Thoughts and Questions from Aramis Thorn: July 2021

31 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Closing Thoughts

We all grow from seed to tree. The question remains as to whether we become trees producing good fruit. It is really up to us. It is within us to change our production at any time.

If I order my thoughts to produce loving feelings, words, and actions, I am better able to nurture what I produce. By choosing to love the Father first in all things, I am watered, pruned, and grow into something more productive. The Father is willing to give me all I need to do this. I must yield. The Spirit is even working within me to will to do it.

I pray for the will. I ask the Spirit to give me the will and the power to change and grow so I can produce more. I see it in my writing, I also feel my mind tug at me to doubt my growth. The voices of my past cry out for me to focus on failures and foibles reminding me of when I have not been willing to grow.

As I journey home, I want to help sustain you and our other fellow travelers, Dear Reader. My part is to write, be kind and loving, and employ all the grace and hope I am given. I am to trust the Father to be my provider and sustainer. The Father will care for me. He will be good to me. If my faithfulness to this can help someone else, I can measure my growth in this way.

I long to be a strong fruitful tree helping others to become the same. I can only realize this through yielding to all the Father commands. As I turn my attention to other matters, it will be in loving, being kind, and being good to others I will find the answers to those desires. It seems the more I do, the answer is always be rooted in loving the Father and all he made. I love you, 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.

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Trees laden with ripe rich fruit are a beautiful promise.

30 July 2021

Second Thoughts ~ Confirmation Confirmed

Greetings Dear Reader,

In 2008 I was at a place where I was considering leaving writing. Things were not going as I wished and life was very complex. I involved my adult children in the process by asking them to pray for me through the month of August. We met for dinner on August 31^st when I promised to give them my decision. At the end of dinner, I received a fortune cookie that read, “You will become an accomplished writer.”

The decision was made. I affixed the fortune to my computer monitor where I could see it every day. When I moved in 2018, I lost the fortune. It was just gone from its place taped on the monitor. I grieved for a moment but set it aside because I had many more important things to ponder.

In April of this year, I decided to begin writing full-time. This is a big step of faith for me but so far it is going well. I hit a wall a couple of weeks ago, doubting what I was doing. Instead of giving in to despair, I prayed. I asked the Father to help me not doubt what he had clearly asked of me.

That evening I was searching for a cable to connect my laptop to a sound system. In the bag of cables was what I sought. Stuck to it was the tape-covered fortune, torn in half but all there. The Father lovingly reminded me I was in the right place and doing the right thing. My publisher rep, Cari reminded me of the same thing today. I have placed my fortune in an acrylic case and in the hands of the Father.

Please keep praying for this venture with me, Dear Reader. I am determined to be faithful to it. I know the Father has me even when I do not understand. I will write next month about new things coming soon.

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.

Confirming there was confirmation is confirmed.

From Seed to Tree ~ Greenhouse Effect

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I was a lad, I was captivated by greenhouses. To my young mind, I thought one could grow anything all year in a greenhouse. As I grew to understand there were other considerations, my fascination ebbed but I still like them.

When I gardened regularly, I set up one in my living room to get a head start on spring planting. I love the idea of a closed warm space nurturing seeds into life. I also realize the mind is a greenhouse.

It is the thoughts we keep in the greenhouse of our thinking growing into actions and words that become who we are. What we feel is a result of our thinking. Our thoughts determine what we become. If I allow anger and bitterness to run through my mind, I become an unpleasant person.

We are supposed to capture every thought and discipline it to our love of the Father. Everything in our mind is supposed to nurture this dedication to love the Father with all we are. The greenhouse effect is that it warms the rest of our being toward what is good and kind. It nurtures our feelings, words, and actions to bend them toward following the Son and yielding to the Spirit.

When things are difficult, I must already have spent time setting up my greenhouse with robust thoughts of good things. If I cling to hurt and resentment it will grow under the heat and humidity of hard times. It is what is already rooted in me growing when things are bad. If, however, I stock the greenhouse with strong fruitful trees, I will be nourished by the discipline when challenged.

It is in the greenhouse of the mind where I decide what kind of fruit I will bear as the years move on, Dear Reader. What I nourish in my thoughts in the quiet dark will be what comes to light. When my mind tries to root a weed, it is up to me to kill it. It is true that what we think is what we become. It is never too late to uproot unkind or harmful thoughts and put them in the burn bin.

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.

Greenhouses are either good or bad depending on what we grow.

29 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Trees

Greetings Dear Reader,

Do you really think about trees? Even the fastest-growing tree is a product of years of measured resources. They give us the air we breathe. They produce fruit. We use some for lumber. There are so many things trees give us.

It has been said, “One may count the acorns on an Oak Tree but only God can count the Oak Trees in an acorn.” When we think of the production potential of a tree, the math becomes infinite. The potential reaches to the end of time and possibly beyond.

Simply it is the same way for humans. Our potential to produce the fruit of the Spirit is bound in our becoming healthy trees. We must grow and mature in our love of the Father. We find this by following the Son in his example of showing love and through yielding to the Holy Spirit.

Healthy fruit trees are the product of care, pruning, water, and sunshine. Good soil gives nutrients. Deep roots pull in water and vital sustenance. Cold and warmth work in harmony to trigger the growth instructions created in the tree. Flowers and pollination tell the fruit to grow. What was once a dry rough peach pit eventually yields beautiful sustaining peaches. They can go on to produce more and more peach trees.

As we grow, the process is similar. I need the right nutrients including prayer, Bible reading and application, time with other followers, and the care of the one who owns me. If we think we do not need any of these we are mistaken. In addition, the cold and warmth may be seen as good times and bad times.

In summary, we are designed to grow into fruit-producing trees among the people who so desperately need to see the fruit of the Spirit. The produce of other Christ-followers is intended to sustain us along the way just as we are to sustain others.

The Father has designed us to care for each other as an extension of his care. The difference between us and fruit trees is we have a choice. I can choose not to grow. I can produce things unhealthy for me. I can hoard what I produce and not share it with others. I can fail to be a strong fruitful tree. We must grow and produce, Dear Reader. I must have something good to share with others when I encounter them. In this, we can show the love of the Father as we are supposed to do.

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.

Picking peaches is always fun.

28 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Saplings

Greetings Dear Reader,

For some reason, I get excited about saplings. I have a walking stick I have owned since I was a boy. It is made from a dead Dogwood sapling. The tree had been eaten by worms and I stripped it of bark, etched the worm trails with a wood burner, and varnished it.

When I see a tree transitioning from seedling to sapling, I begin to see the potential. It shows its resistance and cooperation with the wind. The leaves have a different green than they will when it matures. One can begin to see the potential as the branches begin to form. One can envision the tree emerging from the seed we planted into a strong fruitful tree.

A sapling builds strength as it grows. It becomes resilient as its fibers stretch and grow. We too must go through a sapling phase in all the areas where we try to grow. We must become more than we were and still see we are less than we can become. We will know how to manage some things but others will be a challenge.

We may have come to think we are grown. I have learned that when I do, I am comparing myself to the wrong things. It is the Father to whom I look for maturity and not other saplings. The grandest humans I know will admit they still have far to grow. This, Dear Reader defines those who are still growing.

Even if I am a tree bearing good fruit, I have to remember my place compared to the Father. I have so far to go and grow in my quest to love him with all I am. I can always follow the Son a little more closely. I can yield more of who I am to the Spirit. There is never a place where I can stop growing and still be faithful.

In accepting we must be constantly growing we find the purpose of following. We can become those who bear richer, sweeter, and plentiful fruit. Tomorrow we will consider trees. For now, we must meditate on the need to always remember our need to bend, grow stronger, and keep becoming.

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.

Saplings are a sign we are growing well.

27 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Seeds of Life

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have written before about the oak tree needing removal from our yard in 2009. It was a huge tree requiring careful cutting and cording. All that remained was a three-foot stump. I thought to either have the stump removed or turn it into a table.

The following spring, branches emerged from the tree stump. Over the next few years, an entirely new tree grew out of the stump yielding new life in the yard and amazement in me. By the time I left the house, it was producing acorns.

What I had written off for dead was still filled with life and potential. We are the same. We are dead and unable to create lasting good until the Father comes and breathes life back into us. Every day for me holds the potential to give life something good and lasting. If all I do is rooted in my love for the Father, I can enrich life wherever I go.

Even when others consider us worthless, the Father can produce life through us if we continue to love him. I came to the place a few years ago where I believed I was dead and worthless. My failure to love the Father in all things had caught up with me. I was cut down, corded, and left a stump.

Then, the Father chose to spring new life through me. The more I seek him the further life can extend. If all I do is done to love him, all I do will have life. He is still pruning away the things not honoring to him. Like the oak tree, however, I feel and see the new life in my heart. My heart fills with gratitude when I consider all the Father sees in me that I do not. Even when the seed seems to have failed as a tree, the Father can and will recreate life, Dear Reader.

The Touch of the Master’s Hand - - Myra Brooks Welch

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray-bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Master's Hand."

"And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and scarred with sin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

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.

“Do you know that in a universe full of wonders, humans have managed to invent boredom?” - Terry Pratchett.

26 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Fallow Ground

Greetings Dear Reader,

When we think of fallow ground, we should conjure the image of a plowed but unplanted field. There is a purpose to this, allowing the land to rest and reenergize. There are times we must do this. In the Law, the Father required it to be done every seven years.

In the same way, the Father required people to rest every seventh day. We do not live under the law, but someone dear to me tries to observe a day of rest each week. Her example inspired me and I have instituted this over the last few months. I let my mind and body lay fallow for a day each week. I am ready to receive whatever the Father sends my way but I do not work or busy myself.

The practical result has been a rise in productivity other days. It includes an easier consistency at focusing and being disciplined. I have also noticed an uptick in creativity. Ideas come easier and more fully formed. None of this is why I do it though.

The reason I have a fallow day is to listen. I want to spend time in silence, trying to hear what the Father has to say to me. Fallow time is something I have begun to cherish. It is time the Father saw as necessary to knowing him well and, therefore, inherently good.

It has also made my forced inactivity easier to endure. I have been more patient with myself. The time drifts instead of flying. It becomes a day where I am free to speak my mind to the Father and make the time to hear him answer. I think I have found a new permanent change as I strive to be a fruitful tree, 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 you see the fallow ground, you see rest hard at work.

25 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I recently rooted some cherry pits to see if I could grow trees. Unfortunately, the environment produced mold and I will have to try again. The seeds needed to go through a cold dormant period first.

I have eaten fruit taken from seed to tree to produce by a friend. It is better because of the personal nature of it. When I was writing about the fruit of the Spirit, it occurred to me how things within us also come from seeds. The things with which I struggle find their roots in smaller things, planted in my mind, growing into problems. The good things I do are rooted in time and yieldedness to the Spirit.

This week I plan to spend some time examining seeds and seedlings to see if the forest through which I journey needs pruning and watering in some areas. I am uncertain where all this will lead but it is what is on my mind as I seek to increase the depth of my faith, the passion of my love, and the proximity of my following.

I have spent some real time clear-cutting areas overgrown with thorns and brambles. Even fallow land can root things unhealthy for me if I do not tend it. As I work toward being all I can become for the Father, this survey of the land is vital and must be constant. You are invited to journey with me, Dear Reader. Ask all the questions and share your thoughts with me. I know we can find good things together to help us along the way.

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.

“May you grow from a seed into a strong fruitful tree.”

24 July 2021

For or With ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We live in a world where we all serve someone or something. This can be good or bad depending on what we serve. The problem with service is we convince ourselves we are doing something FOR somebody. Pride can get in and we think we are better because we serve.

What I think we miss is the idea of service being a WITH event and not a FOR event. When we serve the Father, we are not doing something for him We are working with him to show him love. We are putting his desires into action because we serve him by serving others. At the center of this thinking is the understanding God does not need us for anything. He allows us to show him love by serving each other.

When I think I am doing things for the Father, I am engaging in distancing myself from him. When he asks us to simply be with him and we rush off to the busyness we create in our lives, we are not serving. Sometimes we are even avoiding him. My Grandfather used to always warn me, “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” As Jesus approaches the darkest moments, he asks his friends to stay awake with him for a bit; just to be with him.

The entire center of our journey is to show love to the Father in all we are. We do this through time and attention. We are asked to consider him first in all we think, say, and do. It always comes back to where our thoughts, feelings, and actions focus. It is what is at the center of the command to “pray without ceasing.” It is what the law means when it says this:

⁴Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deut. 6:4-8, NIV)

Everything is founded on being with the Father by loving him. Engaging him in all we do as the senior partner means we listen and obey. There are things I can do but I am waiting because I do not feel permission to do them. Things I desire stay on the back burner because I do not feel the Father is going to be shown love by me pursuing those desires. I have to follow the Son and yield to the Spirit if I am going to love the Father with all I am. This is all that matters, Dear Reader. If I seek this with all my heart in every moment, all things will be made good. All things will unfold as they should. It is how we remain with God throughout the journey. It is the way home.

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.

What do we really serve?

23 July 2021

For or With ~ The Prime Directive

Greetings Dear Reader,

In Star Trek, “ the Prime Directive (also known as Starfleet General Order 1, General Order 1, and the non-interference directive) is a guiding principle of Starfleet, prohibiting its members from interfering with the internal and natural development of alien civilizations.” I realize this is fiction but it has beneath it a respect for all life we might encounter in the cosmos.

The foundation for this is actually our prime directive as Christ-followers. One cannot respect others in a vacuum. Respect must grow out of something more enduring. There is a false belief claiming respect must be earned. One can merit respect but one does not generate respect for others without love.

In order to genuinely love others, we must first heed the prime directive given to us by Jesus. The greatest commandment is to love the Father with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; basically with all you are. This is the prime directive allowing us to love other humans. It is the directive allowing respect.

The Father already loves each of us, Dear Reader. It is his foundation as well as the one we are to observe. Loving the Father is an act of being with him. It is the only way we can do things with God and not for him. We must engage with the Father to obtain the power to love others well.

If I find my desire is to interfere with the lives of others, I am not following the Prime Directive. When I judge, condemn, or hate others, I have violated the Prime Directive. No matter how wrong I feel something is, I must love first and allow the Father to deal with the wrong.

Any moment in which I focus my love on the Father and honoring him, I am able to love others no matter the situation. If I focus on being with the Father in each moment, everything else will unfold with him. All will be turned to good eventually. Because of this, you are always welcome with me, 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.

This is how we become Guardians of Forever.

22 July 2021

Second Thoughts ~ Project Tortoiseshell Part V

Greetings Dear Reader,

Progress on this very important aspect of my life currently moves at a tortoise pace. I find this totally acceptable and wish it were different at the same time. This is part V of the project. You may follow the entire thread here if you wish: Project Tortoiseshell Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV. Events of this year have slowed down the quest but have not limited it in the least.

At the end of March, I obtained a blister on my left foot whilst hiking. In a short period, it morphed into an infection both deep and large. I have been seeing an amazing wound care physician and his phenomenal team of nurses weekly since then. This means I have had to have my foot elevated most of the time since the end of March.

My travel has been restricted due to not being able to sit in a driver’s seat for hours at a time. Had I had my motorhome I would have been harbor-bound in any event. I am thankful because the Father has provided for my needs well during this time. As of last week, I am free to travel again and very close to being healed.

This leads to what is next for this project. First, let me be clear on something. I believe the Father gives me instruction directly. Look back on the story of the guidance for finding a friend or that of stopping at a North Carolina rest stop. I am willing to listen and obey so, the Father guides me. As regarding the motorhome I desire, the instruction is that I am not to purchase it. He is going to provide it when he is ready. Even though I could buy one today, I am going to be obedient. If you have questions about this, feel free to ask. If you want to buy me a VW Rialta, we can talk about this as well.

For now, I am writing and waiting. If you want to pray with me, what I wish to have is a 2005 VW Rialta 22QD (this specific model only). It meets my needs as a home, a way to spend time with family, and a way to be wherever the Spirit wishes to drive me.

I have a couple more exciting things on the horizon and will say more about them before the month is out. For now, I am going to say there is great potential in my new book and a new venture for all of you to participate in. I love you, Dear Reader, and am thankful for all your support.

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.

Some projects move at a tortoise pace…

For or With ~ Important Secrets

Greetings Dear Reader,

When my Sons were small, we always enjoyed the secrets of gifts we had gotten for their mother. Individually, each Son would revel in gifts he has chosen for the other for birthdays and Christmas. We would lovingly taunt each other as to the acquisition of the gift.

For the most part, however, secrets cause problems. Secrets are often the product of fear or wrongdoing. There are good secrets such as gifts and surprise parties. There are even secrets we are asked to keep by the Father.

Jesus made it clear our good things are to be done in secret if possible. When we do good for others and keep it secret, we are sharing the mystery with only the Father. We are doing something with him and not for him. Like the conspiracies of joy my Sons and I built together, we get to do the same with the Father.

The Pharisees used to call attention to their giving at the Temple. Jesus pointed out they had received their reward in attention from the people. They were doing things for God and not with him. This prompted Jesus to teach us to give in secret. He added to this the promise of open reward from the Father. This is not to be our motivation but it is a result.

I am so thrilled when I get away with doing good in secret. The joy is genuine and lasting. The Father is present in these transactions. When we see a need and give to meet it, we have the added advantage of trying to do it in secret. When we take on this mission and accomplish it, we succeed in working WITH the Father to be a blessing to others. The Spirit prompts us to help. We obey. Joy is born. It is simple, Dear Reader.

As we try to align our journey to being with the Father, we will become better at noticing the needs of others. We can develop skills at doing good things in secret. I must always look to see if I can in some way care for others without them knowing. I want the Spirit to be free to draw them to the Father without my being a distraction.

When I allow the Father to have all the credit, it is an honest act. Everything I have to give and all the good I can do are a result of gifts I have been given by the Father. When I do good things, I am simply sharing what he has already given me. When I do them in secret, I am joining with him in revealing his love to them. This is the best way to keep secrets there is.

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.

We are on a mission of secrets.

21 July 2021

For or With ~ Motivation is Everything

Greetings Dear Reader,

Many years ago, I regularly interacted with a family member who loved to cook for everyone. She would make good meals and we would all gather anticipating the excellent food. She would also spend most of our dining time telling us the difficulties she faced in feeding us all. The food she made was delicious but dining on her need to remind us of the sacrifice she made to prepare it was not.

I think we do the same thing to the Father when we think our service to him is for him. When I do something for someone it must come from my heart. Like we said about giving, service must be done out of love for the Father. We engage with him in serving others so we are serving with him, not for him.

We all get this. There are things we do for others with no thought for ourselves. The joy we feel when we serve selflessly lasts. It is not prideful or directed at our own positioning in life. Rather, it seeks to show love to others. We are supposed to esteem others better than ourselves.

So much of what we see today tells us to care for ourselves first. Jesus asks us to seek the Father, his Kingdom, and His righteousness. The command is to love the Father with all we are. When I engage in loving the Father through serving others, they too can see my love.

Our brains gravitate to the question of our own needs. Jesus assures us if we seek the Father first all we need will be there for us. We are not supposed to give thought to ourselves. We are required to think of and serve others. In an episode of Star Trek, The Guardian of Forever, James Kirk says, “There is a phrase that eventually becomes more important than ‘I love you.’ It is ‘how can I help?’”

We can choose to walk into an environment with a heart seeking the good of others. When we do, it is much easier to find Christ in the moment. It is then easier to follow him. It all begins with my understanding of what serving others is, Dear Reader. I cannot claim to be doing something “for Jesus” and consider I am good in my faith and following. What I can do is be ready to serve by observing the needs of others and listening to the Spirit.

When we serve others out of love, we are with the Father. When we give even a cup of cold water in Christ’s name, we are following. We find we do not need attention for it. The journey is better when we serve each other. Whether the way is easy or rough, it is love completing us and giving us 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.

Go ahead; tell them what I did for you…

Thoughts and Questions from Aramis Thorn

31 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Closing Thoughts

30 July 2021

Second Thoughts ~ Confirmation Confirmed

From Seed to Tree ~ Greenhouse Effect

29 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Trees

28 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Saplings

27 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Seeds of Life

26 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Fallow Ground

25 July 2021

From Seed to Tree ~ Opening Thoughts

24 July 2021

For or With ~ Closing Thoughts

23 July 2021

For or With ~ The Prime Directive

22 July 2021

Second Thoughts ~ Project Tortoiseshell Part V

For or With ~ Important Secrets

21 July 2021

For or With ~ Motivation is Everything

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