PASS Prayers – The 12th?

It’s time again for the PASS (data community) Summit again! In fact, true to form – I am typing this from the lounge at the airport while I wait for my delayed plane to bring me to Seattle. What follows after the short announcement is a paste from last time (2019 – obviously, this gathering of community folks took a break for a couple of years for a couple of reasons 😉 )- which was probably a paste from previous years.

What/When/Where/Who?

What: This is a time for those who are united in Christ to gather together and pray, share prayer requests, and set our intention for the day. It’s a time of fellowship.

When: The time is “fluid”/TBD – I expect some will gather around 645, and we’ll get started praying around 715. And try and be done by 745 or 8 for breakfast and keynotes.

Where: The exact where is a bit TBD. Plan on meeting in the Sheraton lobby – over near the bar typically – but it’s been a few years and I’m not sure how they’ve changed it. But you’ll see me someplace. A big, ugly, bald guy with a poofy beard that is rapidly getting whiter for some reason.

Who: Anyone. This is a group focused on Christian prayer. And there are folks from all traditions and walks. If you want to join and share prayer requests and a time of corporate prayer aloud with fellow believers – come on by. Anyone who doesn’t mind joining in that is welcome and will be welcomed.

Use the #PASSPrayers tag to see any updates should we change location/etc.

The Paste from Previous Pastes (Note when I say PASS – you know what I mean.)

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 all 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 – (Actually, I just cloned the post from last year and changed a few details.. Which is funny because that’s what I did last year as I read on..). 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 2019 PASS Summit, I’m publishing it “way before” I leave (measured in weeks this year!). Those on the Prayer e-mail chain will know about it shortly and will hopefully spread the word also.

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. I won’t be in Seattle until mid-day Tuesday. So I’ll be there Weds/Thurs/Fri morning. But I bet some others will be there on Tuesday or even Monday. 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 (wherever they decide to have their breakfast this year with the changes  ) 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’ve been trying intermittent fasting lately, but I’d be happy to join you for breakfast after and just drink lots of black coffee and chat  )

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!! Eleven Years! Wow!