It is so wonderful to be among like-minded people this morning, celebrating one of the great gifts we've all been given: the gift of prayer. I am so honored that you have asked me here today to talk about how prayer has impacted my life. To be a part of this National Day of Prayer is a privilege. And it gives me a sense of hope that we set aside a day to recognize the importance of prayer, a day to draw attention to the grace that is within our reach, if only we ask for it. Truthfully, I see every day as a prayer day. I see prayer as an ongoing conversation with the Divine. And I believe we should take time every day to celebrate and be thankful for all we've been given, through reflection, gratitude, and prayer. Many of us are leaders in this community. And you probably have found, as I have, that some people think sharing your faith is a little uncool, particularly in the business world. Some people might be uncomfortable talking about God. Some think being a leader means showing that you alone have the strength, that you alone command the power necessary to make great things happen. Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16
And when we experience success in life as many of us have, rising to the top of the corporate ladder, leading initiatives, changing the cityscape, it's easy for us to start to believe our personal power is limitless. To believe that we've earned what we have...that results begin and end with us. To believe that we alone deserve the credit for our success. It's easy to forget that everything is a gift...and that without God, none of it would be possible. But let's not forget that faith is bigger than anything we can build. And let us never forget that a great leader always knows that they are simply a servant to a higher purpose. There is tremendous bravery in saying, I don't have all the answers. Admitting that you cannot do it all alone is powerful...even freeing. And there is great strength in relinquishing the control you never had...and giving it back to the One who had it all along. Prayer has always been a big part of my life, an essential part of relinquishing control for me. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God, from the moment I wake up, through the busyness of the day, and as Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 2
quiet descends upon night. I know I could not do what I do without the hope and strength that I draw from prayer. It was at the age of 18 that I first realized just how much prayer really matters. That was when, just out of high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman, and went to the other side of the world, to Vietnam and Cambodia, to represent our country. If I had been confident in my abilities to that point, I was primed and ready for the most humbling experience of my life. I have no doubt there were many of us praying when we were on the DMZ in Vietnam. That night on the battlefield we were overrun. As I watched Marine after Marine die, I learned fast that any breath could be my last. I learned that I was not in control. I learned that I most certainly did not have the answers. And with renewed clarity, I realized how important it was to believe in something bigger than myself...to place my trust, and my life, in God's hands. Indeed, the view from a foxhole is a clear one. Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 3
In just a matter of hours we lost all but a handful of the men I served alongside. Most of them young. Most of them filled with promise. Most with families left behind to carry our nation's burden of suffering. Only three of us got a ticket home. And to this day, it haunts me, like it does so many of us who serve and lose our brothers in arms. I still don't know why I was among those who came home. I trust there is a reason, and I trust that God knows it, and for me, that is usually enough. But in moments when I question my worthiness...in those dark hours when I remember what is lost, it is prayer that brings me peace. It is prayer that leads me to acceptance of what has happened. And it is prayer that lights the way to hope for a bright future. There was another point in my life where the power of prayer changed everything for me. It was a really tough time for us. My wife, Roxie, and I had lost everything we had, including our home. Roxie was pregnant and we had no insurance, no income, nothing. But even in the darkest, most fearful hours of not knowing how we would survive, I had faith. And so I prayed. And it was then that something fascinating happened: my faith was Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 4
strengthened. You must have faith. Faith is like a muscle, it will only grow or become stronger when it sees resistance. In fact, I have found over the years in many difficult times that prayer always does just that; it strengthens my faith. And in the midst of that faith, which might otherwise have been shaken, I found an old, abandoned farmhouse that hadn't been lived in for years. It gave us the shelter we needed, just as my faith gave my soul the shelter I needed when all else seemed lost. I know in my heart God's guidance led us there, and without God, without prayer, we would have been without hope. Throughout it all, God was with me. And I believe because I trusted in him, because I prayed, that is why I am able to be here today to tell my story. So, some will say that strength is showing that you can go it alone. But in reality, the greatest strength is in realizing that there is something bigger. To humble ourselves before that strength, every day, every moment, is incredibly powerful. Admitting we are not the beginning and end of all that happens is perhaps the bravest of all admissions. The solution to every problem in life whether on the battlefield, in Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 5
the boardroom, or in the barriers we face every day - begins not with us. Of course we must do the work that is ours to do, and God wants us to fulfill our responsibilities. But the solutions to the biggest challenges we face in life rest in silence, in humility and in gratitude as we fold our hands. That's where it begins, with faith. And that's where it ends, with gratitude. Prayer brings us full circle. Now for some, the structure of having a place to go during a set time each week to communicate with God resonates with them. I respect that. If the formalities of your faith bring you calm in the midst of this crazy life, let that be your guide. But I also think there is a danger in saving our faith until Sunday, because there is so much that happens in between services. And we need our faith every hour, every minute, to ensure we make the right choices and that we serve as an example to others who have lost their way. So for me, that structure is a blessing, but my faith takes me beyond the boundaries of an hour a week. I don't need to wait for Sunday to pray, because I believe that God is in every breath, every whisper and every kindness, and that we can always have access to grace if we ask for it. I don't Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 6
need to wait until I enter a church, because wherever in the world my feet stand, that is my chapel...and at times in my life, that chapel was in a foxhole or an abandoned house. I don't need to wait for the church bells to ring. Whenever I can find the silence within, that is my service. And whenever I thirst for peace and hunger for strength, that is the time to pray. For me, that time comes often. Every day I pray when I wake up, a prayer of gratitude for all of the gifts I've been given. Throughout the day, I pray both written prayers that I carry in my pocket with my rosary, and prayers of hope that come to mind as the need arises. And every day I pray that through my words and actions I'm able to encourage others to believe in their faith and God. I'm far from perfect, but with God by my side in constant conversation, I know I am whole. I know that I will be forgiven, if I forgive others. And I know even in the most difficult of times that the answers will come, if I simply bow my head. I am not alone in this quest for wholeness. Our world is starving for something to believe in. Something limitless and hopeful. Something true Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 7
and forgiving. Something greater than ourselves. We've been led astray time and again by the trappings of this world our earthly possessions, our quest for power or money. We've put our trust in people who have let us down. People are a priority for God. People were made to be loved and things were made to be used. But often we get this confused and many of the world s problems are caused because we love things and use people. But on this National Day of Prayer, let's take time to refocus. In whatever place your soul knows to be your chapel. In whatever times your heart longs for the bell to call you to service. In whatever space you hunger for strength and peace. Go there often and reconnect with the truth that will never let us down. The truth that will build us up and guide us and give us hope, in a space called prayer. Mayoral Prayer Breakfast 05-05-16 Page 8