An Invocation and a Bicycle

I'm not exactly a man of the cloth. But I was asked by Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena to give an invocation at a council meeting this month.

I'm an old-fashion Jeffersonian town hall kind of guy, so I believe in democracy and offering words that would resonate to all the citizens of Tampa -- not just those of one particular religion.

So here was my invocation that I offered to start Thursday's city council meeting. I'm guessing it's probably the only invocation ever uttered that included the word, "bicycle."


May we find inspiration in anything we deem holy so that we who attend this legislative forum can make our city a better place to live and a safer place to walk or ride a bicycle. May we embrace the diversity of our city and respect our differences so that when we congregate here as one in the spirit of the Jeffersonian sense of town hall, we work sacredly and bind our efforts to represent the interests of all Tampa citizens. Let’s have a glorious government meeting in the spirit of making our city a place we can be proud to call home.