(34/40)

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Print
ROTB logo


The 77% Weekly
The 40/52-weeks-a-year,  quick-reading, thought-lingering, spiritual-religious newsletter.

Religion-Outside-The-Box is a donation supported not-for-profit empowering adults to find and be with (the) God (of their understanding).  

Gratitude
Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual Gratitude Dinner last Friday night.

With hopes that everyone’s holiday season will be as warm…
 

Rabbi Brian

ROTB Links

About





Account Info

Edit

Sign-up!

Join Our Mailing List

# 34 / 40 – November 2007

E-mail from God.                                            
 

An e-mail from God.

Imagine this…

You open your inbox and find an e-mail with the subject line:
An e-mail from God.

When you check who sent the e-mail, it simply reads, God.

What do you imagine the message would contain?

  • Praise?
  • Condemnation?
  • An answer to a question that you’ve been asking?
  • Advice?
  • A forwarded joke?

As the head of Religion-Outside-The-Box, it is my job to remind you that it behooves each of us to have a healthy, open relationship with (the) God (of our understanding) because that relationship is the backbone of our spiritual-religious lives.

(I’m not saying that any of us ought to be clear in our understanding of God – after all, God is defined a lot of the time as the indefinable or incomprehensible.)

Nonetheless I want you to think about this:

What would be in an e-mail to you from God?

(Remember, as always, this is according to your understanding of what you want to use the word “God” to mean or not mean.)

Really take a moment to think about it.

What do you think God would want to communicate with you?

(I’m leaving a space here to indicate that were this printed out, you would write your answers. But, as this is e-mail, please give at least 30 seconds to thinking about your answer.)

What about your response?
What would you write back?

How would you sign your e-mail?


Now, let me tell you what I imagine would be in the e-mail that I receive from God. (Remember, this is according to my understanding of the word God today… it’s neither to tell you what you ought to believe nor anything set in stone with regard to my theology.)

E-mail from God to me:

Brian, I love you, always have, always will. Just wanted to share that. Love, God.

E-mail response from me:

I don’t want to complain, but I wish I felt it more. I feel like I ought to. I mean, thanks for the e-mail and I am grateful for the abundance in my life, but I still don’t feel complete, fulfilled, free. I guess I want to ask you for more…which, I realize is a bit much to ask for seeing that I have so much already.  I want more faith, more security, more peace.  (Of course, there are many in serious pain who need your help more than I do and please do take care of them… but don’t forget about me.)  I’m going to re-commit to making space in my life so that I can feel connected to you – and not just by our e-mail correspondence.  Love, Brian

With love,

Rabbi Brian
Rabbi Brian

(If you want to e-mail me your thoughts about this spiritual-religious exercise — while I’m not God — I would be glad for the correspondence.)

A web version of this article is available here.
This article was also posted at Street Prophets.

The 77% Weekly


The 77% Weekly: The Religion-Outside-The-Box Newsletter
helps people find and be with (the) God (of their understanding) 40 out of 52 weeks a year.

Why 77%?
Two reasons:
1) 40/52 = 0.76923 and it is sent every Monday except the last of each month.
2) In school 77% was a passing grade and ROTB wants to remind you that life isn’t graded, it’s pass/fail.


Religion-Outside-The-Box is a donation-supported,
non-denominational, internet-based, 501c3-tax exempt religious congregation.

Share with a Friend

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
WhatsApp

Also by Rabbi Brian

77% Weekly
Rabbi Brian

I’m sorry. I hear you.

I’m sorry. I hear you.   The child whose day it is to empty the dishwasher did so before going to school today. Hooray. (It

Read More »
77% Weekly
Rabbi Brian

May. I have patience?

May. I have patience? Beloved, It’s May. Which is, pardon the bad pun, A-may-zing. The calendar seems to have flipped from March to May instantly.

Read More »
77% Weekly
Rabbi Brian

It’s OK not to be OK

A startling discovery about 2024—this year has 53 Mondays, not the standard 52. 2019: 52 Mondays2020: 52 Mondays2021: 52 Mondays2022: 52 Mondays2023: 52 Mondays2024: 53

Read More »