The Zen of 0 ~ Closing

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is very easy to collect debt to grace, mercy, and kindness.  We are overdue on our accountability to these things daily.  If we fail to be accountable or carry too many expectations we deepen our debt. 

Keeping short accounts with this debt is wise.  It yields a much more peaceful life.  When we keep a zero-sum balance in our quest to live out love, we do so by avoiding judgment, unjust expectations, and having accountability.  We achieve it by mitigating and dismissing our anger by dealing with it honestly. 

It seems that the answer for me is always the same.  I must constantly seek to have and show grace, love, and kindness.  I must always shorten the time between the things that would stop these in my life and when I live them. 

In the quest to follow Christ my only hope is this path.  If I fail this I will not see him clearly enough to follow.  There is no circumstance where I cannot find peace if I follow in faith with these things as my passion.  In that is where the Zen of zero lies.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

The Zen of 0 ~ Expectations

Greetings Dear Reader,

This is the crux of the entire endeavor.  This is the fire we light in the crucible.  So many of our difficulties with other humans lie in our expectations.  Before I dive too deeply into this I want to draw a line.

There is a difference between placing and expectation upon someone and in expecting someone to fulfill an obligation.  The former is what I want to address here.  The latter is a matter of course in honest congress between humans.  If you say, “I will be there at six for dinner,” it is just for me to expect you to be there at six for dinner.  This falls under the simple understanding of “do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.”

It is the expectations that we place on others without their agreement or even inclusion that cause us heartache that is ours alone.  I dated a girl for about fifteen minutes who expected me to know how often to call her and how long to stay on the phone without us ever discussing it.  This was before we all had instant access to each other via mobile phones. 

She believed that I should call her every evening after dinner and talk on the phone for at least half an hour.  I did this by accident for three days.  The fourth day I was out with some friends.  My sister reported that the young lady had called eight times wanting to know when I would be home.  We had never discussed how often we would talk.  When we did talk that night, I received a barrage of accusations and epithets that made it clear I was dealing with a difficult individual. 

Her own manufactured expectations led to false disappointment and anger.  This is what we do to each other.  I know that I do it and I must not.  We do the same thing in the larger sphere.  We expect those who do not follow Christ to act like those who claim to follow him.  We expect people to live by our morality even when they do not share our beliefs. 

We place expectations on others without knowing what they think and feel.  We all do this.  It is at the core of our lack of showing true love for each other.  It is where we derail our ability to show love.  Imagine the good that can be done when we lovingly treat others well without placing expectations on them.

It becomes easy to do good things for others.  It is more difficult to avoid doing so without expectations.  It is in that expectation that we lose the unconditional nature of our loving acts.  We place a post-kindness condition on things.  This erodes the good that love can do for others.  It occludes one’s ability to see Christ in our kindnesses.

I must avoid placing unjust expectations on others.  I must love without condition and only expect what others guarantee.  Even then, I must be willing to forgive when they do not do as expected.  The zero-sum here is to expect nothing without being cynical.  It is a narrow balance that I must constantly seek.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

The Zen of 0 ~ Commitment

Greetings Dear Reader,

It seems that this word, “commitment” edges daily toward being a word to avoid.  Our society seems to think that when we make a commitment we are not bound by it.  Further, it seems that asking for one is unjust. 

I am not just talking about marriage and relationships here.  I am talking about the common transactions of communication involving “will you” questions and “I will” responses.  We make commitments like this all the time.  We also break them at will. 

It goes to our integrity and our will.  It gets at the vital trust necessary to interact peacefully as humans.  Our responsibility is to be able to be trusted.  Our word needs to be enough.  A “yes” needs to be understood as a commitment.  We need to do what we say we are going to do when we say we are going to do it.

When I say “yes” I ask for trust from another person.  If I do not keep my commitment I have violated that trust.  It is not simple or unimportant.  It is a violation.   It is a failure on my part if I do not keep my commitments.  I have failed at this and learned how important it is to keep a zero-sum balance on my word.

If we say we will do something we should do it.  Our ability to have joy in the journey is limited by carrying the weight of unfulfilled promises.  It is our own integrity that suffers and this wounds us whether we see it or not.  We suffer when we do not keep our word.

The Zen of zero is achieved by only committing to those things we will do and doing them.  It is important that I do what I say.  After all, we do what we believe; everything else is just talk, and sometimes lies.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

The Zen of 0 ~ Anger

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all get angry.  If we say we do not then we are lying.  I am not saying that we all have a hot temper or that we are wrong to get angry.  I am simply laying the common ground that we all feel angry at times.

Anger is not wrong on its own.  We do need to consider the source and purpose of our anger.  We also must maintain its fire and duration.  That is where we can gain the Zen of zero regarding it.

One of the things that has me pondering all of this is my growing difficulty with my anger.  Most of the reasons for my anger are justified.  That is not the issue.  The issue is that I have not maintained a zero balance with that anger.  I used to live always out of balance with my anger.  I had a hot and ready temper that lashed out like Olympian lightning.

When others see me angry it must be much more unpleasant than I understand.  This and the aforementioned problem are enough for me to need to maintain my anger as close to zero as possible.  The difficulty is that instead of dealing with it, I sometimes suppress or deny it.  This makes it impossible to achieve a zero-sum with anger.

When I suppress it I will eventually boil over.  I will lash out or make unreasonable choices and demands.   When I deny it I take more damage and it whittles away at my confidence and serenity.  I have some guidelines that help prevent this.  I must make sure that I am never too unaware to use them.

Here they are.  Keep the meat; throw the bones in the fire:

• I ask if my anger is justified.  Have I really been wronged or is it my pride and expectations?  It is easy to dismiss this without really thinking through it.
• If my anger is not justified, I must examine what caused it.  I must root out my improper thinking and actions that led me to this place.  I must adjust my attitude and actions to temper my anger (pun intended).  I must put things in place to mitigate a reoccurrence. 
• If my anger is justified, I must wrangle my emotions.  Paul tells us to “be angry and not sin”.  Both of these are commands.  They can live in harmony.  The first step is to control my emotional response so that I do no harm.  This is very hard for me.
• Once I have my emotions under control I must consider how I will show love to the source of my anger.  How will I set up a path to forgiveness and reconciliation? 
• No matter what it takes I need to forgive immediately.  I must never go to bed angry.  I must not let the day end in anger.  It is unhealthy and eventually dangerous.
• Even if the other party never admits wrong or changes behavior, I must not rekindle the anger.  I must not let it build and gain power.

It is vital that anger not get a long lease in our lives.  It is more dangerous than we consider.  If I am to follow Christ well, I must keep short accounts and a zero-sum balance with anger.  Though justifiable and even at times appropriate, it is a dangerous and living fire.  It must be always tended and rarely fueled. 

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

The Zen of 0 ~ Accountability

Greetings Dear Reader,

Along the way we gather bad habits and recognize places where we do not put forth our better selves.  We struggle in our efforts to be good and kind.  We have areas of our lives where we are not as loving.  The things that make us selfish and unkind get footing, voice, and power.

It is in accountability to others that we can find the strength to do as we should.  We wish that the world were as simple as setting a goal or making a commitment and following through.  It would be grand.  We just need to look at the list of failed marriages, abandoned diets, and unused gym memberships to know that it is not that way.    

In attempting to reach a zero balance in some areas, one must accept a level of accountability.  We need to account to someone in our areas of weakness.  I do not mean a rule of law over our personal lives.  What I am thinking of is our need to have someone or a group of persons that will ask us about the areas we are trying to improve.

One of the reasons we are to travel together is that we need to hold each other accountable.  We need to ask and be asked the hard questions.  We need to do so in love and in a spirit of encouragement.  Too often we “get away with it”, whatever, “it” is because we are not accountable.

If we are to achieve a zero sum on our responsibilities then we need accountability.  We need to be accountable to family and friends in a safe and healthy way.  It is a vital part of the journey that is intended to strengthen us.  When we avoid accountability for our faith and following we are indeed in great danger.  Our pride and wants will blind us to the creeping control of our lesser seleves.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

The Zen of 0 ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

First, I am not about to launch into mysticism or maths.  Rather, I am going to try and find a balance between expectations and accountability.  It was pointed out to me that there are some areas where I am not managing this well and I know that failure to do so harms those around me.

We need accountability.  When someone that loves me has the courage to hold me to account I need to listen.  When they take the risk, I need to realize that my flaws poke out in places I do not always see.  The truth of this may be one of the best ways to create stability for those around me.

I also need to manage my expectations when it comes to accountability for others.  I know that at times I am demanding.  Sometimes that is not good.  Sometimes it is vital.  What I need to manage is when it is harmful.

I am going to spend a few days pondering the peace that lies in finding the zero balance in this.  Managed properly accountability and expectations can live in balance but it must begin with me.  I must see to my own sin before I engage with the sin of others. 

Please walk with me a bit further as I try to be a better man.  Your company and conversation are always precious to me 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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

Facebook      Google +   

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Novels on Amazon             

Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Prayer: What Does Not Work ~ Expectations

Greetings Dear Reader,

Too often I experience disappointment because I have carried unjust expectations.  As I explain to others readily, we cannot disappoint God because he already knows what we will do in every situation.  One cannot have expectations to disappoint if one already knows what will happen.  It would be like watching an instant replay and hoping for a different result.

We, however, generate expectations like an engine designed for it.  We place them on each other and even on God.  We pray having already decided for God how he will respond.  We ask for our own purposes wanting to get God to sanction our will.  This does not work.

First, we need to realize that God already has it worked out.  He knows what we need and has prepared to meet us where we are.  Second, we are supposed to be about his business not trying to manipulate him to do ours.  There is nothing wrong with wanting, dreaming, planning, and working.  Our vision must be supported in prayer.

What we must not do is forget that we are part of something much larger.  We are not the designers we are the designed.  We are his work for his plan and purpose.  I must not place expectations any more than the characters in my stories may place expectations on me.

When I pray I must ask with confidence for the what I believe is right.  I must not cross the line into expecting the Father to do my will.  I must never think that my will, even though it is free, can supersede what God has purposed.  He is too far ahead of me for that. 

The Answer – Rudyard Kipling

A Rose, in tatters on the garden path,
Cried out to God and murmured 'gainst His Wrath,
Because a sudden wind at twilight's hush
Had snapped her stem alone of all the bush.
And God, Who hears both sun-dried dust and sun,
Had pity, whispering to that luckless one,
"Sister, in that thou sayest We did not well --
What voices heardst thou when thy petals fell?"
And the Rose answered, "In that evil hour
A voice said, `Father, wherefore falls the flower?
For lo, the very gossamers are still.'
And a voice answered, `Son, by Allah's will!'"

Then softly as a rain-mist on the sward,
Came to the Rose the Answer of the Lord:
"Sister, before We smote the Dark in twain,
Ere yet the stars saw one another plain,
Time, Tide, and Space, We bound unto the task
That thou shouldst fall, and such an one should ask."
Whereat the withered flower, all content,
Died as they die whose days are innocent;
While he who questioned why the flower fell
Caught hold of God and saved his soul from Hell.

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 ͡°)

Second Thoughts – Managing Expectations

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

As a project manager it is vital that we manage the needs of our customers and their expectations.  As a parent and grandparent it is important that I not place to many expectations on my family.  As a writer I place great expectations on my own work. 

I mentioned that the Grandsons were in a wedding this past Saturday.  They were real troopers and did their very best all day in the heat and humidity.  They enjoyed the meal and danced with the girls.  They celebrated and bore the rings as good as any Halfling.

Then it was time to return home.  We were loading the boys into the car when Bastion the youngest started crying that we could not leave yet.  He was both angry and hurt.  When we inquired why he stated, “Because I did not get married yet.”

My Son and I both lost it with laughter.  Then we tried to console and overtired overstimulated three-year-old.  Fortunately he soon fell asleep.  I must learn to better manage the expectations of others at auspicious events.   After all no one told him he was not getting married.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

God expects us to expect great things from him.  He has promised to do far beyond what we can imagine for those who love him.  He has promised that we do not understand the full scope of what he is about to do.

He also wants us to be very careful what we expect of others.  We should desire that others have every good thing that God has to offer.  We cannot make the world a perfect world through protests, laws, and division.  We cannot make all things good.  Only God can do that and he will when he is ready.

My responsibility is to do my best to live up to the expectations that the Father said the world could place on his children.  The expectations that Christ placed on his followers are great ones.  We are to love everyone at all times.  We are to do what is right no matter how much it hurts.  We are not allowed to compromise faith but we must be good to others.  We are not to coheres or force others to follow but we are to lead by such an example that they are compelled to do so.

The Father is working things out as he wishes.  He asks us to expect great things.  Jesus sais we would do greater things than him if we live by faith.  We miss out on those great things because our expectations are misaligned.  We place them on those who need Christ.  We need to place them on the Father and do as he has asked. 

That combination would require us to care for others no matter how much or little they believe.  We need to then expect Jesus to draw all mankind unto himself.  We need to expect the Father to work out his will that none should perish.  All I must do is follow and obey.  Then and only then can great expectations be realized. 

Your Higher Ways – Steven Curtis Chapman

If I could only fly, I'd go up and look down from the sky

So I could see the bigger picture

And Lord if I could sit with you at your feet for an hour or two

I'm sure I'd ask too many questions 'cause there's so much going on down here

That I must confess I just don't understand, I don't understand

And I have prayed, that at your feet my whole life has been laid

So I won't worry I won't be afraid

Cause My soul is resting on your higher ways

So let the road ahead become unclear

For I am yours so what have I to fear

If my soul is resting on your higher ways

Your higher ways teach me to trust you

Your higher ways are not like mine

Your higher ways are the ways of a father hiding his children in his love

So let it rain and if my eyes grow dim with tears of pain

This hope I have will not be washed away

Because this soul of mine is resting on your higher ways

Your higher ways teach me to trust you

Your higher ways are not like mine

Your higher ways are the ways of a father hiding his children in his love

Someday I will fly and maybe then you will take me aside and show me the bigger picture

But until I'm with you I'll be here with a heart that is true and a soul that's resting on your higher ways

Your higher ways

Resting on your higher ways

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Projected Expectations

Greetings Dear Reader,

When we project the expectations of God onto others it is very detrimental to our ability to represent Christ well.  When we demand that others live by our morals and values we neglect their needs.  According to our own teachings we admit that they do not have all the necessary tools to do this.

The Ten Commandments are revealed to be a school master to show us that we are imperfect.  All of the New Testament writers directed their teachings toward those who had both the understanding of Jesus teachings and the influence of the Holy Spirit.   If we truly believe that those outside of our faith lack the necessary tools to follow our faith then we must not place unjust expectations on them.

The other danger is that these expectations lead to judgments that prevent us from obeying Christ’s commands to care for them.  We are required to see the needs of others and not judge them.  We are bound to be compassionate and kind.  Instead we require others to live up to standards that we struggle to meet. 

Our judgment becomes a pass to neglect.  This eats away at the essence of who we are to be as Christ followers.  We protest and judge instead of setting the example and serving.   We demand that society conform to our standards instead of seeing that the needs of others are met no matter what the cost to us.

If I project my morals and values onto others I ask them to live an impossible life.  My own faith informs me that those outside of Christ lack what is necessary to live the life I am commanded to live.  Expecting Christ-like behavior from those who do not follow Christ is foolish. 

The expectation is that I will be an example of love and compassion.  If I spend my energy doing that then I will not have time to judge and condemn others.  I have enough to do to maintain the right attitudes and actions in my life.  I think if all Christ followers concentrated on their own faith and following the impact would be much greater.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Counterfeit Compassion

Greetings Dear Reader,

My Grandfather only had a few years to instruct me about the world before he went on to the next.  One of the things he commonly said was “You do what you believe.  The rest is just talk.”  When it comes to compassion there is an inherent expectation that words are not enough.

It is the Church, Christ followers who are supposed to set the example in compassion.  The people of Christ are supposed to live out compassion.  Christ was very clear about this.  There are enough of us that we should be able to do serious damage to the hunger, homelessness, and poverty crises in our world.  None of us should be satisfied as long as a neighbor lacks healthcare.

We give lip service to compassion but do we really live it out?  Do we spend more on designer coffee than we give to food pantries?  Do we limit our giving to organizations that have a real impact on social issues because they are not “Christian”? 

God’s great expectation as that we are known by our love and compassion.  His requirement of us is that we care for the very least in our society.  We can have all the programs and talk about compassion all we wish.  If we do not put hands and feet on it we are a counterfeit. 

The rest of the world is right to expect us to be impactful in these areas.  We should be leading the fight in curing the world’s ills.  We should battle over how much we can provide and not over who gets to provide it.  Our arguments should be over how to get people what they need whilst we are doing it.  Instead we delay effective measures to argue over power, politics, and posture. 

If I do not act in compassion for others I am not following Christ.  If I talk about compassion but show none then my compassion is counterfeit and my faith is not worth following. 

Compassion (Change the World) – Andrew Witt

Well I can't change the world

But I can live with open hands

I can't change the world

But I can give all that I can

And I can pray and I can love

And when all is said and done

I can't change the world

But I can change the world for one

Half a world away

Or just across the street

May my eyes be open to

Anyone in need

Well I can't change the world

But I can live with open hands

I can't change the world

But I can give all that I can

And I can pray and I can love

And when all is said and done

I can't change the world

But I can change the world for one

For one

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – A Pause to Respond – Part Three

Greetings Dear Reader,

Another aspect of the question I got from you Dear Reader was on the issue of social issues that run counter to the teachings in the Bible.  I will remind you that I view the Bible as the living Word of God.  I believe that it is relevant to all our culture and choices. 

I also think that we use it as a weapon more often than a tool.  We expect those who do not believe as we do to live by the standards in this book when we do not do that very well ourselves.  It is an unjust expectation.   We are also hypocritical about it.

None of this changes that the Bible has its own authority.  When it speaks on a social issue it speaks the truth.  That truth never gives us permission to judge and condemn those who violate the truth.   Let me choose something mostly innocuous as an example.

IF the Bible said there was something inherently wrong in eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches then it would be wrong to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (just so I weighed in, the whole thing about PBJ being racist is just stupid.  I will not let a sandwich determine how I feel).  That does not mean that if PBJ eaters feel neglect or down-trodden that we can say that PBJ is OK. 

More importantly it does not mean that we can judge, neglect, or mistreat PBJ eaters.  I am not allowed to migrate from the truth that PBJ eating is bad.  I am also required to show unconditional love to every PBJ eater out there.  I am required to help them if they have needs.  I must feed them if they are hungry, just not a PBJ.  I must see that they have health care with it being a “believe then receive” coercion. 

When the Bible comments on moral and social standards then those standards are resolute.  That never gives me leave to expect those who do not believe to act under those standards.  It does give me an example to set. It does show me areas where I must be kind and non-judgmental. 

If I place moral and social expectations on someone I damage my ability to show them love.  I damage my opportunity to be good to them.  If Christ followers focus on the things we do not want others to do we miss the opportunity to do the things they need.  Failing to meet the needs of others socially is indeed a violation of the Great Expectations placed on us by God.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations - Children

Greetings Dear Reader,

Today is my younger Son Bezel’s birthday.  I love him dearly and fiercely.  It is one of the things we fail at when we place too many expectations on our children.  He is in the midst of making some very positive changes in his life.

I want to you this space today to send a resounding “I LOVE YOU” to him.  I want him to be all that he is capable of being.  The only expectation I want to place on him is that he be true to himself.

I love you Bezel and am honored to be your father.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations - A Pause to Respond – Part Two

Greetings Dear Reader,

If one has read the excellent novel The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis one can grasp the seed bed of my further thinking.  If we accept that there are those in torment (I am not saying yea or nay on this), then we can surmise a few things about them.

The first would be that they now believe.  They have had the ultimate show me experience.  What captured my imagination is that the people in the book have the option to stay in heaven when they are allowed to visit.  It made me wonder who would not choose to stay given the opportunity.  What is more I cannot find anything precluding God from giving that opportunity. 

Please remember that all of this is precluded on my simple thoughts and questions.  I want to develop a polemic here and please let me know if it sticks.  Actually there are a couple that I would posit.  They assume that you believe the Bible so feel free to provide analysis from that perspective.

The first is quite simple:

Major Premise:  Jesus is the all-powerful, all-knowing, God of the universe.

Minor Premise:  Jesus said he will draw all humans unto himself.

Conclusion:       Eventually all humans will be drawn to Jesus.

I will define some terms for clarity.  First the word draw here is a term that compels people.  It is that he will compel all humans to come to him.  Second since Jesus is omniscient he knows the outcome of this action.  He only ever said the Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. 

The second polemic is this:

Major Premise:  God clearly states that he will eventually work his will with all humans.

Minor Premise:  God’s will is that no one should perish.

Conclusion:       Eventually all humans will be redeemed from perishing.

Again at least one term needs defining here.  Perish means to be eternally dead.  It is the same word that Jesus uses when he tells Nicodemus that God loved the world to the extent that he sent his only Son so that belief in him would prevent perishing. 

I am not great at many things but I am passable at reasoning.  I do not find it reasonable that an omnipotent loving God could not find a way to draw all men back to his love and protection.  His nature when dealing with our relationship is to find a way.   His reputation is to sacrifice all to make it so. 

If we approach the teachings of Jesus without any filters it seems that this is his intent.  He came to seek and to save that which his Father, God had lost.  I will address your other comment tomorrow 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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – A Pause to Respond – Part One

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yesterday I received some interesting questions regard my post.  I want to first say that I love and respect those who ask such questions.  Second, I will not pretend for a moment that I have all the answers.  I will still attempt it.

The first response that you gave Dear Reader is an honest question that I am not sure I can answer.  That does not mean there is not an answer.  The asker is being honest and polite.  I will attempt to respond in kind.  Here is the comment as received.  

“This is an interesting discussion to have. Your piece talks about two things that seem opposed. You say that your faith has the exclusive arrogance of stating plainly that all other paths cannot lead to salvation and that this faith does not lead to God favoring anyone above anyone else.

How do you reconcile those ideas?

It seems to me that a person of this faith must judge someone outside of the faith to hold this truth. One can argue the details, but at it's core your faith seems to say to everyone else: ‘Your path is wrong and leads to a bad end.’

What are your thoughts?”

I think that the first response is that there are other statements Jesus made that must be viewed with this apparent dichotomy.  I will get to those in a moment.  The second is to say that I work very hard at reading the Bible for what it says and not necessarily for what American Christianity has told me to believe about it.

Let me address the first thought first.  Jesus said just as clearly that “Even so it is not the will of your Farther which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”  If we look closely the language here and remove the filters of western civilization the words “not the will” matter. 

A literal interpretation is that the Father has determined that no one shall perish.  I cannot claim to be sure that I know how God will work that out practically.  I do know that Jesus also said that when he was lifted up he would draw “all” to himself.  This use of all means everyone both individually and collectively.  I think there is an inclusiveness to Jesus’ exclusiveness that we do not yet comprehend.  I have a great expectation that we will be very surprised.

I will talk more about this over the next couple of days and invite you Dear Reader to continue to participate.  Thank you for the honest questions. 

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Generic Faith

Greetings Dear Reader,

When people talk about faith they do not always mean the same thing that I do.  It is a bad idea to assume that when someone else talks about faith that they mean the same thing that I do.  A generic faith is not the same as faith in Christ.

This does not mean that I discount anyone else’s faith.  I may not agree with the focus or tenets of other faith but that one has faith is a good beginning.  If I am to forgo unjust expectations I must realize that there is an exclusive arrogance to the things I believe. 

Christ claims to be the singular path to redemption.  This does not mean that I am better than anyone or that God thinks more highly of me than anyone else.  It does mean that others should hold me to a higher standard.  They should have a great expectation that I live my faith completely.

This does not mean that others get to dictate what that means.  I must be loving and kind.  It does not mean that I am being unloving if I consider something wrong.  How I express that thinking is vitally important.  I must disagree in love and compassion. 

The world should expect that the Church is the place to turn when there are troubles.  If we do not live up to that then we create dichotomy that we cannot ignore.  As we see the world slip the trances of the imposed morals and values of Christ followers we need to consider a question.  Have we lived up to the great expectations that are inherent with a faith that claims to be the way, the truth, and the life? 

I do not think we do.  We should not, therefore, be surprised when others reject or abandon it.  We cannot afford generic faith.  We must have life transforming faith grounded in barrier crushing love.  I cannot afford to compromise this.  It is the great expectation that God has for all of us who claim to love him.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Belief Matters

Greetings Dear Reader,

Last summer I had the privilege to take a friend to his first baseball game.  He is Brazilian and was completely unaware of rules of the game.  It was a great evening and my natural desire to teach was quite satiated. 

I did not expect my friend to understand the game or to know all the national and local rituals associated with the game.  It struck me that we do the opposite to those who do not know Christ.  We expect people who do not believe to act as we are supposed to act.  We even do this when we are not acting that way.  It could be that expecting those who do not follow Christ to act like those who do is in itself a failure to follow Christ.

This expectation leads to failure to show the love and compassion that is supposed to be our way of life.  Everyone who follows Christ is supposed to be known by love.  It is a failure to love to place my values as an expectation on anyone else. 

The Church should be in the lead in providing for the needs of others and instead we argue over morals and values.  What would be the impact if we just met the needs of others?  We should be the example of living out this difference.

Everyone who follows Christ is responsible to be good to those who do not.  When we do not do this we place unjust expectations on those who do not follow Christ.  This leads to a poor example and hurts our ability to be heard.  We do not show the love of Christ when we do this.

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 ͡°)

Great Expectations – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

First off I would apologize to Charles Dickens but this is not about his most excellent novel.  Secondly, I want to talk about knockoffs.  I do not mind buying generic items.  Sometimes I purchase generic items that do not measure up to the name brand.  Most of the time this is not true but sometimes my expectations are not met. 

We must manage our expectation when it comes to things that not the real thing.  We must also assure that our portrayal of things is genuine and not generic.  We must both be what is expected and manage the expectations of others.

In the current political fever I am concerned that as Christ followers we are getting it very wrong.  In getting it wrong I fear that we are expecting too much from people.  We are to be an example to others of the right way to live. We do this quite poorly.  We are to be the lead in caring for the needs of others.  Again I feel that we get low marks on this.  We are supposed to be an example.

In being an example we are not supposed to place our expectations on those who do not share our faith.  I think the collective approach to our most taxing social issues fails to exhibit the love and compassion that is to be our benchmark.

I need to assure that I am not placing unjust expectations on others.  I have some great ones but need to process this as I endeavor to refine my faith and following.  Walk with me if you will.  I could use a discussion partner.

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 ͡°)