RealTimeClub:Grace

The Real Time Club is famous for its "graces". Not "airs and graces", but the prayer said before each meal. A selection follows:

The "official" grace:

"Lord, thank you for these friends so fine,
and for a glass of Bordeaux wine.
So before we settle down to grub,
God bless us at the Real Time Club.
Amen."
[Charles Hughes]

"Lord - bless these saintly Real Time sinners,
while we eat our Liberal Dinners.
And after, as we join the fray,
And Chatham House rules, ok!
Amen."
[Mark Holford]

"Oh Lord, who watches o’er our days
for food and talk we give Thee praise,
As we discuss the food and arts
may our Club patter dispel the haze.
Amen."
[Professor Michael Mainelli, 24 November 2009, "Why Should The ICT Industry Care About The Arts?"]

"Oh Lord,
There was a member of RTC,
Who thought rhyming grace verged on blasphemy.
He thought nothing worse
Than limerick and verse,
Preferring – For this food O Lord we do thank Thee.
Amen."
[Professor Michael Mainelli, 19 January 2010, "Dude, Where Is My Identity?"]

"Oh Lord, who with thy power divine
turnest water into wine,
Pity the humble RTC men … and women
who merely turn it back again.
Amen."
[Professor Michael Mainelli, 23 March 2010, "A Bubble of Pomposity That Needs Pricking"]

"Oh Lord, some folks think in our minds we compute
Others that from our hearts we dispute,
But is it perverse
To give thanks in verse,
Or would you just rather impute?
Amen."
[Professor Michael Mainelli, 12 May 2010, "Thinking About Thinking"]

"Oh Lord, at dinner we discuss today
Eternal Coin with which to pay.
As we discuss down to our dregs,
We pray our payments don't renege.
With thanks for your unremunerated generosity, Amen.
[Professor Michael Mainelli, 15 June 2010, "The Eternal Coin: Physical Endurance or Digital Failure"]

"Lord, thank you for the table that's set
And friends both on and off the Net.
To be Zuckerbergs we do not ask,
But seek Your blessing for our repast.
Amen."
[Maury Shenk, 23 November 2010, "Dr Aleks Krotoski Asks: Do Social Media Make The World More Boring?"]

"Lord, we ask with all humility,
As we strive with some civility,
Or at least to the best of our ability,
To discuss security and mobility,
That you bless the food we eat.
Amen."
[Maury Shenk, 18 January 2011, "Security on the Move: Risks from Remote Endpoints, Mobile Devices and the Cloud"]