1,300 People Were Moved at Annual Prayer Breakfast

At daybreak last Thursday, 1,300 people were moved at the annual Community Prayer Breakfast at Harborside Event Center.

It was an hour and 50 minutes of prayer, patriotism and inspiration. The folks in the diverse crowd stopped their jet-fast world filled with stress to put aside their differences and become one in thought. For those 110 minutes, the economy didn’t matter, the killings just a few blocks away stopped and your politics was unimportant.

It was replaced by laughter, quiet reflection and prayer.

Spiritual leaders took to the podium, including Rabbi Yitzchock Minkowitz, who read from Hebrew scriptures on his iPad.

Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson greeted everyone and fondly and lovingly spoke about his father-in-law, former Mayor Oscar Corbin, who is very ill in Hope Hospice.

Martha Williamson was the keynote speaker. Williamson is a veteran writer and TV producer. In 1994, she was asked to look at some pilots for a new series called “Touched by an Angel.”

The show ran for nine years and was one of the top five in the ratings. She shared thoughts on some of the shows but, most of all, she talked about prayer and its meaning. She said: “The business of life flies by in a minute. But it still takes the same amount of time to get to know a person and to give birth. The secret of prayer is listening.”

She described a recent exchange with her best friend. Williamson was praying about a variety of problems, and complained that she couldn’t hear God’s responses. “He needs to talk louder,” she said. Her friend responded: “Maybe you should be quieter.”

We all need to slow, stop and see. Stop feeling sorry for yourself because you missed a traffic light. Instead, turn and look and feel for the person rummaging through the garbage for food. Stop arguing over politics and listen to why the person believes what he believes. Spend more time looking for dreams than living in fear.

I don’t believe it was an accident that I was there last week. Those 110 minutes stopped me. I listened and now I feel.

I was taught a person’s religion was a private matter. I never have talked much about prayer. It was between me and my God. And I would never write about it.

It is time to stop and pray. Pray for our community. Pray for one another. Pray for change and understanding.

Williamson said it best: “God can handle the big things. He can handle the little ones, too.”