Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Bono at the National Prayer Breakfast

On February 2nd Bono spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. I would of had no clue had Tim not told me! Thanks Tim.

I really enjoyed reading the transcript and I felt like he had some things to say that I needed to hear. Here are some of his thoughts.

"One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God."

"Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV."

"I'd always read the Scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)…"

Speaking about AIDS, "The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age. Love was on the move. Mercy was on the move. God was on the move."

"When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened—and acted. When churches starting organising, petitioning, and even—that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying… on AIDS and global health, governments listened—and acted.
I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world."

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 'If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places'"

3 comments:

Dan Luebcke said...

Yeah, make sure you read the transcript and let me know what else stood out to you!

Anonymous said...

He has some amazing challenges in that little chat. Bono has always challenged me w/ his thinking. I haven't always agreed w/ him, but who can argue w/ his actions. I really have a lot of respect for him. Interesting.

Dan Luebcke said...

I couldn't agree with you more about how Bono has raised the bar by actually living what he believes. Not only has his thinking challenged me, but so has his living!