Dive in and swim against the tide.

God I think I heard you saying early this morning that I would have to swim against the tide of religious opinion?

No I didn’t say you’d ‘have to’. That’s Religion again. He’s always adding his manipulative mischief to what I say. He drives my people this way and that with so many dos and don’ts. He demands and shouts, whereas I ask and suggest.

Ok. Would you LIKE me to swim against religion’s tide?

Yes. If you have the courage to do that you’ll achieve what you and I both want you to. I want everyone to turn and strike out against Religion’s strong tide. You’ll find it hard at first but you’ll gain strength that you had no idea existed. But I have a question – what if walking against the tide makes you unpopular?

I’m starting to think I’d prefer not to have this conversation God.

Why in such a hurry to cut this short Mark?

Because it’s dangerous. I can sense that it threatens what I’ve always known. It’s a dangerous subject and what if I mistake what you’re saying?

Well you tell me – is this me talking or not?

It sure sounds like you.

But?

But I’m worried you’ll say things that threaten what I already know.

Welcome to the club Mark. The bible is a continuing story of people hearing me say things that didn’t fit with what they already knew about me. You’ll notice that those who listened despite their misgivings became the bible heroes. Whereas the bad guys were the ones who rejected the new thing I said and stuck instead with what I had said in the past.

What I say each new day is like manna – food from heaven. Mark what is the most memorable thing about manna?

Well the thing I remember is that it went rotten and filled with worms if you tried to save it for the next day.

Yes. Yesterday’s manna was a wonderful memory that kept your faith strong for today, but you couldn’t eat it. You needed today’s manna to survive. Listening to me speak is the same - what I said yesterday is a wonderful memory, it increases your faith, but you need to hear me speak again today to negotiate life.

Now. Back to the danger involved in hearing me speak. When you’re in conversation with a human they’re going to say things you didn’t expect them to say, right?

Yes. All the time.

Good. So when you’re in conversation with me the same thing will happen. But to an even greater extent.  That’s because no matter how well you know me, the size of my mind means that I am always thinking about things that you have no idea about. Which means that if you’re in conversation with me you’ll have even less control of the subject than you do when you’re talking to a human. Are you ok with that?

I thought I was. I thought having a conversation with you would be great because I’m tired of how Religion controls the way we talk to you and only lets us talk to you about the same old things.

So what’s changed?

Well God now you’re talking about things that I’m worried might offend people. You’re saying you want people to ignore the customs of religion – the things that make us comfortable. You’re saying you want us to throw off the accepted ways to relate to you - to stop being so religious.

What’s the problem with that. You just said that’s what you wanted Mark. You said you wanted to stop talking about the same old things to me. The problem is that you’re scared to let me suggest how the process will go. Now that you know can hear me you’re worried. You suspect I might say things you’re not expecting me to say. But if you stay in control and only let me say things you’re comfortable with then you won’t hear anything new at all. I want to talk about NEW new things Mark. A whole NEW approach to everything – to life, to the way you relate to me. And you won’t know what those new things are unless you’re prepared to let me say whatever I want.

I already know that God.

You do but you don’t. You know that you’re having this seemingly impossible back and forward conversation with me, but you want to keep it within the bounds of what you already understand about me. You go scurrying off to consult scripture when I say something that worries you, but the problem with that is that you’re consulting your own understanding of scripture.  It’s time you let me explain scripture to you. I understand it better than you. How can you hope to understand scripture unless you know how to ask the one who wrote it?

You’re still not used to me introducing new subjects. You’re SO religious Mark. Particularly when I say things that question the way you’ve done things until now.  What worries you most is that what I say might make you unpopular with others. You’re worried they’ll say “God wouldn’t say that!” But you need, all of you, to be prepared to listen to what I want to say – NOT to what you expect me to say. I’m not an extension of your beliefs, I’m not constricted to what you believe about me. I exist all by myself without any help from you. I AM. Completely separate from your ideas about me.

I’m so sick of your religion. You have helped Religion in his efforts to reduce the power that holds the universe together into something predictable and boring.  Something safe. How did you all manage that? I’ll tell you. It was easy. You believed what he told you about me. You believed it because when you heard his voice you thought it was mine.

You tell each other Religion’s seductive lies – all his rules and regulations about how I must be worshipped. A generation ago you told each other that a woman must have her head covered in church and not lead. Now you tell each other she can lead, and without her head covered. Which is true? You have no idea – these are all your rules which you attribute to me. A generation from now you’ll have new ideas about all that and all your other favourite touchy subjects. You’ll tell each other those ideas are from me, and you’ll create new rules and expectations around them.

I’ve had enough Mark. It’s time you gave up all your systems and customs and safeguards. I don’t want religion. I don’t want a system or a world-wide movement. What I want is a relationship, one on one, back and forward with each of you as individuals. I don’t want it based on your systems and teachings. I want to tell each of you, individually, how our relationship should run. I don’t want you to hear from someone in charge, or from a book, or from a TV programme how our relationship should be run. I want you to hear it from me.

Ok so God so do you want me to publish that conversation? It seems like the same old stuff to me. Boring. Not much different.

Mark I want you to publish it. The reasons will become apparent over time. Just trust me and do it.

Shall I put that bit about publishing it on the end, or just cut it off?

What do you think?

I’m not sure.

Yes you are.

God?

Yes. You can hear me and you know what I’m saying.

Ok? So are you saying to include this very negative sounding finishing dialogue or to cut it before I publish this conversation?

Mark people need to understand that being unsure is human, normal and ok. Include all this, it helps them realise that they’re ok when they doubt their own conversations with me.

Alright then.

LOVE THIS BOOK!
Love this book. It’s changing my life for the better. Amanda Barber.

I CAN’T STOP SAYING WOW!
I can’t stop saying WOW as I read this book… it’s transformed Hubby’s life. Can’t wait to get to the end of the book to try it out too. So want more! Ang Low