HEARD IT ON THE RADIO. I LIKE IT.

An Impatient Letter From Godby Bo Lozoff
Bo wrote the following article for the Human Kindness Foundation newsletter at Christmas-time, 1989. It was then included in his 1990 book Just Another Spiritual Book.
Since then, the essay has been widely circulated, though almost always uncredited. Radio commentator Paul Harvey included the piece in his radio program on two occasions, apparently receiving a deluge of calls, mail, and faxes (we hope mostly positive). Now this piece can be found at numerous websites, often edited, and usually listed as, "author unknown." The following is the original letter.
Date: Eternity
From: GOD
To: My Children on Earth
re: Idiotic religious rivalries
My Dear Children (and believe me, that's all of you),
I consider myself a pretty patient Guy. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell and gene by gene. I've even been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.
But on this occasion of My Son's birthday, I want to let you know about some things that are starting to tick me off.
First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough already! Let's get one thing straight: These are your religions, not Mine. I'm the Whole Enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there's only one of Me (which, by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it's My favorite one. And each claims its bible was written personally by me, and that all the other bibles are man-made. Oh, Me. How do I even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen up now: I'm your Father and Mother, and I don't play favorites among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I don't write. My longhand is awful, and I've always been more of a "doer" anyway. So all your books, including the bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living Heart.
You see, one Human Being to me -- even a Bum on the street -- is worth more than all the holy books in the world. That's just the kind of Guy I Am. My Spirit is not an historical thing, It's alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath.
Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Me.
Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense: You act like I need you and your religions to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My Sake. Please, don't do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you. I don't need you to defend Me, and I don't need constant credit. I just want you to be good to each other.
And another thing: I don't get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging My name into your dramas. For example, I swear to Me that I never threatened Oral Roberts. I never rode in any of Rajneesh's Rolls Royces. I never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and I've never ever had a conversation with Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgement Day, I certainly intend to...
The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what's in each of your hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me. That's what religion is best for.
What you seem to forget is how mysterious I Am. You look at the petty little differences in your scriptures and say, "Well, if this is the Truth, then that can't be!" But instead of trying to figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature -- which, by the way, you never will -- why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every religion?
You know what I'm talking about: Love and respect everyone. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I Am always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don't like to shout). Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My Own Child. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die will surely die, and the parts that can't, won't. So don't worry, be happy (I stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin, but he stole it from Meher Baba in the first place.)
Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset. And I'm very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you call me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakantonka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you feel closest to -- Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?
I'm not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I don't mind that at all. And I don't want you to combine all the Great Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.
But My Special Children -- the ones your religions revolve around -- all live in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none.
My Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotry and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me celebrate the birthday of My Son Jesus, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. I've given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing together.
Finally, My Children everywhere, remember whose birth is honored on December 25th, and the fearlessness with which He chose to live and die. As I love Him, so do I love each one of you. I'm not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will, so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason, persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy, and I'll sit in The Dark. I really Am, indeed, I swear, with you always. Always. Trust In Me.
Your One and Only,
GOD
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Great Idea, We Cut It Down to Four

Joy & Cohort bros and sis's,

I had requested a copy of Craig's list of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and was inspired by it. It is not only good stuff, but wisely used. I'm so pleased to see his wife, Joy, has helped create it and then had the wisdom to go back and edit it. (It gives the list so much more credibility!) As we at St. Andrew have wrestled with our mission: to become like Jesus and help others do the same, we found that such a mission begs the question: "So what's it mean to be like Jesus?"

I like very much what you have come up with, but I thought you might be interested in what we've been kicking around along the same theme. As a matter of fact, we too wanted a tool that would help us examine our ministry and shared community life so that we could stay on track. The way I've been thinking about it lately is like four legs of a table. And if we're talking tables, wouldn't we be talking about the Lord's table upon which he constantly provides for his people a feast of grace? But more so, aren't we the Lord's table through which God provides to the world that same feast and that same grace?

Each core aspect of what it means to be Jesus (each 'leg' of the table) also includes a question that flows from some aspect of Christ's life or teaching that can be asked of any new or existing ministry (or decision or pray or plan or contemplated direction for our lives). For instance, am I led to exchange my expectation of being served (bib) with a desire to serve (apron)? I recognize that a lot of this begs an unpacking I cannot easily do via this blog, but I invite you all to consider them and see if they make any kind of sense to you. It is a shorter list and misses a lot of personal nuance of your list, Joy, but then again it comes out of a more corporate confession than a personal one.

First Leg

To be like Jesus is to first be centered on God.

We are called to be God CENTERED

For Jesus it was always about God and God’s grace.

Does it turn on a light?

(Help others see God, themselves, & others in light of God’s grace?)

Second Leg

To be like Jesus is to be focused on relationships

We are invited to be OTHER FOCUSED

Jesus came to bring reconciliation.

Does it build a bridge?

(Bring God together with people and people together with each other?)

Third Leg

To be like Jesus is to be committed to (God-centered) community

Life is best lived when we are COMMUNITY ORIENTED

Jesus invested himself most deeply in those who shared his journey with him

Does it encourage us to exchange our bibs for aprons?

(Move from a focus on being fed toward a focus on feeding others)

Fourth Leg

To be like Jesus is to be need-driven

To follow Jesus faithfully means we too are NEED DRIVEN

Jesus’ life was directed toward the deepest needs of all people.

Does it make another's burden lighter?

(Sharing with others what God has already shared with us)

To apprentice ourselves to Jesus, or to be one of his disciples, is to become more and more like him. Reflecting on the above we might say the following:

Jesus

• Helped others see God and themselves truly
• Built bridges between people and between God and people
• Inspired and empowered his followers to serve & love each other
• Reached out to heal, feed, and forgive those in need

9 ways

This is Joy- the wife Craig mentioned in his first entry. I wanted to share a tool we came up with-Craig came up with it first, actually, wanting to analyze just exactly what it was Jesus did here on earth, according to the Gospels.
I think I was the one who got him to realize what a meaningful tool it could be, using it to think about how one could live after the pattern of Jesus. I changed the wording a bit to make it more meaningful to me, but I think it is essentially the same. I use it for devotions sometimes, seeing if I can remember all 9-and think maybe the one(s) I can’t remember I need to work on more.
The Jesus way of life is BEING
1.forgiving
2.one who brings healing and wholeness to all, especially outcasts
3.in community
4.one who demonstrates and teaches the way of love
5.one who connects to God for power and transformation
6.one who seeks the will of God-the way of love
7.one who confronts darkness (I’m definitely weak on that one!)
8.a servant
9.one who has faith that God is good.
The last of the 9 has been especially meaningful to me, especially when I get anxious about things. In Heart of Christianity, Marcus Borg gives a definition of faith as “a way of seeing”, saying the way we view reality really does make a difference in our actions toward it. If I see “the whole”, or God, as giving, nourishing, sustaining, gracious, this faith makes possible a “willingness to spend and be spent for the sake of a vision that goes beyond ourselves”, and leads to the “self forgetfulness of faith”. I’m working on strengthening that faith, that “way of seeing”.

THIS IS A START

I am not sure anyone is reading my remarks or cares much about them, but I shall continue ...hoping to make connection and community. Recently I attended one my largest churches. It is doing a good job reaching many people with the love of God. The sermon was good and I am sure God is using the theology presented to bring people both closer to God and more compassionate to humankind.(Borg's definition of faithful religion) I will call it "traditional theology." It is... Creation, the Fall of humankind, Justification through Christ, and Regeneration through the Spirit. Like I say, I know God is using this for goodness in the Kingdom, but it is really the only Christian theology openly presented to the world. I think my theology is something like...Creation; God loving us, teaching us, and disciplining us in the midst of our goodness as well as our frequent failures; Christ and the Spirit empowering and teaching us for the ways we are called to live and love for the sake of God's Kingdom on earth; and the Mystery and Hope of heaven for all of God's children.
I know I have to challenge the Bible in some places to claim this belief and understanding, and yet, as Matthew Fox said to me, not only can I do this but I must. And I believe my heritage as a United Methodist gives me permission to wrestle with my scriptural beliefs through other scriptures, the tradition, my experience, and my reason.

I see my theology as being more reasonable and like what I see in the human experience itself. I don't condemn my children because they mess up or need to kill something so I can forgive them. I just forgive them. And then I continue to love and teach them and believe in who they are meant to become through their growing up and through God's grace offered to them in so many ways.
The traditional theology seems to view things and people as basically bad. I think creation is basically good even though at times we are far from what God desires. And in the end, the tradtional thought leaves out a whole bunch of people who because of one reason or another will not be able to fit into this "saving relationship" with Christ while on this earth. The Jesus I know and see in the scripture was never about leaving people out but always seeking to bring them in.

My son once asked me if I was ever going to speak openly about what I believe and don't believe or just keep quiet about what I don't believe. Darn whippersnapper! Well boy, this is a start.

MY NAME IS

**One of my favorite movies is Dances With Wolves. Costner has basically taken on his new identity as a member of his new found Indian tribe but has to return to the fort for his diary. He then is taken prisoner by soldiers who bind him and demand that he explain his actions. Finally, he decides not to talk in English anymore and in his new language declares only one thing to his captors and that is his new name. Well, today I declare my new name. My name is "a new kind of Christian."
*I am a devout follower of the way of Jesus, and the Jesus I know is not afraid or judgemental of people who travel the paths they best know toward the love and reality of God. He joins their journey.
*My name is Christian and I choose to show great love and respect and be in relationship with all people including both heterosexuals and homosexuals because that's what Jesus would do.
*I am a Jesus dude and I choose to love and serve along with all my brothers and sisters in Christ whether they be conservative, liberal, a little bit of both, or labels we haven't even heard of yet.
*My name is child of God and within God I live and move and have my being.
*I am Christian and I view our wonderful Bible historically, metaphorically, and sacramentally.
*I am a Christian pilgrim and I am human, still learning, seeking to live the Jesus life and bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, and on the adventure of my life.

My name is ...Craig...and, along with the Costner's of the world, I seek to find and hold on to my diary , that is my story with God, as well as my new language and tribe.