Soulforce Prayer Warriors

[kara speltz]

During my morning prayer this morning I was thinking about the Equality Ride and I got an idea that I'd like to share. What if we created a Prayer Warriors group in this forum that would send prayers daily to the Equality Riders, starting with their first day of training, which I believe is March 1st, but I may be mistaken on that.

Are there other folks who would be interested in this. Perhaps we could pick a specific time to send those prayers, so that their is a multitude going up at the same time. We could decide to do specific prayers, or just what ever prayers we want to share, or even just our own separate prayers.

I know I so often forget that we are simply channels, and we can not do this work on our own. We don't have the resources. We need whatever it is we call our God, or source, or creator, or whatever word we might use.

As a possible prayer, I'll copy below the prayer that was written for the Catholic action a couple of years ago, with a bit of editing to remove the specifics of that vigil and prayer action. Are others interested? Kara

GRACIOUS CREATOR GOD:

Send your Spirit to guide us in all we do. We ask that that Spirit open the hearts and minds of those who would deny your children their rights, their love and even their lives.

Help us to step beyond the boundaries of our own fears, without judging those who still struggle with those boundaries. Fill us with the understanding that no two paths will be the same and let us celebrate that each person has their own distinct relationship with You.

Enable us to be a reflection of Your love in the world. Let it transform us and all who we come in contact with. Lead us as we continue to struggle to become, "the change we seek," and to commit our own lives to a simpler, more focused life, enveloped in, and empowered by, Your love.

We pray this in your many names. AMEN

[scott snedeker]

Great idea!

I will include them in my Reiki circle on Monday night!

[superhippy7890]

ohhh sounds great. I dinclude them during Shabbat.

[Daniel]

Kara- Great idea. Count me in. I'm usually doing my thing between 8:00-8:30.

I've been doing Tonglen practice- which is breathing in hurt, pain and suffering, and then breathing out blessing, peace and compassion/love. One starts with one's self, and then expands the practice to others- with the awareness that all who live seek joy and happiness and wish to avoid pain and suffering.

[Emproph]

Kara- Great idea. Count me in. I'm usually doing my thing between 8:00-8:30.And I'll take the 3-4 AM shift, that's usually when I'm "on."

[tpdncr4christ]

I'm in. I'd love to pray for them! <3

I'll even pray for the people they are visiting.

[Zerbie]

I'm in.I'll even pray for the people they are visiting.

That's the whole point. Spot-on dude!
:cool:

[scott snedeker]

Just got choked up!

what a privilege to be a part of today's movement!

[u-dog]

I'm in favor of praying generally and praying for these courageous young people in particular. Good idea Kara! Maybe we could pray for eight of them by name everyday. Could somebody split up the list and post their names and pix on the thread each morning? and also the school where they are at any given time? And if the riders have prayer requests they (or someone) could post them.

[kara speltz]

I'm in favor of praying generally and praying for these courageous young people in particular. Good idea Kara! Maybe we could pray for eight of them by name everyday. Could somebody split up the list and post their names and pix on the thread each morning? and also the school where they are at any given time? And if the riders have prayer requests they (or someone) could post them.

You've made some good suggestions, as to how we might do this. Let's see how many folks are interested, and perhaps we can arrange a conference call for those interested to work out the details. kara

[BenL]

Kara, count me in! :pray:

If someone needs a short blessing to send their way, here's one written by an Australian and used in the Uniting Church. It's called the Christmas blessing:

May the feet of God walk with you
and his hand hold you tight.
May the eye of God rest on you,
and his ear hear your cry.
May the smile of God be for you,
and his breath give you life.
May the Child of God grow in you,
and his love bring you home

BenL

[Sharone]

I'm in too. Always love an opportunity to pray.

[Joe Allen]

Several years ago, Mel told me that since I am on a fixed government pension which is at the poverty level according to the government, it is just as important to support Soulforce with my prayers.

[kara speltz]

;) I'm going to set up a conference call for folks who are interested in working on being prayer warriors specifically for the Equality Riders. Be sure to indicate your interest on this thread so I can follow up with any one who wants to become part of this particular prayer circle. I'll then follow up on Thursday or Friday, writing each of you privately about a specific date, time and how to join in the conference call. Kara

[scott snedeker]

Tonight I included them in my Reiki circle. Without knowing names I referred to "Those with the courage to make the world a kinder Place"

Tonight was a powerful circle with love, peace and harmony rippling intensely. My dream during reiki was in the color green. I dreamed of emerald green turtles eating green lotus. We looked up the meaning and it refer to new beginnings of love of self and others grounded in the earth, meaning that the new change will be lasting

4th Chakra: ANAHATA meaning ‘that which is ever new’
Commonly known as the heart centre
Location: at the centre of the chest
Colour: Emerald Green


Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth, renewal, and harmony. Green is the color of nature. It brings peace and harmony into our lives. It is the color of Healing and Hope, optimism, freedom, balance.

When this Chakra is blocked we experience emotional instability, and emotional problems in our relationships to other people. We may feel sorrow and loss which we can not get past.

Sounds like the Equality riders' mission!

Wow! I had no idea how directed tonight's circle was until I started referencing the symbols in my dream! This has got to be a universal interfaith phenomenon!

[Emproph]

Perhaps we could pick a specific time to send those prayers, so that their is a multitude going up at the same time. We could decide to do specific prayers, or just what ever prayers we want to share, or even just our own separate prayers.

I'll even pray for the people they are visiting. That's the whole point. Spot-on dude!
:cool:Along those lines I offer a couple of thoughts.

We should post on a daily basis – to this thread, or one like it – the schools being visited on that day. Obviously the prayer focus for these visits are endless, so perhaps we could have an option for both specific and overall prayer focus. Such as:

Specifically, any KNOWN problems/resistence on the part of the administration/students in regard to the visit.

And overall, a general prayer sentiment that anyone can pray – even possibly those who are vehemently opposed to us. (not that they would or should pray it, just that it would be something that wouldn't put us in an 'us vs them' mentality).

Something along the lines of “may communication and understanding happen in the best interest of all concerned.” Essentially, may God’s will be done. Much like the prayer you proposed Kara, but in soundbite form. That way everyone is invited to participate on whatever level/capacity they feel lead to.
Perhaps we could pick a specific time to send those prayers, so that their is a multitude going up at the same time.On that note (<I’m running out of sentence intro’s here.. :D), as far as specific timing goes, you (we/they) might even want to have one of the riders make it a point to post time-sensitive updates. Like when they will arrive at a certain place and/or meet with students/administration.

Not that prayer is contingent upon time but I know that the practicality of the imagery of a time-frame often helps me when praying for others in a specific situation.

And not to forget the basics; safe and smooth travel, food, lodging, and enough donations, etc., "Lord line the highway with angels" comes to mind.

Along those lines, we might even want to be a bit more lax with the "officialness" with which we post. Anytime a prayerful thought or concern comes to mind we could post it with the knowledge that it will be read by, and resonate within the minds of those 'prayer warriors' who read it. :pray:

[kara speltz]

Anyone interested in being on a conference call on Friday, March 2nd, please contact me for details at kara4peace@aol.com, by Thursday. We'll share ideas as to how we wish to create this prayer circle. Include what times on Friday are best for you and what time zone you are in. I'll send a note to everyone who contacts me giving them the specific information.

Lots of great ideas are coming up on this thread, so I'm excited about the possibilities.

Kara

[kara speltz]

U-dog, BenL, Jamie and I had a great conference call and came up with some excellent ideas. This week while the Riders are in training in Minneapolis, I'm asking that everyone remember to keep them in prayer.

In addition, if you are someone who likes to write prayers, we are asking people to create some prayers for the Riders as they travel these 7 weeks. You can send your prayers to me by private message, and we'll build a file so that we'll have a bunch to choose from. Do keep in mind that not all the Riders are Christian, although all the schools that we're visiting will be.

We'll be setting up a special thread where we'll pick 8 riders each week to keep in special prayer. While prayer is good any time of the day or night, we're recommending trying to set aside either/and 8am, 8pm, or 2am within your own time zone to remember to send prayers to both the Riders and to the students and faculty of the schools.

Thanks everyone. Kara

[kara speltz]

The Equality Ride training is now in its fourth day. Rev. Phil Lawson (long time civil rights hero and Soulforce Board member) flew into Minneapolis yesterday to assist with the training. What an exciting time this is for the Riders as they prepare to face this challenge. One of Ben's submitted prayers, seems particularly appropriate as our Riders train and so I'm submitting it below. Remember to keep them in prayer and to use this time to help promote this very historic and important journey. As Bono said the other evening at the NAACP awards. "This [ strive for justice] is not a burden, it is an adventure" let us take it together.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
- Attributed to St. Francis

[kara speltz]

Thought you'd like to read a bit of the Rider's blog on the training that our Riders are going through. As these courageous young people prepare for 7 weeks on the road, remember to keep them in prayer. Kara

In the afternoon, Phil Lawson and our co-directors lead us in a practical examination of how to use non-violence, especially under duress.

Talk about knowing your adversaries. At two-thirty in the morning, my whole body is still reeling from what I’ve seen and heard. Here are some excerpts:

1. The ex-gay movement’s description of members of our beloved community as living a ‘false image’ of masculinity and femininity prior to their involvement with ‘ex-gay’ ministries (as if a preference for football or shopping were coded in our genitals, as if a single, binary system for understanding gender performance has ever worked even for the heterosexuals these programs try to mold their clients after).

2. The image of Katie, our dear and courageous co-director, berating Shawn for being transgender and screaming a racial slur at one of her closest friends as a way of preparing us for the possibility of encountering emotionally violent opponents in the coming months. How awful it was to see my precious fellow workers mistreated. How awful it was to see Katie have to channel such hate through her body. How it was even harder to take on the role of the furious opponent myself, though the reason for doing so was solid: to try to connect with the humanity of a person spewing hate and understand how painful that side of the confrontation can be.

3. Visions of Diane Nash and her co-organizers being dragged from their chairs at 1960s Tennessee lunch counters and beaten.

4. Veteran civil-rights worker Reverend Phil Lawson’s warning us that the traditional Christian theology in which God sacrifices God’s only son for our sins may well validate violence as a way of solving problems.

Those are the highlights of a week’s worth of study accomplished in a day. All that’s left is to go to bed, grateful and tired. Blessed be. Emily Van Kley
Posted in 2007 Equality Ride: West

Here's a possible prayer for them:

1) It is easy for us to complain about the state of the world.
Help us want to transform ourselves and our civilization.
It is easy to point a finger or shake a fist at "those troublemakers."
May we recognize that we are the "they" we complain about.
It is easy enough to be enraged by injustice.
Show us how to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with You.
It is easy to be unhappy and fearful.
Lead us beyond our pain and into the light of love.
Amen

[Daniel]

From the Metta Sutra- a Buddhist scripture

May all beings be happy, content, and fulfilled,
May all beings be healed and whole.
May all have whatever they want and need.
May all be protected from harm, and free from fear.
May all beings enjoy inner peace and ease.
May all be awakened, liberated, and free.
May there be peace in this world, and throughout the entire universe.

[kara speltz]

Our Equality Riders had their sending service and you can see parts of it on their blog. As they leave Minneapolis, one bus heading West; one East, let us send them off with prayer and keep them in prayer daily as they carry our message of hope. Kara

O God, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose
presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel, especially our
Soulforce Equality Riders; surround them with your loving
care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their
journey's end; We pray this in your many names. Amen.

[u-dog]

The Equality Ride training is now in its fourth day. Rev. Phil Lawson (long time civil rights hero and Soulforce Board member) flew into Minneapolis yesterday to assist with the training. What an exciting time this is for the Riders as they prepare to face this challenge. One of Ben's submitted prayers, seems particularly appropriate as our Riders train and so I'm submitting it below. Remember to keep them in prayer and to use this time to help promote this very historic and important journey. As Bono said the other evening at the NAACP awards. "This [ strive for justice] is not a burden, it is an adventure" let us take it together.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
- Attributed to St. Francis

Pictured below are Jacob Reitan, founder of the ER; Alexey Bulokhov, Co-coordinator of the West Route; Haven Herrin, Co-coordinator of the West Route; Jarret Lucas Co-coordinator of the East Route; and Katie Higgins, Co-coordinator of the East Route.

Please keep them in prayer this week. We will be posting the pictures of eight different riders each week, four from East Route and four from the West Route.

http://www.soulforce.org/images/photo_albums/equality_ride_2007/prayer_week1.jpg

[kara speltz]

As our courageous Equality Riders take off on this amazing journey, I highly recommend you take 10 minutes to view the latest video blog. It will give you a real inside look at the sense of family that envelops these young people as they depart on their 7 week journey. It brought tears to my eyes, that's for sure. Let me just add a short reflection that was posted on the blog from one of our east bound riders as they enter Dordt College:

Daily Reflections:

Prayer: Lord, let me share you with another today!



"The price of peace is to abandon fear and replace it with faith - faith
that if we obey God's laws we will receive God's blessings. The price of
peace is to abandon hate and allow love to reign supreme in our hearts -
love for all our fellow human beings over the world. The price of peace is
to abandon arrogance and replace it with repentance and humility,
remembering that the way of peace is the way of love. The price of peace
is to abandon greed and replace it with giving, so that none will be
spiritually injured by having more than they need while others in the
world still have less than they need."
--Peace Pilgrim

[Jamie McDaniel]

For the duration of the 2007 Equality Ride, we've created a special forum for our prayers for the Riders and the students and administrators at the schools they are visiting. So I am directing everyone there now and closing this thread.

Equality Ride Prayers Forum (www.soulforce.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27)

There are two threads in the special forum. A main thread where the prayer leaders will make a weekly post. And a commentary thread for everyone to post.