I just picked up Len Sweet's most recent book So Beautiful and am finding that it's full of great quotes and nuggets of truth. I intend to sit down and read the whole thing but here is one quote that already is drawing me into what he has to say:
"If God were a thing or a principle, we could discover God through things and principles. But if God is not a thing but a Spirit, and a personal God at that, then God is truly discovered in personal relationship. We must invite others to venture into a personal relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, not matter how tenative, no matter if all opinions are open, and trust the Spirit to take it from there...Jesus never one mentions religion or orthodox theology, nor does he outline certain religious 'beliefs' and 'precepts' by which we wil be judged. He outlines actions by which we will be judged, but not propositions and creeds. The problem with religion as a 'belief system' is what I call the 'belief relief.' The relief of belief is that a belief doesnt force you to do anything other than to 'believe' or to 'think' it. Relations require action; beliefs require only assent. You can believe something without changin one iota how you live and move in the world...There are twenty-one original prayers that Jesus prayed in the Gospels. Every one of them begins by addressing God as Father, a name drawn from human relationships, not from philosophy. The creeds begin, 'I believe.' But Jesus begins, 'Our Father.' "
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