Are People Praying for You? How do You React?

I try not to bore readers with stories of being the mayor of the largest city in a small state. It was so long ago, who cares? Today, however, I will mention that several times individuals made appointments to see me for the specific purpose of praying for me. 

As I recall, the visits had a pattern. The visitor thought he/she was the only person who had pondered the need to come in and pray for me. It was like the weight of my own salvation was their individual responsibility. They saw themselves at the center of events that would determine my ultimate fate in eternity.

The visits would begin with visitors thanking me for the appointment and me thanking them for coming in. Eventually, I would try the line, "And what would you like to visit about today?" That would bring up the sins I was committing or were going on in the community that I should stop. Of course, my liberal views on abortion and gay rights were relevant. There was a legal porn store, shows at the city-owned auditorium, billboards that promoted sin and other such issues. Following a review of sin was the question, "Mayor, could we have a word of prayer?" Being in politics, I would thank the person after the visit.

These visits came to mind when a read a post today about a young man who calls himself a preacher and who attended the annual Burning Man event in the desert. Perhaps readers know about or have attended Buring Man. It is a week-long festival of bizarre performance and art. There are vendors and performers, some nudity and drugs and a good time for all. The young preacher posted about the evil he found at Burning Man, about his preaching there and the lack of interest in hearing his message about sin.

I wondered who paid his fees for attending Burning Man? The minimum fee for the week this year was $675. For electricity, good cell service and hot showers it ran $3,000. 

This preacher is so busy he preaches at both the Buring Man where people go to escape preachers but also to Salem MA where the Satanic Temple is headquartered. I wonder if he goes to nudist resorts and screams scripture against nude folks sunning themselves there. I wish him well.