Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

I was very excited when asked to be a part of the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, and of course, immediately accepted the invitation.he first Mayor's Prayer Breakfast was held in 1964 and is patterned after the annual National Presidential Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, DC. The Anchorage Mayor's Prayer Breakfast has been held each year since 1964. The breakfast is sponsored by men and women from all churches and faiths. The breakfast is organized by a committee comprised of people from several churches in the City of Anchorage.

We gathered, in spite of frigid temperatures, in the Hotel Captain Cook Ballroom. After an opening prayer, a few hymns of worship, and a warm, hearty breakfast I took to the podium to do the Old Testament reading- Psalm 32.

My favorite part of this selection was verse 8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." This particular verse spoke to me not only in relation to my platform (promoting the importance of quality experiences for young children) but especially as a mother. David's words spoke to my heart, with gentle reminder that as parents, we are entrusted with the development of our children. We should approach that charge with intention and attentive love. This verse implies that direct instruction is necessary in guiding our children, but that we are called not only to tell them what is right and good, but to counsel them as to why, helping them to develop their own moral compass which will serve as their guide in life. I appreciate the focus on the "loving eye" with which we are to view our children. We are encouraged to cherish our children, rather than lord over them and to look upon them with the eyes of grace the God views us, His children.