Some Joy From Ryan's Blog...

Well... some of you may have noticed I have been feeling a wee tad low....

So I thought I would send you some joyful posts from other blogs for awhile... this one is from the link, snorkling in the light... by Ryan Baum... who, funny enough called just as I was doing this... and thanks dear dear fellow... you're the best kind.
Sunday, March 06, 2005

The Gift of Christ
God is great!!!!I just finished reading the first essay in A Testament to Freedom, the collected works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I got for Christmas, and it has opened me up to an experince of God so full and real and rich such as I have not experienced in quite a long time.Says Dietrich:The Christian religion as religion is not of God. It is rather another example of a human way to God, like the Buddhist and others, too, though of course these are of a different nature. Christ is not the bringer of a new religion, but rather the one who brings God. Therefore, as an impossible way from the human to God, the Christian religion stands with other religions. Christians can never pride themselves on their Christianity, for it remains human, all too human. They live, however, by the grace of God, which comes to people and comes to every person who opens his or her heart to it and learns to understand it in the cross of Christ. And, therefore, the gift of Christ is not the Christian religion, but the grace and love of God which culminate in the cross.How amazing is that??? The beauty of Christ is not in religion, but rather in his demonstration that God loves you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much! Except way way more! No exceptions. No catch. Nothing you have to do or believe or understand. God loves you now and forever. And therefore, so do I!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!