Follow Up To The National Day Of Prayer

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I got asked at the EMF if I wanted to be part of the National Day of Prayer.  I said, “No.”  Sometime later I got this vision to do BREAD N’ JAM on The Word Shop deck.  The reason I called it BREAD N’ JAM was because one Sunday afternoon I was wishing I could go somewhere with my flute and just fall-in with praise music, and I decided if I ever created such a place/event I would call it BREAD N’ JAM.

I didn’t occur to me to tell the EMF National Day of Prayer organizer that I was doing this.  Instead I got the idea to make calling cards and hand them around to a few folk.  I proceeded to spend two or three hours messing with the graphic I stole off the internet for the cards.  In case you are wondering why I am not rich and famous, there is a heavy clue in the proceeding sentence.

One of the miracles of this event was that The Word Shop deck, which has been a junk repository for several years, got totally cleared off.  Sunnie put all the junk in a pile and Nick took it to the dump.  Then I bought a cool bench that turns into a half a picnic table at a flick of the wrist.  The deck looked pretty good.

It was raining on the morning of 5/5/05, but I had utter faith that it would clear by noon.  I grabbed a stack of towels to wipe down the chairs and bench; a goblet, a basket and some little plates for oil.  I went to Safeway for a bag of rolls, half n half, and wine.  Then I realized I had forgotten my Bible, so I went back home for it.  Yes, there ARE Bibles at The Word Shop, but it’s good to have at hand the sword you’re used to.

As people gathered, it became clear that not everyone had faith the rain would stop.  Doug wiped down the chairs.  Sunnie made coffee.  I dumped the bread in the basket, the oil in the plates and the wine in the goblet.  Ralph fiddled with his dulcimer.  At twelve sharp the main guitarist showed up and tried to get everyone to shut-up so she could tune. 

I insisted we go outside.  Doug wiped down the chairs again.  The music leader resisted.  I contemplated shooting her.  We finally were outside and singing.  Nick proclaimed 1 John 1:9.  We started singing “Almighty God” written by Jeff and Paula Towle, and the heavy mist thickened.  The second verse “cleanse our heart” felt suspiciously like a shower.  At the end of the song, I said, “uncle” and we filed back inside.

At this point the vision was to pray like a zoom camera; starting with the World, and then moving to the Nation, State, County, Community and Family.  Lovely little songs would be interspersed between each section.  Steven started out with a great world prayer afterwhich the vision disintegrated as some-people-went-on-too-long. It may come as a shock to those in the know, that for once the some-people-going-on-too-long WASN’T me. 

There were 12 crammed into the back room, or 4 men together with the women and children, as scripture would count it.  Episcopal, Roman, Anglican, Presbyterian, House Church, Foursquare, Reformed, and Christians-at-Large.  One or two Christans-at-Small as well. Songs were sung, prayer was prayed; some aloud and some in the quiet of hearts that couldn’t get a word in edgewise.  Afterwords, there was a kind of goofy glow.  Some people broke bread with each other.  Some were messing with instruments, or showing off art work, other folk wandered in, ate some bread or didn’t, brought flowers, drank coffee…

Personally, I’m still wondering about the rain.

Blessings,
Alliee +
http://www.companyofsaints.com

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