Thoughts and Questions from Aramis Thorn: August 2020

31 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ Closing Thoughts

Whether we like it or not, there are things that are forbidden. They are all connected to things that are good. The good things have been corrupted by our selfishness. They have been diminished by our failure to love.

When we engage in anything, we must do so out of love. Anything else detracts from our relationships. Things void of love lead to pain and suffering. The vast complexity of our universe is all guided by whether or not we love the Father and love each other. We have taken this simple reality and diminished it to something we ignore or give lip service to when necessary.

When we begin to view everything through the lens of loving the Father and each other, the things we hunger for become things that are good. When I look outward to the needs of others and do my best to serve out of love for the Father, I diminish the call of my own selfishness, greed, cravings, and anger. I can use the power of love to crush the voices of things that harm and degrade.

The paradox is that it is never about me and when I embrace that truth, it is all about me. What we are all intended to be is warriors of love. “The point is the love story. We live in a love story in the midst of war.” (John Eldredge) We are able to change the world around us through the power of love.

The key is to learn to dine on love. The answer for me is to love always as my primary diet. Then, those fruits that are forbidden will not seem and desirable. We will struggle at this. It is in us to desire both and that is part of the journey. When we seek to love the Father first, we have all we need to love each other as well. We can see the needs of others and find ways to meet them. We can, through example, coax others out of the deadly orchard of forbidden fruit and onto the pathway home.

I want to only live this way, Dear Reader. I know I will fail at times. I am certain that we will fail each other. I am also certain that setting it right is as simple as using love and grace to extend mercy to each other. It is helping each other to stand again. It is giving space for the wretched fruit to pass and for the love to nourish us. As we move on to other thoughts, I hope that I can sustain my love through the Father’s love so that you may see it more clearly.

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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
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“The point is the love story. We live in a love story in the midst of war.” (John Eldredge)

30 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ Not Even a Taste

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am going to touch on a subject that is getting quite a bit of attention currently. I am not, however, going to focus on the root of the problem. I have written several times about the horror that is human trafficking. What I wish to consider are the subtle ways in which we all contribute to it. We must remember that human trafficking is a demand-driven concern.

There are things we accept every day that contribute to human slavery, forced sex trafficking, and the abduction and trafficking of children. I am not saying that we intentionally approve of these. I am pointing out that what we allow leads to it. Please consider with me the logical path that leads to these horrors.

The first to contemplate is our abandonment of morals and values that demand that we respect humans and do not objectify them. Whether it is the swimsuit issue or a popular magazine or the visit to strip club in a weekly TV show, we treat women as objects to be seen and coveted. We represent humans as objects of desire instead of creations of the Father to be loved, honored, and respected.

Whenever we engage in abusing workers through poor wages, overwork, or insufficient quality of life, we are on the trailhead of human slavery. Forcing anyone to work at the poverty level is ignoring that removal of choice is the primary mechanism of slavery. I am not saying that everyone should earn the same thing. I am saying that injustice in how we treat those we employ is a form of human trafficking. Greed when it comes to the quality of life for others is the path to slavery.

The third thing that is a track to human trafficking is the way in which we treat children. We show more concern over what our children will wear than we do over the fact that twenty-five percent of the humans trafficked as labor and sex slaves are children. We allow children to be objectified in advertising and entertainment. We devalue children in other parts of the world simply by refusing to think about their needs. We buy the products made by child slaves because they are cheap and easy to obtain. We never consider the suffering behind our shopping cart clicks. We devalue children by slaughtering them in the womb by the millions.

What we all do is take nibbles at the poison fruit of human trafficking. We do not do enough to make it clear that we will not tolerate treating humans as a commodity. As long as good healthcare and a good standard of living are not available to everyone, we are allowing human trafficking. As long as my wants trump the needs of others, we will feed our desires. We have to become people who value human life and its quality over entertainment. I cannot follow Christ well unless every human matters to me. That is just the way it is, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

29 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ How Much for Just the Planet

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned a few weeks ago the story, How Much Land Does a Man Need. It gives us an excellent few of greed. Another story worth reading is How Much for Just the Planet by John M. Ford. The stories where we see the greed of others purchase its own demise is one of my favorite kinds.

The difficulty is that I too often use them to mask my own greed. I touched on this when I wrote about gluttony. It is wanting more that hurts us. It is being dissatisfied over things that are temporary that makes us greedy. Even when I try to minimize what I possess and what I desire, there are times when I want more. There are times when I convince myself that I need more.

When it comes to things, the Father wishes for us to depend only on him for our needs. It does not mean that we do not work or that we are not to have good things. It does require that we not chase after power, possessions, and money. We chase Christ with all that we are and what we need will be there. Everything we need is ours if we find our delight in loving the Father and following the Son.

I realize that it is simple and may seem puerile. This is not just a platitude. It is the way we are designed to live. When we want things that are not centered on our love of the Father, we are failing to love the Father. I realize it seems simple. It is actually the most complex relationship in the cosmos.

If I test this relationship it always works. It is when I want more that is other than the Father that I fail and fall. It is my desire to have it all that destroys my faith and following. I am striving to learn that letting the Father have all of me keeps me from dining on the forbidden fruit of greed. I have seen the Father provide for me supernaturally but even that is not the goal. It is to learn that unexplainable provision form the Father is supposed to be as natural as breathing. In that, Dear Reader, is the lesson that dissipates all greed.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

“Surrounding myself with possessions. I surely have more than I need. I don’t know if this is justice hard-earned or simply a matter of greed.”

28 August 2020

Second Thoughts ~ If Silence is Violence…

Greetings Dear Reader,

If silence is violence then hear me speak…

If Silence is Violence…

We need to call out the needs of the homeless wherever they are.
We need to walk toward those in need and not around them.
We need to echo the screams of unborn children being slaughtered by the millions.
We need to recognize that we have more than we need and cry out for forgiveness.

If Silence is Violence…
We need to vociferously demand that your income should not determine your healthcare.
We need to shout until we are horse that our veterans deserve better.
We need to scream at the waste that occurs daily in our bloated government.
We need to wail at the lives lost due to the cost of mental healthcare.

If Silence is Violence…
We need to shout loudly that African American lives do matter.
We must denounce any politician that grows fat on the backs of the dispossessed.
We must cry out against human trafficking in all its forms.
We must speak the truth in love to everyone.

If Silence is Violence…
We must all stop using words of violence; replacing them with kindness.
We must see the beauty in every soul and share our observations with others.
We must remove hatred of any kind from the words we think and speak.
We must speak until every human feels the love and kindness they are due.

If Silence is Violence…
I must speak peace into every conflict.
I must voice my love for every human in every saturation.
I must speak grace and mercy into every relationship.
I must proclaim that in Christ alone can any of this find its footing without condemnation or hatred of any kind.

If Silence is Violence…It is.

Prayer of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

If silence is violence then hear me speak...

Forbidden Fruit ~ Ball, Ball, Ball…

Greetings Dear Reader,

When my younger Son, Bezel was two, trips to the store were a guaranteed adventure. Often, when we were just inside the door of the store, whatever store it was, he would begin a soulful mournful chant. He would look sorrowfully at me and cry “ball, ball, ball.” He would pause for a moment to see if a ball had appeared and then start again.

We tried several things pacify him without actually buying yet another ball. We would sneak one into the store, let someone know we brought it with us, and give it to him. Then we would go through the charade of “paying for it” and give it back to him. This worked twice. Bezel has always been smart.

I realized after months of this drama that he knew he had a quarter-million balls at home. He simply wanted one that he did not have. He wanted one of the ones in the netting that was not already his. To me, this is still a vitally clear example of envy and coveting. As someone who is a natural “collector” of things, I battle with envy all the time.

I can justify in my mind how I will use what I covet for good. I will easily dismiss my envy as admiration. If you wonder what the difference is between envy and coveting, it is simple. The first, envy is desiring to be like others or have things like others have. Coveting is wanting what is theirs. Both are wrong and are products of our own dissatisfaction.

It is not wrong to want something. Our Father likes to give us good things and wishes for us to be satisfied. Where we corrupt it is when we put possessions, power, or position over our love for the Father and each other. If I spend money on a thing that I just want it is not always wrong. There is even provision in the Law of Moses for us to use some of our earning to purchase “Whatever our heart desires.” The catch is that I must be accountable for what my heart desires.

The things I want are far fewer than they used to be. Possessions have for the most part lost their shine. When I feast on the fruit of envy, I lack gratitude for what I have and place wanting something over wanting to love the Father. I lost sight of following the Son because I seek something that is not at the heart of love and grace.

Again, it is not wrong to have things or want something new. It is always wrong for me to want any single thing over my obedience to loving the Father and his creation. The oldest possessions I have are not things that were shiny and new. They are things I acquired whilst adventuring toward my relationship with the Father. Jesus made it clear, Dear Reader, that if we seek the Father and his kingdom, all that we desire that is good will be given us.

I have to work daily to train my mind to seek the Father first. The entire world would rather have me want more things and be dissatisfied with them as I obtain them. Then when grace gets through, it helps me see that all that stuff hinders my faith and following. What I must dine on is the fruit of love and grace instead of the forbidden fruit of envy. I will gladly share the former with you, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

“I am so often deterred from my actual intent by distractions is a cellophane wrap, and the cruel voice that taunts me when I open them up to find just one more box full of crap.”

27 August 2020

Guest Blog ~ Talking about Personal Faith in Interfaith Places

Greetings Dear Reader,

My dear friend Sarah has begun an effort that I think can do great good. I asked her to write my guest blog for August to give us some insight into where she is headed. I intend to journey with her. Please read what she has to say and check out her page.

As a culture, we are losing the ability to dialogue. We have even less tolerance for actual disagreement. Our social media pages explode with rants and knee-jerk reactions to an idea, often devolving into name-calling and then blocking each other. Our workplaces and even our local social circles don’t usually condone any discussion of religion, politics, or other potentially sensitive topics. And I don’t disagree.

Yet where can we openly discuss our beliefs? Church, a temple, a meditation circle? That’s fine if you have one. But what if you’re not sure if you believe in the things the people in those places believe? Is there a safe space to talk about it? To bounce ideas around until you settle on your own personal conviction?

I have found that it isn’t ‘safe’ to discuss differing beliefs in most places of worship. And most people don’t want to have a spiritual discussion at the bar or while watching a football game. So… don’t discuss your faith, your doubts, your ponderings at work, at social gatherings, at your place of worship. Not at the dentist or with your kids’ teachers. And definitely not with the people who come to your door in ties and white shirts! So, where?

I guess I had to create that space. A space that is open to people from all walks of life and belief systems. I live in a rural area so to find that diverse group, I had to turn to the internet. And thus, the Facebook group was born that I call Beyond Faith: Discovering practical and creative spirituality together.

It’s a place for both your belief AND your doubt, your conviction and your questions. Your involvement is important because no one sees the world in the same way as you or could explain it the same way. And the Truth that you can offer could really make a difference for someone else’s conundrums. And vice versa. Truth is everywhere though not everything is Truth. And we need to practice figuring that out for ourselves.

A lot of “religious” words are difficult concepts to understand. We can look at these from many angles. Find what fits with our beliefs; what shapes our beliefs; and what is outside of our beliefs. Even that which we disagree with doesn’t mean we are loud and obnoxious about it. It means we allow each person to do what we are doing: seeking and sifting through this world to find what we can believe. We might disagree. We might even think someone else is wrong. That doesn’t mean we have to tell them that or demand change. Or demand that they understand our viewpoint.

Does that sound like a pipe dream, especially on Facebook? Yeah, it does to me too. But I’m willing to try it. I know it won’t be perfect. There may be hurt or offended feelings. But success isn’t a spotless history where we do no wrong. Success is working through those times we screw up and trying to find a loving way through. It’s a lot of self-responsibility.

Since this is a community, there need to be rules to live by so we can all be on the same page of what’s expected for behavior. What’s expected is NOT that we all get along or that we all agree, but rather to listen and encourage others toward belief. Asking questions is fine, but not those leading questions that really are just ‘sermons’ with a question mark at the end… you know what I’m talking about.

This community needs to be built on Love. Firstly, Love of your Creator (even if we don’t define that being or force or group of entities the same way) and, secondly, Love for people. To be clear, ‘people’ is defined as everyone in this group, including yourself. Love is kind and respectful. Love checks the ego and expectations at the door. Love celebrates others’ success (without expressing your jealousy to them). Love is patient; it can endure disagreements, different beliefs, doubts about things we are certain of, and posts that we can’t be sure of the tone of voice it was said in.

It’s more than time to have a place where we can all safely come together to talk about the deeper things of life. It’s a small group right now, but if you liked what you read here, would you come check it out? Beyond Faith: Discovering practical and creative spirituality together.

Thank you for reding this. I hope to see your comments on her group page.

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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
Facebook       Twitter
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Instagram
BLOG Archive: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/

If Spirituality is not practical is may not be spiritual.

Forbidden Fruit ~ Oh my Spleen!

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some time ago someone referred to my blog as me venting my spleen. It is not. Venting one’s spleen is the expression of wrath over something. So that I have been clear, I am trying to daily engage with my faith in Christ and following him. I write about it to be self-accountable and so that you can perhaps benefit from my journey.

In the current distress, we see a great deal of spleen-venting going on in reality and on social media. We see wrath poured on people as an overflow of anger about social and political issues. The difficulty is that even when the anger is justified, the wrath is not. Wrath is the putrefied remains of anger that has been held overnight. It is not something we are allowed to have or visit upon others.

In years past I have dined on wrath and it has damaged me and others far beyond what is just or good. When a group of people demands that you agree with them or suffer their cumulative anger, that is wrath. When people riot and destroy things, they are visiting their wrath upon others. The Father makes it clear that this is not how he wishes us to deal with each other. He reserves wrath for himself.

I was in a situation yesterday where I was trying to do a good thing. An individual involved decided that verbally attacking me was the right path to follow. In my quest to be lovingly unoffendable, this was a real challenge. It is not always easy to choose to love others. I failed to be as loving as I could have been but I also did not indulge the anger that rose up in me. Avalon helped me talk through it later. I went to sleep having processed both forgiveness and a plan to deal with my feelings more appropriately next time I encounter this individual.

Between the time I was in the situation and worked my way through it to grace and love, I felt the past anger in me try to gain control of my heart and mind. What I must always do is feel the anger when it is justified and not feed it with more fuel. Wrath is forbidden fruit and we can see the impact of dining on it all over our nation right now.

The idea is to feel anger when it is justified without doing wrong. Then we forgive, apply grace and mercy, and move on in love. That is the only formula I have found that works. It is hard and it goes against my pride and need for justice. That, however, is a topic for tomorrow, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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BLOG Archive: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/
Let us hold a riot for everyone. It will be SPLEENdid.

26 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ It is Part of the Curse

Greetings Dear Reader,

In 2017 and 2018 when I was out of work, I did my part to look for work every day. Then, to my complete joy, I spent the bulk of the day writing. I find joy in writing in a way that I enjoy little else. It is what I desire to do as my full-time work for life.

You see, I desire to work but I want to work at something I love. Work was intended for us from the beginning. Adam was told to tend the garden. I am not sure what that entailed since there was no death. He still had work to do that was not “by the sweat of his brow.” Then I think of how many people work at jobs they hate.

We must work. That is the nature of things in a fallen world. That we often do not get to do the work we love may not be intended. I know that when I discipline my life to make progress toward my aforementioned goal, I get closer. The work does not exhaust me. I am doubly blessed because the other job I have that provides my income is also a pleasant one. I get to help other humans get their healthcare needs met.

Still, there is something in me that would rather do nothing. I would rather be free from all obligations and drift through the world. That is the forbidden fruit that I covet when things do not unfold as I wish for them to unfold. Learning to work at what I love when I do not have to helps me avoid lazy leisure. It reveals to me the lies that we tell ourselves to avoid the hard work of getting where we wish to be in our vocations.

There must be a life/work balance. We rarely see too much leisure as an imbalance. As I work to make sure that I do not overwork or over rest, I find that the desire to “sit and scroll” or watch some entertainment and do nothing else is strong. The only way to avoid this trap is through mental discipline.

During this pandemic, it has been difficult for many to stay motivated. I have heard many friends talk about how hard it is to stay focused, motivated, and disciplined in the things they want to do but do not. I think that this is another area where I need to depend on the love and grace of the Father when I seek him.

He wishes for us to redeem our time, Dear Reader. It is a gift from him and we are accountable for it. It is not wrong to follow discussion threads and scroll through the feed. It is wrong to get lost in it and lose time to it. We are meant to rest and recreate ourselves. What I must not do is forget that the only way to get where I wish to be is through work that I entrust to the Father as an act of worship.

I was speaking with my friend Danette and we were discussing the nature of eternal worship once we reach home. We need to remember that everything we do with a heart to the Father is an act of worship. When we give our best and live in balance in work, art, or even leisure to the Father we are worshiping. I cannot imagine that giving in to lazy leisure that I have not earned through good work is in that category.

I will keep working, Dear Reader. I pray that soon it is only to produce more stories for you and that it frees me to be where I am needed. Until then, I will write around the time that I have to use to make my tents. Whatever I am doing, your companionship is always a blessing and source of joy.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Leisure in balance is not wrong; it is necessary. Leisure out of balance is deadly.

25 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ Cravings

Greetings Dear Reader,

The opening story in Sheetrock on the Road revolves around my mum’s cravings for chocolate and a piece of sheetrock. Although I deal with the issue with humor, as a species what we crave often controls us. I have often set aside my focus on loving others and thinking of their needs because of cravings.

Our desires too often override our good sense. Whet we want gets in the way of what is right, what is loving, and what is prudent. We want that candy bar, new thing, or shiny object. We betray our promises, faith, and vows for pleasures that we think will satisfy but rarely do. It occurs to me that we violate our promises based on promises of pleasures that never last.

I have waited to use the word “lust” because I want to frame it in more than a sexual context. We lust for things that often have nothing to do with sex. Anything that we desire beyond what is right and good is a form of lust. It is not wrong to want something. It is wrong to put that desire before our faith and following. Again, I have done this and the impact echoes through to today.

Lust is pursuing anything that is meant to selfishly satisfy our desires over what we are called to be as Christ-followers. That new car is not wrong as long as we do not desire it over our responsibility to be obedient in other areas. It is good to have good things but things are not good if we obtain them at the expense of the welfare of others. When we take pride in our possessions, we are bragging about our fulfilled lusts.

When I feel the desire for something, anything, I must filter it through my obligations, my faith, and my needs. Sometimes when I desire a thing it is because I am moving toward things that are healthy and good. This is never the case when I am simply satisfying my cravings, wants, or lust. Even good things can become wrong when I indulge my wants over what is right.

If I am going to follow Christ well, I must cage all of my cravings withing the grace that the Father provides. If I seek him first, I will better manage my desires. If I find my delight in him, my desires will align with his and all will be well. The Father assures us that when we focus on him, he will provide the desires that are good for us.

As I journey through this thinking, I want to crave a deeper love for the Father in every endeavor. I desire to follow the Son more closely with every step. I long for an ear that hears the Spirit whenever he speaks and not just when I hunger for guidance. If we measure our desires against love and grace, Dear Reader, perhaps we can hunger more deeply for the right things.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

24 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ Just One More

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned food as an example yesterday. When I ponder it at length, many of us have an improper relationship with food. We eat too much or too little. We eat things that are not healthy for us. Obsession with the food or with our physique causes us to see it in the wrong way.

I have had a life-long struggle with my relationship with food. It has taught me several things about how to be faithful. The heart of the matter for me begins with trust. Jesus has said clearly that we are not supposed to worry about what we will eat. I have been in situations where I did not have food or a way to get food. Worrying about it was not only a worry, but it was also an obsession.

When I have all that I need, I still like to eat too much. It has caused me to be unhealthy physically but also to lack gratitude mentally. When I have all that I need, I must have a grateful heart and not abuse my abundance. When I do this, I also remain aware of the needs of others.

I do not need to belabor this today. If I am going to follow Christ well, I must see my intake of food as part of what I must do to honor the Father and not as something I am allowed to abuse. It is a daily discipline necessary to being a good disciple daily, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

When was the last time you heard an honest sermon about gluttony?

23 August 2020

Forbidden Fruit ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some years ago, there was a popular event called the Darwin Awards. According to their site, “The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it in a spectacular manner.” These are tragic examples of those who have failed to think things through or whose arrogance has caused them to ignore the warnings of their common sense.

There are some things we just should not do. Some things are completely foolish and other things are a failure to learn from the examples, good or ill, from those who came before us. We can learn from the mistakes of others. We often choose not to do so.

In my journey with Christ, I know that I sometimes fail to follow him. In almost every instance I do things that I have done wrong before and I fail to learn from those mistakes. Most of my consumption of forbidden fruit comes from eating again that which I have tasted and desire even though it is not good for me. Even during the consumption, I often know that I will regret it.

We do this all the time when we overeat. We feel full. We have already consumed what we need. Then the dessert tray comes around or we think we want just one more of those delicious little sandwiches. We know that we should not eat more but we do. Then we are miserable from overeating and we complain about it.

Whether it is death or a bellyache, when we choose to do some things, we know we are plucking a ripe piece of forbidden fruit. We are failing to learn from the past whether it is our own failures or the collective Darwinian history of our species. We constantly repeat the things that we know will cause us harm.

What I wish to examine is how I approach the various kinds of forbidden fruit and how I will harden my defense against repeating errors that I know I should not. This is not an exercise of listing the things I should not do. Rather, it is an attempt to better understand how I can follow Christ more closely by strengthening my ability to refuse to pluck forbidden fruit.

Please feel free to walk with me as I try to become better, stronger, and wiser. I am not saying I struggle with everything I will consider. I would, however, like to make sure that I do not pridefully neglect every facet of this problem. The temptation to do that which I should not can come from anywhere. As always, Dear Reader, your thoughts and questions are of value to me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
]\#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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BLOG Archive: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/

No matter how good that green persimmon looks, I would not eat it.

22 August 2020

Good to Grace ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Whether you share my faith or not, please look carefully at this quote from Paul’s letter to the Christ-followers in Ephesus. No matter what anyone tells you that you must DO, redemption (salvation) comes through faith by way of grace. It is not from anything we can do because it is a gift. Please dwell on that for a moment.

Jesus is not after your money, your freedom, or your independence. He wants you to accept a gift from him. The idea is that he extends grace to us so that we can have faith. This is done out of God’s love for us. His love moves him to express himself through grace and all we have to do to receive it is to accept the gift by faith.

No matter how good we are we cannot earn a gift. If we could, then it is not a gift. I cannot merit redemption. It is our hearts that the Father desires. I must place all of my trust in the grace that God gives me to journey toward him by following his Son. It is my faith that sets me on the path.

Once there more grace is extended to help me see where my love for the Father is incomplete or flawed. As I accept the grace given and respond to it, I am also better able to love my fellow humans. Paul goes on to say, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The good we wish to do gains its value after the Father has reclaimed us through the gift of his Son. He created us to do good things but they only find their value after we accept his grace through faith. It is through grace and love that we benefit those around us. When we express the Fathers love through obeying his commands to love others, that is when we are extending grace.

I was explaining administration to someone last week. The word means to minister through others. The Father administers his grace through us when we show others his love. Our benchmark is love but the love flows through us to others by the Father’s grace. As I journey home, I realize that I must remain what I have always been.

You see, Dear Reader, as much as I know about following Christ, I am not very good at it. I fail to follow. I get my own ideas about how to follow and they are wrong. It is only when I love through grace and mercy that I am able to reflect the Father’s love. I am simply a door warden hoping to share some stories and help others find the door. I only wish for you to follow me on my media pages. What I really desire is for you to follow Christ. Here is a writing by someone that inspires me. It is long but worth the read. Please remember, Dear Reader, that I love you whether you accept what I am saying or not. I do, however, pray that you can find the grace to see the Father’s love for you.

I Stand by the Door - An Apologia for my Life - Samuel Moore Shoemaker

I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So, I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.
Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him.
So, I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics.
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in.
Sometimes venture in a little farther,
But my place seems closer to the opening.
So, I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get partway in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia
And want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.
For the old life, they have seen too much:
One taste of God and nothing but God will do anymore.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door
But would like to run away. So, for them too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there too.
Where? Outside the door -
Thousands of them. Millions of them.
But - more important for me -
One of them, two of them, ten of them.
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.

So, I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
'I had rather be a door-keeper
So, I stand by the door.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

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