Prayer Shenanigans

I was reading the news today (Fox News), national news, not just local, and came across a bizarre story. City tax payers are seeing what their money goes toward in Vernon, Florida. The Holmes County Pee Wee Football Association is a private organization that has the players and coaches participate in a voluntary pregame prayer before each game. One of the coaches thinks this a violation of his son’s First Amendment right. The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law "respecting an establishment of religion", impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. I’m unaware of how this case will progress or what the outcome will be, nor is that the focal point of my concern. We’ve all heard cases of outrage and seen too much media attention paid to institutions and individuals battling over prayer, to a point where most people roll their eyes when reading the headlines. I know that I just smile and shake my head sometimes. Again, some people have great cases pro-prayer and some even have good anti-prayer arguments, but my mental appetite to critically think isn’t wetted by the politics behind the cases, but found at the core, within the entire ideology of prayer. Before allowing emotions, heritage, political or religious affiliation, or schools of thought to rule the day and away your opinion I’d ask first that a clear definition of prayer be established.

Simply, prayer is communication with a higher power, God.

Most recently I visited a catholic church for a wedding. The priest requests that everyone put their hands out towards the couple at the alter and pray with him. I like to do this sometimes in other settings, but I didn’t close my eyes and just looked around. I wasn’t the only one with that idea though. My friend standing…

…sitting…well, standing…no, now sitting…wait, now standing…my knees hurt now…sitting…now standing…

…you begin to think we sat and stood a lot right? If you’ve ever been to a Catholic Church service then you understand clearly what I am describing. I’m not bashing the Catholic Church either, there is some beauty to their traditions, but this is just an experience I had that helps me process this whole idea of prayer. Like I said, I wasn’t the only one who decided to keep my eyes open and look around. As I looked around my eyes met my friend’s who was sitting beside me. We shared a bewildered expression and went back to our observing. The priest was praying for this couple in a particularly odd fashion though. I suddenly began to think I may be dreaming or having some kind of uncanny hallucination because it seemed as if this wedding had become something right off the set of the hit series Glee! The priest was singing his prayer! I’d never experienced something like this before so out of discomfort laughter erupted as a natural reaction. I also noticed while we were “praying together” that my friend and I weren’t the only ones not caught up in a deeply intimate trance, but even the priest didn’t have his eyes shut. Have you ever tried to read with your eyes shut or closed? Unless reading brail I doubt that you could do it. There was an altar boy holding a huge book standing in front of the priest and the song/prayer he was singing was actually being read out of a book. This was a pretty long song/prayer so as I shifted arms to relieve shoulder fatigue I wondered if this was what prayer was meant to be.

A friend of mine was getting married and for his bachelor party we decided to do something simple that he’d enjoy; food and golf. After we’d, I should say they, finished 18 holes we met in the country club to discuss where we’d eat. I say they because I typically throw my clubs more than I actually hit the ball. Golf, to say the least, is not my game. We didn’t rent out the country club that day, so it was open to the public. We sat in the café of the country club and had finally come to a decision on where we’d feed our appetites. As I was standing to leave one man just broke out in prayer. As you can imagine, this was an awkward feeling, me standing and trying to go, while they are praying. In those circumstances it’s not worth being disruptive so I sat down and didn’t close my eyes, I just looked around. Here sits a large group of men in a public place praying to God loud and lengthy. I watched as people awkwardly try to walk through the room or would take a peak in to see what was going on and felt my forehead rise in temperature which is a sure sign of me turning as red as a beat. I wondered if causing discomfort to others in a public place was a good thing, I wondered if this is what prayer was meant to be.

I moved to Indianapolis to start a church so naturally my environment was very religious. I constantly found myself within groups of fellow religious people so my environment shaped me and defined what “normal” was, at the time. Praying was something we did not something that defined us as beings though. It was an outward expression. Years after being involved in that church community my life began to take different shape and head in another direction. No, I wasn’t losing my faith, just growing and being lead in other directions, down a different path than I had been on. My circles of friends changed as we did not all share common places any longer. I now live 30 to 45 minutes North of where I used to. I do not feel like making a living within the church organization any longer. Things have changed. Although circumstances and lifestyles have changed and time has passed I still value several people from my past experiences and circles so I try to keep in touch and occasionally hang out. I called one friend and asked when the next time we could get together was and his response threw me off a bit and has actually changed our relationship a bit. “Let’s make sure we are intentional in our time together, what can we pray about together?” Well, I actually had no intentions of praying with him, nor do I have anything specific in mind that we need to pray about. I envisioned having a little fun, throwing around a football or laughing or something less intimate than prayer. Then again, I wonder if the understanding of prayer is intimate. Is this what prayer is meant to be?

Recently one of the shows I enjoy had an interesting plot and storyline. One girl has a pretty religious family and now attends a non-Christian affiliated school, or as the rest of the world sees it, a public college. She has a big event that has the weight of extending or ending her scholarship coming up on a Saturday. Her mother tells her that they are getting together to pray that day and quite nastily says that she has to essentially pick between her college career/scholarship and meeting them to pray. The girl practically chooses the big event and keeps her scholarship. Her mother sees her choosing over God because she did not pray. This girl personified what I will eventually reduce all these experiences and stories to. At the time her family is praying together she goes away by herself away from the event temporarily and prays to God. Later she sees her family and says she has been praying to which her mother gives a nasty facial expression in response.

Going back to the most simplistic definition of prayer as being communicating with God what does all this mean? Why do news stories of football coaches opposing team prayer, golf outings turned prayer vigils, friends only wanting to pray together instead of play catch, and dramatic family dilemmas capture my attention and get the wheels turning in my mind? They all carry a uniquely unifying theme, people’s expressions and understandings of prayer.

Most I know who practice prayer or live a lifestyle of prayer would call themselves Christians. As Christians, people who believe Jesus is God’s son and offers us reconciliation back to God, the book in which knowledge of God/Jesus is found in the Bible. This is where my mind spins a bit and ponders where all this stuff came from. Jesus teaches many things to his followers, including prayer. I am of the belief that Jesus’ teachings are still relevant, applicable, and powerful today. I think they should be handled with care and should be interpreted historically, within context, understood scholarly, and applied gracefully. This is what Jesus had to say about prayer:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’(Matthew 6:5-13-NIV)”

A brief scan of this reveals several things to me about what Jesus taught about prayer, don’t do it for show, it is to be intimate and private, don’t be exhaustive in your words, acknowledge him as God, trust that he is in control, depend on him for guidance and forgiveness, and forgive others. I think that is pretty simple and can be worked out in simple ways. The culture in Jesus’ time of teaching was hyper religious and ultra-sensitive to opposition of respective religions. Sounds a lot like our culture don’t you think? I find it a bit baffling that of all the assumptions Christians make about themselves and the church one of the least made is that religion still looks a lot like the one Jesus stood against and called onto the carpet.

I’m not calling anyone’s expression of prayer evil or bad here. I’m not to judge anyone as I cannot maintain that capacity as flawed anyways. I do think that much of the hoopla surrounding prayer is misguided though. The complexity of what prayer has come to represent is actually simpler than many think. Maybe you have felt similar sentiments. Within small groups often times what takes the group well past the agreed upon ending time is prayer request time. You get this villain-like feeling as people pour their guts out as you watch the clock and become increasingly aggravated at the lack of punctuality. You play the game though, you sit there and listen as everyone around the room talks about what they need prayer for, which most of the time are genie-like wishes, and then it comes to you, or in my case me. “I’m fine,” I respond. This is not because I’m actually fine and have no needs or reasons to pray in my life, but more a statement of time awareness and difference in ideology. After the sharing session is over you all leave feeling like you are being prayed for. Maybe this hope is good for you, but realistically we all know and all are guilty of forgetting to pray for them or even remembering what their prayer request was. This is not to say praying for others is somehow not good or even something we should do. This is simply saying that the ideology behind prayer time and sharing space in groups like these typically is fruitless in the realm of actual prayer post-group. There are different ways people have done things in the past that help create authentic communities where prayer is actually very real and intimate, where members of the group actually go home and do it, but I’m just calling out the obvious and probably most frequently experienced case.

My question to the football association that prays publicly before each game is not the value of prayer; it is more the practice of public show. Does the priest actually believe that people are not thinking about what’s for dinner or the pain in their knees and shoulders form this sing-a-long prayer? Does the group of men in the middle of a public country club think about the people in the country club that may not hold the same belief? Is it so much to ask we reflect upon the teachings of Jesus to find the simplicity and beauty in all this? I think Jesus would say that prayer is a daily lifestyle and a private practice. Jesus actually spoke against those who publicly prayed and even said deep down they were truly putting on a show for others. Maybe something has been taught to you through heritage, political or religious affiliation, emotional dependence, or specific schools of thought that are more complicated than it needs to be. Maybe you are one of guys or gals not closing your eyes and feeling awkward while these prayer practices go on and feel it’s all so complicated. Accusations are not what I’m throwing around here and I only seek to lead or guide or challenge others to think about the reason you do what you do.

Simplicity is beautiful. It is not easy to unearth beneath layers upon layers of complication life, individuals, and institutions can bring. At the core their lies simple principles in which Jesus actually did pray for and teach that God intended for us to grasp. Maybe all the stuff is drowning out the essential idea; maybe simplicity is too complex right now. May you see the prayer for what Jesus taught. Simply be, simply live, and simply pray.

Justice Wanted?

What is justice?

The question reverberated in the back of psyche as my eyes explored written words on the screen in front of me. Indy Star reported today that the man, who is a suspect in the case of the Hovey Street Slayings, as they’ve come to be known, is expected to plead guilty to murdering 2 adults and 2 children back in 2008. I don’t think that I am above or better than our justice system so do not write with an arrogance or anger, more out of curiosity and self reflection. His partner in the botched robbery says that he watched Davis (Ronald) gun down the family. Not sure what the definition of botched robbery is exactly, but it implies a robbery gone wrong. Weed and cash were the focus of their breaking and entering at the time. My question lies beyond the robbery aspect of the case and more so how a man switches from desiring weed and cash to killing four innocent people, 2 mothers and 2 children under the age of 2. I can see maybe popping off and going out of control and shooting one person maybe, but the idea that he killed 4 people in the same moment is outrageous to me.

My candid response to hearing about the story is a thirst for blood and a craving for retributive death. My emotions are soon overridden by a logical sense and moral identity. The scene above is neighbors’ response to the slayings, leaving stuffed animals at the doorstep. The neighborhood and city were overwhelmed by this crime. Emotions surely ran and run high and mighty reacting to a certainly evil act. I have to wonder if many contributors of the huge display of stuffed animals ask themselves what justice is. Is it just for a man who admits guilt to receive lesser consequences? I suppose to biggest risk is not being able to prove beyond any doubt that Davis did murder these four lives and getting off with no consequences. Justice seems to be a large gamble in this capacity. Is it acceptable to allow this man to sit in prison, although rough, with a decent life? He will enjoy air conditioned facilities, balanced meals, a library, fitness facilities, and access to media. My emotions say that justice would be to cut his life short as he did the four victims, but my logic questions even that. I just sit here, speechless, looking at his picture wondering what justice is and depending on the definition, if it’s something I want in this case.

Beyond this case justice can be pondered in all aspects of life. Do we consider justice always or only when activated by emotions? When I reflect on my emotional speculation I would like to say I would consider justice free of emotional ignition. I’d like to think I would be an advocate of justice in my world and environment. Am I willing to consider justice daily and allow my thoughts to be more than written words? Is justice something I’m willing to do? I’d like to say yes, but cases like this make me reconsider what I even think justice is and if I want it.

God, Reese’s Pieces, and Malai Kofta

Revisiting similar experiences with a new perspective seemed to be the theme of the day. I sat in a very foreign place eating very foreign food. Naan, Vindaloo, Shahi Korma, Makhni, Malai Kofta, Kulfi, Gulab Jamun. I sat in a room with a friend who reminded me of something I was familiar yet uncomfortable with, a similar experience in ideology with a different application. Simplicity is beautiful for sure, yet overcomplicated, even within your own mind. Emotional experiences leave a lasting impression and finger print on our souls. I’m reading a book right now, Buyology, and in my most recent reading the author discusses how effective and ineffective certain advertising is. His example comes from E.T. The boy lures E.T. out of the woods behind his house with Reese’s Pieces candies. Soon after the movie this candy was everywhere and can even be found in theatres today. There were other brands advertised in this movie, but none quite as effective as Reese’s Pieces. Its effectiveness had much to do with the emotional connection it provided and how it made the product a part of the plot and experience in the movie. The product was in a very special moment in the movie thus our brains remember it the most, even though other products were advertised in the movie. Similar scenario with Coca-Cola and American Idol. Neither Ford or Cingular wireless had as close to a fraction of the success Coca-Cola had in its advertising because the product is involved in an emotional plot, an experience we, as viewers, remember, the judges giving feedback, with the brand sitting on their desks. I’m discovering brain science has a lot to do with our souls, which gives me renewed hope and encouragement.

Yes, my new fascination with brain science is heavily influenced by my culture, but is validating the fascination I once and somewhat still do with my faith and the church. My brother and I talked until around 2am two days before my wedding. He was telling me how it has been interesting to watch how much I’ve changed since moving to Indianapolis. His one area of concern was to not let my new fascination crowd out my old fascination. He said that he thinks it is very interesting that I’m into reading about the brain and such, but lamented that he worried I would allow that to overshadow my interest in my faith. I think his unease was well intended and timely for me to hear. Since returning to reality from my time off for the wedding and honeymoon I’ve been reflecting on my faith, reading more about brain science, and trying to allow my mind to process it all.

I hate Indian food. I tried it once when I first moved here and thought it was detestable. It all looks gross and the textures aren’t too pleasing. The only thing I like is the bread. I like Indian food. It was very flavorful and interesting. The only thing close to mediocre is the bread. It’s funny how things change. The latter was said in 2010, four years after the preceding unenthusiastic rant. It was a very similar experience; even the restaurant was the same as I tried previously, just in a different location. I was meeting friends that I knew through my church in both settings. I discussed faith in both settings. The experiences were very similar yet converse in their applicable comprehensions.

“Remember, same thing Adam, just a different experience this time, for a different reason.” These words inspired my mind to organize and my hands to write again. A friend says it as I leave after we have lunch together. I’ve wrestled with my faith since I had it. Early in my faith I was zealous, all about doing, doing things for the church, acts of faith, works, and very much sold that the organized church as I experienced and was involved in was the entire point of it all. I worked tirelessly to do ministry, study the bible, and explore my faith. 4, almost 5, years later I find myself in a very different world, even though my experiences are similar. Now I sit in an Indian restaurant, enjoying the food, discussing how I dislike the church as I’ve experienced and how I don’t just want to study the bible, do ministry, and how I am not sold on the church as I experienced being the point at all, even going so far as to consider its necessity.

Over lunch my friend and I discussed the simplicity of what following Jesus and having faith means. Maybe some will disagree, and that is ok, but we basically came up with living a good life by trying to live by what doing all that stuff exposes. The stuff (church, ministry, the bible, praying) is not the point, it is the application of what they reveal that matters. So I don’t worship the bible or read it only to fill my head with knowledge anymore. I don’t want to read it for those reasons. As I ate a food I once despised with a friend from the church community I call home, we agreed that I needed to find balance in doing the things I dislike because of my experiences so much, but not doing them for the reasons I once did. No longer is it ok for me to just criticize and point out what is not, my growth now looks more like living my life while reading, praying, giving back, being a husband, etc.

My struggle often comes from feeling like I’ve abandoned who I am, but more appropriately, who I used to be. My most emotional experiences in my faith thus far have been when I was involved in doing instead of being. So when I am focused more on being than doing my mind reminds me of my doing stage because that is what emotionally stained my mind. It makes perfect sense. If it works in advertising I propose it easily translates into faith struggles. My emotional experiences seem to stick out most in my mind and seem most normal to me. When I stray from these experiences I feel some kind of guilt that I am walking away from the right and entering the wrong. Rather than seeing it that way though my friend over lunch and other meetings is helping me shed new light on where I stand in regards to faith again. As I digested what he said to me as I walked away from his office I smiled and was greatly encouraged. I was encouraged that my place of peace, one where I find contentment in my faith and journey, is not too far way. My similar experience of being involved in faith, church, the bible, and such looks a little different now, for different reasons. I can live with that, I can say I have peace with it.

I suppose the simplest of questions is, “What is the point of it all, life, religion, and church?” I think everyone has different answers at dissimilar times and in diverse places. I would encourage you to find out your reason and be at peace.