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“God dreams of us living out his image and character wherever we are—at home, in our neighbourhoods, in our churches, in our jobs, in our play, in the voting booth, in our contacts with our elected representatives, in all we do.”  Sacred Space

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I saw a picture of the President of the United States in the Oval office.  With many well-fed outstretched hands.  It was a closed-door prayer session the by-line said. 

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God dreams of us living out his image and character wherever we are …

The “image” I see makes me squirm.  The “character” I see leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.  To be invited into the Oval office is the prize of making it into the presence of greatness.  The decision to make this “private moment of God” into a public moment for all concerned is a decision of man.

I see an image and character of (wo)man.  (Wo)Man drawn to “power” as bugs are to a night-light.  Bugger-all to do with God.

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God dreams of us living out his image and character wherever we are …

The Faith of the Centurion, Matthew 8:5-13  …  Prayer, Matthew 6:5-14  …  The Greatest Commandment, Mark 12:28-34

I am not sure God dreams in the way we mean “dream” … or that we have God banged to rights as much as we think we have …  or that the Great Commission is of God rather than man.  I am not sure of many things.

I am more confident in being unsure of “God” than I am of being certain.

But if the bible is anything at all of God … if the bible attempts to share something of the essence of God …. If the bible is our “parable of God” and not a self-serving road-map to heaven … Then it is a parable like any other.

A parable of imagery and possibility … imagery not to be taken as literal .. a possibility we are not expected or asked to clone.

The bible gives me a taste .. a memory … a thought … a friend … a companion … of a journey … of a challenge … of something without clear-cut answers … Which are all “uncertain and unsure” parable-like ingredients that I am invited to make my own in a relationship and journey that can only be my own.

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God dreams of us living out his image and character wherever we are …

I no longer dream. I no longer need to dream.

I am making this “God” my own.  A God of love without condition.  A love without beginning or end.  A love which frees me to be who I am and all I can be.  Free from fear.  Free from needing to be sure.  Free from needing you to believe what I believe.  Free to change my beliefs as my journey takes one step after another.  Free to love you not for what you believe, not for who you are, nor even for what you might be.  But simply because you are as I am.  We have that in common.

What more do we need?

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