All I'm asking, is for a little...

Just a quote to start the morning off:
"It is true there is nothing more irreligious than self-absorbed religion, and that it is constantly needful to stress that God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with a "religious experiences."
(from J.I. Packer's Knowing God)

This morning, I couldn't help but think about how GREAT the people I know are. I mean, it's not like they're mediocre or okay, they're genuinely fascinating and so gracious. And they're all over the place - at the Daily, at the Rock, in the Cities, at the Opera, in S.D., in Saudi, in Lebanon, in the suburbs, across the States. I was thinking, too, about friends of mine that don't necessarily agree with how I feel about God & the nature of the universe. And they have never been condescending or closed off. They are open to discussion. They understand that just because I believe in God and want to live my life to glorify Him, that doesn't make me crazy - or a republican. They accept where I'm at (and vice-versa!).

I had a GREAT lunch with Maren yesterday and we talked about some of these great folks, ones that don't prescribe to a certain religion. How could we expect people to be attracted to the process of knowing God? So many people in so many places have taken that track and distorted it into something judgmental and void of love and understanding. How have we (historicallly) strayed so far from our original purpose: to know and love God, and to love others without any strings attached? We should be people who are the least easy to offend. We should be soooo difficult to push away. We should be consistently going out of our way to make others' lives better. Right? Anyway, thanks to everyone for the R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I appreciate it.