My politics is not my faith. But one facet of individual philosophy cannot be in conflict with another and there be any peace in the soul.With that in mind, these are the words of invocation for the Diamond Bar Republican Women January, 2009 General Meeting
Almighty God, our Father, We thank you for blessings seen- the majesty of the landscape, the beauty of the natural world, our servers. We thank You for the unseen blessings in this room. For the friendship, inspiration and learning that we will share in.
We thank you to live in a land where it is more abundantly evident than ever that we can aspire to great accomplishment and not be stopped because of the race or gender in which our soul is clothed in.
Those of us who were so fortunate, we thank You especially for having known Grace and Dexter MacBride. Loosing someone as dear as his amazing Grace cannot be easy for Dexter and their family. Grant them peace.God, we beseech You grant our elected and appointed leaders, in particular our new president, Barack Obama, as Reverend Rick Warren requested he be given in the Inaugural invocation, “ The wisdom to lead us with humility, The courage to lead us with integrity.”
Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all.
Lord, You know that many in this room did not vote for the new President. Grant us the wisdom to thread the needle of inevitable criticism with care, respect and love. Help us give clarity to our words and actions; especially when we practice our duty to debate. Let it be clear that our disagreements are honest, not gamesmanship and not born of ill- will towards our fellow citizens. Lead us to the words which will make clear our difference of opinion is born of our deepest values- the freedom and justice we all cherish. When the criticism is aimed towards us, help us hear what is said and react to the facts, not hurt feelings.
As this is the custom of my faith, I ask this in the name of the one who owns my life, Jesus Christ. Amen
Thank you to Photographer Gene Sasse http://genesasse.com/ for permission to use his 3 images in this post.
The finger-like land formation are part of the Tufa Formations in Mono Lake, near Mammoth Mountain, California. The sand dune is near Glamis, where the Algodones Sand Dunes are a popular off-road vehicle recreation area.
This is a great issue...
ReplyDeleteLydia,
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't been made official but I am going to lobby our President Barbara that we make you our official Chaplain! You do an outstanding job!
A few years ago someone in our club of another faith had a problem with the invocation being finished with the words "in Jesus name". Where were you then? You have hit upon the PERFECT way to end your prayer by saying "as is the custom of my faith....." however you put that, it is the perfect answer!
Thank you Lydia!
XO Trisha
Thank you. President Barbara offered the position and I accepted.
ReplyDeleteI respect that there are different faiths within the club- and I find the diversity healthy because it encourages the intellect to be active.
Perhaps it is that respect of others' faiths which allows me to mention my own faith without engendering fear that I would quash another's rights.
I have some regret that I did not take an active role in reaching out to that individual.Perhaps she was insecure in the footing of her own faith- which makes it difficult to properly express the concerns so they can be satisfactorily addressed.
That was a lovely invocation Lydia.
ReplyDeleteHow is your MIL doing now after the accident ?
Hi, Annie! Thank you for asking. My mother-in-law was allowed to go home 24 hours after the other person's car crossed over into her lane. She is sore. Really sore. But my brother-in-law built a lovely home for her next to theirs- his wife couldn't care for her better if it was her own mother. My husband's sister flew in from Wyoming. So she is getting the most loving care in the world. What more could we ask for in what could have been a horrific incident. Blessings-
ReplyDelete