Joe Wright's 1996 Prayer in the Kansas State Legislature

Recently, a friend sent me one of those "pass it around" emails. If they come from people I know, I still read these, even though I rarely pass them on. This one stirred me up a bit, but it seemed familiar so I checked it out on Snopes (the link is above for your own reference). Snopes gave a nice history of the piece, including some corrections to the internet version. The thing that raised hackles about this prayer on both sides of the house and from the public is that Mr. Wright (by the way, he did not author this prayer) called the government to task directly for many sins that we know have some truth, but rarely dare to mention. The prayer also raised the age old question of whether religion and politics should be one and the same, or separate by their very nature. I have a view on this and I wrote about it before I consulted Snopes. Even though the article was not timely, the subject remains forever in question.

Please click on the link provided for the true text of the prayer and the internet version, as quoted by Snopes, originally written by Bob Russell for the Kentucky Governor's prayer breakfast in Frankfort, Kentucky. Here are my thoughts as written to my friend.

I thought you might like to see this. I believe the minister was earnest in his supplication, but I have to add (those of you who know me won’t be surprised) that all welfare is not due to laziness and a few other issues are more complicated than they would appear in the prayer. The bible is very explicit in telling us to take care of widows, children and anyone who thirsts. That said, I strongly believe that it’s a wake up call for responsible, thoughtful legislative actions by our elected officials. Much of the responsibility for what we get in a legislative body has to do with apathetic or uninformed voters (non-voters). I often feel like one myself, as it is very difficult in a system as large as ours to see through the gloss of campaigns and into the heart of the candidate for intent. I have also been guilty of not voting for lack of knowledge of the candidates, especially locally.

Our government needs prayer. We the people are the ones who should be praying for that body fervently, for their actions permeate almost every aspect of our lives. I believe in electing leaders with strong values who believe in God and practice their faith. I do not believe that religion can be successfully incorporated into legislation, nor do I believe it should be. If it were, would we have a Catholic government, perhaps Jewish or Evangelical, maybe Morman or Muslem? How would the Southern Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians fare under Catholic rule. Would the new Protestants be treated as severely as history shows us they were in the past? Would women be allowed as leaders? You see the point even if you don’t agree. Religion and government do not mix well. If you do not believe this, at least take a little time and look at the example of the Middle East, where all governments are headed by religious icons who believe they are doing the work of God. However, God does belong in government and I believe he intervenes at His own will according to His own purposes and at the supplication of those who pray for guidance.

We are guilty before God as a nation, as a people and as individuals of shutting our eyes to the agony of the downtrodden, to the hunger of our own children, to the abuse of foreign nationals in our country without regard for their humanity, to blindly polluting our earth, to sending young men and women into war without full disclosure and verification of the necessity or exploration of any alternative. We call war by lesser names to soften the impact of our actions as thousands die for what purpose? How will this make us a better, safer nation? We turn a shameful blind eye to the health care of our citizens even though we control the majority of the world’s wealth. We are guilty of arrogance in our daily lives, believing that we are better, stronger and smarter than the rest of the world. Our judicial system is prejudiced and the scales of justice are not the same according to offenses, but are weighted with race, position in life and one’s ability to pay for adequate representation. Those who are imprisoned are largely forgotten in overcrowded facilities. Many who deserve imprisonment are released on technicalities without regard for the public good. What do these “errors and omissions” say about our stewardship of God’s gifts?

I love this country and I don’t believe I would choose to live anywhere else in the world. With all of its faults, real and perceived, the privilege of being here is something I thank God for every day. I look at my surroundings, my life, my family, my church and I wonder at how I have come to be in this place at this time, when so many suffer so much. I have all the clothing I need, I drive my car to church, lunch with friends, socialize in ways that interest me. I have technology at hand for my convenience…phones, computers, a garage door I don’t have to lift, video conferencing software so I can see my grandchildren in another state without traveling. My local grocery store is filled with wonderful, healthy things to nourish my body. When I have a health problem, I call the doctor or the dentist and make an appointment. I have a good road to travel and police to protect me. I can plan a holiday away from home and go there without passing armed guards at checkpoints along the road. Still, I fear that the day may come when we are defending our lives on our own ground because of the state of the world and our part in it.

Without our governments, state and federal, many of these things would be impossible. Without God, all of them would be impossible. I don’t have the answers, but God knew them before there was light in the sky. The only way that we can raise our heads and look into the eyes of the world with a clear conscience is to act daily with responsible thoughtfulness that reaches beyond the religious and political and directly to those who are affected by our action. Individually, we can not carry the burden of the world but with collective cognizance the world can become less of a burden and more of a joy. Pray for guidance, know what you are voting for and who it affects, donate your unused goods, give generously, pay your taxes, recycle, work hard for the privileges you enjoy, speak to someone with compassion every day, acknowledge the unfairness that exists, be engaged in your life, write your congressman or vote him/her out if it’s necessary, teach your children by example and live a life that you are never ashamed to share. When you fail, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up and try again. If someone around you fails, hold out your hand and pull them up. Forgive.

As difficult as partisan politics may be, consider the immense difficulty in advancing social policy with the added nuance of sectarianism. I shudder to think of it.

We are truly in the infancy of greatness as a nation and with the grace of God and objective leadership that greatness will be our legacy. Think carefully before you embrace an ideal for your own and clear your mind of Republicans, Democrats and those who would use God to justify their own point of view or worse, to wage war. You will know what is right.

May God bless and keep us all in His grace now and forever.

Paula

A Special New Year - 2007

When I woke up and looked outside this morning, my world was pretty much the same. This world that we all share had a birthday yesterday though, and I am big on celebrating birthdays. There are so many opportunities in the ritual of celebration; giving thanks for blessings present and past, sharing with family and friends, reminescing about the past, planning for the future, thinking about how you can affect change or achieve dreams. I think of these celebrations as being a lot like bookmarks for your life...marking your place in life, but serving the higher purpose of moving you forward toward another rewarding chapter.

2007 is special for me because I will turn 60 this year. What an awsome number! I was born in March of 1947, an early baby boomer. So I am among the first of this classified generation to see retirement, maybe one of the last who will receive at least some Social Security benefits, maybe. I remember listening to comics being read on the radio as a small child, watching Eisenhower's innaugaration on our first TV with my parents when I was about 5, being scared of the cold war politics and chaos in the Bay of Pigs in Jr. High, getting a transistor radio (the big thing) for Christmas, watching in horror as John F. Kennedy was shot and crying in sympathy when his brother Bobby met the same end. I experienced a turn to cynicism in my political views during the Viet Nam war, confirmed by Watergate and never fully repaired by succeeding presidents.

I gave up my bra, wore my hair long, grew a garden and ate a lot of brown rice in the late 60's and early 70's. I experimented in my religious convictions, leaned toward buddhism for many years and found my way back to the arms of the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ. I moved through generations of music, through the radio and a small phonograph that played 45's (anyone remember those?), a piano my parents made payments on for at least 10 years, and a progression of hi-fi, radio and stereo equipment that would fill a room if I still had all of it. My first 45's were Gene Autry singing cowboy songs, then Fats Domino belting out Blueberry Hill and the progression never ended. I now have a collection of about 1000 CD's and listen constantly to Rhapsody on my computer.

I watched intently as Armstrong, Young and Aldren sent video back from the moon. The NASA site is still one of my favorites for video...there is such perspective on the fragility of life and our small part in it when you view it from space, but I'm not beyond enjoying a laugh on UTube. I've graduated from Roy Rogers and Perry Mason on television to CSI, Forensic Files and a constant perusing of CNN and MSNBC on TV and the internet. I've learned to block commercial content by taping and watching later. I own a cell phone and a PDA with GPS and can counterspeak in corporate acronyms when necessary. My ancillary hard drive is bigger than the one in my CPU. I still don't know Jack about how we get in or out of the messes we are in, like Iraq, which will in my humble opinion never be "solved" by our current strategy. Also, I think if you shoot at each other, the word for it is war. Refinements are an insult to those who have to endure the process.

I graduated through the steps of current technology starting with an antiquated Remington typewriter (even then), graduated to electric models, add punch tape technology for bookkeeping, mag card and IBM punch card feeds, bookkeeping machines the size of a small room, huge roomsized mainframe computers , personal computers with no more memory than the dashboard in your car and now the evolution of the internet and almost instant access to anything you want anytime you want it. I suffered through DOS queries and calling people up on the phone to find out why the internet didn't work. I survived all of these little steps in life and lived through the loss of my first husband when I was 23, a divorce when I was 38, the loss of my dear younger brother Jack to AIDS when I was 45...he was 35, the passing of both of my parents at ages too young to be taken, and too many personal trials to fit this space.

I also gained the world I live in now, which would not have been possible without the past. I raised four beautiful children who are the core of my heart and mean everything to me. I now have 5 grandchilren and 3 step-grandchildren. I've remarried to a wonderful husband that I met on the internet in 1995 and married in 1996. Our 11th anniversary will be April 27, 2007. We were a rarity (the way we met) at the time and now you hear of internet romances daily. I like to think of us as pioneers in that way, instead of dinosaurs. Love lives on though and I am thankful everyday for him and my family. I am happy in my life except for things that I can not change and I have learned to live with those in the best way possible, day to day.

Fortunate is a word that does not fully describe how I feel at this juncture in my life. I am constantly aware not only of my own blessings, but of the roots and circumstances I came from and the knowledge that there are countless numbers of people who still have no opportunity for the privileges I enjoy or the simple basics that sustain life. This is not a problem I can solve individually, but I believe in Mother Theresa's words "If you can't feed many, feed one." With that in mind, I do what I can to help one day at a time. I also believe in the responsibility of stewardship for the gifts and accomplishments that are a part of our lives. This year, I will write more about stewardship and appreciation and about paying attention to this moment, which can never be recovered once it is past.

With that thought I will close for today, so that I can make the best use of THIS moment and get ready for a dentist appointment.

God bless and keep you throughout the new year!

Paula

Family Pics from our trip.

Addison and Peyton, about 1 week old.








Awake!











My grandaughter, Amber Hewitt, who will turn 20 Nov 9. We were privileged to have her visiting with us while we were in Colorado. She was a big help and it was great to see her. The twins are her new little cousins.


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