Thursday 9 August 2007

RTD



Haven't blogged for a while, don't know if blogger.com fine you or not. I took four weeks off speaking in July thanks to Will who is part of our teaching team.

This week we kicked RTD- Religiously Transmitted Diseases sounds clever right? Fact is the title and idea is from a friend of mine called Ed Gungor, who is a really cool guy, great communicator and author who likes to say "sweet" a lot. Anyhow I couldn't think of a more apt conversation to fit our culture and thinking.The idea is that it's so easy to allow simple, pure faith to become infected and anaemic and if not treated and stopped it can kill.

One of the ways that we allow religion to infect us, is when we try to have God figured out, so we can have the boxes ticked, we form our own views and bring our on conclusions to faith and God; Faith is both complex and mysterious.
Rom 11: 33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?"
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.



Rom 11: Tells us we don’t have God figured out, we are still painting; hey I don’t have me figured out sometimes. There is still a lot of faith that is mystery.

Right when I say that you feel unsafe? others will breathe a sigh of relief. You don’t have to have God and faith figured out, that’s OK. Hey do you think the Church in N.Ireland and the Christ followers would be a little more irresistible be more like salt and light if we wrestled with the stuff that's complex instead of pretending we have it sussed, packaging it and calling the presentation faith? Religion covers all our prejudices and fears and packages them and the sad part is some people buy the product.

The early followers of Jesus were called the way; it’s a journey filled with wonder, intimacy and adventure. God wants to invite you in on the journey and He will reveal Himself to you. You want to meet God?

Check out Ed @ www.edgungor.com

1 comment:

ylmurph said...

great stuff - I had an RTD, but I took a couple of doses of sarcasm and not taking my self too seriously...and then called my neighbor in the morning.

all is well again