Forbidden Fruit ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Whether we like it or not, there are things that are forbidden.  They are all connected to things that are good.  The good things have been corrupted by our selfishness.  They have been diminished by our failure to love.

When we engage in anything, we must do so out of love.  Anything else detracts from our relationships.  Things void of love lead to pain and suffering.  The vast complexity of our universe is all guided by whether or not we love the Father and love each other.  We have taken this simple reality and diminished it to something we ignore or give lip service to when necessary.

When we begin to view everything through the lens of loving the Father and each other, the things we hunger for become things that are good.  When I look outward to the needs of others and do my best to serve out of love for the Father, I diminish the call of my own selfishness, greed, cravings, and anger.  I can use the power of love to crush the voices of things that harm and degrade.

The paradox is that it is never about me and when I embrace that truth, it is all about me.  What we are all intended to be is warriors of love.  “The point is the love story. We live in a love story in the midst of war.”  (John Eldredge) We are able to change the world around us through the power of love.

The key is to learn to dine on love.  The answer for me is to love always as my primary diet.  Then, those fruits that are forbidden will not seem and desirable.  We will struggle at this.  It is in us to desire both and that is part of the journey.  When we seek to love the Father first, we have all we need to love each other as well.  We can see the needs of others and find ways to meet them.  We can, through example, coax others out of the deadly orchard of forbidden fruit and onto the pathway home.

I want to only live this way, Dear Reader.  I know I will fail at times.  I am certain that we will fail each other.  I am also certain that setting it right is as simple as using love and grace to extend mercy to each other.  It is helping each other to stand again.  It is giving space for the wretched fruit to pass and for the love to nourish us.  As we move on to other thoughts, I hope that I can sustain my love through the Father’s love so that you may see it more clearly.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
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“The point is the love story. We live in a love story in the midst of war.”  (John Eldredge) 

Forbidden Fruit ~ Not Even a Taste

Greetings Dear Reader,

 I am going to touch on a subject that is getting quite a bit of attention currently.  I am not, however, going to focus on the root of the problem.  I have written several times about the horror that is human trafficking.  What I wish to consider are the subtle ways in which we all contribute to it.  We must remember that human trafficking is a demand-driven concern.

There are things we accept every day that contribute to human slavery, forced sex trafficking, and the abduction and trafficking of children.  I am not saying that we intentionally approve of these.  I am pointing out that what we allow leads to it.  Please consider with me the logical path that leads to these horrors.

 The first to contemplate is our abandonment of morals and values that demand that we respect humans and do not objectify them.   Whether it is the swimsuit issue or a popular magazine or the visit to strip club in a weekly TV show, we treat women as objects to be seen and coveted.  We represent humans as objects of desire instead of creations of the Father to be loved, honored, and respected.

Whenever we engage in abusing workers through poor wages, overwork, or insufficient quality of life, we are on the trailhead of human slavery.  Forcing anyone to work at the poverty level is ignoring that removal of choice is the primary mechanism of slavery.  I am not saying that everyone should earn the same thing.  I am saying that injustice in how we treat those we employ is a form of human trafficking.  Greed when it comes to the quality of life for others is the path to slavery.

The third thing that is a track to human trafficking is the way in which we treat children.  We show more concern over what our children will wear than we do over the fact that twenty-five percent of the humans trafficked as labor and sex slaves are children.  We allow children to be objectified in advertising and entertainment.  We devalue children in other parts of the world simply by refusing to think about their needs.  We buy the products made by child slaves because they are cheap and easy to obtain.  We never consider the suffering behind our shopping cart clicks.  We devalue children by slaughtering them in the womb by the millions.

What we all do is take nibbles at the poison fruit of human trafficking.  We do not do enough to make it clear that we will not tolerate treating humans as a commodity.  As long as good healthcare and a good standard of living are not available to everyone, we are allowing human trafficking.  As long as my wants trump the needs of others, we will feed our desires.  We have to become people who value human life and its quality over entertainment.  I cannot follow Christ well unless every human matters to me.  That is just the way it is, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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Like those eating blowfish, we dance around the danger of failing to consider the dire poison of this fruit.

Forbidden Fruit ~ How Much for Just the Planet

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned a few weeks ago the story, How Much Land Does a Man Need.  It gives us an excellent few of greed.  Another story worth reading is How Much for Just the Planet by John M. Ford.  The stories where we see the greed of others purchase its own demise is one of my favorite kinds.

The difficulty is that I too often use them to mask my own greed.  I touched on this when I wrote about gluttony. It is wanting more that hurts us.  It is being dissatisfied over things that are temporary that makes us greedy.  Even when I try to minimize what I possess and what I desire, there are times when I want more.  There are times when I convince myself that I need more.

When it comes to things, the Father wishes for us to depend only on him for our needs.  It does not mean that we do not work or that we are not to have good things.  It does require that we not chase after power, possessions, and money.  We chase Christ with all that we are and what we need will be there.  Everything we need is ours if we find our delight in loving the Father and following the Son.

I realize that it is simple and may seem puerile.  This is not just a platitude.  It is the way we are designed to live.  When we want things that are not centered on our love of the Father, we are failing to love the Father.  I realize it seems simple.  It is actually the most complex relationship in the cosmos.

If I test this relationship it always works.  It is when I want more that is other than the Father that I fail and fall.  It is my desire to have it all that destroys my faith and following.  I am striving to learn that letting the Father have all of me keeps me from dining on the forbidden fruit of greed.  I have seen the Father provide for me supernaturally but even that is not the goal.  It is to learn that unexplainable provision form the Father is supposed to be as natural as breathing.  In that, Dear Reader, is the lesson that dissipates all greed.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
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“Surrounding myself with possessions.  I surely have more than I need.  I don’t know if this is justice hard-earned or simply a matter of greed.”

Forbidden Fruit ~ Ball, Ball, Ball…

Greetings Dear Reader,

When my younger Son, Bezel was two, trips to the store were a guaranteed adventure.  Often, when we were just inside the door of the store, whatever store it was, he would begin a soulful mournful chant.  He would look sorrowfully at me and cry “ball, ball, ball.”  He would pause for a moment to see if a ball had appeared and then start again.

We tried several things pacify him without actually buying yet another ball.  We would sneak one into the store, let someone know we brought it with us, and give it to him.  Then we would go through the charade of “paying for it” and give it back to him.  This worked twice.  Bezel has always been smart.

I realized after months of this drama that he knew he had a quarter-million balls at home.  He simply wanted one that he did not have.  He wanted one of the ones in the netting that was not already his.  To me, this is still a vitally clear example of envy and coveting.  As someone who is a natural “collector” of things, I battle with envy all the time. 

I can justify in my mind how I will use what I covet for good.  I will easily dismiss my envy as admiration.  If you wonder what the difference is between envy and coveting, it is simple.  The first, envy is desiring to be like others or have things like others have.  Coveting is wanting what is theirs.  Both are wrong and are products of our own dissatisfaction. 

It is not wrong to want something.  Our Father likes to give us good things and wishes for us to be satisfied.  Where we corrupt it is when we put possessions, power, or position over our love for the Father and each other.  If I spend money on a thing that I just want it is not always wrong.  There is even provision in the Law of Moses for us to use some of our earning to purchase “Whatever our heart desires.”   The catch is that I must be accountable for what my heart desires. 

The things I want are far fewer than they used to be.  Possessions have for the most part lost their shine.  When I feast on the fruit of envy, I lack gratitude for what I have and place wanting something over wanting to love the Father.  I lost sight of following the Son because I seek something that is not at the heart of love and grace.

Again, it is not wrong to have things or want something new.  It is always wrong for me to want any single thing over my obedience to loving the Father and his creation.  The oldest possessions I have are not things that were shiny and new.  They are things I acquired whilst adventuring toward my relationship with the Father.  Jesus made it clear, Dear Reader, that if we seek the Father and his kingdom, all that we desire that is good will be given us. 

I have to work daily to train my mind to seek the Father first.  The entire world would rather have me want more things and be dissatisfied with them as I obtain them.  Then when grace gets through, it helps me see that all that stuff hinders my faith and following.  What I must dine on is the fruit of love and grace instead of the forbidden fruit of envy.  I will gladly share the former with 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.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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“I am so often deterred from my actual intent by distractions is a cellophane wrap, and the cruel voice that taunts me when I open them up to find just one more box full of crap.”

Forbidden Fruit ~ Oh my Spleen!

Greetings Dear Reader,

 Some time ago someone referred to my blog as me venting my spleen.  It is not.  Venting one’s spleen is the expression of wrath over something.  So that I have been clear, I am trying to daily engage with my faith in Christ and following him.  I write about it to be self-accountable and so that you can perhaps benefit from my journey.

In the current distress, we see a great deal of spleen-venting going on in reality and on social media.  We see wrath poured on people as an overflow of anger about social and political issues.  The difficulty is that even when the anger is justified, the wrath is not.  Wrath is the putrefied remains of anger that has been held overnight.  It is not something we are allowed to have or visit upon others.

In years past I have dined on wrath and it has damaged me and others far beyond what is just or good.  When a group of people demands that you agree with them or suffer their cumulative anger, that is wrath.  When people riot and destroy things, they are visiting their wrath upon others.  The Father makes it clear that this is not how he wishes us to deal with each other.  He reserves wrath for himself.

I was in a situation yesterday where I was trying to do a good thing.  An individual involved decided that verbally attacking me was the right path to follow.  In my quest to be lovingly unoffendable, this was a real challenge.  It is not always easy to choose to love others.  I failed to be as loving as I could have been but I also did not indulge the anger that rose up in me.  Avalon helped me talk through it later.  I went to sleep having processed both forgiveness and a plan to deal with my feelings more appropriately next time I encounter this individual. 

Between the time I was in the situation and worked my way through it to grace and love, I felt the past anger in me try to gain control of my heart and mind.  What I must always do is feel the anger when it is justified and not feed it with more fuel.  Wrath is forbidden fruit and we can see the impact of dining on it all over our nation right now.

The idea is to feel anger when it is justified without doing wrong.  Then we forgive, apply grace and mercy, and move on in love.  That is the only formula I have found that works.  It is hard and it goes against my pride and need for justice.  That, however, is a topic for 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 homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
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Let us hold a riot for everyone.  It will be SPLEENdid.  

Forbidden Fruit ~ It is Part of the Curse

Greetings Dear Reader,

In 2017 and 2018 when I was out of work, I did my part to look for work every day.  Then, to my complete joy, I spent the bulk of the day writing.  I find joy in writing in a way that I enjoy little else.  It is what I desire to do as my full-time work for life.

You see, I desire to work but I want to work at something I love.  Work was intended for us from the beginning.  Adam was told to tend the garden.  I am not sure what that entailed since there was no death.  He still had work to do that was not “by the sweat of his brow.”  Then I think of how many people work at jobs they hate.

We must work.  That is the nature of things in a fallen world.  That we often do not get to do the work we love may not be intended.  I know that when I discipline my life to make progress toward my aforementioned goal, I get closer.  The work does not exhaust me.  I am doubly blessed because the other job I have that provides my income is also a pleasant one.  I get to help other humans get their healthcare needs met.

Still, there is something in me that would rather do nothing.  I would rather be free from all obligations and drift through the world.  That is the forbidden fruit that I covet when things do not unfold as I wish for them to unfold.  Learning to work at what I love when I do not have to helps me avoid lazy leisure.  It reveals to me the lies that we tell ourselves to avoid the hard work of getting where we wish to be in our vocations.

There must be a life/work balance.  We rarely see too much leisure as an imbalance.  As I work to make sure that I do not overwork or over rest, I find that the desire to “sit and scroll” or watch some entertainment and do nothing else is strong.  The only way to avoid this trap is through mental discipline.

During this pandemic, it has been difficult for many to stay motivated.  I have heard many friends talk about how hard it is to stay focused, motivated, and disciplined in the things they want to do but do not.  I think that this is another area where I need to depend on the love and grace of the Father when I seek him. 

He wishes for us to redeem our time, Dear Reader.  It is a gift from him and we are accountable for it.  It is not wrong to follow discussion threads and scroll through the feed.  It is wrong to get lost in it and lose time to it.  We are meant to rest and recreate ourselves.  What I must not do is forget that the only way to get where I wish to be is through work that I entrust to the Father as an act of worship.

I was speaking with my friend Danette and we were discussing the nature of eternal worship once we reach home.  We need to remember that everything we do with a heart to the Father is an act of worship.  When we give our best and live in balance in work, art, or even leisure to the Father we are worshiping.  I cannot imagine that giving in to lazy leisure that I have not earned through good work is in that category.

I will keep working, Dear Reader.  I pray that soon it is only to produce more stories for you and that it frees me to be where I am needed.  Until then, I will write around the time that I have to use to make my tents.  Whatever I am doing, your companionship is always a blessing and source of joy.   

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

 Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

 Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
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 Leisure in balance is not wrong; it is necessary.  Leisure out of balance is deadly.

Forbidden Fruit ~ Cravings

Greetings Dear Reader,

The opening story in Sheetrock on the Road revolves around my mum’s cravings for chocolate and a piece of sheetrock.  Although I deal with the issue with humor, as a species what we crave often controls us.  I have often set aside my focus on loving others and thinking of their needs because of cravings.

Our desires too often override our good sense.  Whet we want gets in the way of what is right, what is loving, and what is prudent.  We want that candy bar, new thing, or shiny object.  We betray our promises, faith, and vows for pleasures that we think will satisfy but rarely do.  It occurs to me that we violate our promises based on promises of pleasures that never last.

I have waited to use the word “lust” because I want to frame it in more than a sexual context.  We lust for things that often have nothing to do with sex.  Anything that we desire beyond what is right and good is a form of lust.  It is not wrong to want something.  It is wrong to put that desire before our faith and following.  Again, I have done this and the impact echoes through to today.

Lust is pursuing anything that is meant to selfishly satisfy our desires over what we are called to be as Christ-followers.  That new car is not wrong as long as we do not desire it over our responsibility to be obedient in other areas.  It is good to have good things but things are not good if we obtain them at the expense of the welfare of others.  When we take pride in our possessions, we are bragging about our fulfilled lusts. 

When I feel the desire for something, anything, I must filter it through my obligations, my faith, and my needs.  Sometimes when I desire a thing it is because I am moving toward things that are healthy and good.  This is never the case when I am simply satisfying my cravings, wants, or lust.  Even good things can become wrong when I indulge my wants over what is right. 

If I am going to follow Christ well, I must cage all of my cravings withing the grace that the Father provides.  If I seek him first, I will better manage my desires.  If I find my delight in him, my desires will align with his and all will be well.  The Father assures us that when we focus on him, he will provide the desires that are good for us.

As I journey through this thinking, I want to crave a deeper love for the Father in every endeavor.  I desire to follow the Son more closely with every step.  I long for an ear that hears the Spirit whenever he speaks and not just when I hunger for guidance.  If we measure our desires against love and grace, Dear Reader, perhaps we can hunger more deeply for the right things.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Forbidden Fruit ~ Just One More

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned food as an example yesterday.  When I ponder it at length, many of us have an improper relationship with food.  We eat too much or too little.  We eat things that are not healthy for us.  Obsession with the food or with our physique causes us to see it in the wrong way.

I have had a life-long struggle with my relationship with food.  It has taught me several things about how to be faithful.  The heart of the matter for me begins with trust.  Jesus has said clearly that we are not supposed to worry about what we will eat.  I have been in situations where I did not have food or a way to get food.  Worrying about it was not only a worry, but it was also an obsession.

When I have all that I need, I still like to eat too much.  It has caused me to be unhealthy physically but also to lack gratitude mentally.  When I have all that I need, I must have a grateful heart and not abuse my abundance.  When I do this, I also remain aware of the needs of others. 

I do not need to belabor this today.  If I am going to follow Christ well, I must see my intake of food as part of what I must do to honor the Father and not as something I am allowed to abuse.  It is a daily discipline necessary to being a good disciple daily, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey, 

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

 Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
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When was the last time you heard an honest sermon about gluttony?

Forbidden Fruit ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some years ago, there was a popular event called the Darwin Awards.  According to their site, “The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it in a spectacular manner.”  These are tragic examples of those who have failed to think things through or whose arrogance has caused them to ignore the warnings of their common sense.

There are some things we just should not do.  Some things are completely foolish and other things are a failure to learn from the examples, good or ill, from those who came before us.  We can learn from the mistakes of others.  We often choose not to do so.

In my journey with Christ, I know that I sometimes fail to follow him.  In almost every instance I do things that I have done wrong before and I fail to learn from those mistakes.  Most of my consumption of forbidden fruit comes from eating again that which I have tasted and desire even though it is not good for me.  Even during the consumption, I often know that I will regret it.

We do this all the time when we overeat.  We feel full.  We have already consumed what we need.  Then the dessert tray comes around or we think we want just one more of those delicious little sandwiches.  We know that we should not eat more but we do.  Then we are miserable from overeating and we complain about it. 

Whether it is death or a bellyache, when we choose to do some things, we know we are plucking a ripe piece of forbidden fruit.  We are failing to learn from the past whether it is our own failures or the collective Darwinian history of our species.  We constantly repeat the things that we know will cause us harm. 

What I wish to examine is how I approach the various kinds of forbidden fruit and how I will harden my defense against repeating errors that I know I should not.  This is not an exercise of listing the things I should not do.  Rather, it is an attempt to better understand how I can follow Christ more closely by strengthening my ability to refuse to pluck forbidden fruit.

Please feel free to walk with me as I try to become better, stronger, and wiser.  I am not saying I struggle with everything I will consider.  I would, however, like to make sure that I do not pridefully neglect every facet of this problem.  The temptation to do that which I should not can come from anywhere.  As always, Dear Reader, your thoughts and questions are of value to me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
]\#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
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No matter how good that green persimmon looks, I would not eat it.

Second Thoughts ~ Toothpicks

Greetings Dear Reader,

As I clean things to begin my journey I keep finding toothpicks.  I rarely use toothpicks except in cooking.  Mostly I use them to hold together things made with bacon.  This seems to be an excellent use for a toothpick.

My Daughter has this idea that toothpicks can be used to pick one’s teeth.  I suppose that is an obvious conclusion but it is not one that often occurs to me.  Without putting too fine a point on it I agree that this is the primary destiny of the toothpick as intended by its creator.

These toothpicks spread around my domicile are, however, serving another purpose. They are constantly reminding me of my priorities.  Instead of the usual irritation when I find them lying around as I have for the last ten years, I feel something completely different. I feel the absence of my Daughter in deep and piercing ways. 

It is odd how the little irritants of life can become looming reminders of all that is missing.  As I pulled a toothpick out of my foot tonight, I wept for the solitude around me.  I wept for what it will cost to make this transition.  I sobbed over the sin and failures that cause division.  I grieve for the loss of time and companionship that our selfishness and shortsighted natures create.

As I head down the road I will carry with me some of her favorite toothpicks.  Some are the ones I have packed away on purpose.  Others are the ones in the cracks and crevices of the passenger side of my car.  I cherish the latter ones the most.

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 ͡°)

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A Sign Post Ahead – Milestone Thirty-Seven

Greetings Dear Reader,

Most of the times that my life seemed to unravel it was not my doing.  At milestone thirty-seven, however, it was my own doing.  I had so many things that I had wished for and my life had the potential to have a long smooth sail over good waters.

Past memories unattended were seething up and demanding their due.  Improper responses to injustice and unreasonable demands fueled my dissatisfaction.  I chose a path of failed resistance.  I tried to handle everything on my own.  I turned false suspicions from others into failed realities. 

No one is to blame for the extreme life failures as I passed this mile marker but me.  I walked the path of selfish indulgence of my pain instead of drawing closer to Christ.  The echoes of the damage I caused as a result still sound loudly today.

Even though I acted outside of what Christ desires for me he used it to produce some beautiful things.  Had I not emulated Judas and Jonah my Daughter and my Grandsons would not be here.  They are an infinite blessing risen from the ashes of my extreme failure to trust Christ in my darkest time.

That dark shadow would fall across other milestones.  It has, however, taught me to follow more closely than to carve my own path.   Following Christ more closely always works.  Trying to forge a trail without him always leads to destruction for 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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On Truth – Poor Parallels

Greetings Dear Reader,

When one is trying to be honest in ones thought it is necessary that to be sure that we compare our reasoning to valid standards.  We tend instead to draw parallels that are not honest.  We compare our failures to things that make us feel better about who we are instead of comparing them to valid standards.

We adopt standards that are lower than God’s and compare them to standards that are lower than ours.  We put the failures of others as worse than ours and diminish our own accountability in doing it.  We judge others instead of holding our lives our as needing grace and redemption.  We find God wanting, dismiss him, and say we have no sin.

It is easy for me to talk myself into thinking I am in the right by comparing my situation to one worse than mine.  What I must always do is compare myself to the standards God sets for me.  I have no time to judge others.  I need to be concerned about where I am in relation to Christ.

Jesus never commands us to condemn others.  We are supposed to encourage and restore.  We are supposed to worry about the two by four in our eye before we try to take the speck out of someone else’s.  We are supposed to be following Christ.  Everything I do must be compared to who Christ is.

I cannot compare my sin to anyone else and gain any ground.  I cannot judge, reject, or condemn anyone else and hope to show them the love that Christ commands me to show them.  I cannot draw dishonest parallels and get anywhere.

I fail and I sin.  I deny the hard truth that my sin is my responsibility.  I have nowhere to go with this except to Christ.  I cannot compare anything to Christ honestly and find it better.  I cannot follow anything but Christ and find my way.  When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” he excluded any other way, truth, or life. 

It is hard to hear this but inside it there is a sense to it.  Why would I not see someone who commands me to love above all else as exclusive?  Why would I draw any other parallel when that parallel cannot be an honest one?  There is not honest parallel to Christ.

In Christ Alone – Stuart Townend

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

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.”

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Honest Words - Failure

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some of you may wish to curl up your toes hear.  When I was still teaching I was actual told that I could not tell and adult college student that he had failed a class.  I was instructed to tell the student that he had “delayed success” in his English Composition effort. 

This particular student had failed to attend two thirds of the classes.  He had failed to turn in the weekly homework for the entire term.  He had failed to complete his term paper.  He failed to tell the truth to his instructor, my friend, when confronted numerous times about his deferment of his success.  I failed to be politically correct with him.

I have seen bad teachers and my friend Katie is the opposite.  She went above the requirements for every student who showed the possibility of being successful.  She did everything possible to make students feel safe, capable, and motivated to avoid delaying success in her classes.

We fail sometimes.  As a school chair I did dismiss a teacher who told a student that she was a failure.  That is mean and horrid.  No one is “a failure.”  Failing, however, is a part of the learning process.  You fail.  You evaluate. You learn more and then you try again.  There are also some things some students will never be able to accomplish.  They are not a failure but they will fail at some things always.

To me it is dangerous to teach others that the never fail.  It sets a state of mind that they can do anything.  There are things I cannot do.  I will never set a record for the long jump.  I fail at jumping most of the time.  Even puddles do not fear me.  They know that I will land in them.

We fail.  We are a fallen, flawed, and fractured species.  Without the understanding that we fail we may not see our greatest failure.  We may not understand that we need something beyond ourselves for redemption.  If I do not acknowledge my failures then I will not see my need for God. 

I sin (we will visit this word a little further down the path).  I do not always follow Christ in daily situations.  When I fail to follow in the moment that moment passes.  I have not delayed success.  I have FAILED.  I can still follow but the moment is gone and will never return.

It is my responsibility to acknowledge that I fail to do what is right at times and use that knowledge to learn, grow, and fail to fail in the future.  If I do not learn from my failures then I will not follow Christ faithfully.  If I do not embrace the full weight and length of the coil of my sin then I will fail to be horrified by it.  I will fail to see my depravity so that I might fight against it.  That would lead to failing to follow which in turn would be the greatest failure of all. 

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.”

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It Ain't Yours to Throw Away – Familiar Failure

Greetings Dear Reader,

There is a line in the song “Southern Cross”, “And we never failed to fail; it was the easiest thing to do.”  So often we fail.  We become successful at failure.  It becomes familiar to us and we embrace it. 

We fail to love.  We fail to forgive.  We fail to see the needs of others before considering our own.  We fail to be what we are created to be by God.  In that failure we believe that the habit of failing is our flaw.  We embrace that we are “a failure” in some area and use it to excuse or at least accept continued failure.

Our failures become a part of us.  We say things like, “I have a short temper so I may go off at you without warning.”  Yes, that was actually said to me by someone.  We preload the failure to be patient.  We preauthorize our freedom to fail to do what is right by believing and saying that is just who we are.

The problem is that success at doing what is right is always available to us.  Paul told the Philippians that God “works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”  He not only wants us to do but works to give us the will to do.  When we let failing become familiar and common we are throwing away the work that God wishes to do in us. 

This too is not ours to throw away.  I am not free to fail in controlling my anger, selfishness, or greed.  I am not allowed to fail at following.  It is not my right or privilege to throw away God’s work in me.  When I choose to fail at following I make it easier to do so next time.  When I fail to forgive and throw away the forgiveness that Christ offers to us all.  I must fail to fail.  It is the only failure I am allowed to embrace.

Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

Got out of town on a boat to the Southern islands

Sailing a reach before a following' sea

She was making' for the trades on the outside

And the downhill run to Pipette

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas

We got eighty feet of the waterline nicely making way

In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you

But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away

Think about

Think about how many times I have fallen

Spirits are using me larger voices calling'

What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

(Around the world) I have been around the world

(Looking') Looking' for that woman girl

(Who knows she knows) Who knows love can endure

And you know it will

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time

You understand now why you came this way

'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small

But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a coming' day

So I'm sailing for tomorrow my dreams are a dying'

And my love is an anchor tied to you tied with a silver chain

I have my ship and all her flags are a' flying'

She is all that I have left and music is her name

Think about

Think about how many times I have fallen

Spirits are using me larger voices calling'

What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

(I've been around the world) I have been around the world

(Looking') Looking' for that woman girl

Who knows love can endure

And you know it will, and you know it will yes

Oooh...

So we cheated and we lied and we tested

And we never failed to fail it was the easiest thing to do

You will survive being bested

Somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you

At the southern cross

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."