PASS Prayers – Year 10!

Quick note: From time to time I blog about the Bible here. I try to keep those posts on my personal blog – Open Mike (it’s been too long since I’ve posted over there!!)– but sometimes it makes sense for a quick cross-post over here. I always tag those posts with the Bible category and you are free to read or ignore those. I definitely know and love that I live in a nation where each is free to choose their own path with personal matters such as faith. If we disagree, my faith tells me I am to respect that difference, and my humanity agrees with the grace found in the Bible there also – this rock we live on has plenty of room for both of us  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. More technical content will be up soon enough.

Finally writing my post for the “annual PASS Prayers” gathering. I’m actually being lazy this year and copying last year’s post (AGAIN!), although last year’s post was so late it was written on an airplane on the way there. At least for the 2018 PASS Summit, I’m publishing it “way before” I leave (like 3 days). Those on the Prayer e-mail chain know about it and are hopefully spreading the word already.

I’ll keep this post simple this year (mostly because I’m copying last year’s – which copied the year’s before –  ) You can read more about this gathering in the initial post from 2009 when I first blogged about the idea which a few believers came up with through various small differences among our Christian faith. I’ve been to most PASS Summits since then, missed a couple – but the gang has gotten together for prayer every year since the inaugural.

Where/When – Each morning meet in the Sheraton Lobby over in that lounge/bar area (I know. I know.  ) in the morning anytime between 6:30 and 7:15. Folks start filtering in around 6:30 and we’re all gone by 7:30/45 at the latest usually. The whole week of PASS Summit. THIS YEAR – We’ll try and stay on a bit of a more firm schedule on the “praying and “getting serious” ” part. I’d like to have us praying by 7:05AM at the latest and done with prayer and Bible chat/study/fellowship by 7:30 AM each day. This way there is a bit less pressure to be there right at 6:30 AM and to give folks some time for breakfast after and chit-chat after. I’ll try and be there for 6:30ish like I am most years (east coast clock) and probably stay until the end (I eat breakfast in the hotel lounge and skip the big crowd, cattle herded feel of the PASS breakfast  )

A few caveats/disclaimers – I feel with PASS’ anti-discrimination policies and all I should make it clear that this gathering of Christians is not sanctioned, approved, endorsed, etc by PASS. In fact, the only thing PASS has to do with it is it gathered us all together in a different city for the week. A group of Christians (and for the purposes of this gathering that definition is fairly loose as far as doctrinal positions, denominational membership, etc. If you can give an amen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2 when he says “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” and you believe in praying to the God of the Christian Bible (whether it’s the NASB, KJV, NKJV, NLT, NIT or the ESV (etc.) then you’re good to join us, I think. If you believe the God who raised the virgin-born Christ on the third day, then that works for this week.

Anyone is welcome to come no matter your beliefs. But it is a Christian prayer gathering. We talk about the Bible. The goal here is for believers to center themselves in the middle of a technical conference and pray for our fellow attendees, for the event and have a great week. It’s not to proselytize, debate, or cause a disruption. Just the opposite. A time to Worship and Pray with some fellow techies who believe and ask for God’s blessing on the weeklong event and attendees traveling from all over the world to come. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me separately. The event is a time to gather and pray for each other, pray for the event and all those attending and to provide some center. It’s actually one of the highlights of PASS for me!! Ten Years! Wow!