The world we view as so complex is really just the work of God's fingers. There were no massive machines, no grandiose architectural designs. The universe is like a picture painted by God or a fabric knitted by God. One Old Testament image is God creating humans by knitting them in the womb of our mother. A creation account which appears in the book of Genesis says: "The Lord God created man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being." God uses clay of the earth to create us. We are not simply that clay, we are formed with the very breath of God. We are like God. We are also like the rest of creation formed out of the clay of the earth. God admonishes us: "cultivate and care for" his creation. It is God's creation not ours. Adam was tempted to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil: "The moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like the gods who know what is good and what is bad." "Original sin" was not an act of disobedience to God or a lack of faith. We do not believe that we are like God. We have to DO something to become like God. Original sin is a lack of faith in who we are, a failure to believe that everything (including us) is good. Letters From God are responses from God to people who are suffering from a series of emotons and actions which separate us from God. We forget we are part of a greater universe made by God. We are the very breath, the very spirit, the very life of God. We are to cultivate and care for the rest of the universe - not dominate and change it. The letters represent God's response to us in our guilt and grief. They present a reminder from God that we need to forgive ourselves and others for our own sake. In the letters God also calls us to pursue meaningful goals in our lives. The letters respond to a series of human expressions of exhaustion, fear, confusion, loneliness, guilt, and worry. We do not have to have special problems for God to care about us. One of the shortest letters reflects that point. Dear God, I have read all of your letters I could find. In reading them I realized that I did not fit into any of the categories of people who wrote to you. I guess I am just Anyone Dear Anyone, I am so glad you wrote. Please do not think you have to some problem in order to contact me. You do not have to fit into some group. If you read some of the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the psalms, you will know that you have been hand crafted by me. You do not have to have a problem. I just love you always. GOD There is an exchange of letters between God and the devil. Both are confused because George Bush and Sadaam Hussein believe the other one is possessed by the devil. Both also claim claim that God is on his side. The devil asks if God has taken sides. He also admits that he is afraid of both of them. If they have their way many will die and most of them will not enter the devil's kingdom. In response God offers a simple solution. The final part of the book is a series of letters from God in a time of economic crisis. The letters describe how we can respond postively to a loss of income. After all the letters of despair God writes a general letter to all peoples. God urges us to remember four things: 1. I love you. Nothing will ever destroy that love. 2. All I want is for you to love and respect yourself so that no external condition of your life will ever cause you to hate yourself. 3. No one can ever destroy you. 4.Please care for one another, especially in these difficult times. You will all be all right. Love, GOD P.S. I am not simply your father. I am also your mother. I am in pain for you. I am like a mother in labor. Can a mother come to the point of birth and then not let the child be born? We both suffer these pains which will allow you to be born once again. All of God's letters end with the expression "I love you always."