The Reverend Clovis Jones, Texas Buddha and Professor Sarah Jacobs were playing guitar together when a sand storm blew in. TB and the others rushed outside to secure the frightened animals.
Later, back inside the house, Professor Jacobs, an atheist, decided to take a humorous jab at her religious friends. “Next time that happens, why don’t you two just pray to end the storm the way Jesus did?”
Reverend Clovis Jones was not happy with the joke and soon left.
Sarah Jacobs felt terrible, but she also realized that she felt some frustration with what she took to be magical thinking by her friends. Later that evening, she respectfully asked TB, “So, why do you pray?”
TB had not been the least bit upset with her joke, but wanted to respond to her sincere inquiry. “Why do you tune your instrument?” he finally asked.
“Pardon?” She asked.
“Do you remember when the storm hit, amid all the chaos, my little wind chime was singing furiously.”
Thinking back, Sarah remembered the sound and smiled.
TB continued. “When an instrument is not in tune, almost any effort to make music is futile. When an instrument is in perfect pitch, even random winds produce music. The heart is the same way. For me, the heart of prayer is listening. I am not speaking to an imaginary person as you suppose. I am getting very still until I have tuned my heart to life.”