Come Pray with Me

A reading of Exodus Chapter 16 in the Bible.

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Yasmin Said of Hijabi Ballers, an organization dedicated to supporting Muslim women and girls in the world of athletics. She will be sharing the history behind the organization as well as how her faith influences her love of sports. 

 If you are interested in learning more about Hijabi Ballers, visit their website at http://www.hijabiballers.com/. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Uzma Jafri from the podcast "Mommying While Muslim". She will be explaining what Sharia law is and its significance to Muslims, as well as giving advice from the Quran and Hadith to new parents. 

 You can stream "Mommying While Muslim" on  iTunes and other major podcast streaming platforms. 

 This episode contains brief discussion of Islamophobia that may be upsetting to some audience members. Listener discretion advised. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview performer and educator Amelia Butler. She is the founder of Learn Maori Abroad. She will be sharing how her organization came to be, as well as explaining the importance of Poi and the Haka to Maori Culture.  

If you are interested in learning more about Maori language and culture, visit https://www.learnmaoriabroad.com/. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Reverend Dr. Jonathan L. Weaver of Greater Mount Nebo African Methodist Episcopal Church. He will be sharing the history of the church and how that influences the community outreach work they do today. He will also be discussing how AME churches have impacted American history and their role in the struggle for equality for African Americans. 

 To learn more about the church and attend their services, visit https://gmnebo.org/. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I will be revisiting Tenrikyo with Reverend Michael Yuge. We will be exploring the faith more in depth and learning about Tenrikyo church services. 

 Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion with Japanese origins. It was founded by Miki Nakayama, known as Oyasama to her followers. Tenrikyo believes in cultivating a joyous life, eliminating dust on the mind, and deepening their relationship with God the Parent. 

 To learn more about Tenrikyo, visit https://tenrikyo.com/ and https://tenri.org/church/index.shtml. 

In dieser Episode ich lese das Vaterunser auf deutsch. Das Vaterunser ist ein sehr wichtiges Gebet fur Christen. Hier sind die Worte. 

 Vater unser im Himmel,

geheiligt werde dein Name.

Dein Reich komme.

Dein Wille geschehe,

wie im Himmel so auf Erden.

Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute.

Und vergib uns unsere Schuld,

wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.

Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,

sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen.

Amen.”

 In this episode I read the "Our Father" in German. The "Our Father" is an important prayer to Christians. Here are the words. 

 Our Father who art in Heaven 

 Hallowed be thy name 

 Thy kingdom come  

Thy will be done

 On earth as it is in Heaven 

 Give us this day our daily bread 

 And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us 

 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

 For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever 

Amen 

"Remembered Music" is a poem by Sufi writer and poet Rumi. 

 ’Tis said, the pipe and lute that charm our ears
Derive their melody from rolling spheres;
But Faith, o’erpassing speculation’s bound,
Can see what sweetens every jangled sound.

We, who are parts of Adam, heard with him
The song of angels and of seraphim.
Our memory, though dull and sad, retains
Some echo still of those unearthly strains.

Oh, music is the meat of all who love,
Music uplifts the soul to realms above.
The ashes glow, the latent fires increase:
We listen and are fed with joy and peace.

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Dave/D-Ro from Jah Works Radio, a radio program dedicated to reggae music and Rastafari. We will be learning more about the history behind the Rastafari movement and its impact on people today. 

 Jah Works Radio can be found here https://jahworksradio.com/. 

 When doing research on this episode I found an article by "The Spiritual Life" to be helpful. It can be found here https://slife.org/rastafari/. Although not all reggae musicians are Rastafari, many are and their music reflects those ideas and values. Reggae music is a great way to learn more about Rastafari and Jamaican culture. The soundtrack for the film "The Harder They Come" is a great introduction to the genre and can be streamed on most music platforms.  

This episode was edited by Ashley "Shadoe" Trammell. 

"The Drum of Realization" is a poem by Sufi poet and writer Rumi. 

 The drum of the realization of the promise is beating,
we are sweeping the road to the sky. Your joy is here today, what remains for tomorrow?
The armies of the day have chased the army of the night,
Heaven and earth are filled with purity and light.
Oh! joy for he who has escaped from this world of perfumes and color!
For beyond these colors and these perfumes, these are other colors in the heart and the soul.
Oh! joy for this soul and this heart who have escaped
the earth of water and clay,
Although this water and this clay contain the hearth of the
philosophical stone.

"Only Breath" is a poem by acclaimed Sufi writer and poet Rumi. 

 Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu
Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. Not any religion or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist, am not an entity in this world or in the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul. I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know, first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.

On this episode of come Pray with me I interview artist, writer, and devotee Luna Eclypse. She will be teaching us about Santa Muerte, a figure from Mexican folk Catholicism. Meaning “saintly death”, Santa Muerte is a shrouded figure with a scythe and a skeleton face, similar to that of the grim reaper. Over the years, Santa Muerte has gained a following across all borders, surpassing cultural differences and ways of life. This has also caused controversy, since she is not viewed as an official saint by the Catholic Church. Today we will be learning of her origins and separating the sensationalized from the truth. 

To learn more about Santa Muerte, visit https://www.lunaeclypse.com/?fbclid=IwAR3MUtt4QIf7ObSMkwEoAdQ30EJS92SZu0KgXfn0KcKOF52gilA6_KUPd7Y.  

This episode was edited by Ashley "Shadoe" Trammell.  

 The song in the beginning and end of the episode is "La Santisima Muerte" by Beto Quintanilla. 

For this All Saints Day I wanted to share a prayer called "A Meditation on the Universal Call to Sainthood". 

 My God, who said “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Gospel,” You gave me my existence, and revealed even greater blessings in the world to come. Today, Your Church keeps the festival of all Your servants who have already attained that blessed state. And while we should venerate all Your holy servants for what they, having accepted Your grace, have accomplished, we should not forget that with You, anything is possible, even our participation in Your divine life. Let us, by honoring Your saints in Heaven, be not only grateful to You for what You have done in them but to amend our own life and imitate them to reap the same rewards. Amen.

Today I will be sharing Rumi's poem "Our Death is Our Wedding with Eternity". Rumi was a Sufi poet, writer, and philosopher. Sufism is a set of traditions and practices originating from Islam. Many Sufis express their faith through music and art, like the whirling dervishes.  

Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? “God is One.”
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don’t call all these lights “the Light of God”;
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
…Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.

 Dedicated to my Uncle Valiant who recently passed from COVID-19. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Venerable Thubten Chonyi from Sravasti Abbey, a coed Buddhist monastery in Washington state that was endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself. She will be sharing her faith journey as well as the work Sravasti Abbey does to give back to the community. 

 This episode was recorded in January of 2021 and contains brief mentions of homelessness, prison, and a terrorist attack that some may find upsetting.  

 To learn more about them and get involved in their mission, visit https://sravastiabbey.org/. 

I recite a Daoist Prayer for Peace by Lao Tsu. 

 If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.

Today I will be interviewing Thao Tran from the Cao Dai Foundation. Cao Dai is a relatively new religious movement founded in 1926 in the south of Vietnam. Like the Baha'i, Caodaists believe all religions are connected and have the goal of uniting people of all faiths.  

 To learn more about Cao Dai, visit https://www.caodaifoundation.org/. 

This is a guided Ruist meditation I wrote for starting your day off on the right path. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Professor Susan Maneck from Jackson State University. She will be sharing her journey as a Baha'i, as well as explaining how the faith has evolved over the years. 

 Baha'i is a unique and historically recent monotheistic religion. They believe all faiths are connected and build on each other. We will be learning about the lives of Baha'i prophets, such as Ali Muhammad (also known as The Bab) and Baha'u'llah. 

 If you would like to learn more about Baha'i, Professor Maneck has a podcast called Baha'i Perspective that can be found here http://www.bahaipodcast.com/archives.asp?pYrID=2009. I also found the video "What is the Baha'i Faith?: An Introduction by Rainn Wilson" to be very helpful and informative while working on this episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLSaDVG4yBE 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Reverend Michael Yuge of the Tenri Cultural Institute to discuss Tenrikyo, a monotheistic religion from Japan that was founded in 19th century Japan. It is one of the few religions to have a woman prophet, Miki Nakayama (or Oyasama to her followers). We will explore the roles women have played throughout the years, how song and dance is used to teach lessons, and what it means to live a joyous life. 

 You can find more information on the Tenri Cultural Institute here https://www.tenri.org/

 The comic we discussed on the show can be found here, as well as other information on Tenrikyo https://www.tenrikyo.or.jp/eng/faith/experience-rather-than-information/  

Special thanks to Reverend Masahito Kimura for his help in the making of this episode! 

On this episode of Come Pray with Me I interview Dr. Handy Inthisan from Wat Thai Temple in Washington DC. We will be discussing what differentiates Theravada Buddhism from other sects as well as the ways it has impacted Thai culture. 

 To learn more about Theravada Buddhism and attend classes, visit https://www.watthaidc.org/. Dr. Inthisan has his own blog, which can be found here https://handyinthisan.blogspot.com/. 

On this episode of "Come Pray with Me" I interview Geoffrey Russel of the Ogden Buddhist Temple in Utah. We will be discussing Jodo Shinshu and what differentiates it from other sects of Buddhism. 

 To learn more about Jodo Shinshu and visit attend distance friendly services, visit http://ogdenbuddhistchurch.org/. 

On this episode I interview Imam Chad Earl from the Islamic Center of Maryland. He shares his journey in his conversion to Islam and how it has impacted his life. We also discuss current political events and how they may affect Muslims around the world.  

To learn more about Islam and attend classes visit https://www.icomd.org/. 

On this episode of Come Pray with Me I team up with Rabbi Jodie Gordon to explore the history of Reform Judaism! Rabbi Gordon also has her own podcast, called OMFG. You can find it here. https://www.omfgpodcast.com/ 

We go around the world as we discuss how Jewish culture shaped art movements like the Weimar Republic and classic literature. We will also learn about Hevreh of Southern Berkshire and how they create a sense of unity among Jewish people in Massachusetts.  

To learn more about Reform Judaism and attend free courses on Hebrew, visit https://www.hevreh.org/. 

 The song featured in the opening and ending of the episode is "Toda!" by Benny Friedman. You can listen to it in its entirety here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MScVEbVjAVc. 

Before there was Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, there was Zoroastrianism. This ancient religion gets its name from the prophet Zoroaster (also referred to as Zarathustra). While it is lesser known, Zoroastrianism is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world. Many historians speculate it was also the first. Today we will be learning about the origins and history of Zoroastrianism with Ervad Kurush Dastur, a Zoroastrian priest from The Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Washington Inc. 

 If you would like to learn more about Zoroastrianism and attend quarantine safe classes, visit https://zamwi.org/.