Whatever! ~ Think (closing thoughts)

Greetings Dear Reader,

At the core of all that we need to do is thinking.  We do not think as much as we need to think.  Let us consider the text I have been writing about this week.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

When we are angry or anxious, we can choose to think about what is right and true instead of rehearsing what was said or what I want to say.  When I am sad, I can ponder the noble and the lovely things there are.  If I focus on the admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy my mind is much less likely to be captivated by things that are unhealthy.

At the core of this, all is pondering how to love others more deeply.  It is learning to love the Father with all that we are and that begins in the mind.  What we think is what we become.  This is not easy.  We have to hold hostage every thought until it bends to our will.  We have to think intentionally about that which is good and purposefully quell the thoughts that harm us.  

The thought is to discipline our minds to think well.  It is to let every thought focus on things that are good and so mitigate the things that are not good.  If we train our thoughts to do this, our actions are bound to become better.  Fear and anger lose purchase.  Bitterness and greed have no solid ground in which to grow.  It is thinking about these things that shapes our ability to show love to others.

The journey is long Dear Reader.  We have to carry things but we choose the way in which we will carry them.  We choose the attitudes we will embrace and how we will treat others in light of what they do.  Nothing replaces good thinking for a foundation that is firm and dependable.  I would treasure your thoughts on these thoughts Dear Reader as we turn the bend toward that next horizon.  Your company is something about which I think of in the most positive of 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Whatever! ~ Tightrope Living

Greetings Dear Reader,

The last item in this list of things upon which we are to think often baffles me.  It requires us to walk a tightrope and I am out of balance, to begin with.  If, however, I am required to think about something that challenges my stability then I had best do so and do it well.

The whatever for today is to think about things that are praiseworthy.  We must do so, though, without doing things to seek praise.  We are to humbly do things that others will praise without doing them for the purpose of being praised.  Our lives are to be a symphony of loving noble deeds composed to point the praise at someone else. 

The tightrope we must walk is between praiseworthy deeds and a humble life.  The balance must be between feeling good about what we do and accomplish and remaining small in our own eyes compared to the One we follow.

Our deeds must cause us to stand tall but we must do so with bowed heads and contrite hearts.  Our thoughts must see what we do with pride and humility all at once.  They must not be opposites but two sides of the same coin.  They must be two strands in the strong cord where the third is our love for others.  

It is only through love that I can do praiseworthy deeds and not seek to be praised.  It is love that can fuel my humility.  It is love for others that makes me wish to do things that will stir praise in them.  It is love that will provide the humility to direct that praise to God and allow me to step back into the shadows.

We must do things that others admire and praise Dear Reader.  We must do them quietly, humbly, and lovingly so that we disappear and Christ is seen clearly.  It takes the balance of a cat to walk this tightrope, this narrow path in every moment.  We must then fade like the Cheshire cat leaving only a smile of contentment knowing that we have done well even with the laurels of doing well.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Whatever! ~ Bill and Ted

Greetings Dear Reader,

In 1989 we watched as two stoner teenagers went on a quest through time to build their high school history report.  Most of it was farcical but we still laughed at Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  It resulted in the word “excellent” becoming a single word catchphrase for quite some time. 

Seven years earlier, many of us read the book In Search of Excellence which taught lessons from American companies about being great.  The idea was to become excellent in customer service and getting the job done.  It informed much of my thinking as an educator and project manager.

I wonder often if we have lost the idea of excellence in what we do?  Do we think about things that are excellent?  Instead, do we settle for the mundane and the mediocre?  Perhaps we no longer understand what excellence is.  When we think, perhaps we need to search for excellence in our thinking.

Often in the early morning or late evening, I find myself thinking about things that I cannot change or having arguments in my head that are a waste of time and brain power.  They are not excellent thoughts.  I often literally shake my head to clear it and focus on prayer for a minute to chase the thoughts away.

I focus on things that are excellent to think about such as the Father’s love for me and positive things I can do about whatever thought was distracting me from good thoughts.  I also consider that I must search for excellence.  I must see what is good and focus on that.  I must acknowledge the bad, the less than excellent, and the mundane but then move on to the excellent.

I am required to think on good things leading to excellent thinking.  I must do so out of love.  I must think well.  Excellent thought can lead to excellent action if I let it.  Excellent action is a way to show love.  It is how we manifest the love we are to cultivate for each other.

If I hold on to anger, resentment, past hurts, or selfishness, I am not thinking or being excellent.  I work at thinking well because, as Thomas Traherne said, “To think well is to serve God in the interior court.”  If I meditate on the things that are excellent, I can more easily treat you with excellence Dear Reader.  As Bill and Ted concluded, we must “Be excellent to each 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Whatever! ~ Admirable

Greetings Dear Reader,

Who do you admire?  It may take some thought or someone may come to mind instantly.  The problem is that eventually, those we admire do not live up to our expectations.  We admire people and they let us down even if they do not mean to do so.

Everyone, even the best of us fails. It is not people we are supposed to admire.  It is deeds that are what we should look up to and admire.  Yes, we associate people with those deeds.  We ought to honor people when they do admirable things.  We get in danger of disillusionment, however, when we set expectations relative to people.

It is possible that we ponder admirable people more than we ponder admirable deeds.  We want to be like him or her rather than wanting to be like that.  It is good to take our example from people who do admirable things.  It is vital that we emulate the deeds from our hearts instead of putting someone on a pedestal.  We do people a disservice when we raise them up.  They cannot sustain it.  We cannot long hold them there.  It is not where we are supposed to stand.

When we ponder admirable deeds, however, we can find many sources from which to choose.  We can look across a spectrum of others who set the example of admirable deeds, thought, and words.  You will find that there are many ways to do that which is admirable.

The motivation for something admirable must though come from the right source.  The motivation must come from our love.  It is the required foundation of the things that led to admirable deeds.  If love is not the foundation of our actions then the admirable deed may benefit others but we are not being admirable.  We are going to fail and perhaps taint that which is admirable if we do not act out of love for others.

My great failures all began with the desire to show love to others.  I was speaking with someone who knows me well about this.  I mentioned that what I wish in every encounter is for others to see the love Christ has for him or her.  Without hesitation, she said, “You always start that way.”  The love and kindness in her voice was reassuring and helped me see more clearly.

She meant it and I do.  The problem comes when I allow the admiration to become what I wish instead of the person seeing the love of Christ.  I transfer the attention from the deed to me.  This is where my failure begins.  This is where I stop thinking on the admirable and lose sight of the foundation of love. 

I have had several encounters of late where I get to show the love of Christ to others without attention being drawn to me.  Being able to walk away before I am too involved and dependent upon admiration is very freeing.  It helps me understand one of the reasons why it is admirable to do good deeds in secret. 

What things do you admire Dear Reader?  How do you go about doing good things and what is your motivation for doing it?  If we agree that our love is the foundation for our thoughts and deeds then perhaps, we can learn to ponder the admirable and act on it without calling attention to ourselves.

We should discuss this further as we journey along.  I want to hear what inspires admiration in you and how you think on admirable things.  Perhaps you can help me refine the ways I can keep myself out of the mix.  Please share your thoughts with 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 ͡°)

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Whatever! ~ Lovely

Greetings Dear Reader,

We again come to a word that needs a clear and complete definition.  It requires us to see beyond the common use of the word to its lofty meaning.  We abuse this word in the way we use its root, love, for too many things to really grasp what it means.  Here is a bountiful definition as the foundation for our thinking.

Lovely:  exquisitely beautiful.  "lovely views"  synonyms: beautiful, pretty, as pretty as a picture, attractive, good-looking, appealing, handsome, adorable, exquisite, sweet, personable, charming; enchanting, engaging, bewitching, winsome, seductive, gorgeous, alluring, ravishing, glamorous; bonny; informal: tasty, knockout, stunning, drop-dead gorgeous, adorbs; fit, smashing; cute, foxy; formal: beauteous; archaic: comely, fair; rare: pulchritudinous, scenic, picturesque, pleasing, easy on the eye;

magnificent, stunning, splendid, “there's a lovely view across the town"

The idea of pondering lovely things can take up many guises.  It could be a song, a work of art, or a scenic view.  It could be an act of kindness, a noble gesture, or a vital truth.  Pure mountain air, a rushing river, or a salmon-colored dawn can be lovely.  There is beauty in the world to be observed and dwelt upon.  We need to spend time doing so.

It is no accident that love is at the root of things being lovely.  We need to love things that are exquisitely beautiful.  It is the love of beauty that is genuine from a pure heart that deserves our attention.  We do not spend enough time thinking about the beautiful things of the world. 

I am not speaking of what media and social standards call lovely.  I am pondering loveliness that transcends the temporal and passing.  I had the opportunity yesterday to tell a friend how lovely she is.  It is not simply because of physical beauty.  It is because of her spirit, the way she carries herself, and her heart toward others exude a loveliness that goes far beyond her physical beauty. 

When our spirits are lovely because we follow Jesus and his example to love others, we become lovely as well.  We assign lovely to the things that are passing and forget that there is a deeper loveliness that transcends time.  It is made up of every moment where we find love and give it freely in that moment.  It is composed of the notes of love in each grain of time that join to form a symphony of loveliness.  When we do this in concert, we create loveliness that joins the loveliness of others to build the beauty and grace of our universe, the one song. 

Thinking on things that are purely lovely will cause us to see real loveliness more readily.  It will build our appreciation and value of what is truly lovely.  It will cause things that are pretending to be lovely to fade as the blinding light of pure loveliness envelops us in understanding the real love that is at its heart.

Ponder what is lovely with me Dear Reader.  We can point out that which represents it to each other as we journey together.  I want to see those things that you see as lovely and learn to see the loveliness in you more clearly.  In this is found the loveliness that is in Christ.  There is nothing more lovely to me than 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Whatever! ~ Pure

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Pure” is another word for which we may not have a clear definition without purposely pondering it.  It may be because there are few things in our society that are pure.  Let us then ponder pure:

not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material. - "cars can run on pure alcohol" - synonyms: unmixed, unalloyed, unadulterated, unblended, uncontaminated, sterling, solid, refined, one hundred percent:

without any extraneous and unnecessary elements. - "the romantic notion of pure art devoid of social responsibility"

free of any contamination. - "the pure, clear waters of Montana"

synonyms: clean, clear, fresh, crisp, refreshing, sparkling, unpolluted, untainted, unadulterated, uncontaminated

Again, we have to put into context what we are to consider when thinking of purity.  It is not putting things into a moral framework that we impose on others.  It is not demanding that someone live up to standards that we create for others so that we can feel that they are doing what is right.  It is thinking without adulteration about that which is true, noble, and right. 

As we wade through this progression, we see that if love is the foundation of truth, nobility, and right then it must also be given and experienced with purity.  Pure love means that we love in the moment unconditionally and without expectation. 

In a way that is neither wrong nor impure, my friend Trip jokes about responses to the declaration of love.  He will, in a gruff voice say, “Hey man, I said ‘I love you!’”  The first time he told me about this my immediate thought and response was, “But you said it with an expectation.” 

I want to stress that this was all lighthearted.  Still, we do tell others that we love them with the expectation that they say it back.  That is not pure love.  It is love wrapped in a desire to be reassured of their love for us.  That coin has two sides.

We also withhold the response at times when we are angry or worried that we risk too much in expressing our love for someone.   I am not talking romance here at all.  There are people in my life that I love to the depth of my soul.  Some of them only respond to this declaration when they are not angry or fearful.  Worse, they will express “I love you” with disdain or a timbre of exasperation. 

Purity in love must take on the form of loving someone in the moment without anger from the past or expectations of the future.  It is seeing another individual as worth or your very best in every moment.  It is giving your best, your most pure love to people no matter who they are or what they have done.  It is expressing love to them in words and actions without expecting ANYTHING in return. 

Do we think of how to love others with purity?  It is not easy.  There must be tolerance, acceptance, and selflessness.  There must be the idea that I am going to love you in word and deed no matter how you treat me, no matter what you do, and no matter how you respond to that love.  It may even be that I have to forgive you as you are reviling me, screaming at me, or even rejecting me.  If I am going to love you purely Dear Reader, then none of that can matter. 

It is never that doing wrong and not right is acceptable.  It is not that you can shirk nobility and truth.  It is that even if you do, I am going to love you as deeply and completely as I am able without any expectation of acceptance, compliance, or reciprocation.  I love you, Dear Reader, for you and never for what you have done or what you are expected to do. Whatever you do, you are worthy of love purer than the finest gold.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Whatever! ~ Right

Greetings Dear Reader,

We use the word “right” to signal that we agree with others and that we are asking if they agree with us.  We even use it in combination with “whatever” to ask others to agree with our indifference.  Whatever! Right?

I think that we have lost most of our understanding of what right means other than the direction we can turn on a red light.  We are so far from the thinking of doing what is right for the sake of doing what is right.  Part of the problem is that we have gotten away from a standard beyond ourselves of what is actually right.

Without a standard everyone chooses what he or she believes to be right and acts in that manner.  Without a standard for right and wrong, we subjugate right to our desires and selfish interests.  We do what is right in our own eyes and in the wake of it harm others.  We do not do right when it is convenient or costs us too much unless we are willing to give up our right to do as we please.

Please do not for a moment think that I believe I have mastered this.  Coming to the South again was the right thing to do but I have received anger and rejection for doing it.  I can see the long-term purpose for me in this and the potential benefits for others.  Still, we need a standard above ourselves for what is right and what is not.

I realize that you may not embrace my standard for that Dear Reader.  I attempt to follow Christ to determine what is right.  I still do things that I know are not right at times.  My heart is to choose right always but I fail.  Still, if you are not ready to follow Christ then I offer a bit of wisdom he gave that is true no matter what you believe. 

My Grandfather who loved me dearly and only loved Jesus more used to say, “Do what is right even when it hurts.”  He also said that “right is not right unless you can do it lovingly.”   When asked the greatest commandment Jesus responded that it is to love God and the second was like it, to love each other.

If you cannot do it out of love then it is not right.  I came here to learn again how to love without expectation, to love others no matter the cost, and to be sure that every other standard I hold is built on loving others no matter what the cost.  I had no idea how far down I would have to be stripped to get to this place.

I have had to face my failures in showing my love for others.  I have needed to endure rejection and hatred from others with love.  I have had beautiful conversations with people about the difference between loving others and placing expectations on them so that they could prove their love to me. 

Doing what is right is something to always ponder.  It is in doing right because of love that we prove that the right is, well right.  We cannot do right if we cannot do it out of love.  I cannot demand that someone do right out of anger and selfishness.  I cannot think that someone is worthy of anything less than my loving kindness and be thinking about right.  It is a narrow way but it is the truth. 

I am approaching an articulation of this that I will share with you when it is clear.  Avalon helped me process it better this week and her insights truly are a part of my journey to understanding. I also value your insights Dear Reader.  Feel free to share them with me as we walk.  Together we can think about whatever is right.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Whatever! ~ Noble

Greetings Dear Reader,

This word is one that I feel is in danger of becoming archaic.  We rarely hear it use except in referring to British royalty or inert gasses.  I wish to define noble before we move on to the discussion of it. 

Noble:  having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.  righteous, virtuous, good, honorable, honest, upright, upstanding, decent, worthy, uncorrupted, moral, ethical, reputable, magnanimous, unselfish, generous, self-sacrificing, brave, lofty, exalted, elevated, grand, sublime, august, venerable, reverend.

The ancient text is translated also honest and upright.  Let us then consider all of these words in light of thinking.  When was the last time you pondered what is noble?  How often do you use it as a filter for your values, actions, and choices?

The truly noble things in the world are never easy.  We must swim against a tide of selfishness and corruption to find that which is honest and upright.  We argue over what is decent, worthy, and ethical in order to justify the choices we are making in our culture.  Virtues that are honorable and good have given way to virtue-signaling of the proper social values. 

It seems that we are no longer brave enough to stand for things that upright, upstanding, and moral.  We have turned the venerable and august into things we no longer revere or value.  We no longer think in terms of these great and vital truths.

Yet, we must.  We must think this way in order to see clearly the idea that we must learn to love each other beyond our differences.  We must get past our feelings to the truth that every human is worthy of being treated with nobility and respect.  At the core of nobility is loving every single life in every single moment.  This means every life, at every stage of life, no matter how we feel about the actions and attitudes of that life.

What is the practical application of that thinking?  We feed the hungry, care for the sick, and house the homeless before we determine their contribution to society.  We value life at any stage because it is a life given by the Creator.  We do not commit violence and murder whether it be to unborn children or nations with values that differ from ours.

We must return love for hatred, kindness for cruelty, and goodness for evil.  We will not always win but with nobility, there must be sacrifice.  When we think carefully on nobility we must forgive even in the midst of the offense.  We must treat others with charity even if they wish to take advantage of us.  Our obligation in nobility is not the outcome in the next moment; it is the love of others in this moment.  The only way to be successful humans is to take on nobility in all of its many guises noted above. 

The only thing that makes this level of sacrifice seem viable is that we do so in love.  We become the avenue to the hope that others seek when we think on these things Dear Reader.  I know that doing so is changing me.  I hope that it is changing you as well.  Please, tell me how you are thinking and ask your questions.  Let us become more noble together.

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 ͡°)

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Whatever! ~ Essential Truths

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yesterday I asked what the essential truths of following Christ might be for us.  The idea of this answer is daunting to me.  It is not because I do not know what I think.  It is, rather, that I realize the importance of the answer.  I understand the import of what I am about to say.

The answer is simple but also very complex.  I must begin with the basics.  I will; also try to give my simple answers in the order that I think they must occur.  I have spent many hours pondering this and the more I learn the more I see that it is the simplicity of it that is essential to understanding it.

First and foremost in following is faith.  If it is not done in faith it is wrong.  If we follow in faith then we are promised the power to do whatever is needed to follow.  We are promised that we will be able to do great things and endure what we must.  If we are to be just, we must live by faith.

The second, and only second because faith is necessary to accomplish it is love.  We must love the Father with all our mind, soul, heart, and strength.  This is impossible without faith.  It is love, however, that is the foundation to all that we try to be as Christ followers.  It is the Father’s love for us that insists that we love each other as well.

The essential truth upon which we must build everything else is our love for the Father and each other.  When we do this everything good becomes possible. Love becomes the engine that powers all our other thinking and efforts.  It is love that is the essential truth.

This is why I have committed this year to ponder how to love more deeply, selflessly, and purely.   It is from this truth that all other truths proceed.  It is on this essential truth about God that all others are built. No matter what anyone says or suggests, if you do not see the love of God in it, question it, Dear Reader.

I am going to fail at loving you sometimes.  I will, however, keep trying to love you better and more honestly.  It is never love that fails.  It is humans.  What other essential truths do you consider vital Dear Reader?  How do you think about them?

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 ͡°)

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Whatever! ~ is True

Greetings Dear Reader,

I was not trying to be cryptic yesterday but I always like to save the thunder for the actual day of the storm.  The whatever to which I refer is that of a series of “whatevers” written by Paul.  The gist of what he says is to motivate us to think on things that are positive and healthy.

He lists this series of things and says, “think about such things.”  We are supposed to ponder things that enhance our ability to love and follow Christ.  It is in this pondering that we can learn to live out the things that are vital to success in that following.

Whatever things are true, we must think on them.  It is our obligation to take away from our following all the things that are not true to who Christ is.  We add so much baggage to what it means to be a Christ follower that we make it hard for people to wish to follow with us.  We become more like the Pharisees every time we add rules or barriers to our faith.

All of the things we do as followers need to be true.  I know that I have failed at this and when I speak of things that are not true to following Christ I should not be surprised when my detractors respond with, “whatever”.   I must assure them that when I speak of Christ and his love for us that I am representing the truth.

It is in that truth that I can find the place to show love that is unconditional and empty of demands. Whatever things are true must be part of our thoughts in order to speak the truth in love.  So that leads to the question, Dear Reader, what are the essential truths of Following Christ?   Feel free to discuss.  I will get to that tomorrow.

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 ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

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Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

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