I have made a habit of--when I go out to dinner with friends--not just to bless the food, but when the waiter brings it to us, to tell him or her that we are going to bless our food, and ask, “Is there anything you would like us to pray for you?”  Only once has the waiter said no.  It has been very interesting.

They will say, “My grandmother is really sick, could you pray for her?” Or “My mom is going to have surgery.”  But it is always something.  We pray a very (very) short prayer and include what they asked for.  

But sometimes they ask for something for themselves.  The other day our server was black, we were all white that day--although we have been mixed in the past.  So I reached up and held his wrist and prayed for what he had asked us to pray for.  He wanted strength.

I had to leave early; he came up and held the door for me and said, “You will never know what that meant to me.  I need strength in my life.”  I said, “Alcohol?”  He said, “Yes.”  I talked to him for awhile and told him about calling Apple for help with my computer and talking with a young man who said, “You know, Ma’am, this call isn’t about your computer, it is a divine appointment for me.”  These things happen if you are ready to engage with others.