Roasting Your Own – An Aside

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

I know that some of you read my blog whilst enjoying a cup of coffee. I often am, as I am now, enjoying a cup of the bitter brew when I write to you. The difference for me today is that this coffee is unique.

Here are things that I know about the coffee I am currently sipping:
-It was grown in Mexico
-It is fair trade coffee
-I bought 25 pounds of it
-The beans were carefully roasted in 4 ounce lots
-The blend is a dark full roast and a medium roast
-It is the best coffee I have ever had
-I roasted it myself

I realize that saying it is the best coffee I have ever had is a bit arrogant and perhaps I am a little high from the constant contact with the oily caffeinated beans. I would say that roasting the coffee is almost as addicting as drinking it. But this coffee was roasted, allowed to breath for twelve hours and then sealed for twenty-four. I have a very excellent grinder that allows me to set the level of grind for the kind of coffee I will brew.

After careful reading and planning I made my first pot of home roast (the official name is Orion’ Blend). I have three roast colours; Dark – Betelgeuse, Medium –Bellatrix, and Light – Mintaka. I am working on a Rigel blend but cannot decide if I want it to be lighter or extra bold. I did burn one roasting in trying to get beyond the dark roast but as a friend said, “that happens.”

All of this may seem light and unlike my usual seriousness. I assure you this is serious business. Coffee is a multibillion dollar industry. Pound for pound I am paying about 50% less than I usually would. I enjoy doing it. It is benefiting growers directly and it is very easy. It takes about ten minutes to roast enough for a pot of coffee. Now before you think I have gotten too politically correct, it is rather that I am doing something I enjoy and saving money. I also am sure that the coffee I serve my friends is wholesome and has no odd chemicals in it.

Beyond that I have learned more about the bitter black bean that I love in a way I had not imagined to learn it. I have grown a new appreciation for the amazing thing that is coffee. I will do my best not to take it for granted again. My cup is empty and I am on to other things, the first being a hearty refill.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

On Holding Orion

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

We all know that holding a new born child has some magic in it. New life with a new slate that is clean and a new story to write is the very best kind of enchantment. We had the joy of gathering together over Thanksgiving weekend with all the grandparents present. The mirth and merriment had no end.

Ten adults with their own lives as stories all had a single focal point most of the evening. When I was privileged to hold my Grandson nothing else in the world seemed to matter. He is changing us all and I know he changes me every time I hold him. My thoughts whilst holding him the other evening were all on this child and the potential to always be a good example for him.

We all get to choose how we will be around a child. The language we use, the habits we indulge, and the values we support will all impact this fresh life. I cannot compartmentalize my life into the thing I do around Orion and the things I do away from him. Who I am will influence him. My values will bleed through no matter how I try to mask them.

I must become committed to following Christ as closely and as honestly as I can so that whenever I am around my beautiful Grandson that is what he sees. I cannot harbor any anger or hurt. I cannot indulge any selfishness or self-centeredness. He will pick up on how I feel about others and so I must love others as I wish for him to do.

I loved holding him and realize that no matter how long I hold him, it will not be long enough. That realized it followed that all the others wished to hold him as well. I could have sat with him in my arms all evening. I used to hold his father for hours and hours. In realizing that all the aunts, uncles, and grandparents want to hold him as well, I must guard my good desire from becoming selfish greed.

Every good thing can become a bad thing once it is no longer selfless. It is the self that creates the sin that ruins the good things. Christ must increase and I must decrease.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Meaning over Mistletoe

Greetings Dear Reader,

I trust that you all had a happy Black Friday. I know that many of you were up and about early in the pursuit of deals and steals. There is nothing wrong with Christmas shopping or enjoying the fervor of the day. My daughter Christmas and I headed to observe own Black Friday traditions. As I have been talking about often lately, I am doing my best to focus on the purpose of Christmas over the trappings.

I love decorating and changing the home to reflect the spirit of the season. I love moving among the bustling shoppers smiling and finding opportunities to show small kindnesses. The look given when you give away your shopping cart or help someone with packages is so much more one of surprise that it once was. Common courtesy is no longer common and yet it must be so if I am to live the spirit of Christ’s love and kindness.

As you will hear me say often over the next month and as Mr. Dickens said so well, “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”

No matter what my vocation I must focus my avocation on ensuring that I am about the business of the meaning of Christmas. It has nothing to do with decorations, shopping, food, or mistletoe. It has everything to do with providing opportunity to all that I encounter to see and feel the purpose of the season. It is all of no use if the threads of redemption and reconciliation are not sewn into the fabric of all I do.

I was with someone yesterday who battled to focus on others instead of himself whilst shopping. A constant stream of muttering about what he wished to have accompanied his attempts to shop for others. It reminded me keenly that I must focus on others and know that Christ has my needs in his heart.

So as I move among the shoppers and shop keepers I will choose meaning over mistletoe. I will choose kindness over self-centeredness. I will choose generosity over greed. By God’s grace I will live with that spirit in heart daily.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

The Vigil - 3

Greetings Dear Reader,

Drawn towards destinies darkling kite, riven by reality
Riding the passion to terrible height, life upon death’s tree
Cause me to drink from the chalice of fire. Forge me anew in the heat of desire
Let me inhabit the holy empire and make war on the armies of night. – Kemper Crabb

I am going to war in December.

Even the celebration that wishes “peace on earth” to all is an act of war. We serve on a battlefield where there are no neutral zones. We journey through a world where there is not a demilitarized zone. The Advent of Christ is a major military move in a campaign against the darkness that wishes to claim us all. On a field where there are no rusty swords our weapons are strange and seem ineffectual until employed.

There are the common weapons that Christ followers know. The Sword of the Spirit, the Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Helmet of Salvation are all well known to us. We have sabatons in the preparation of the gospel. Our loins may be girded with truth. (Ephesians 6:10-18) We have others weapons as well; weapons of mass destruction.

When we show love, employ kindness, and rain down humility on others we become beacons of light that can shatter the darkness. We give others the courage and strength to embrace Christ and join our fight for reclamation of creation. Every encounter is a skirmish. Every conversation is a salvo.

When I stand in line at the store and treat the cashier with deference and politeness, I am attacking the darkness. When I get a trolley for an overburdened mother, I am waging war. When I give my time and attention and money to those who are in need; that is battle rage. I can become a berserker, seemingly mad in my quest to exhibit the love of Christ all that I do. I promise that the army of darkness will try to kill me for it.

I choose deliberately to go to war. I choose with intent to love, forgive, and show kindness. I do not care if I am boiled in my own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through my heart. I will sing as I go. I will sing battle songs that cry out to all that Christ has come and that his purpose is to draw ALL humans to himself.

Mankind is my business and it is for them that it is all done. If you have the heart I ask you to ride out to war with me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Giving Thanks in 2010

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have so much to be thankful for this year. You are near the top of the list. I do not know all of you and that does not lessen one bit my gratitude for your patronage. As we turn the corner into December I will be attempting another marathon of postings. I invite you all to interact anonymously or not with my postings. Your feedback, responses, opinions, and questions are always welcome.

Know please that as I went before the Father this morning to give thanks that I thanked him for you. So as I move on to family centered things for the day I wish you all a most joy filled Thanksgiving Day.

Later this evening I will take up my "Christmas Present" mantle and do all that I can to live the season as a celebration of Christ as it is meant to be celebrated. I start it out by pondering all the great blessings in my life. I am so grateful and honored by all that God has given me and I pray that I live up to his trust in me.

I love you all, collectively and individually.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis ThornMat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out

Choosing Your Artificial Christmas

Greetings Dear Reader,

I know that we are two days out from Thanksgiving and there are some of you who think that Christmas should wait. I draw a clear distinction between the merriment of Christmas and the merchandising of Christmas. One cannot celebrate the birth of God Incarnate and worship things at the same time. The other day I was shopping for a gift for my younger Son. I took a walk through the trees and decorations at the store because doing so lifts my spirits.

Whilst walking among the non-living trees I heard a boy call out from his cart. He was talking to me. I was wearing my burgundy waffle Henley and my black jeans. I was wearing a red bandana. The boy was pointing toward me and speaking to his mum. “Look, mom. I told you he was here. Hurry mom, we gotta get our artificial Christmas and decorate it.”

I smiled at the lad. He was not the first child to think I was Santa. Hopefully he will not be the last. I reassured him, “Do not worry. Your mother will get things ready in time. She always does.” The child visibly relaxed and retreated a little into the cart. It has been many years since I worked professionally as Santa but some of the magic is still there. The mom whispered a thank you and hurried on before the spell wore off.

The child’s words, however, stayed with me. I wondered at the pressure of a world where the only choice is an “artificial Christmas.” Were I able I would pass the true joy of Christmas to every man every day. What I must do is find that joy within my own spirit every day and rekindle it afresh. I can give the gifts of Christmas; love, forgiveness, peace, and good will every time I encounter someone if I choose to have them ready to give.

There are two Christmases. The real one that is imbued with Christ and his journey of redemption for our sake is the real one. This real Christmas can still involve family traditions and giving gifts that come from the heart. The merchandising and diminishing of Christ as the founder and finisher of our celebration is the artificial one. I must be so in tune with Christ that his joy and mirth spill out of me constantly. I have so many things to be thankful for but chief among them is a year spent trying to find the joy of Christ in every moment.

As Turkey and trimmings make the turn to black Friday and the decorating of trees, I pray that I find in every moment the Christ who is there waiting for me. I hope that I abandon pretense of any kind and offer my fellow man both substance and style. My prayer is that I offer all around me a real Christmas that need never be put away because it is the wrong season. It is always the right season to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Now, as the last broad oak leaf falls, we beg, consider this:
there’s some who have no coin to save for turkey, wine or gifts.
No children’s laughter round the fire, no family left to know.
So lend a warm and helping hand –
say Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow. – Ian Anderson


Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Orion Rising

Greetings Dear Reader,

At 12:20 yesterday morning (22 November 2010) my first Grandchild made his exit from one world and entered ours. The Hunter's Moon was full and his Constellation was high in the night sky. I held him for the first time some twenty minutes later. He was alert and looking around. He was wiggly and commanded the undivided attention of all seven adults in attendance. He looked so much like my son did on his first day amongst us that I was completely befuddled.

I watched as my Grandson exerted his power over all around him. It was amazing to see each of the adults transformed from a person with a unique personality to an entranced holder of new life. Every aunt, uncle, parent, and grandparent looked transfixed at Orion’s bright eyes and spoke words of love and kindness to him.

The labour was difficult on his Mum and his Papa is tired from the long attendance. We were all tired form the waiting. The first thing that got my energy up, before I even saw my Grandson was the joyful laughter of his Papa as Orion emitted his first cries of life. The heavy delivery room door between could not muffle the delight in my Son as he welcomed his Son. In that moment we all changed forever.

I long to capture the power and potential of this child’s arrival but cannot quite find the words. The short of it is that it was all settled in that moment when his father opened the thick wooden door and presented Orion to us all. A very noisy bunch of people became suddenly quiet. We took turns holding this beautiful boy.

When it was my turn I whispered to him the same first words I whispered to his father the first time I held him: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish by have everlasting life.” I explained to him how much I already loved him and promised him that we would have many conversations.

Now I must become more and more purged of my fallen self and selfishness and become more and more a reflection of who Christ is so that Orion will see it clearly. Everything else is subtext. Everything else is commentary. Anything that detracts from this beautiful child seeing Christ in his Grandfather does not belong. Everything that promotes it honestly is a necessity. I already love him at a level that I cannot express. Welcome to the journey Orion. I hope I do well by you.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

A Journey Over Stones

Greetings Dear Reader,

Most of us hate pain. Most of us would rather not have it at all if possible. Physical and emotional pains are very different and for some reason for the last month or so I have been recalling the most extreme physical pain I have ever experienced.

It was over thirty years ago. I was just a few months away from high school graduation. We went to a school wide retreat at a camp in the North Carolina Mountains. During one of our recreational activities I broke my leg very badly. Both bones were snapped, I ruptured ligaments, and tore tendons. The initial pain was dreadfully painful. It was about one in the afternoon.

What followed was the real pain. The camp staff rushed to my aid. They arrived with a stretcher and immobilized my leg then secured me to the stretcher. Four of them carried me to an ancient waiting station wagon. As carefully as possible they laid me on a mattress in the back of the station wagon. Then the torture began in earnest.

During the trip to the car, every jostle and slight shift send waves of nauseating pain rolling up my leg. Then as the driver started the engine to the station wagon one of the camp staff and one of my teachers climbed in the back of the wagon with me. They iced down my leg as the station wagon began to move over the smooth driveway to the road that led out of the camp to the highway. It was that road that was my torture.

For the next twenty minutes over a road paved with loose stones and another thirty over washboard dirt that was the pain. The suspension in the station wagon was far past its useful prime. The stones in the road were fresh and thick. Every bump sent shocks of pain racing up my leg. The man from the camp began to weep as he saw the pain I was enduring.

I began to pray. I asked God for one thing. I did not ask for the pain to stop. I did not ask for the road to be smooth. I asked that God would give me the strength to endure the pain. I lost myself in this request as I journeyed over those stones and across that long washboard road. Shortly after we reached the smoothness of the state highway I slipped into a fugue. The next thing I remember was being carried into the clinic in the small town nearest to the camp.

The intern at the clinic gave me a shot of morpheme and set my leg. He put a cast on it and told me to see an orthopedic surgeon immediately on my return home. What followed was surgery and months of recuperation. What I remember most about that journey from the camp to the clinic was the third person in the back of the station wagon with me.

Neither the camp counselor nor the teacher recalls a third person being there with us. It was a young woman and just as I began praying she began to sing. The song was one of my Grandfather’s favorites, God Leads Us Along. It was one of the things he used to sing when we worked in his garden or sat by a river fishing. The entire text of the song is at the end of this post.

My journey over stones was one of the worst physical pains I have ever endured. The teacher told me weeks later that when I slipped into that state of semi-consciousness that I was quietly singing that same song.

The pain never really subsided until the morpheme kicked in. What I did learn is that we can endure pain and even find a song in the midst of it if we are willing to do so. I have forgotten that lesson along the way sometimes but it has been on my mind a great deal lately.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity's day,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long. – George A. Young

That’s why I don’t care if I look like a fool

Greetings Dear Reader,

To do all the things that I have written about this week does make one appear quite mad. I follow in faith someone I cannot see. I believe I have an unseen enemy who wants to destroy me. I rest my eternal soul on the gamble that an invisible God loves me and is willing to pardon my offenses against him through grace. I am willing to forgive and attempt to love my enemies and forgive wrongs done to me.

I have to trust in the absurdity of love and the amazing nature of grace. I have to carry the song in my heart and on my lips. I have to be the fool. The classic image of the fool so depicts what I must be. Those who choose to follow Christ are often scoffed at. They are vagabonds dependant on that distant calling tune to lead them onward. Ultimately the truth is that I must worry about nothing but what God thinks of me. If I know I am doing right by him and humbly follow only his calling; dance only to his piping, no matter how foolish I look to others then I am wise. It is after all the foolish things of the world that God uses to confound the wise.

So dear reader, if you hear me signing and it embarrasses you, I care about your discomfort but will not quiet my tune for you. If you see me moving forward and it seems that I am blind, know that I am listening to the pipe of God’s own Fool and it sings me down the path. You are welcome to follow along if you wish. I promise the adventure will be glorious.

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man
He must have seemed out of His mind
Even His family said He was mad
And the priest said a demon's to blame
But, God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

We in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
We in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong

So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable; come be a fool as well

So come lose your life for a carpenter's son
For a madman who died for a dream
And you’ll have the faith His first followers had
And you'll feel the weight of the beam
So surrender the hunger to say you must know
Find the courage to say I believe
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see

So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable; come be a fool as well – Michael Card

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

That’s why I sing for a God unchanging

Greetings Dear Reader,

I sing. When I am out and about, walking down the halls at work, or puttering about the house, I sing. Most of what I sing during these times is directed at God. Saint Augustine of Hippo (AD 430) is often attributed with saying "Qui cantat bis orat" or “He who sings prays twice.” Although we cannot find anything that proves he said this, the words are true. He did say "cantare amantis est” meaning "Singing belongs to one who loves."

One of the ways I work out my feelings as they involve my faith is singing. The Ephesians were told to sing to themselves in “Hymns and Psalms and Spiritual Songs, making melody in their hearts to the Lord.” I know that when I do this it impacts me. I know that when my spirit urges me to sing and I refuse it is because I want to hang on to a foul mood.

Music is so much more powerful than we realize. In a conversation with my Son, Bezel the other day we talked about how music influences everyone in our family. My older Son, Maxim and I were also recently discussing his favorite band and as I have delved into their music to know him better I can see why the content flows with who he is. We are a restless lot and I know that music always impacts me.

I just changed up the memory card in my car, replacing the music I have been listening to with a mixture of some new faith centered music and my first salvo of Christmas hymns and songs. I will never say that all music must be faith based to be good. Nor will I give my ear to most “Christian” music. I will say, however, that when I am troubled, angry, or subdued in my pursuit of Christ, that Christ centered music can be the factor that tips the balance in favor of following.

Augustine proposed, “Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” When I sing to God words that are truth I find rest even from my deepest pains. I think of all those who have journeyed through the years with a song on lips and in their hearts and long to learn from their example. Sometimes the song has a minor key and sometimes it is even a dirge.

No matter the tune or the context, when I sing to God the path is easier and the stones in way are smaller. God is constant and when allow truth to make music in my heart and on my lips I inch closer to him with my burdens lightened.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

That’s why love is so Absurd

Greetings Dear Reader,

As amazing as grace is love is truly absurd. It sounds stupid to love those who hate you. It goes against the grain to love your enemy, forgive those who hurt you, and to take in those who would destroy you. It is completely absurd to turn the other cheek when you know you will be hit for it. It is stupid to think that it will do any good to love someone else for the sake of peace.

It is stupid, absurd, and mad but it is the only thing that works. It is love that burrows into the petrified heart. It is love that shatters stone and binds brokenness into power. It is love that is the only weapon whose strokes heal. Love is formidable and indomitable. Nothing can truly stand against it.

I must love at all costs. I must love the one who would kill me. I must love the spouse who abandoned me and broke my heart. I must love the child that refuses to see how far he is from his walk with Christ. I must love the co-worker who hates me for my faith. I have harmed Christ in all these ways and many more I do not even comprehend.

Not only must I love above all but I must absorb the hurt that is the cost of loving. No matter how much someone abuses my love for them, I must continue to love them. No matter how much it hurts to be near them I must accept them and do all that I can to live out the gospel of Christ in that relationship.

It is God’s blood that is shed for the sake of love and I dare not let one drop of it be shed in vain. I must amass the energy that is God’s love and deliver it with laser focus on all that I encounter. There is not cost great than the life of Christ so anything I am asked to pay is a pittance. It is absurd that God would allow Christ to miss a moment of his presence at the throne much less take on our pitiful shell of pain and withstand abuse at my hands.

Love is absurd but by God’s grace we are called and equipped to become obsessively absurd in our love toward others. God will raise great love from shattered hearts if we allow it. He will use that same love to raze pain if we will release it.

There is no room for division, abandonment, rejection, or dismissal of others. Reclamation demands it. We cannot say we follow Christ and reject anyone else. We cannot say we are his and dissolve the bonds we make in him. There is no room for anything but love without limit. Anything less IS truly absurd. I love you all; collectively and individually.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

That’s why grace is so Amazing

Greetings Dear Reader,

I had the privilege to recently discover the musician Matt Maher. I am thankful for him and his music. Those who know me well will tell you that content matters to me much more than music style or genre. Feel free to check out this artist as you have probably heard a couple of his songs sung as worship songs.

The song that snagged me the hardest (picture a bass here gulping down a rooster tail), is the song Look Like a Fool. You seen the chorus pounded on the my brain the first eleven or twelve times I listened to it. I am going to dwell on it a little as it relates to me.

The first line is “That’s why grace is so amazing.” For me it is. My young life taught me that I was an inconvenience and a misfit. When I found Christ as a teen I was still somewhat of an outcast to both my family and my church family. As an adult I have failed in so many ways. Often I feel more like a misfit than I do anything resembling a child of God.

Even though that is true, God chooses to show the depth and breadth of his grace by occasionally letting me see how he uses me. Just today the campus president at the college where I teach told me that my kindness reaches far beyond where I ever see. It was an offhand comment that touched me in a way he could not have known I needed.

I still struggle every day with the depth of my inadequacies and the damage done by the rejection of those to whom I have given my heart. I believe that some of those wounds will never heal. Amidst all of that darkness there are stars that shine so brightly. Stars of hope that guide me on toward Christ and my journey with him show how his grace can even work through me.

Grace is amazing because it can make this scarecrow feel like more than stuffed rags lifted up on a pole to scare away marauders. Grace is astounding because from time to time I see where my actions or words cause a smile or warm a heart. Grace is enough because it allows us to be used to further the redemption project that the Father is working out in our world of misfits.

So remember your people
Remember your children
Remember your promise oh God
Your grace is enough for me – Matt Maher

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Changed to Bring Change

Greetings Dear Reader,

We sing a song at church that seems to carry into everything for me. Many times I have been in a discussion about what evidences that one is following Christ. I used to have a list of answers. I used to think that it could be quantified and measured. I am sure that God can do both but it is beyond my grasp.

I spent many years thinking and advising that if we keep a laundry list of Christ following activities and do them with all our heart that we are following correctly. What I am discovering and working hard to apply is that we cannot be sure that anything works without leading with the heart. The heart must seek Christ totally and then the change will follow.

If I do anything; eat, rest, play, or work, I must be doing for the purpose of following Christ. It is that simple and it is that complex. The Gospel of Christ must change me. If it does not then I cannot be sure that I am following. I have habits that I must abandon. I have weaknesses that I must abhor. I have places what I must conform to the love and grace of the Gospel.

The purpose of this is twofold. The primary is my own wellbeing. I am better for each thing I shed for the sake of Christ. I will be healthier, at peace, and able to absorb the ills of life if I am allowing Christ to mold me to his likeness. The second, as important but undoable without the first is that I am changed for the purpose of bringing change. God’s redemption project is designed to work through the redeemed.

It is not enough to simply adopt the name of Christ and enjoy a quiet private faith. I am changed for the purpose of evidencing that change to others. I am to become a conduit through which Christ can draw others and in turn work redemptive change in them. Everything Christ gives to me is completely mine and is mine to pass on. Everything I do that prevents the latter weakens my ownership of the former. How can I have confidence in a faith I do not share and practice? How can I show others a path I will not walk?

If the Gospel does not change me then I cannot see it changing others through my example. I have been redeemed for the purpose of my reclamation and the redemption of others. The Gospel must change or it is not the Gospel.

I have been blessed – now I want to be a blessing
I have been loved – now I want to bring love
I’ve been invited – I want to share the invitation
I have been changed – to bring change, to bring change – Aaron Niequist

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Getting ONE with Your Life

Greetings Dear Reader,

And sometimes we run by the power of his might
On own at the best we can plod – Michael Card

I was recently reconnecting with a friend and we were discussing the twists that life takes along the way. At one point my friend expressed the need to get on with life, but said that they needed to “Get one with life.” This slip has had me thinking all week.

In my efforts to gain a better grasp on my approach to following Christ, one of my foci has been to realize that I control nothing. I can follow Christ or I can try to control my world. Both are not possible and the latter ultimately fails anyway. Life comes more and more to mean the act of moment by moment looking for the next place Christ wishes me to step. When I do that I move and life is in harmony even amidst storms and pain.

Many years ago our family was returning from spending Thanksgiving in upstate New York with my maternal Grandfather. As we made our way south the sky began to take on the colour of dark slate and the opened up to deliver a massive winter storm. As the snow obscured all driving visibility we watched car after car slip off the road and pirouette into the ditch. My mother urged my dad to get off the road and find a place to stay the night. My dad was willing but wished to get further south of the storm first.

Easing down the right lane in our VW Microbus, he pulled in behind a Semi with chains on its wheels. We started up a long upgrade and my mum protested that we would get stuck and that we could not see. My dad explained that all he had to see what that truck’s tail lights and we would be fine. He glided along for miles behind the truck riding in the furrows left by its chains. Eventually, well south of the main part of the storm we pulled off for the night. Those who had pulled off earlier were stranded for days by a late fall blizzard. We were far enough south to make it home the next day.

Once we decide to follow is when our life begins to work. When I only follow I do not get lost. When I do anything but follow I am sure to get lost. When I do anything on my own I fail. When I follow Christ and him alone, I can get ONE with life and the beautiful dance that it is.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Thank You Veterans

Greetings Dear Readers,

I never loved the soldier until there was a war,
Or thought about tomorrow until my baby hit the floor.
I only talk to God when somebody’s about to die.
I never cherished freedom. Freedom never cries. – Five for Fighting

Let me start by saying that I hate war. Killing each other is the poorest way to solve problems there is. I am also pretty sure that it flies in the face of the command to “Love your enemies.” That said, tomorrow is Veterans’ Day. Because people are willing to kill each other over resources, land, power, and wealth a standing militia is a necessary thing.

I want to stand tall and strong and thank the individuals who wear the uniforms of our military for their service. We all know someone who has put on a uniform and left behind family and career to put themselves in harm’s way for our freedom. There is always a price to pay for freedom. There is always someone who dies so that I can go to Wal-Mart whenever I wish. I do not have to worry about Pizza-Hut being blown up whilst I have my bacon and pineapple pizza.

I have a Daughter-in-Law that is a veteran. She is an amazing person who is artistic, intelligent, and compassionate. I love her dearly and do not get to show it often enough. She put her life on the line to save the lives of both our troops and those of our enemies. She showed compassion to those who would have killed her had they had the chance.

Everyone knows someone who has risked all for our freedom. The entire country is lessened when a veteran has needs that are unmet. Every soldier is a volunteer. Every one that returns from war has risked all to protect my freedom. No matter what I believe about the politics involved, that is nothing compared to real men and women giving me the freedom to be whatever I choose to be.

We cannot escape the debt of love and honor we owe our veterans. We cannot neglect respecting them and their sacrifice without wounding our own souls. Tomorrow take the time to respect the veterans in your life. Reach out to them in gratitude and honor. I know I will.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Servant of the Bean

Greetings Dear Reader,

This past month our church opened a new venue to facilitate the outreach to the college campus and it is going well. It is astounding to me that amidst the beauty and grace of our new venue which is also a bar, that there is a complaint I have heard every week.

It seems that the venue decided not to serve coffee as is done at the primary church site. The intent is that we patronize the local coffee bars that surround our site. This, in my opinion, is excellent thinking. We get the opportunity to build relationships and show Christ’s love to a whole new set of people.

Still, every week I hear people complain that they are not getting the convenient free coffee. Every week someone returns from Starbucks with a negative comment about the walk or the cost. I wonder what it is that makes us so coffee focused. I love coffee. I do not have to have it to be happy and I can pass it by at will. It does; however, seem to be one of the vices that the church has embraced with abandon. Almost all of our social events include coffee in one way or another.

What is it that so easily deters our attention from the purpose of being gathered with other Christ followers? For our household I suggested that we not begin spending six dollars a week on coffee and I started making a fresh pot when I get up on Sunday morning. I consider that we can get served coffee occasionally but if we do it every week that is conservatively about $300 dollars annually for hot water passed through beans. From that perspective it just does not seem wise.

It also occurs to me that no one has privately stepped up to offer providing coffee for the church. There are people who attend who could. It just seems to me that putting such emphasis on coffee is not focusing on the main thing. If we have to have something to be at our best, then we are connected improperly to it. It is my understanding that I am not to be addicted to anything but God. I wonder what would happen if the leadership provided a sermon on the bean?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Unexpected Kindnesses

Greetings Dear Reader,

I like the movies. I like going to movies. My eldest Son says that I never dislike a movie. This is not true. The remake of Clash of the Titans was horrid. Now before you run off, this is not going to be a movie review, but rather a pondering on kindnesses I receive from people that make a difference.

Last week I had a three day weekend. On Friday I took Christmas to see a movie and on Saturday I took my younger Son, Bezel to see a different one. I almost always go to the same theatre and the staff knows me well. This is not just because I attend often but because I engage in polite conversation with them and often give them my review of whatever movie I have seen as I exit.

When my Son and I arrived everyone was dressed in Halloween costumes. The box offices were draped in fake spider webs. The manager at the box office perked up as we walked in and greeted us with a kind smile. As I handed over my money to pay for our tickets, it was politely refused. Instead the manager gave me a bright smile and said that the movie was a Halloween gift.

This past Friday I went to see the new Will Farrell movie, Megamind (I would caution that this is not really a children’s movie). As the credits rolled in the relative darkness a figure moving through the isle called my name. It was a former student who I care for deeply. I had not seen this student in over a year the reunion was warm and welcome.

Earlier in the week one of my fellow professors bought lunch for us all with no prompting. My campus director called me to tell me good news when he was in the midst of an important conference. Another friend reconnected with me just because he wanted to let me know how he was doing. A young friend John shared his home made movie with me giving me both laughter and delight (You can see this movie here. It is worth the view).

All of these kindnesses and more occurred in the space of only ten days. All during a week when I am struggling emotionally, God has put things in my path to remind me that he cares about me. This does not take into account the building aura of advent I feel, the anticipation of my Grandson’s arrival, or the amazing sun rise yesterday morning. Beautiful sunrises always make me think of my eldest Son. He knows why.

The beauty and grace of the world coupled with the constant presence of God in reminding through friends how much he cares for me has carried me through a rough sea. The storm is not over but I am sure the sails will hold and the course is still true. I am thankful to my friends and to God for the provision in my life. I hope you can see the same in yours. One really only has to look.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Imagined Smiles of those Unmet

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some dates and memories are unavoidable. As I travel the path toward Christ there are smiles I have never seen that encourage me along the way. Those smiles are bittersweet but so vital to some aspects of my journey. I have a sister and daughter that I have never held. I know of other children who have not seen their first year; children who were loved, wanted, and anticipated with joy.

At times others have questioned my love and memory of these children. At times I have made poor choices out of the pain of the losses. At times I have gone a day or two without thinking about them. The guilt of those times is often irrepressible. Most of the time, however, they are there, Will O’ The Wisps of unfulfilled dreams and memories unlived.

When I fail, I feel as much pain regarding them as I do my living children. When I succeed I wonder what they would say or feel in response to my victories. I probably not understand the loss of these children this side of the clearing but I do know that even in their absence they impact me.

When milestones and birthdays come I wonder and imagine. Sometimes I can see what might have been just beyond the edge of my peripheral vision. Sometimes I feel foolish and simple. Then the comfort comes. There is so much pain these little ones will never know. There is so much that will never harm them. That alone is reason enough to see God’s wisdom in choosing to keep them for his own.

I see the vast errors in my life and a small comfort is that there are some dear to my unharmed by them. I see the cancers that are eating our world and know they will not be harmed by them. This is the very grain of sand that irritates my faith. It is also the balm that sooths the irritation. I know so little about why God chooses to allow some hopes to become pain, but I know he is certain that his choices are for the best of all concerned. I cannot claim to be sure every moment, but on balance I trust that their absence is in best interest for them and for me.

Today I woke up missing them dearly and thought I would share them with you for a moment. Some of you have suffered the same or similar losses. Imagine with me for a moment the reassuring smiles of little ones who find their destiny to be that of never knowing anything but the loving presence of the Father.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

A Journey of Diminishing

Greetings Dear Reader,

I often wonder what the external impact of time is changing internally in me. Parts of my mind wish to dwell on regret and waste today lamenting what I wish I had done differently yesterday. What a dangerous dark hole that pursuit is. I know that I feel a little slower this fall than I did last. My health is mostly good but time obviously has marked me and has set a fade rate.

In pondering these things and their relationship to pursuing only Christ, I have a few thoughts that I would share. I cannot focus on my health, my mobility, or my failures. I cannot look back and keep moving forward. The following of Christ is linear. The pursuit of Christ is one of the diminishing self.

I listen to some of those who are farther down the path than I. When I hear them dwell on their ailments, their lack of value, and their dissatisfaction with life, I do not hear them truly indulging in the richness that is to be found in following Christ. There are so many needs that could be addressed by those with time to do so.

As I move toward the other side of the hill and the path begins the descent into the long valley that leads to that final clearing, I must make a choice. I must choose to diminish in the proper ways. My Sons will become the young Turks who need to be firebrands for God. My Grandson and any future grandchildren (that is not a hint or pressure) will become my dotage.

I never consider retiring but if I find myself with more time to do as I please I hope that I use it to show Christ more clearly. I hope that my faith stretches into my health and hope for all that I do. I must also remember that every day is a gift. I must seek to eclipse myself so that others see Christ.

As I map out my goals for the rest of the journey, I must choose to be positive and let Christ be at the forefront of everything. Hopefully I can quietly walk the rest of the journey and those who come behind me will find makers I have left along the way that may the trail easier for them. It is my responsibility to diminish and leave only that which points to Christ. Hopefully when they get to the mile marker that is my last one, they will find that I have quietly faded into Christ leaving only a Cheshire moon to give them a little more light in the darkness.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

The Vigil – Part 2

Greetings Dear Reader

Scanning the silence with inward ears; life is a listening.
Enfolded in echoes of timeless years; the Word comes whistling.
Build my being from your throat; meld my meaning with every note.
Wrap me round in an aural cloak, so I may truly hear. – Kemper Crabb

The metaphor here is also the meaning. So many have captured the significance of the image of Christ as the Living Word that perhaps I sometimes overlook just how central this is to all that I am. John begins his recounting of Jesus with this imagery, “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.”

This thought, that God’s ultimate word on redemption was his own Son, Jesus is astounding. Today is All Saints Day. I have spent the last month in pondering how I approach the Advent season. I shall spend this month examining words and listening. My Grandfather used to always remind me that I had two ears and one mouth for a reason. Some of the most significant conversations I have ever had involved me mostly listening. I know I have really made a difference when one of my students tells me that I have really listened.

In light of the import of this truth, I must listen more carefully as Advent approaches. I must hear what my family is saying about the ways in which they wish to celebrate. I must put aside my own wants to focus on the needs of others. I must let the conversation of reclamation give me cues as to the direction I must take.

Listening and planning a proper response is much more valuable that creating the perfect Christmas fantasy. Putting Christ’s love at the forefront of my approach requires that I listen. I must hear his intent and translate it to all that I do. I must truly hear the needs of my family and respond to that. As I move among my fellow man I must listen to the immediate needs that I can meet. In a life of listening; the cry of mankind is my business. I must place my determination to listen to how Christ wishes us to love others at the center of my celebration of Christmas and prepare for it in that spirit.

This does not mean that I will not hold an open house or get gifts for those I love. It does mean that I need to assure that it all echoes who Christ is in the midst of it. I will listen as I prepare. I must assure that those who speak feel heard. It is my obligation to hear others as I wish to be heard. It is my place to listen to what Christ says and not assume I know. I must focus on the words of God’s final Word on redemption. How can I truly celebrate the Son if I do not listen to what he has to say?

Life is a listening.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."