Peace & Humptiness Forever

Dick "The Rev" Halverson is our Mother Goose hero! The Reverend Richard Christian Halverson, D.D., (1916-December 1, 1995), was born in Pingree, North Dakota.He attended Valley City State Teacher College in Valley City, North Dakota, before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, in 1939 and a Bachelor of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Like his contemporary, Billy Graham, Henrietta Mears of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood had a significant influence on his life. Richard Halverson was one of Henrietta Meares’s "accepted, anointed evangelists." Halverson worked at Meares’s Forest Home Conference Center in the early 1940s as manager. Halverson was married to Doris Grace Halverson and they had three children.

Halverson was a minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and served from 1958 until 1981 as the Senior Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, Maryland. He was an associate of the National Prayer Breakfast movement starting in 1956. Halverson also was a member of the Board of World Vision, from 1956 to 1983, serving as chairman from 1966 to 1983. He was the President of Concern Ministries, a charitable foundation in Washington, D.C..

 He served as the Chaplain of the United States Senate from February 2, 1981 until December 31, 1994. Former President Bush wrote that Halverson is "one of God's very special messengers. He is one of the most thoughtful individuals I have ever met... He cared deeply, and this caring was so evident to me and to the members of Congress whose paths crossed his."

Halverson thought of the U.S. Senate as one big nursery school, infact he prayed for the Senators in that context. One of his most infamous opening prayers for the Senate included: ‘‘Heavenly Father, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. And all the kings horses and all the kings men, could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again, and Lord, help the Senators not repeat that experience here.’’

Here is a collection of several other nursery prayers that The Rev prayed as Chaplain of the Senate in the 80's:

‘‘Heavenly Father, Jack, be nimble, Jack, be quick, Jack, jump over The candlestick. Jack jumped high, Jack jumped low, Jack jumped over and burned his toe. Lord, Jack Kemp needs to stop jumping and put on more than a band-aid to fix the Federal Housing Administration. Amen."

"O Lord, Jack and Jill Went up to the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Father, I think it's times like these that Senators need to fetch their own pails of water. Teach them to thirst just as Steve Guttenberg thirsts."

"Lord God, Today we know that Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he. He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. We come to you today and ask for wisdom to help Ronald Reagan's old soul listen to you, so that he won't trust in the first lady's psychics."

"Jesus we call on you, 1, 2 One, two, buckle my shoe; 3, 4 Three, four, knock at the door; 5, 6 Five, six, pick up sticks; 7, 8 Seven, eight, lay them straight; 9, 10 Nine, ten, a good fat hen. Lord, we ask that Gorbachev doesn't knock on that door and instead those sticks get disarmed."

"Almighty God, All around the mulberry bush, The monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought 'twas all in fun. Pop! goes the weasel. God we just ask your prayers for all the weasels in congress. Let the monkeys chase them out, and bring in the truth."

‘‘Heavenly Father, Three blind mice, See how they run! They all ran after a farmer's wife, Who cut off their tails with a carving knife. Did you ever see such a sight in your life, As three blind mice? This morning we ask that these Senators will stop running after the farmer's wives, but be men of honor and integrity. Less they be chased by a carving knife. Can I hear an AMEN."

‘‘Heavenly Father, To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggety jig. Lord, please reduce inflation. We ask that trickle down economics might be in line with your will."

"Lord God, Wee Willie Winkie, Runs through the town, Upstairs and downstairs In his nightgown. Rapping at the windows, Crying through the lock, "Are the children all in bed? For it's now eight o'clock. God help congress to ban 2LIVECREW, who is rapping into our children's windows."

(HT: Nomination R.R.)