Several days ago, Sandy and I were at the State Capitol in Richmond in order for me to pray to open a session of the Virginia House of Delegates. 
I had been recommended for this special assignment by our own Donald Merricks, a member of Mount Hermon Baptist Church who is in the second year of his first term in the House. Donald has done a wonderful job representing the people of his district (which encompasses most of Pittsylvania County), and I was honored to be nominated by him for this unique opportunity.
The House was scheduled to convene at 12 noon. Sandy and I had arrived in Richmond the night before. Early the next morning, I emailed an advance copy of my written prayer to the Clerk’s Office, as had been requested of me. Normally I don’t write out my prayers, but such is essential
for an assignment of this nature. Not only do they want a written copy for the sake of their records, but, I assume, they also want to screen it in advance to make sure there are no potential problems. Before we left from our hotel room that morning, I received a phone call from a member of the clerk’s staff. She acknowledged that she had just received my email. She then proceeded to remind me, somewhat nervously I thought, that I would be praying for people representing a wide of variety of faith groups. Of course, I assumed this last minute reminder came to me because I had included the closing phrase “in Jesus’ Name” in my prayer.
I had wondered if praying in Jesus’ Name was going to present a problem. Like many Virginians, I realized that in recent months there
had been a flap in the media regarding Virginia State Police chaplains praying in Jesus’ Name. Apparently, someone had filed a formal complaint because one of these chaplains had invoked the Name of the Savior while praying at some public gathering. So the powers-that-be, from the Governor on down, responded with a new ruling that State Police chaplains would henceforth be prohibited from using the Name of the Jesus in public prayers offered in certain, specified settings. It was my understanding that, in light of this ruling, three chaplains had resigned their posts in protest.
Now, I certainly wasn’t trying to stir up anything while I was in Richmond. When I received the
original letter some time back inviting me to give the prayer before the House, I read it very carefully. It instructed me to offer up an inter- denominational prayer, respectful of the various faiths that would be present. But it also included the phrase “according to your own tradition.” Well, I knew what my tradition was. My tradition had always been to pray in the Name of Jesus. So, I decided I would carry on my own personal tradition before the House of Delegates. (By the way, I had used the Name of Jesus when praying before the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. last fall. So why should I pray any differently on the state level?)
When Speaker of the House Bill Howell swung his gavel and called the House to order, the Sergeant-at-Arms brought forth the mace, signaling the beginning of the day’s business.
Speaker Howell then introduced me and I prayed. Following the prayer, we all said the Pledge of Allegiance together. Then, Speaker Howell—a wonderful Christian gentleman whom I had met before—presented me with a commemorative gift, and I was escorted back to my seat on the House floor where Sandy awaited me. Later on, during a brief break in the House business, a delegate came over to me and thanked me for praying in Jesus’ Name. He told me that another Baptist preacher had “started the tradition” the week prior at the commencement of the 2009 session. “We haven’t gotten any flack over it yet,” he said, “but we probably will.” He then thanked me again for not being reluctant to use the Lord’s Name.
All in all, we had a wonderful visit in Richmond. Everyone at the Capitol was so kind, courteous and friendly, from the security guards and doorkeepers, to the pages and staffers, to the House and Senate members themselves. Good old Southern hospitality at its best.
The night we arrived in Richmond, Donald and Patti Merricks—whom in light of his present position I like to jokingly refer to as “The Honorable” and “Mrs. The Honorable”—took Sandy and me out to dinner. It was great being with them. The next day, following my prayer, we enjoyed meeting up with church members Brenda and Lindsay Bowman, both of whom work for Delegate Charles Poindexter. They graciously treated us to lunch. We also got to visit with Delegate Danny Marshall, who represents the City of Danville in the legislature. As an added 
bonus, thanks to Donald’s office, Sandy and I got to take a tour of the Governor’s Mansion later that afternoon. I actually thought Governor and Mrs. Kaine might be there to greet us, but alas, some pressing state business must have called them away at the last minute. At least that’s what I think.
Upon our return home from Richmond, our son Jordan emailed us and said, “Dad, First, the U.S. House of Representatives! Now, the Virginia House of Delegates! What’s next for you, the Danville City Council?”
The truth be known, Pittsylvania County’s Circuit Court Clerk, H. F. Haymore—another Mount Hermon attendee—lined me up just the other day to pray to open the next session of court later this month. So, there you have it! My career as an official political pray-er presses onward!
Pastor Danny ("Have Prayer, Will Travel")
I had been recommended for this special assignment by our own Donald Merricks, a member of Mount Hermon Baptist Church who is in the second year of his first term in the House. Donald has done a wonderful job representing the people of his district (which encompasses most of Pittsylvania County), and I was honored to be nominated by him for this unique opportunity.The House was scheduled to convene at 12 noon. Sandy and I had arrived in Richmond the night before. Early the next morning, I emailed an advance copy of my written prayer to the Clerk’s Office, as had been requested of me. Normally I don’t write out my prayers, but such is essential
for an assignment of this nature. Not only do they want a written copy for the sake of their records, but, I assume, they also want to screen it in advance to make sure there are no potential problems. Before we left from our hotel room that morning, I received a phone call from a member of the clerk’s staff. She acknowledged that she had just received my email. She then proceeded to remind me, somewhat nervously I thought, that I would be praying for people representing a wide of variety of faith groups. Of course, I assumed this last minute reminder came to me because I had included the closing phrase “in Jesus’ Name” in my prayer.I had wondered if praying in Jesus’ Name was going to present a problem. Like many Virginians, I realized that in recent months there
had been a flap in the media regarding Virginia State Police chaplains praying in Jesus’ Name. Apparently, someone had filed a formal complaint because one of these chaplains had invoked the Name of the Savior while praying at some public gathering. So the powers-that-be, from the Governor on down, responded with a new ruling that State Police chaplains would henceforth be prohibited from using the Name of the Jesus in public prayers offered in certain, specified settings. It was my understanding that, in light of this ruling, three chaplains had resigned their posts in protest.Now, I certainly wasn’t trying to stir up anything while I was in Richmond. When I received the
original letter some time back inviting me to give the prayer before the House, I read it very carefully. It instructed me to offer up an inter- denominational prayer, respectful of the various faiths that would be present. But it also included the phrase “according to your own tradition.” Well, I knew what my tradition was. My tradition had always been to pray in the Name of Jesus. So, I decided I would carry on my own personal tradition before the House of Delegates. (By the way, I had used the Name of Jesus when praying before the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. last fall. So why should I pray any differently on the state level?)When Speaker of the House Bill Howell swung his gavel and called the House to order, the Sergeant-at-Arms brought forth the mace, signaling the beginning of the day’s business.
Speaker Howell then introduced me and I prayed. Following the prayer, we all said the Pledge of Allegiance together. Then, Speaker Howell—a wonderful Christian gentleman whom I had met before—presented me with a commemorative gift, and I was escorted back to my seat on the House floor where Sandy awaited me. Later on, during a brief break in the House business, a delegate came over to me and thanked me for praying in Jesus’ Name. He told me that another Baptist preacher had “started the tradition” the week prior at the commencement of the 2009 session. “We haven’t gotten any flack over it yet,” he said, “but we probably will.” He then thanked me again for not being reluctant to use the Lord’s Name.All in all, we had a wonderful visit in Richmond. Everyone at the Capitol was so kind, courteous and friendly, from the security guards and doorkeepers, to the pages and staffers, to the House and Senate members themselves. Good old Southern hospitality at its best.
The night we arrived in Richmond, Donald and Patti Merricks—whom in light of his present position I like to jokingly refer to as “The Honorable” and “Mrs. The Honorable”—took Sandy and me out to dinner. It was great being with them. The next day, following my prayer, we enjoyed meeting up with church members Brenda and Lindsay Bowman, both of whom work for Delegate Charles Poindexter. They graciously treated us to lunch. We also got to visit with Delegate Danny Marshall, who represents the City of Danville in the legislature. As an added 
bonus, thanks to Donald’s office, Sandy and I got to take a tour of the Governor’s Mansion later that afternoon. I actually thought Governor and Mrs. Kaine might be there to greet us, but alas, some pressing state business must have called them away at the last minute. At least that’s what I think.Upon our return home from Richmond, our son Jordan emailed us and said, “Dad, First, the U.S. House of Representatives! Now, the Virginia House of Delegates! What’s next for you, the Danville City Council?”
The truth be known, Pittsylvania County’s Circuit Court Clerk, H. F. Haymore—another Mount Hermon attendee—lined me up just the other day to pray to open the next session of court later this month. So, there you have it! My career as an official political pray-er presses onward!
Pastor Danny ("Have Prayer, Will Travel")
