31 October 2018

The Deathly Hallows ~ All Hallows Eve


Greetings Dear Reader,

The idea of things being hallowed is not as common to us as it should be.  To hallow something means to set something aside as holy.  This can be a bit confusing as holy means to be set apart.  Instead of pontificating on holiness I am going to be very simple and perhaps provide an image that may be helpful for our journey.

We are all supposed to be set apart to God.  The idea of being holy is not really given the attention it should.  We do not focus on the real purpose of Halloween.  The Father wishes for us to be set apart to him.

I have been using an image this month as I see the decorations, lights, and jack-o-lanterns appear around town.  That image is focused on the pumpkins.  I am using the idea of a pumpkin, hollowed out, re imaged by the creator, and filled with light to remind me to be holy.  Again, I do not mean the prideful approach to holiness that is false and hypocritical.  I am talking about being set apart to the Father as an obedient and loving child.

My desire is to remember that I am supposed to be emptied of self.  I am supposed to be recreated by the father to the image he wishes.  Then I am supposed to be filled with his light so that others can see what God does with his creation.

Enjoy your fancy dress parties and your children walking through the neighborhood to get candy.  I intend to see the pumpkins amidst the mirth and remind my heart and soul that we are all supposed to be hallowing our hearts for the holy days ahead.  I will be asking the Father to hollow me out and fill me with his light and love.

Happy Halloween Dear Reader.  May this holy day be safe and filled with the same for you.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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30 October 2018

The Deathly Hallows ~ Opening Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

Tomorrow the corner is officially turned.  Our society makes the change from the season of returning to school and the beginning of Autumn to the season of celebrations and holy days.  For two months and a bit we focus on family, parties, and for some of us faith and hope.


I will spend a few days pondering the connection that exists between Halloween and the journey we share back to the Father; back to home.  We have so many ways we celebrate these days but so few of them are focused on the true purpose of our journey.  We need to remember to have fun and enjoy our children.  We also need to recall that there are no secular issues. 

Please walk with me as we take a short journey through a few days dedicated to that in us which is eternal.  We can ponder some of the symbols of the celebration and perhaps gain a better view of who we are destined to become.  I ask you to join me because your company is a treasure to me.

As always Dear Reader, I am delighted to hear your thoughts and questions on this.  Your insights and pondering fill me with joy.  Oh, and please remember to be safe.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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29 October 2018

Never Apart ~ Closing Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

I have struggled with loneliness my entire life.  I have always tried to keep those I love close to me.  Instead of building closer ties as I wished it created resentment because of my unrecognized neediness. 

The Forgiven - Thomas Blackshear
If I believe what I say I believe then I have some things that can help.  I can be better at being father and a friend if I employ some truths that I have never really embraced.  The first is that the Father will be a father to me if I let him.  He will care for me as a beloved little child.  He understands my cared and woes and even in my loneliness he will teach me how to see him and his presence.

The second is more personal in an informational sense but also vital.  I know that all of my children have had real faith and been doing their best to follow Christ at some point in their lives.  This means that even if I am never with them again in this life that there is hope.  Our time here is so brief and all I care about is this:  I want their hearts to heal.

I have prayed for years that the Father would do whatever was needed to draw them back to him.  This last year I have been praying that the Father could do whatever he wished to me to do the same.  I want to warn you Dear Reader that this is a dangerous prayer.

My life has only one constant left in it.  It is teaching me that the Father is always there.  He is showing me that my children are really his and that he will deal with them as he needs to in order to draw them back.  In the mean time he has decided to teach me how to be alone and that even then they are never parted from me.

He has put things in my mind and heart that I thought I could never accept.  It is hard, painful, and terrifying at times.  It is also awakening old dreams that are good and more connected to following Christ.  I am still a lonely soul but I am learning how to be alone.  As I prepare my heart to deal with the holy days with less family presence than I like I am comforted with the understanding that they are with me even when they are a million light years away.  We are connected in Christ and he moves in all of us to bring all things back to good.

I hope this thought helps you Dear Reader.  It is more for my benefit as always but you too, are someone I love and value.  I wish I could be with you more.  We all need to remember that eventually we will not longer be parted.  We will no longer be lonely and afraid.  Accepting that brings more comfort than I ever thought.   

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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28 October 2018

Second Thoughts ~ Anne’s Question(s) Part IV – Love in the Time of Robots


Greetings Dear Reader,

This response will be brief as belaboring it would dull the point.  We all have a list of the evils that God would “prevent” if we doubt his existence and want to put him to the test.  Fill in the bland:  “A loving and just God would never allow ___________ .”  Whatever you choose, we will not agree on everything. 

If God agrees with you but not with me is he still just and loving?  What if he prevented the things on my list but not yours?  If we make an honest list would it not include everything that is not loving and just?  That is just one side of the coin.

Have you ever made your child give someone a hug that they did not want to hug?  Everything about their body language screams that they are not doing it in love.  God basis for everything is love.  He does not force us to love him back.  He does not turn us into robots who obey his every whim. 

Instead he loves us, even when we hate him or deny his existence.  He asks us to love him back and to love every other member of his creation.  In light of that he gives us free will and we choose to do evil and then blame him for allowing it.  We cannot say that we do not want God to force us to love him and say that free will is not a good explanation for evil in the world. 

I promised that I would not give simplistic answers and think I am keeping that promise.  Free will as an explanation for the reality of God is not simple.  It takes complex thought to see that the Father is such vast control of the universe that he has planned his response to every single choice we make.  Not only does he allow us to choose but has a remedy for all of our evil choices.  We simply do not have the perspective yet to see it.

Besides, if we were all evil robots would they not have to send someone to fight us?  And just to lighten things up a bit...


Her name is Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body
'Cause she knows that it's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me

Those evil-natured robots
They're programmed to destroy us
She's gotta be strong to fight them
So she's taking lots of vitamins

'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi

'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat
Yoshimi

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Never Apart ~ Ultimate Unity


Greetings Dear Reader,

I am apart from most of the people I love right now.  It is a necessary part of the journey for me to become a better man.  I have never learned how to be alone.  The pain in this dark passage is acute.  It is, however, also teaching me.

The truth is that I have to learn that I am never alone.  The Father is trying to teach me how to truly trust in him to care for ALL my needs.  He wishes for me to be dependent upon him like a little child. 

If we all do not learn this then the other relationships in our lives suffer.  If I am alone, the Father will be with me.  If someone refuses to interact with me, the Father is working in them as well to heal and harness their hearts.  The only real unity we can have is in Christ and following him.  It may be that his command to seek the righteousness and kingdom of God first applies not just to food and clothing but to every single thing we desire. 

The little child image follows through here as well.  If I have a need as a little child I seek a parent no matter what that need is.  We forget that this is how we pursue everything in following Christ.  If I do not engage in this ultimate unity then all other attempts at common unity with others will be flawed. It is in seeking unity in the Spirit that I will find it with those I love.  If this is what we all do then our failures do not get in the way as easily.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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27 October 2018

Second Thoughts ~ Anne’s Question(s) Part III


Greetings Dear Reader,

As I approach this for the third evening this week, I do so with a heavy heart.  The conjunction of dealing with this part of the topic and my current distress walk hand-in-hand to remind me just how far we are from what we could be as humans.  I am going to do my best to stay objective and kind but I will ask for a little forbearance in advance please.

When we ask if God is responsible for the evil that men do, we first have to identify what evil is.  In her question Anne gives us clear idea of what she sees as evil.  I do not disagree with I am simply making sure that we all remember the foundation of our journey together.  Here are Anne’s words again:

This is something that I don’t understand: what about all the truly horrible things in life? I mean things like wars, terrorism, exterminations, children dying, people and animals being tortured to death, you name it. How do you account for all that in respect to God?

In attempting to draw a line of responsibility for evil, we need to clearly define what evil is.  I am not playing with words here.  I have friends who think that rooting for the wrong sports team is evil.  Whilst this is a humorous example, it makes the point.  Evil, if left to subjective definition, is hard to define.  Here is something else that Anne posted that I feel is important to this thread.

Thank you, I appreciate your honest and open response. And to continue with complete honesty, as much as I want kindness to guide me more and more, loving my enemies is not something that I am capable of or even willing to do. For example, I could not love or respect a terrorist, and by that I mean someone who is willing to commit mass murder and is himself driven by hate and intent on inflicting pain. I could not love or respect someone who abuses children, the elderly, animals... No abuse of anyone really, but of course my thoughts first go to the most innocent of us. You, and anyone who follows me, also knows that I cannot love or respect our current president. And I even have no desire to change on these things. These are some of my limits.

This puts an important light on how we define evil.  Jesus said that we are required to love our enemies.  We are even told that if our enemy is hungry we are to feed him.  What I am getting at is the idea that we judge some people as unworthy of our love.  We may be angry at someone and withhold our love from them or we may see him or her as evil and judge that person as undeserving of love from anyone.

The difficulty with this as I see it is that if everyone chooses an individual standard for who is worthy of love then there will be justification for hating everyone.  Your standard of worthiness may not match mine.  You may be willing to withhold your love simply because you do not like something.  I am not saying that horrendous things that Anne said are not evil.  I am saying that the problem of evil cannot be addressed without an objective standard of who is and is not worthy of love.

If, therefore, we are going to have an objective standard then I submit that it must not be set by humans.  We will always find a way to now show love to someone.  It is what we do.  If, however, as I have written over and over again, we are going to love it must be unconditionally held, delivered, applied, and demonstrated.

Pause on this for a moment.  At what point of withholding love from someone else do we pass from being good to being evil?  Where is the line.  Again, if it is not drawn by God then it is elusive and inconsistent.  I cannot claim that someone is unworthy of love because of his or her actions making myself unworthy of love in the eyes of someone else.  If I say “but I am right and they are wrong” are they not going to say the same thing?

I am required not only to love everyone (friends, neighbors, family, strangers, enemies), I am also required to show them love through my thoughts, words, and actions toward them, no matter what it costs me.  I fail at this but it is still the standard.  I cannot say that I am a good person if it is not.

In light of this we need to understand that the summation must be that it is evil to fail to show love to everyone.  Withholding love or proclaiming anyone unworthy of love is an evil act on our part.  I will stop there for now because this is very weighty to consider.

Tomorrow we will begin to address the actual question of why God then allows evil to exist.  Stay with me and try to love me if you can Dear Reader. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Never Apart ~ Those Who are Distant


Greetings Dear Reader,

Because of my sin and yours Dear Reader there are people who are not as close to us relationally as they once were.  They or we have chosen to limit communication, proximity, and showing love to that individual.  We build our own walls and try to scale over or tunnel under the walls built by others.  We create a world of denial by believing that this is tenable and sustainable.

This becomes even more difficult when we face the times we have dedicated to celebrating with family and those who are distant come to mind.  During times of gratitude, giving, and joy we choose to isolate those we claim to love.  We put them in a box and seal it away with beautiful bows and decorations.  We tell ourselves that this is right and good.

It is all a lie.  The promises of love and loyalty linger.  The requirement to be good to everyone includes being faithful to the relationships we promise to sustain.  Yes, we have been hurt.  It is true that we carry pain from the past.  We cannot ever be honest if we say that we have left behind our obligations to those we claim to love. 

What we have really done is decided that their sin is worse than ours.  We choose that they are unworthy of our love, kindness, and loyalty.  We may be ignoring them.  We may have “ghosted” the person socially.  In truth, however, we are never free from them. 

Our obligation to live in peace with all people, especially those who are part of us lingers in us.  We may do unthinkable things to be cut off from it but it is there.  Especially for people who believe as I do, we have a bond that transcends our own thinking and feelings.  We are required to SHOW love to each other; not simply say that we love them and ignore our place in their lives.

We say we separate to heal and to be safe.  We refuse to see that the healing only can come if we do all that we can to draw closer to Christ together.  So, as I face the onset of this season that is so holy to me I am trying to mend my ways relative to someone I have cut off.  I ask Dear Reader that you consider doing the same.  The Father can protect you from the heartache if you focus on him.  The armor he provides is sufficient.  The love we can wield is so powerful.  We cannot be truly parted from anyone who is a part of us.  We must seek peace, restoration, and harmony or our proclamations of love become a lie. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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26 October 2018

Second Thoughts ~ Anne’s Question(s) Part II


Greetings Dear Reader,

Anne has asked a question with which philosophers have wrestled since there were philosophers.  Let me say first, there is not a simple or easy answer.  There is an answer but it does not satisfy the human mind disinclined to faith.  I will not gloss over this but I must have more brevity than I would want to have.

If you want to do a deep dive on this try reading Confronting the Problem(s) of Evil
Biblical, Philosophical, and Emotional Reflections on a Perpetual Question by Joe Rigney.  It is well worth the time it takes to walk through his approach to this topic.  Here I would like to remind everyone of the first part of Anne’s questions:

This is something that I don’t understand: what about all the truly horrible things in life? I mean things like wars, terrorism, exterminations, children dying, people and animals being tortured to death, you name it. How do you account for all that in respect to God?

I am not going to take the path that I too often see where one tries to “justify” things based on the necessity for faith in God’s sovereignty.  I do believe that God is sovereign and that he is in control of all things.  I do believe that he has a universe that is unfolding as it should.  I believe that one of the problems is that we have too small a view of God.

I am not trying to play the “mysterious ways” card here.  My brother explained it quite well this way.  His younger son cut one of his fingers badly when he was quite small.  He cut it lengthwise from base to almost the tip.  At the time the injury was devastating and the worst thing imaginable to the small boy.  Today he does not remember the pain or the suffering.  We who are parents have all seen this play out. 

To the child the injury is all-consuming and I have seen my own children reject my help when they were small.  We cry out over the ills of the world from our perspective but do we really try to see them from God’s?  All of our current ills are part of the preparation for what is to come.  We are offered the opportunity to love each other now but eventually we will anyway. 

It is only part of the answer, but I truly think that when we either reject or accuse God based on the hurt we experience or see we are looking too small.  I do not view God as simply allowing things that are wrong in our eyes.  I think that we need to adopt an understanding that though God is not responsible for the existence of evil he is accountable for it. 

Before those who share my faith burn me in effigy or reality I am not saying that God is to blame but, rather, that he takes accountability for our sin.  He does this by loving us beyond the evil we do.  He does this by having an ultimate response in place for all that is evil in the world.  His response is to promise that “all things will be made new again,” that he will “judge and repay,” and that he “is not willing that any should perish.”  The entire process is to get things back to the “good” state that existed after creation and before we defied God. 

Another part of my brother’s response that is important here is the understanding that this life is not the life.  This world is not the destination.  We will talk about the nature of evil tomorrow but for now I would like you to dwell on this question Dear Reader:  Do you remember being in the womb or being born?  You see, we are in the gestation process for the life that is promised us. 

Please just remember that I am laying a slow foundation here.  Think through this a bit and tomorrow we will talk about evil proper.  For now, though, if there is any possibility that there is a God, then he is either all good or all evil.  I do not think an evil god would be able to give us good things.  I do think that a sovereign good God can allow us to create evil with our free will and have a plan in place to make even our worst work out for good.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Never Apart ~ Focus


Greetings Dear Reader,

This Christmas will be odd for me.  I face being away from many that I am used to seeing.  When I place so much of my celebration of the day on family this proves to be daunting in simply pondering it.  Add to that the possibility that Thanksgiving may be the same and it doubles the potential difficulty for me.

The must-dos and conclusions will have to wait until closing on this one but there is groundwork that needs laying.  What I do need to consider is that there are many that will have it worse that I will.  There are those who spend all of the holy days alone when they would prefer not to do so.  I am not gong to be alone but I will be in a different situation than I have been.

It drives home for me that I need to begin now to look at what I do have.  It is my obligation to focus on what is real about these days.  It is my responsibility to remember that the emphasis is to be on gratitude and celebration.  It is not time to mourn what I wish was true.  It is time to see what is there to count as a blessing. 

As I build toward the conclusion of this short journey, I must remember that I control so little of what happens.  I cannot make things the way I wish them to be.  I can control my heart, mind, and attitude so that I focus on love, gratitude, and celebration of the beautiful things that are.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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25 October 2018

Second Thoughts ~ Anne’s Question(s)


Greetings Dear Reader,

The other day my closest friend posted the following ~ “Wond’ring aloud: Do we really acknowledge that every good thing in our lives comes from God?”

Our mutual friend Anne, whom we both love and respect politely asked the following:

Michael, I think you know that I am agnostic but spiritual, and I value and respect life in all its forms, the earth, nature and animals. I respect all religions, cultures, and people’s right to believe what they believe. I cannot stand for hate or extremism in the name of religion in any camp. I cannot stand for cruelty. I am asking this respectfully. This is something that I don’t understand: what about all the truly horrible things in life? I mean thinks like wars, terrorism, exterminations, children dying, people and animals being tortured to death, you name it. How do you account for all that in respect to God? If prayers worked, why would we continue to have such atrocities in the world? Why would you pray for mundane, personal things and say how good God is because he answered a personal prayer. What about the truly important things? Why would God allow such cruelty to endure but care about little personal things in life? Again, I am being genuine and asking this with respect. How can we say God is good when we see a beautiful sunset for example and ignore all the evil and pain in this world? Where is God for these truly important things? I know you can answer about man’s free will or the Devil or God working in mysterious ways. But then why would God bother about little personal things but not major bad things? I really do not understand how this disconnect can be overlooked.

It would be disrespectful and dishonest to attempt to answer Anne passingly or without honest reflection.  We will discuss this and post responses here over the next few evenings. 

First let me respond to the things with which I completely agree.  Respect for life and other humans is vital to anyone who claims to believe that there is a God.  If anyone claims to follow Christ as I do, then respect for life and treating all humans with love is required.   Any hatred or violence associated with Jesus is a false representation of his teachings.  As a foundation to this discussion, one must accept that Jesus makes a few ground rules that we must agree upon to answer the harder calls in Anne’s query.

Jesus made it clear that if we say that we follow him then we must love our neighbors, our enemies, and treat them all with kindness, respect, and generosity.  Notice that Anne does this very well in her questions.  There is no disrespect in her honest desire to understand the way this is all reconcilable.  In fact, I would say that her questions reveal integrity and a desire for the truth. 

As we walk through this together please understand that I do not have all the answers.  For a deep dive on this I would recommend the book, Is God a Moral Monster by Paul Copan.  The problem of evil is one with which we must deal if we are going to be honest about God and his relationship to man. 

I am not going to offer any answers that are new or have not been addressed.  What I will do if offer a loving gentle response to hard questions about faith and following.  If you choose to participate in the discussion, please be aware no unkindness or harshness will be tolerated.  If you post a derisive comment it will be deleted.  If you treat anyone in the conversation with disrespect you will be removed from the conversation.

Those of you who share my faith, please pray that my responses are humble and kind.  Pray that I represent the truth well.  Thank you Anne for beginning this dialogue.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Never Apart ~ Opening Thoughts


Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things on which we begin to focus as we turn toward the closing of the year is family.  In many ways we have reduced holy days to family days.  All Hallows Eve is about kids and candy to many.  Thanksgiving often revolves around family, football, and fighting for bargains.  I have heard many say that Christmas is about time with family.  None of this is bad as long as it does not exclude the purpose intended in the observations. 

Facing the holy days this year with family that is fragmented and far flung has me pondering what I can do to focus on the purpose and keep my heart concerning those I love.  I tend to worry too much over proximity and time.  Currently I cannot do much about either of those things.  I need to think through how I am going to honor my family and still respect their wishes and needs.

There are some mental disciplines that I need to adopt in any case.  Perhaps something so important to me is a good place to test them.  We are so often in situations where we cannot be with those we love.  Whether it is though wrong doing, life choices, or circumstances outside of our control we face separation from those with whom we wish to be.

If we dare to love others it is the Kobayashi Maru of our relationships.  (“The Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise in the fictional Star Trek universe designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets in a no-win scenario.”)  To paraphrase Captain Kirk, how we face separation is at least as important as how we face togetherness.  How we deal with each other when we cannot be together reveals our priorities concerning others.

Since I am facing this on a scale both beyond my heart and outside of my understanding, I must examine how I am going to walk through it.  I must figure out what matters.  I must be aware of how these things will impact me and order my thoughts so that I deal with them well. 

In this bit of the journey I expect there to be much sorrow and heartache.  Please walk with me Dear Reader.  Being prepared to deal with it can make things better for us and for those we love.  Please let us reason together on how we can be sure to be the best we can be when separated from each other. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
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