Humor highlights Mayor’s Prayer Luncheon

The luncheon attracted 110 guests who heard briefly from Mayor Blake Jorgensen and then featured speaker the Rev. Tod Ziegler of Sacred Heart Church.

Ziegler, who came to Ottawa in 2003, urged the crowd to share their God-given gifts and talents.

“Life is great,” he said. “We live our faith every day in life. But sometimes it’s hard.”

Ziegler shared a handful of stories from his life and lessons to take from those stories. They included:

• Don’t throw stones. Ziegler said he keeps a stone in his pocket and touches it when he receives criticism, as a reminder that he could throw a stone back at the person. He said he also picks up a stone every time he’s criticized, adding that he’s now accumulated many.

“But I realize I’m still here,” he said “I’m not hurt from all those stones.”

• A warning about gossip. Ziegler said the world’s most dangerous weapon is not the atom bomb, but gossip. Saying, “I just gossiped a little,” is like saying, “I just dropped a little atom bomb,” he said.

“Once it has left your lips, there are no brakes on it,” Ziegler said.

• The importance of sharing yourself and your faith with others.

“God made you perfect. God can’t make junk,” Ziegler said.

He said he believes God intends for everyone to lead a happy life and that a faith-filled life will be a happy one. But people also should do what’s necessary to make it in the next life to come, Ziegler said.

“That will be the first day of the rest of your life that will be unimaginably happy and joyful,” he said.

Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.