"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get  away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Some of my friends believe that God is a delusion, that all the answers lie in yourself.  But if I was really the pinnacle of creation then creation is in big trouble, and if we are all god then god must be very confused!  If we were all god then we would have never lost sight of the fact.  I’m glad that the buck doesn’t stop with me, that there’s power and love in the universe that far exceeds my own – I don’t find this a threat, or belittling, but a comfort, and it makes sense of the world in which we now find ourselves.

“Now these three things remain, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.”

Faith asks us to believe in things we cannot see or prove; hope asks us to look forward to a world that is more perfect than this one; love asks us to live as if faith is justified and hope is reasonable.

I believe that I can talk to God just like I talk to my friends.  I know I have a tendency to anthropomorphise things, but perhaps that’s a gift from heaven too.  And I believe that he sends me answers; maybe through circumstances that unfold, maybe through words I read or hear, maybe as a feeling of warmth or peace inside myself.  These are all subjective things, and I can’t prove them to you, but they make my life richer, full of meaning and purpose.

I believe that Jesus shows us who God is and who we could be.

I believe it’s good to tread lightly on the earth.  Looking after ourselves, each other, and creation is the most satisfying and wise way to live.  I find it good to travel light; too many possessions weigh me down and clutter my space.

I believe that you are just as valuable as I am.  I believe that, despite the power of evil in the world, the power of love is still greater, and will always be.

Mark - February 2009