HopeFrom Nov 29
Hope while we wait
God, let me stay awake to you while I wait, and let my longing be seen.
A free prayer app for your phone
Welcome to Sacred Seasons
Grounding us in the times that shape us.
Sacred Seasons is a free app for iPhone and Android that helps you pray through the seasons of the church year. Each day it offers one short time of prayer with Scripture and silence, guided by spiritual director Rev. Dr. Julene Tegerstrand. Our first season is Advent, from November 29 to Christmas Eve. Five minutes a day is enough.
Advent begins Sunday, November 29
Free, with no ads and no account. Download it, open it, and begin.
The season
What is Advent?
Advent means "coming." It's the four weeks before Christmas, when Christians get ready to welcome Jesus. We remember the long wait for his birth. We watch for the ways Christ comes to us now. And we hope for the day he will make all things new.
Each Sunday, one more candle is lit on the wreath. You don't need to know any of this to begin. Come as you are.
PeaceFrom Dec 6
Peace that starts small
God, let me hear you speak tenderly to me, and show me one road to clear for your coming.
JoyFrom Dec 13
Joy through tears
God, let me receive joy as your gift without forcing it, and let me know who I am before I know what I do.
LoveFrom Dec 20
Love that says yes
God, let me say my own yes with Mary, freely and with my questions intact.
Each week has a grace to pray for. These are the four graces of Advent 2026.
How it works
One invitation each day
Open the app and today's prayer is waiting. You never have to wonder where to start or what to pray.
Sunday to Wednesday
Pray with Scripture
Lectio Divina, or sacred reading. A short passage, read slowly a few times, with room for silence in between.
Thursday to Saturday
A simple practice
A breath prayer, a walk, a moment of noticing. Small ways to carry the week's Scripture into ordinary life.
Whenever you'd like more
Go deeper
Each week has other practices to pray on your own, to listen to, or to lead with a group.
Two ways to pray
Read along, or listen
Pray step by step
Move through the prayer on your screen at your own pace. The silences are held for you, and there's no music unless you want a soft tone.
Listen with Dr. Julene
Put the phone in your pocket and be guided by her voice, with the silences kept, a bell at each change, and original music for each week. Good for a walk, the car, or your favorite chair.
No hurry
Made for slowing down
There's nothing to keep up with. If you miss a day, begin again with today. Prayer isn't something you can fall behind on.
- The app doesn't keep streaks or scores
- Silence by default
- Large text you can make larger
- A daily reminder, only if you'd like one
- A private journal, and you can speak instead of type
- At Christmas, keep a copy of your whole Advent
Pray for someone
Send a card to a friend
Hold someone in prayer, then let them know. Sacred Seasons makes a small card with a line of Scripture and a drawing, like Thurman and King or an Advent candle. Add their name and a few words, then send it by text or email, or post it on Instagram or Facebook.
There are cards for the hard parts of the season too: grief, long nights, and being worn out, along with its joys.
For groups and leaders
Lead Advent together
Pray through the season with your church, small group, or family. Every practice has a leader's guide with simple steps and questions, and there's a printable booklet, Leading Advent Together, to share or print.
Leading others can leave little room for your own soul. The leaders' pages begin with you: a word of care for the person leading.
Who made this
Rev. Dr. Julene Tegerstrand
Rev. Dr. Julene Tegerstrand is a spiritual director, peace educator, and co-founder of Everyday Peacemaking. She helps individuals and communities cultivate deeper self-awareness, navigate conflict, and build relationships across differences.
As an adjunct professor, she teaches spiritual formation and conflict transformation, bringing contemplative practices into conversation with the challenges of leadership and everyday life. She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University and a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary. She writes at Human is a Verb on Substack.
Dr. Julene believes human flourishing grows where a deep soul life meets a deep relational life. Our inner lives and our outer lives are connected. The challenges we face together today can't be met well in community without people whose inner lives are mature. In her words, “If you want to save the world, start with your own soul.”
Dr. Julene and her beloved husband, Dr. Steve Tumolo, have been married for a decade. They met in a class on dialogue and have been practicing dialogue together, and helping others practice it, ever since. In 2025 they co-founded Everyday Peacemaking, where they accompany organizations and leaders in the hard work of conflict transformation. They live in the shore community of Hull, Massachusetts, with their two cats, Thurman and King.
Why Thurman and King
The two cats you'll meet in the app carry names Dr. Julene holds with deep respect: Dr. Howard Thurman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She named them in the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, while writing her dissertation on contemplative spirituality and conflict transformation.
Dr. Thurman was a mentor and spiritual counsel to Dr. King, and urged him to rest. Prayer and justice, rest and courage, belong together. So when Thurman and King curl up in the app, remember what these two men taught: slow down, listen for the genuine, rest, and then rise to love your neighbor.
One app for the seasons
Advent is our first season
The Sacred Seasons mark is a St. Brigid's cross, woven of rushes and hung for blessing through the year. Each arm is a season of the Christian year. Lent comes next, in the same app, with nothing new to download.
Advent Christmas and Easter Lent Ordinary Time
Human is a Verb
Dr. Julene's Substack for people grounded in the Christian tradition who are learning to meet conflict from their deeper, wiser self. Her hope is that who you are in prayer and who you are in conflict would, over time, become the same person. New posts come on Wednesdays, and you can subscribe for free.