Meat and Bones – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is far too easy to load the Gospel with things that Christ never intended.  We like the Pharisees do too much to burden the journey with Christ.  The journey is meant to be light.  It is vital that we only keep the meat of the Gospel.

Any instance that adds to grace, mercy, and love is not part of follow Christ.  We cannot earn favor with God.  We cannot add to the commandments of the Father.  We cannot ignore the vital nature of the Gospel of redemption by neglecting the basics.

As I keep moving in the journey I must not add to the things Christ expects of us.  I must not put my preferences ahead of the necessary.  I must do all that Christ commands and not burden anyone with things that are outside of those commands.

It is in faith and following that life is found.  It is in obedience and submission to Christ that freedom exists.  The joy in the journey is not carrying anything other than that which Christ bids me carry.  I will not, however, forget that one of those things is a cross. 

East to West – Casting Crowns

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness

The chains of yesterday surround me

I yearn for peace and rest

I don't want to end up where You found me

And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight

I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west

And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned

But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west

'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin

Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in

Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light

I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night

I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals

I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me

You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west

I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

'cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

One scarred hand to the other

From one scarred hand to the other.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Meat and Bones – Church

Greetings Dear Reader,

One cannot discuss the church without considering that its history is full of failures and atrocities.  I would submit that we do not have the capacity to fail to fail.  We are fallen and flawed. 

The reason that the church does these things is that it puts human things above the divine.  When we begin to focus on things that are not part of the Gospel we find ourselves using and abusing others to accomplish our purposes.

The church is supposed to be known for its service and love.  It is to be seen as an imprint of Christ.  Everything about what we do is supposed to be for the purpose of helping others and showing love.  Anything else is either gravy or bones.

Too often we put the social and political aspects of the church ahead of the Gospel.  The church is vital and has a necessary place in the lives of Christ followers.  When it steps out of the intended role there will always be problems.

I must assure that I never give up on the church.  I must also assure that I do not embrace things that are outside of the Gospel just because a church says to do so.  If Christ is not the center then the path is skewed and the journey in peril.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Meat and Bones – Giving

Greetings Dear Reader,

First I would be clear that giving time, talent, effort, and funds to the Gospel is a good thing.  These things are opportunities to share the generosity that is part of the Gospel.  It is truly better to give than to receive.

That said, there are aspects of giving that have nothing to do with following Christ.  Instead these aspects are contrary to what Christ calls us to be as his followers.  The bones of giving do much more damage than good.

The first of these is coerced giving.  Whenever we give out of guilt or manipulation we are not doing so out of the fullness of our hearts.  The organizations that use these methods to promote giving are not representing an honest view of following Christ.

We must also not push people to give to merit God’s favor.  We already covered that.  We cannot earn God’s favor in any way.  We cannot give all we have and earn a moment of favor.  Giving does not buy us anything from God.

Giving must be done out of love.  We must give because we want to show love to others.  We must give because we do not wish other to go without.  We give out of gratitude for the blessings provided to us by the Father.

It will be said that all the church cares about is money.  At times that allegation is true.  When you look deeper you will find Christ followers who give from the heart.  That is what I must be.  I must give our of love for others.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Meat and Bones – Favor

Greetings Dear Reader,

I remember how much I wished to earn the favor of adults when I was a child.  I had no idea how elusive that would prove to be in my family.  I also had no idea how taxing my creativity and lack of inhibition would prove for the adults charged with caring for me.

It seems that my younger self would do almost anything to earn positive regard from adults.  It also seems that earning favor seems to be futile cycle.  One gets the positive regard based on what one does but then the security of that moment wears away.

Earned favor does not last.  This is why earning favor from God is not an option.  This is why the Father gives us unmerited favor.  He loves us unconditionally.  He provides grace and mercy and Christ’s expense so that we have free access to him via our aforementioned faith. 

Throughout the centuries the church has tried to impose mechanisms to earn God’s favor.  Most of those have been in order to control what others do relative to faith.  Using the Father as a tool to manipulate others may be the highest form of taking God’s name in vain.  He never asked us to earn his favor.  He paid the highest price to prove that we already have it.

The meat of the matter is that the Father wants only the best for us.  He does not demand that we earn his favor.  He asks only that we follow his Son in faith in the light of the favor he has already granted.  If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have real fellowship.  It is in this that we find the acceptance we crave freely given and filled with love.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Meat and Bones – Foundations

Greetings Dear Reader,

There is an essential element to following Christ.  One of the things we do is fail to get the basics right.  Those foundations, if properly built will assure that what is put on them is enduring.

The essential foundations for following Christ are faith follow by obedience to Christ’s commands.  They are so simple.  We are the ones who muck it up with extra baggage.  We are the ones who add to the very basics of the Gospel.

Jesus asks us to accept him by faith.  We demand proof.  He asks us to follow in faith.  He asks us believe.  He did many things to show his original followers his power and authority.  He also points out it is more beneficial for us if we have faith.

It is in that faith that we are to obey his commands.  They are very simple.  We are to love God and love each other.  Everything that follows is to be built on these foundations.   The implications of that are vast.

If I embrace faith and only do, out of that faith, things that are acts of love toward God and others then it changes much.   Those motivations can strip away selfishness and greed.  They diminish the need for power and control.  This can be the meat that sustains us on the journey.

If we honestly look at all the trappings that we have built around “Christianity”  it can become clear that we much more bone than meat.  It can be easy to see that we do not embrace this simple foundation enough.

I must build only on this foundation.  Anything else will not stand.  I must follow in faith by loving the Father and all those he has created.  On all of this rests the law and the prophets.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Meat and Bones – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Several people in my family enjoy a big bucket of fried chicken.  We all acknowledge that it is not a very healthy meal but it is always finger licking good.  An aspect of this that amazes me is the vast volume of bones at the end of the meal.

Some of my family leave bones that seem to have never been associated with meat.  Others will it the easy meaty bits and then be criticized by the bone cleaners.  In either case I do not see any one eating the bones.  They are discarded no matter how clean they are.

It is so easy to see that we do not need to eat chicken bones.  We do not so easily throw out the bones when it comes to faith and practice.  In matters of faith and following Christ there are things that are essential and vital.  There are also many more things optional, not required, or absolutely wrong.

I want to think through a few of these things measuring my journey against them so that I assure I do not confuse obedience and preference.  I do not wish to infuse truth with opinion.  Neither do I intend to presume to tell anyone else what they must believe or do. 

I would value you thoughts and questions as we walk this part of the path.  I have no new or profound truth to offer.  I do, however, enjoy your company Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)