Via Matt Schur on Facebook, this essay (really an edited sermon) entitled God Does Not Heed My Snotty Opinions about Evangelicals [capitalization corrected from the original], on Jim Wallis’ “God’s Politics” site (and for those who have heard me rant about Jim Wallis, how very ironic THAT is):

The impossible is what happens when the Holy Spirit calls us through the gospel and enlightens us with the Spirit’s gifts. I believe that by my own understanding or effort I cannot sell all I have and give it to the poor. I believe by my own understanding or effort I cannot have beautiful collaborative collegial relationships with evangelicals, or have grace-filled conversations with my enemies. For me this is impossible; for you this is impossible; for God, not so much.

So like the rich man, what must we do to inherit eternal life? Still be alive after the other guy dies. In other words, in this life of discipleship, we will die and be reborn again and again in the death and resurrection of Christ as God sweeps us up again and again into the crazy impossible. So watch those bank accounts brothers and sisters, and those snotty opinions, and your so-called enemies, and those plans and management programs. Because seriously — who knows what crazy thing’s gonna happen.

I won’t bore you with the ways this reverberates with recent events in my own life, but suffice it to say that I agree with Anne Lamott: God can be such a noodge!