Almost ten years ago I spoke at a conference on “The Faces of Justice,” and met Jena Lee (now Nardella), then an undergraduate. Over time we have become friends and colleagues, spending hours and days together over the years on behalf of the Blood:Water Mission. (And I now serve as senior adviser to its board.)

Last Thursday she called to say that she had been invited to pray at the Democratic National Convention, offering a benediction on the first night. It is a sausage-making world out there, messy and messy and messy again, and the political world often seems the most messy. Over the weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about this with her, and the board, always trusting that she would honor God, honor the Blood:Water Mission, and honor the best of America.

She did well for all of us, praying a righteous prayer, full of longing for the things that matter most.

You were a gift to America, and the world, Jena. Thank you.

http://www.bloodwatermission.com/blog/2012/09/jena-nardella-invited-to-pray-for-the-nation.php

http://jenanardella.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/praying-for-the-nation/

(The second link includes the prayer.)

Steven Garber has been a teacher of many people in many places, and was the founder of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture, now also serving as the Senior Fellow for Vocation and the Common Good for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, as well as Professor at-Large for the Economics of Mutuality, and for several years was the Professor of Marketplace Theology at Regent College, Vancouver BC. The author of several books, his most recent is The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work.

Meet Steve

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