Shared Experience

For today's walk, I was joined by five others.  We started at Grace United Methodist Church.  Instead of a Scripture reading, I shared the words "love your neighbor as yourself," which shows up an alarming number of times in the New Testament.  We shared a little bit about why we there to walk that day and began our journey.  We first stopped to pray for an empty space next to the church.  We prayed that healing could happen in the congregation and that the church can find a use for that space which is consistent with God's call Grace UMC.  We then prayed for a newly married couple whose home is on that block.

We shared about houses.  Apparently, this house was built from broken pieces of sidewalk:

And these houses of lime and stucco are definitely not your regular woodframe houses:

This section of street used to go completely through, until the railroad put in a viaduct.  More than one of my companions remembered when this dead end was connected with homes across 12th St. NW.  The dead ends and unlit alleyways seem to create a hidden space where people tend to get up to mischief.  I prayed for Light here.

Rhythm Church had a festival on Saturday and worship in the West Park on Sunday.  It was great to hear their rockin' music as we walked.  The morning was gorgeous and there were people out enjoying the sounds and the weather.  We stopped in this neighborhood to pray for some Good Samaritans who had helped one of the walkers when she had a bike accident in this area.

This was one of my most fun prayer walks and I spent some time reflecting on why this was the case.  I have decided it was because the experience is being shared.  Though I did not start walking to gather a crowd of prayers, it was so great to be with and pray with other people who truly have a heart for Mason City, and this neighborhood in particular. Many of them came because they sense that God's Story needs to be told here.  They came because they love to tell that story and they are hoping to hear how they can do so.

For them, I shall share this message from Bishop Julius Calvin Tremble: "Little prayer.  Little power.  Much prayer.  Much power."  I look forward to our continued prayer walks.

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