God's social network...

I love The Message. As I've said before, it gives me a new perspective on the Bible. Today I read from 2 Peter:

"So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Immediately I pictured God sending me a friend request on Facebook. Obviously in reality we're talking a much huger scale, but consider it for a second. Our response to God can be to accept the request, click to ignore it and make it go away... or just delay until we decide whether we want to open ourselves up to Him.

In my experience, accepting never disappoints.

Partnership...

Prayer is not magic;

It does not always work;

It is not something we do,

But a response to what God is already doing within us and around the world.


Our prayers are the necessary opening that allows God to act without violating our freedom.


Prayer is the ultimate act of partnership with God.

- Walter Wink

In follow-up...

Recently I posted about The Message. Along a similar theme, there's the God's Word translation in clear, natural English. Translated directly from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, it is an exceptional literary work that consciously combines scholarly fidelity with natural English.

And it's available for free download this month! Click here to download the New Testament in MP3, MP4 or WMA format. The coupon code is SEP2009. Happy listening!