I have been reading a collection of John Wimber's (founder of the Vineyard Church Movement)writings and teachings. This is the opening passage to the chapter entitled "Renewal and Revival - Letting God be God":

"One of the basic goals I had in mind when this whole thing started, early on in the Vineyard movement, was this: "What would God do if we gave Him the chance?" What if fear or self-interest didn't restrict us? What if the need for control didn't overwhelm us? What would God do? If our own ministries were not the most important issue, what would it be like? If "church" wasn't all about us, our place, and our ways, but instead was about Jesus and what He wanted to do here on earth, what would He reveal of His heart? What if it didn't matter to us at all what was said about us - good or bad - and the only opinion that mattered was Jesus'? What would it be like?
What if we loved what Jesus loved? What if we let God be God and we just be His people? What if self-protection was not the issue, and we didn't care about looking foolish? What would God do?
Don't you want to know?"

As Elmo would say, "Good questions Dorothy!" (sorry been watching a lot of Sesame Street!).

There was an article in today's USA Today asking if the States, "considered a deeply religious country" is not in fact better described as "pious". The writer comments: "what do we mean by "religious"? If we are talking about rhetoric, volume and public display, it has been a very religious time indeed. If we mean behaviour that creates peace, extends compassion to the less fortunate and reaches out to strangers outside our borders, we have a way to go. If we are a Christian nation, shouldn't we more consistently behave like one?"

I love the slogan of our North Brooklyn Church - "Breaking the Stereotype".