Suite Prayer

I am away...here in Nebraska for a "Big 12 & Friends" regional conference. As I sit through seminars and dinners I am reminded, and saddened, that I am not "at home." I live in Texas which is in the Bible Belt. The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area of the United States of America in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture.

Although I am surrounded by good people doing good work on campuses across the region, and even nation. They do not live for the same thing I do. I hope this does not come across as judgemental, but rather an observation. I need to be reminded that life is not always as it seems.

However, I am staying at the Embassy Suites. I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy of the Bible (not the Koran or Book of Mormon or nothing) in the bedside table and this prayer sitting on my pillow the first night:

In ancient times there was a prayer for "The Strangers Within our Gates"

Because this hotel is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a money-making organization, we hope that God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof.

May this suite and hotel be your "second" home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though we may not get to know you, we hope that you will be comfortable and happy as if you were in your own house.
May the business that brought you our way prosper. May every call you make and every message you receive add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe.

We are all travelers. From "birth till death" we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful for those you meet, and a joy to those who know and love you best.

How refreshing it is to know that there are some who will go against the flow and say what they mean and have what they say mean something.