Thinking Well about One's Self

Greetings Dear Readers,


Consider all the people you know who do not think of themselves in a good light. Whether it is that one does not admit to things they do well or that they think to highly of themselves, often we do not view ourselves in a sober light. Whether it is pride or pain that drives us, or the ravages of our fallen natures, we must learn to think properly of ourselves. As for me, I am a fallen man, whose meager attempts to be kind and good are only successful by the grace of God.

I strive daily to view myself honestly but fail often to see my own short comings or wrong views. Fortunately I have friends and family around me who love me enough to help me see my true self more clearly. As I work through my thinking on a proper view of my place before God and my place in the writing world, I have to begin to accept what a proper view of my gifts would be. It is difficult to admit that I am good at my craft without feeling prideful and self conscious. That said, professionals have told me that I write well. I must find a place to stand where I acknowledge the value of what I do and where I give my best to develop and share my craft and the crafting of it with others.

I write because I love to write. I share it with others because I love to teach. You dear readers, encourage me through your comments and feedback. Journey with me a little further and perhaps we will find a place to stand where we see ourselves as we are, and from that see the beauty of all that God has created in us.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Falling on my Knees

Greetings Dear Readers,

I have spent a great deal of time recently studying the ins and outs of what it means to be truly a follower of Jesus Christ. At the church I attend we have just begun studying the twelfth chapter of the book of Romans. I know some of you have no idea what I am talking about and that is just fine. Here is the gist of what falls into my thinking.

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

The question with which I wrestle is, how do I truly make sure that I am a living sacrifice to Christ? Part of my answer is that I must live in the moment, constantly checking to see that my backside is still firmly planted on that alter; that I am sacrificing all that I am to Christ in every moment. This is not accomplished by obeying rules or following a plan. It is accomplished by realizing that I am never going to be content anywhere else.

Joy Williams has a recorded a song that I have listened to as a mantra for the last week or so. I want it to permeate my heart and mind to the depth that it becomes my anthem. Here are the lyrics and a link to the song. Give it a listen before you continue reading if you will.

www.esnips.com/doc/4157f16d-50de-4ad8-b787-906d7cf7a4ea/Joy-Williams---Hungry-(Falling-On-My-Knees)

Hungry

Hungry, I come to You, For I know You satisfy
I am empty but I know, Your love does not run dry
So I wait for You, So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees, Offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart, Is living for

Broken, I run to You, For Your arms are open wide
I am weary but I know, Your touch restores my life
So I wait for You, So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees, Offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart, Is living for
So I wait for You, So I wait for You, So I wait for You


I'm falling on my knees, Offering all of me. Jesus, You're all this heart, Is living for

And I'm falling on my knees, Offering all of me. Jesus, You're all this heart, Is living for


Hungry, I come to You, For I know You satisfy


I think the tone of my posts will be changing, but I will still give you the light and airy as well. If you pray for me, and I hope you do, please pray that I never lose the moment I am in right now. If I can keep this heart and this mind, all else makes sense. I love you all, collectively and individually. RJ thanks for the feedback.


Wishing you joy in the journey,

unus vinculum servus procul Christi
Aramis Thorn

Do not call me Christian

Greetings Dear Readers,

I know that those of you who know me personally may be shocked by that title. I do have a reason for what I am saying. Over the last decades, I have seen, as have others that the label "Christian" has lost much of its power and respect. In the words of my pastor (yes I have one of those), I believe the word no longer communicates. My faith has not changed but what I call myself has.

I regret that some who claim the name Christian do so much to hurt the image of God that Christ brought us. God does not hate anyone and commands his followers to love even their enemies. So I have chosen to leave the label behind me so that I can communicate better that which I am commanded to:

• Love God with all my heart, soul, and mind
• Love my neighbor as myself

Anything else is just footnotes. This means I do not hate you just because your life is different than mine. It means that I do not care about many of the issues Christians rally around. I do have feelings and opinions about many things, but I will not reject anyone just because they disagree with me. I apologize for those who identify with Christ and then hate others. That is not who Christ is. Please do not judge Christ by the poor examples of his followers you encounter. If you read my blog, you are much too intelligent for that.

If you must find a way to label me, try Christ Follower. I do not feel that I am worthy of that title, but it is my heart's desire to become a man who can be seen that way. I am not as good at this as I wish to be but I also know that today, in this moment, I am following Christ as best I can, and that is all I may honestly offer you. For those of you who do not know about my faith, here it is in a brief explanation.

I am, like all persons, a fallen sinful human.
I know that God exists and he loves me.
I know that my sinfulness separates me from that love.
The only just penalty for my sin is eternal separation from God.
God would rather die than live without me.
He chose to live in the form of a human as Jesus Christ.
As that God/man he never sinned but paid the price of his unjust death for my sin.
I can do nothing to merit God's favor, but by faith I can avail myself of this payment for my sin.
It is by faith alone that I find my relationship with God the Father through his Son, Jesus.
He offers this free gift to anyone who will accept it

So please, when you talk about me or my writing, do not call me a Christian. If you wish to discuss this feel free to email me, aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com, or you can comment here on the blog. Other than that, I as always wish you the same thing.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn