Just read part of an interview with Bono. Isn't it amazing that the leader of one of the most influential rock bands is a sincere believer? And not only that but he's seeking to make an impact on a global scale through advocating for Africa concerning AIDS and trade issues. Praise God for the interesting characters in unusual places that he raises up. Kind of reminds me of how God raised up Joseph in the time of famine.

Taken from: "Bono in Conversation" by Michka Assayas.
Interviewer: The son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: "Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you?" There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.

By the way, I'm reading Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Nouwen. So GOOD! Actually, I have a confession. I don't usually like devotional books. I often find them to be simplistic and mundane. But this baby, is good stuff. Something you can drink deeply from.

Just a few jewels...

"But real openness to each other also means a real closedness, because only he who can hold a secret can safely share his knowledge. When we do not protect with great care our own inner mystery, we will never be able to form community."

"No friend or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness. And by burdening others with these divine expectations, of which we ourselves are often only partially aware, we might inhibit the expression of free friendship and love and evoke instead feelings of inadequacy and weakness."