A Meeting Prayer for My Fellow Freedom Fighters

Yes, those of us engaged in the struggle for social justice do give up a lot of our precious time and energy to the cause, but Advanced Campaign Management School alum Erin Byrd has provided us with some inspiration to keep on fighting.

At Camp Wellstone and our other trainings, we often joke that progressives could spend their entire lives in meetings (sometimes, not even getting much done). Yes, those of us engaged in the struggle for social justice do give up a lot of our precious time and energy to the cause, but Advanced Campaign Management School alum Erin Byrd has provided us with some inspiration to keep on fighting. She recorded this spoken word piece (written below) for us after some of our staff heard her perform it recently for a gathering of national leaders in civic engagement. Click below to listen!

A Meeting Prayer for my Fellow Freedom Fighters

Oh Lord,
I may meet my life away,
I spend too much time meeting,
I meet every day.

No doubt important work gets done,
But my to-do list grows longer after every one.
These meetings go on, and on, and on.
In this meeting we plan the next meetings agenda.
At times I get so frustrated,
I want to surrender.
With my eye on the clock,
Watching the passing of time,
I silently giggle and fantasize about committing violent crime.

But instead, I pray.
Lord, help me get past this meeting today,
And not fold into myself and fly away.
To stay engaged, though I want to run,
Listen, though I fear other work is not getting done.
To be easy, not difficult to meet with,
To remember it was you, Lord,
That gave me these gifts.
To use to the betterment of your world
Is why I was sent.

So
I'll suffer through these meetings if it's Your will,
I'll stay engaged, focused, listening still,
But please help me so that I will know,
Which of these meeting you want me to go!

AMEN

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Prayers belong in Houses of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on July 19, 2008 - 9:06am.

Prayers belong in Houses of Worship. PERIOD

prayer belongs where there is consent

Submitted by Chuck Warpehoski (not verified) on July 21, 2008 - 10:36am.

I hear the anonymous concern about where prayer belongs, and I think it belongs where there is consent. I oppose the religious right's efforts to bring captive audience prayer in the schools. Nobody should be coerced to pray, and nobody should be coerced not to pray. I appreciate this prayers humor. Thanks for sharing it!

Prayer belongs where there is consent

Submitted by Erin Byrd (not verified) on July 22, 2008 - 6:21pm.

Thanks Chuck! How right you are. I wrote this prayer to help me deal with the frustrations of being in meetings all the time and feeling like other work was left undone. This was after three weeks of meeting everyday for various reasons. I wrote this piece to help me cope. Anonymous is dead wrong about "where prayer belongs." I am not one to tell a person where, to whom, or why to pray. In fact I think that prayer and faith are personal and all people faith traditions should be respected. I responded because I don't think anyone should tell us where "not to pray." Still praying anytime and everywhere. Erin Byrd

Thanks Erin

Submitted by elana on July 23, 2008 - 8:53am.

For your contribution of the poem and your thoughful comments.