apocrypha to be scriptural, and our daily and Sunday lectionaries contain readings from the Apocrypha. However, the traditional Anglican teaching is that doctrine cannot be learned from the Apocrypha alone.
If you want to read these books, you can buy a Bible that’s “Catholic” or “Orthodox” or just read the Bible online. Bible Gateway is a wonderful place to read the Bible, and this link will take you to the NRSV version of the Bible that we usually use.
How do you decide which saints to list?
In addition to major feast days (sometimes called red letter days), Forward Day by Day lists the saints’ days found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts as revised in 2018. Lesser Feasts and Fasts, available for free download, has more information on the saints. We use the Daily Office readings unless the saints’ day is a major feast.
Where can I find official copies of Episcopal liturgical and prayer resources?
The Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision has created a handy web page with links to all of the current officially authorized materials, including links to free downloads or places to purchase resources.
How do you decide who to pray for each day?
We follow the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, created by the Anglican Communion Office in England to pray for every diocese and province in the Anglican Communion over a two-year period.
I would like to use material from Forward Day by Day on my website, in a book, or in a church newsletter. May I?
Forward Day by Day is protected by copyright law, and you will need permission to reproduce material from Forward Day by Day or other products of Forward Movement. In many cases, we will give free permission for non-commercial use, but you are required to obtain permission in advance of using material, and you are required to display the appropriate copyright notice. You can learn more on our website.