Mountains to Move ~ Isolating Enemies

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yes, I am going to tell you that you have to love your enemies.  Hopefully, we can find an aspect of this that makes it easier to see the validity behind it.  There is easily a mountain here that must be removed even if it is the simple objection to the need to love our enemies.

The mountain that concerns me, and must be moved for the sake of our society is the one we have created regarding how we treat our enemies.  To get to the point of loving our enemies we must first stop hating them.  It saddens me to see those who claim to follow Christ spewing venom at those who are our political leaders no matter what you think about their politics.  

Further, I see Christ-followers hating people who disagree with them on social and political issues, claiming to have the moral high-ground from every side of every issue.  The clear requirement is that we love those that disagree with us, live differently from us, and even hate us.  We are even told to understand that God chooses our leaders and we too, therefore, respect them.  We are required to pray for them.  Hatred and prayer cannot share the same space.

 There is not a provision for creating a mountain of hatred simply because we disagree on political and social issues.  Further, the moment we declare someone an enemy, we are obligated to love him or her.  It is love that is to be our benchmark.  We cannot spew epithets and disrespect someone whilst claiming to follow Christ.  We become hypocrites.  I do not have to like someone’s position or policies to love him or her.  I do have to love every human no matter what I disagree with about them if I am to love the Father.

The mountain of hatred I see in Christ-followers for those we oppose diminishes seems daunting and immovable.   It is our faith that if we yield to the command to love that will cast this mountain into the sea.  It is faith that will allow the Father’s love to flow through us to others.  Everyone needs love.  It is my obligation to show it, Dear Reader.  We cannot be recognized for our love whilst the mountain of hatred toward our enemies occludes Jesus' presence in our lives.

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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Hatred and prayer cannot share the same space.

Mountains to Move ~ Silos

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things that put mountains in our path is the social constructs we make to set us apart from others.  On one hand, we are supposed to be set apart from things that do not align with loving the Father.  The separations we create based on social standing or preassigned prejudices, however, are silos that become mountains.

When I prejudge someone because of exterior visuals, I am dishonoring the God who created that person.  You see, if I claim to follow Christ, I must accept that every human is specially created by the Father.  This means that there is no room for prejudice. It means that someone’s race does not figure into the choice of loving.  Love requires that I express it to every single human without reservation.

Worse, we make social mountains out of fashion, abundance, and education.  We treat others as less than us because we have more money.  Our fashion sense creates a mountain of disdain for those who do not dress “properly”.  I tend to dress oddly and get to be on the receiving end of this occasionally.  It does not really impact me, but I know it can be harrowing for those seeking to find their worth.  There is no context in which mistreating others is good.  When we do it because we have blessings and we do not see theirs, we are in danger of having our silos toppled. 

Our social silos create mountains upon which we sit to pass judgment on others.  We determine that someone else cannot advance due to the clothes they wear, their station in life, or the color of their skin.  To the prejudiced mind, they are not worthy of love because of the mountain we have created.  These mountains must be moved.  They have to be cast into the sea.

The mountain of the social silo is designed to be unscalable and meant to keep others away.  The only way to remove them as obstacles is to destroy them or cast them into the sea.  We fight these and destroy them by denying their power.  Each person chooses to ignore their demands and accepts others in love, kindness, and grace. This destroys the silo and allows everyone to continue the journey.  We can do this, Dear Reader.  We only have to try.

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
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 “And the sign said you’ve got to have a membership card to get inside.”  -  Less Emmerson 

Mountains to Move ~ Islands are Mountains

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the trends in our current distress is to take forced isolation and move it to a lifestyle.  People post about how they want to be left alone.  They make isolation their banner and treat distance as a friend.

Acknowledging that some folks genuinely have difficulty with being social, often there are those who use isolation as a tool to foster their own selfishness.  Unless there is a real psychological or medical reason for it, being an island is something that flies in the face of the command to love our neighbors.  It is in this kind of isolation, island thinking that we find harms us.  These islands are mountains to be moved. 

Please understand that there are times when we need to be alone to recharge and refresh.  It is when we make isolated island living our banner that we have a problem.  I have friends that constantly post about not needing anyone else.  They talk about their love of self and even their dislike of other people.  It is impossible to carry this attitude and love our neighbors, strangers in need, and our enemies.

There are times when all I care to do is sit and write.  There must be a balance, however, between this island and the vast landscape of caring for and loving others.  If I retreat to my island too often, I miss opportunities for love, kindness, and generosity.  There is a time to be alone and there is a time to be available.  I can do good by venturing out to see others and encourage them in their journey. 

I may reach others with this writing and at times the Father allows me the encouragement of seeing that I do.  That is good and I must keep doing it.  More importantly, I must not become an island or even think I am.  The journey is not a lone one in that way.  It is meant to be shared and enjoyed.  I am meant to love others and help them see that the Father loves them.  When I create a sea around my world, I am acting selfishly and denying what is unique about me to others.

My own fears and desires must not put me in this isolation, Dear Reader.  I must give solitude its time but then I must move out into the path and remember that I have an island to return to if needed.  In the meantime, I must do all that I can to encourage the journey of those around me.

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
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I used to hate being alone but now I must be wary of trying to be an island unto myself.

Mountains to Move ~ Mount Judgement

Greetings Dear Reader,

An iceberg is a mountain of ice that is already in the sea.  We only see a little of the mountain that is there.  Some are so large that one could scale the part that is above the water like a genuine mountain.  Icebergs are beautiful and dangerous all at once.

I do not think that we begin to see the icebergs of judgment that we float through our lives.  We judge others in ways that we do not even see.  Most of it is contained in the values and standards of our culture that are not in alignment with loving the Father and following the Son.  Like the billions of small crystals that make up an iceberg, we carry beautifully horrid verdicts of social and spiritual natures.

From our sense of fashion to our hatred of those who disagree with us on serious matters we float our judgments at others without even intending to do so.  We have seated them so deeply that they are mental muscle memory.  We judge others based on our own prejudices and then when we do not act on that judgment, we arrogantly think we are being merciful.  We say that we are loving others when in truth, we are loving our pride and making allowances based on our own version of the world.

The place of my heart and mind must be that our differences unite us as unique beings loved by the Father.  He insists that we love him with all that we are and that we love each other without reservation.  There is no room for the mountain of judgment in our lives.  It must be avoided, conquered, or removed.  I must capture every thought that is judgmental and banish it.

Love and judgment cannot cohabit.  We cannot joke about the beliefs of others and love them.  Even our little bit of fun about spiritual and social differences may be seated in the judgment of others because we are “right” and they are “wrong”.   It is the place of those who follow Christ to see people as they are, celebrate the things that reveal the Father in them, and love them no matter who or what they are.

Love and failure to judge does not mean I accept things that are wrong or condone the choices of others.   It does mean that I leave the dealing with those things to the Father.  There are things that are obviously wrong.  I must discern the difference between the sound judgment of actions and choices and placing discriminatory findings on the person.  I can say that stealing is wrong without turning dismissive unkindness toward the thief.  There may be consequences for stealing without discounting everything else about the one who stole. 

When I dismiss others because of their wrongs, I crash into an iceberg of judgment that sinks my own righteousness because I too have sinned.  It is love that melts this mountain of ice that can freeze out our ability to be good and kind to others.  We can manage the surface judgments but it takes mercy and grace from the Spirit to manage the things we carry below the surface, Dear Reader.  We have far to go and this mountain must be moved.

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            
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We judge others and then when we do not act on that judgment, we arrogantly think we are being merciful.

Mountains to Move ~ Does It Need Moving

Greetings Dear Reader,

When we ponder the mountains we need to move or the obstacles in our way, we need to consider first if the mountain needs moving.  Too often, our doubts and fears make it seem that there are obstacles that do not really exist.  In identifying the things that are not real hindrances to our progress, we can ignore them.

We use fear and doubt to create blockers to our own progress.  Our culture is filled with people who are convinced that their trauma needs to be their banner.  Instead of genuine forgiveness and healing, we cultivate the problems, the hurt, and the drama into mountains we refuse to scale or remove.

I will never deny someone their pain or hurt over a traumatic event.  The hurt and harm are genuine.  It is feeding off of them for months or years that becomes a problem.  Everyone has hurts and fears.  We either compare them to make an excuse or we compare them to minimize them.  Another person’s pain is as real to them as yours is to you, Dear Reader.  Sometimes instead of moving that mountain, we need to help them over it.  Scaling and descending the mountain in our way is a great way to put it behind us.

The mountain does not always need to be thrown into the sea.  Sometimes the only way out is over it.  It is then that we can get over it.  It is then that we can allow real healing and put the obstacles in our rearview.  When our pain and hurt seem to be barriers to progress, we must assail them.  We do not fight alone.  We can climb them and put them in the past.

The Father promises to be with us.  The Son will lead us.  It is only in the work of climbing some of the mountains that we find peace and freedom.  We cannot afford to sit at the base of the mountain and mourn our inability to move on.  That is a great and terrible lie that will hinder us from faith and following.  It is the way that destroys us, 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 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
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If our past trauma and pain remain the obstacle in our future, that obstacle becomes our god.

Mountains to Move ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I love living in a place where I can walk out onto the deck and be surrounded by the young cousins of the mountains just to the northwest of me.  Often, I drive the twenty minutes it takes for the road to become winding and climbing.  I have found a few places that allow me to park and take in a beautiful vista whilst I write or pray.

The other day, I read something that caused me to ruminate over moving mountains.  It was simply this: “Faith can move mountains.  Doubt can create them.”  When Jesus said “If you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Be cast into the sea’ and it will be done,” he was not suggesting that we go around flinging about mountains.  I believe that were it necessary, faith could toss Currahee Mountain into the ocean several hundred miles away.  I do, however, like it where it is.

What I wish to ponder for a bit is this: There are mountains we create for ourselves because we will not allow faith to be the prime mover in following Christ.  It is clear what is required of us but we rationalize our way to faith being foolish and we doubt everything.  We want to have faith but only in the measure with which we are comfortable.  We use as an example those who try to use faith as the smoke that summons a Djinn to grant our wishes. 

When the Djinn does not show up, it creates doubt in us that is not warranted.  That doubt is the product of us trying to use faith instead of having faith.  There are mountains that need moving in our lives.  There is a great mountain of fear and pain in our world that can only be moved by living out our faith in love. 

Doubt is not always wrong.  It is the obverse of the coin of faith.  We should not be surprised at this.  Doubt is honest when it is observed in faith.  When, however, we insist that the Father meet us on our terms; that he be the god we design in our heads, that doubt becomes dishonest and demanding.  God will not change who he is for us.  Mountains will not move.  We will find no peace in that pain, Dear Reader.

Please walk with me for a bit as I attempt to reason through the doubt that assails us by pondering the healthy ways in which we can honestly approach that doubt.  This is a deep tissue exercise that will touch some very sensitive nerves.  It will hurt to become someone who has mustard seed faith.  Please share your thoughts and questions with me as we walk.  I love you, Dear Reader.

Sail on Sailor – Mustard Seed Faith

Sailin' over the ocean
In search of life's mysteries
Torn by tears and fears, forgotten dreams
And rusty memories
Sail on, sailor
Til you find what it is you're lookin' for
Trim your sails and turn your ship around
To the Lord
So many ports you've seen
And still, your search goes on
Hoping that you'd find your way
But loneliness and pain are all you'll ever
Find
Until your captain is the Lord
Sail on, sailor
Til you find what it is you're lookin' for
Trim your sails and turn your ship around
To the Lord
Sail on, sailor
Til you find what it is you're lookin' for
Trim your sails and turn your ship around
To the Lord

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
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Faith should be a default setting; not a switch we throw.

Responding to Anger ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Everyone feels angry at times.   The anger is not wrong.  It is a feeling like everything else.  Our feelings come from our thoughts.  This means that when we have a short fuse or hot temper, we have trained our minds to get angry easily.

As I have wandered through these thoughts and questions, it is abundantly clear that the mind controls what we do with anger.  When someone trespasses against me, I must process if my anger is justified.  I cannot become offended if I refuse to take up the offense.  I may still feel angry that someone has intentionally harmed me.  I must never allow the anger to be in charge.  My choices must not be made based on anger.

When Jesus tells me that I must request forgiveness for my own trespasses in accordance with and to the degree to which I forgive others trespasses against me.  This renders out to say that I must be walking in a constant state for seeking and giving forgiveness.  This leaves no room for me to carry anger.  There is no space for moldering anger if I am filling my heart with forgiveness based on love. 

The world will always be in the crucible of hurt until the Father gets all things back to good.  There will be no time when anger does not wish to rule our hearts and minds.  It can be subtle.  It can grow deep roots in us.  Our anger wishes to assert itself unaware.  When we find that we sound or feel angry, it is almost always because we are. 

I have found that if I focus on love and grace that taking up offenses does not happen as often.  Anger has no place to put down roots in the firm ground of doing all that I can to love the Father.  Proceeding from that, forgiveness for others becomes an instant response.  In a society where being offended is the rule of the day, being peaceful and lovingly unoffendable stands out. 

In the journey home, anger is too heavy to carry over to the next day, Dear Reader.   We can walk in peace if we leave behind the anger.  We can reconcile, reconnect, and reach a deeper understanding if we do.  I will always endeavor to be at peace with others.  I must always make anger take a moment before it speaks.  In that moment I must remind it not to do anything wrong when it does.  I must always respond to anger and never react.  That is the path of peace and the way of understanding.  That is where we find our joy in the journey.

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
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Responding versus reacting reveals much about how we feel.

Responding to Anger ~ Energy and Expectations

Greetings Dear Reader,

Anger is exhausting.  It saps our energy.  Sustained anger damages us physically and emotionally.  It gives us energy from the wrong sources.  The anger has to be stoked and managed if it is to live.

This is true because anger is not meant to live.  It is born to pass.  It arrives but must not have a lease.  When we give it a lease, we allow it to take up space that is supposed to belong to love and kindness.  We have to feed anger and it is never satisfied.

When we consider responding to anger, we must manage what we will sustain and what we expect.  Just because I choose to manage my anger properly does not mean that others will and I must not expect it of them.  Even if it is the right thing to do, I cannot place that expectation on other humans.

If I respond to anger in love, others may still feed their own anger.  The aforementioned is true and they wear themselves out.  Even if their anger was once justified, hanging on to it exhausts them.  Too often in our society, our failure to forgive others results in us feeling they are toxic when what is poisoning us is the anger we still carry beyond the incident.  Sometimes, our “triggers” are our own failure to forgive and move on without the anger. 

If I am to love others then I must not court anger past its instance.  I must, instead, forgive and do all that I can to show love.  When I am successful at this, I must not further place expectations of any kind on the other person.  Expectations are the tendrils that choke out the love I am trying to convey.  There are times when love must be one-sided to work.  If I am faithful to that, the anger and hatred of others will tire them out. 

They may never choose to reconcile with me, but I can be assured that I have managed my anger well and treat them with kindness.  There is always hope, however.  I have been a part of the moments where anger gets laid aside, love wins the moment, and two souls reconnect.   That is one of my favorite moments in our journey together, Dear Reader. 

Putting love first allows us to keep our energy, abandon expectations, and seek peace.  The place in which we stand when we do this is strong and secure.  It comes into being through love and humility.  It is the essence of following Christ.  It is the source of our joy.  It may sound absurd, Dear Reader, but responding to anger with love, grace, and mercy is the answer to all of our ills.

The Basin and the Towel – Michael Card 

And the call is to community

In an upstairs room, a parable
Is just about to come alive
And while they bicker about who's best
With a painful glance, He'll silently rise

Their Savior Servant must show them how
Through the will of the water
And the tenderness of the towel

And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility, to take the vow
That day after day we must take up the basin and the towel

In any ordinary place
On any ordinary day
The parable can live again
When one will kneel and one will yield

 Our Saviour Servant must show us how
Through the will of the water
And the tenderness of the towel

The space between ourselves sometimes
Is more than the distance between the stars
By the fragile bridge of the Servant's bow
We take up the basin and the towel

And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility, to take the vow
That day after day we must take up the basin

And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility, to take the vow
That day after day we must take up the basin
That day after day we must take up the basin
That day after day we must take up the basin and the towel
Take up the basin and the towel, basin, and towel

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
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“The space between ourselves sometimes is more than the distance between the stars” – Michael Card

Responding to Anger ~ But I am Angry at God

Greetings Dear Reader,

There has never been a time when I did not believe in God.  Before my choice to follow Christ, however, I was deeply angry at God.  Most of my rage and pain was focused on blaming God.  He had taken the things I thought I needed.  He had allowed the things that hurt me so deeply.

During those days that led up to me having faith, I pondered dismissing the idea of God altogether.  I reasoned out that if I stopped believing, there would be no place to point the blame for my pain and wrath.  Even after I accepted the challenge to follow Christ, I had many anger issues to work through.  That has taken much longer than I thought it would.

Still, we get angry at God.  We blame Him for our circumstances, the world’s evil, and his apparent silence.  We think that we are right, God is wrong, or that he is the cause of our problems.  I will not be able to solve the problem of evil for you here, Dear Reader.  I can say that he did not create evil but he did know that the outcome of free will would be that people would do evil.  He knew that we would choose to reject him.

Even in the full knowledge of the wrong, we would bring; the Father chose to let us exist.  He chose to love us and provide a path to reconciliation.  All of his efforts, his counter moves against evil in the world have been to ask that we choose him over our wants, desires, and our anger.  When I am angry at the Father, I am a child rejecting the rule of one who loves me more than I can understand.

So, how must I deal with the moments when I feel angry at the Father?  I must begin with the understanding that when I disagree with God, I am always wrong.  My thoughts are not equal to his and I must follow the Son in saying, “not my will but yours.”  It has to be that when I disagree, I seek the Spirit to show me the way.  I have to embrace the humility that it takes to yield to the Father’s plan to get all things back to good. 

When I feel anger at the Father, I can short circuit the process mentioned a few days ago.  I can go straight to renewing my own thinking so that it aligns with his.  I can work to love him with all that I am.  The path to peace is only available through the Father and any division with him blocks that path for me.  This is why at the core of loving the Father is obedience.   It is obedience to love for him and all he has made.  It is rejecting any hatred.  It is living in harmony with others through grace, mercy, and kindness.  This is where we fight the unreasonable anger, Dear Reader.  This is where we find our joy in the journey.

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     
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BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

When I am angry at God, guess who is wrong.

Second Thoughts ~ Things That Will Change Forever

Greetings Dear Reader,

When you meet someone as a young boy and they become your hero, there is always the chance that he or she will let you down.  This man never did.  He was the first African American man I ever met.  He and I shared a love for baseball and he set a fine example as a hard-working player and as a gentleman.

My Grandfather and I spoke to him often during the three years that we got to attend Braves games together.  He would always come over to our box seats.  He and my Grandfather would talk about fishing, fastballs, and the farmer’s market.  Once in a while, my Grandfather would pass him a jar of my Grandmother’s homemade pear preserves.

Henry Aaron always had a kind word for me unless he was focused on the game.  Then he would nod as he trotted in from the outfield.  This kind gentleman left a permanent mark on me regarding baseball, sportsmanship, humanity, and race.  Who he was and the way in which he treated others was profound to my young mind. 

His passing today has changed some things forever.  My Son, Bezel noted that he is likely having a catch with my Grandfather.  I think it more likely that my Grandfather is pitching batting practice just so he can hear and watch Henry knock them out of the park.  I can hear the sound of the swing, the crack of the bat, and the whoosh as the ball sails away to land over the fence.

I skipped school to watch him hit number 715 on April 8,1974.  I was only a week away from the encounter that would cement my relationship with Christ.  I was much further away than my Grandfather’s box seats, long since forgotten by those entrusted with them.  After that day, I would be in proximity to Henry Aaron one more time.

He was at the Varsity, much older and still quietly humble.  I walked up to him and reminded him of my Grandfather and the wiggly little boy in the early years of the Atlanta Braves.  He remembered my Grandfather and called him by name.  Ever kind and a gentleman, he inquired if I still loved baseball.  I assured him that I did.  He was on his way out so I hindered him no further. 

As the world loses Henry Aaron today, I feel the loss so deeply.  Tears are unexpected but make sense as I lose something so central to my childhood.  I offer my condolences to his family and honor who Henry Aaron will always be to me.  Tonight, I will wear my feather sleeve Braves jersey with his number on it and raise a glass to him.  If you are taking batting practice with my Grandfather, hit one out for me please sir.

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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Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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“The thing I like about baseball is that it's one-on-one. You stand up there alone, and if you make a mistake, it's your mistake. If you hit a home run, it's your home run.” – Henry Aaron

Responding to Anger ~ The Right to Feel Angry

Greetings Dear Reader,

How often do we hear someone claim or advise someone else that there is a right to anger?  First, let me be clear that we do have a right to feel angry.  As we discussed earlier, there are times when it is imperative to BE ANGRY.  In the same breath, however, we are to SIN NOT with our anger.

I want to ponder then how I deal with my right to anger in a way that puts me in the right position with the Father.  After Jesus, my closest friend in the Bible is Job.  I want to be like and at the same time, I do not.  The lesson I am remembering from him is that if anyone had the right to be angry as a human, it is Job.  Without recounting his entire story, let us review his situation:

God declares that he is the most righteous man in all the earth.
He loses all of his children, possessions, and his health.
His wife suggests that he “curse God and die” instead of keeping his integrity.
His friends make the journey to falsely accuse him of some secret evil.

So, I would think that Job has a right to be angry.  Whether you believe this story or not (I do), it is clear that Job has not been treated well by Satan, his wife, and his friends.  His response, however, confounds me.  He says to his wife when she challenges him to abandon his faith and principles, "’ You're talking like a godless fool. We accept the good that God gives us. Shouldn't we also accept the bad?’ Through all this Job's lips did not utter one sinful word.”

I could not do that.  I have uttered sinful words when I stubbed my toe.  I believe that Job must have felt anger at some point.  His words to his wife and friends sound angry when I read them.  We have to be clear though that in his anger he did not “utter one sinful word.”  Few of us will suffer as much as Job did.  This means that we can refuse to do wrong just because we suffer and are angry about it.

If you are thinking that I do not understand your situation, then you are correct.  I do know what it is like to lose all that I have, lose a child, and have my wife curse me.  The difference is that I am not nearly as faithful as is Job.  I did sin in my anger and that makes all the difference.  That is where this good man and I parted ways. 

I must resolve to be like him and refuse to lose my faith over loss and pain.  When I am grieved, sick, or bereft, I must cling to my principles.  If someone offers me offense, I must cling to faith and not my anger or pride.  Instead of me prattling on about it, give a listen to the song below, Dear Reader.   I think we can agree that part of responding to our own anger is remembering that even the darkest things are allowed by the Father to draw us closer to him.  I love you and want you to find peace in your pain.

Job Suite – Michael Card
(I realize this is long but it is well worth the listen) 

Blameless and upright, a fearer of God
A man truly righteous, no pious facade
One about whom God was accustomed to boast
And so one whom Satan desired the most

One day the accuser came breathing out lies
"It's Your holy handouts, his faithfulness buys"
In one desperate day, his possessions were lost
His children all killed in one raw holocaust
His children all killed in one raw holocaust

And yet through it all; through the tears and pain
He worshiped his God Found no reason to blame

Once more the Deceiver denounced and decried
"It's skin for skin, and hide for hide,
Strike down his flesh and he'll surely deny
And confess that his praying has all been a lie."

"Very well, take him," the Holy One sighed
But you must spare his life, my son shall not die
So, Job was afflicted with terrible sores
Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord
Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord

And yet through it all; through the tears and pain
He worshiped his God Found no reason to blame

A throne of ashes
A crown of pain
A sovereign of sorrow
A mournful reign

May the day of my birth be remembered no more
May darkness and shadow come and claim it once more
Why did I not perish on that dreadful day?
And sleep now where kings and counselors lay

What I dreaded most has now come upon me
Why is light given those in misery?
I loathe my own life, so my tears fall like rain
As I find that there is no peace in my pain

Lord, send a Comforter now to my door
So that this terror will frighten no more
A Counselor between us, to come bear my oath
Someone who could lay a hand on us both

These friends of mine are no comfort to me
So deafly they listen, so blindly they see
Their words and their doctrine, they all sound so true
The problem is Lord, they're all wrong about you!

I know my Advocate waits upon high
My Witness in heaven sees the tears that I cry
A true intercessor who will condescend
To plead with God as a man pleads for his friend

If I've been untrue, if I've robbed the poor
If I'm without guilt, what am I suffering for?
God would not crush me for some secret sin
And though He slay me still I'll trust in Him

I know now that my Redeemer's alive
He'll stand on this earth on the day He arrives
And though my own body by then is no more
Yet in my flesh I know, I'll see the Lord
I'll see the Lord,
I'll see the Lord

Who is it that darkens my counsel?
Who speaks empty words without knowledge?
Brace yourself up like a man
And answer me now, if you can

Can you put on glory and splendor?
What's the way to the home of the light?
Does your voice sound like the thunder?
Are you not afraid?
Where were you when earth's foundations were laid?

Who gave the heart its wisdom;
The mind its desire to know?
Can you bind the stars; raise your voice to the clouds?
Did you make the eagle proud?

Will the ox spend the night by your manger?
Did you let the wild donkey go free?
Can you take leviathan home as a pet?
If you merely touched him, you'd never forget

Who is it that darkens my counsel?
Who speaks empty words without knowledge?
Brace yourself up like a man
And answer me now, if you can

I am unworthy, how can I reply?
There's nothing that you cannot do
You are the storm that calmed my soul
I place my hand over my mouth
I place my hand over my mouth

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        
Medium         
Instagram 
BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

“I am unworthy, how can I reply? There's nothing that you cannot do. You are the storm that calmed my soul.  I place my hand over my mouth.”  Job Suite – Michael Card