what is the different drummer prayer? 

 
The Different Drummer Prayer is first and foremost, a prayer.

I see a prayer as being more than just something that is said at morning, at bedtime, or at a church, or rote-memorized.  Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, said that one's whole life should be a prayer, that work done in the right spirit is worship.  And so that's where I start.

I see a prayer being a means of communing with God.  When I pray to God, I check in and talk about how I'm doing, how my day went, what I want, what I dream of, what makes me laugh, what bothers, me, what I fear, where I'm struggling, and what I'm learning.

I see this site being the same thing, with the exception that I'm letting you listen in on some of the conversation.

As such, The Different Drummer Prayer is about my life living in a co-op house, what that's like, and how I try to achieve my dream of living in community and bringing it about all around me.  It's about living simply and feeling rich with less, which I'm beginning to realize is one of my life's missions and purposes.  It is also my ever-evolving relationship with the Baha'i Faith and with God. The Different Drummer Prayer is also about life and the interesting little details of it, because I find myself awakening more and more to just how fascinating life can be when I live in the now, tuned in with what is surrounding me.  It's also about humor because I find again and again that God has an extremely hilarious sense of humor. 

The God I worship is bigger than any religion or spiritual organization, and as such continually confounds human beings by walking through walls that they try to put around Him.  I worship the Creator who created the sound of a bird's fluttering wings, the chorus of songbirds greeting the listener who awakens at dawn, the sound of rushing water, the shimmering blue hue of a lake when the sunlight hits it just right, the incredible 3-D views of the verdant hills of Wisconsin, and the desert-brush-dotted valleys and mountains of New Mexico, painted sunsets, the smell of wild summer herbs in an open field, bright colors,  strange coincidences, tough lessons, unexpected blessings, and creative experiences I could not possibly have conjured in my own mind.

This blog was originally called The Different Drummer Soundtrack.  I started it in December 2005. In July 2008,  I overhauled it, changing the design and changing the name to A Colorburst Prayer.  But in July 2009, I overhauled it again, reviving The Different Drummer moniker, but keeping the word "Prayer" in the title.  I also have a blog in the Post section of Madison.com with the original name of The Different Drummer Soundtrack.

In short, I want to put into The Different Drummer Prayer my highest hopes, my highest ideals, and my best concepts of beauty and creativity.  I hope you enjoy it.