Within This Moment ~ Our Father

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all have fathers even if we have never met them.  We may deny them, hate them, or even carry great wounds from the way in which they hurt us.  We may have great role models that inspire us to nobility and goodness.

I have done better than my father did with me but I have not been as good at being a father as I should have been.  Still, knowing the bad examples we would see, God chooses to represent himself as a Father.  He is OUR Father.  He loves each of us as a Father.  This begs the question of how we see him in this way in every moment.

A note:  Grammar requires that I write “at every moment” rather than “in every moment.”  I deny this as I wish to think of being in the moment with God on all things.  I am not there yet but it is a continual guidepost for my journey home.

During this time of re-set and renewal, I have been learning that the Father loves me and wants to show me that love.  I spent most of my life with difficulty in this and trusting it is painful.  It is, however, the truth.  We have a Father who loves us no matter how tattered our understanding of what a Father is and does.

 Still, our Father, the true All-Father wants us to know that he loves us.  Jesus wanted us to see the love of the Father beyond the burdens that humans place on each other to create obstacles for this.  He is unwilling for us to live without him but does not force us to communicate with him.  He calls, draws, and even nudges.  He does not force.  He knows what we need but waits for us to see that we need him above all things.

In every step of the journey, I want to remember that I have a Father who loves me.  It brings me to tears at times to face this.  Some of the hurt from my past is so deeply seated that it pains me to consider that there is something beyond it.  I can count on one hand the people who know my very deepest darkest struggles and yet my Father knows them all.  Knowing them all he still chooses to love me and claim me as his own.

Better still, that love extends to every human equally.  I have billions of siblings clamoring for the Father’s attention and yet he can devote it equally to each of us without neglect.  We can come up with arguments for doubting this but we only have our childlike perspective. 

I want to be with the Father in every moment Dear Reader.  I want you to be there as well.  We are on our way to the Father in any case.  We may as well look for joy in that journey.

Good Good Father – Chris Tomlin

I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like
But I've heard the tender whispers of love in the dead of night
And you tell me that you're pleased
And that I'm never alone

You're a good good father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

I've seen many searching for answers far and wide
But I know we're all searching
For answers only you provide
'Cause you know just what we need
Before we say a word

You're a good good father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

Because you are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways to us

You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways
You are perfect in all of your ways to us

Oh, it's love so undeniable
I, I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable
I, I can hardly think
As you call me deeper still
As you call me deeper still
As you call me deeper still
Into love, love, love

You're a good good father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

You're a good good father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

You're a good good father

It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

You're a good good father

You are perfect in all of your ways
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
You are perfect in all of your ways
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

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.”

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The Least of These ~ The Fatherless

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have discussed this relative to my own journey.  I have just begun to correlate it to the bigger picture in a way that is vital to the overall journey.  The idea father is one of which I realize that I have so little understanding.   Someone told me recently that I cannot father well until I learn how to be a son.  My understanding of good fathers is so limited.

Our culture has lost the idea of real fathering.  Too many of us have a poor concept of what a loving father is.  We have too many fathers who have abused and abandoned their children.  We are a fatherless society in desperate need of fathers.

The relation to this topic is that so many fatherless are seen as the least of these.  Fathers failing to be there emotional, mentally, and physically for their children have created a poverty that is unparalleled.  It is not only one of physical need but it is a psychological, emotional, and faith poverty that leaves us destitute orphans.

We are supposed to be representing the Father to the world in all of his love and grace.  We are meant to show the Father heart of God to the world.  When we do not show this love by helping those in need, we hinder their ability to see the Father.  We all need to see this.

Attending to the needs of others; really helping the fatherless is a way to see the Father more clearly ourselves.  In helping the fatherless with their needs, we get to see the impact of the Father’s love in real action.  We are benefited by both the giving and the observation.

The idea is for us to become conduits for the love that the Father wants us all to share.  When we see the needs of others through a father’s eyes, we find that we have more compassion, more desire to help, and the motivation to give.  We can abandon selfishness.  We can become better children of the Father.

This terrifies me.  I must admit that it also is evident that I am in the midst of learning how much the Father loves me and wishes to be a Father to me.  I am learning and having to own how poor a father I have been.  I must focus on learning before I can ever hope to be an example to others. 

I do not know what the Father has in store for me.  I am trying to let him Father me.  I am ready to learn.  It is taking a full reset of who I think I am.  It requires that I trust in ways that I do not know how.  I can see how this past year has required me to lose so much to begin to learn this.  Please keep praying for me Dear Reader.  I am praying for you to see the Father and all his love for you.

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:

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

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

Novels on Amazon             

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Booking s at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Twitter            Medium    

Kids BLOG

Facebook      Google +   

Praying with Those Who Cannot – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We need to be able to pray with others who cannot or wish us to pray with them.   It is a privilege to do this.  It is our duty to do so in faith that we are not violating the integrity of that faith.

Most common prayer is safe.   It is not who writes the words.  If the words are truth then they are God’s truth.  When we speak the truth in faith it does not matter if the words are ours or written for us.  It is our heart that the Father longs to hear.

I am supposed to always pray.  I am required to pray for others.   I try to do both of these with joy.  I try to be in constant conversation with the Father.  I attempt to pray in every situation even if it were a muted cry for help. 

We must pray with those who need it.  We must respect their traditions without compromising our own faith.  We need to let go of our preferences in order to embrace the needs of others.  It is rewarding and will ultimate benefit us in following Christ. 

Make My Life a Prayer to You – Keith Green

You make my life a prayer to You

I wanna do what You want me to

No empty words and no white lies

No token prayers no compromise

I wanna shine the light You gave

Through Your Son You sent to save us

From ourselves and our despair

It comforts me to know You're really there

Well I wanna thank You now for being patient with me

Oh it's so hard to see, when my eyes are on me

I guess I'll have the trust and just believe what You say

Oh You're coming again, You're coming to take me away

I wanna die and let You give Your life to me, so I might live

And share the hope You gave to me, the love that set me free

I wanna tell the world out there, You're not some fable or fairy tale

That I've made up inside my head, You're God the Son

You've risen from the dead

Oh I wanna thank You now for being patient with me

Oh it's so hard to see, when my eyes are on me

I guess I'll have the trust and just believe what You say

Oh You're coming again, coming to take me away

I wanna die and let You give Your life to me, so I might live

And share the hope You gave to me

I wanna share the love that set me free

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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Praying with Those Who Cannot – The Mysteries

Greetings Dear Reader,

I do not know if “Mysteries” is the best term for the topic at hand but it is the term we have.  There are mysteries in following Christ.  They are worth pondering.   When we use the Rosary we meditate on these to remind us of how much more God is than we realize.

Here are the “Mysteries” as designated by tradition:

The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays of Advent:

The Annunciation

The Visitation

The Nativity

The Presentation in the Temple

The Finding in the Temple

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays of Lent:

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion and Death

The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Wednesday and Sundays outside of Lent and Advent:

The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption

The Coronation of Mary

The Five Luminous Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Thursdays:

The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Jesus' Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God

The Transfiguration

The Institution of the Eucharist

I think there are many mysteries that we may ponder.  It is in these mysteries that we are reminded of the power and creativity of the one we follow.  It is in them that we see the uniqueness of our faith.   If we find that we must pray in this manner it is good to keep our focus on the nature of the one to whom we pray.

It is a mystery to me why he bothers with us, but he cleared that up as well.  The Father loves us.  “Here’s a riddle for you; find the answer.  There’s a reason for the world, you, and I.”

To the Mystery – Michael Card

When the Father long to show

The love He wanted us to know

He sent His only Son and so

Became a holy embryo

That is the Mystery

More than you can see

Give up on your pondering

And fall down on your knees

A fiction as fantastic and wild

A mother made by her own child

A hopeless babe who cried

Was God Incarnate and man deified

That is the Mystery

More than you can see

Give up on your pondering

And fall down on your knees

Because the fall did devastate

Creator must now recreate

So to take our sin

Was made like us so we could be like him

That is the Mystery

More than you can see

Give up on your pondering

And fall down on your knees

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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Praying with Those Who Cannot – Glory Be

Greetings Dear Reader,

My paternal Grandmother used an expression when she would wonder at something.  She would look skyward and say, “Glory be!”  Because I grew up in the Catholic faith I knew the prayer call the Glory Be from a very young age.  Here it is:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: And to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

It is a prayer that anyone who follows Christ can pray in good conscience.   It is an excellent affirmation of worship.  It is short, simple, and worshipful.   If my intention is to always glorify God then my intention fulfills the command the love God.  

Once again if I am praying with someone who cannot I can pray this in faith that I am doing good and not speaking words that I cannot express with my whole heart.  It is good to be reminded that I am to glorify God in all that I do. 

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 ͡°)

Praying with Those Who Cannot – Hail Mary

Greetings Dear Reader,

Let me first be clear in that I mean no disrespect to anyone in this writing.  What I am about to say is controversial depending upon what you believe concerning the mother of Jesus.  I have expressed what I think in the afterword of The Foster Father of God.  Feel free to read it and share your thoughts with me.  

When praying the Rosary the most frequent prayer is the Hail Mary.   Here is the most common text:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

First let me say that I find the original version of this prayer as handed down by the church fathers much more in line with what I believe:

God-bearing Maid, rejoice, grace-filled Mary, the Lord with thee. Praised thou among women, and praised the fruit of thy womb, because it was the Saviour of our souls that thou barest.

The only issue I take with the extant version is the request that Mary pray for us.   Since we have direct access to the Father through faith this is unnecessary.   It does not mean that I do not value that others intercede for me.  In truth I cherish it and ask that you do so as often as you feel compelled. 

It also concerns me a bit that the rosary is dominated by prayers to Mary.  Again I am not trying to offend anyone but the focus should always be on God.  Again I feel that the earlier version of this prayer meets this obligation.  

We must not forget that Mary payed a great price for us to have our Saviour.   She suffered ridicule and loss.  She was there as her Son died for those who killed him.   She deserves honor and respect for the woman she is.  

When I pray on behalf of others I must respect their beliefs without compromising mine.   This is the compromise I have found that works for me with this particular item.  It bears repeating that what matters is that we pray in faith. 

Mary’s Song – Petra

Hold that blanket closer Mary dear

All the world waits with you for your day

But for now the wind is cold and it's drear

And Bethlehem's still so far away

Do you remember the way you felt back then?

Joy and wonder filled your soul and when

The angel slipped away

You knew your life would never be the same

And now you're travelling, travelling on a road to Bethlehem

Wandering thoughts fly away

If you knew the road that lay ahead of Him

Would you break down and cry?

Your child is born to die

Feel that hand of strength upon your own

A husband's love that guides along the way

And as his understanding has grown,

His hopes too are centered on that day

For do you remember the way he looked back then,

Pain and sorrow filled his eyes until when

The angel came to say

The Savior's birth was meant to be this way

Think back on that promise you received

For him in whom the prophets long believed

Now belongs to you, you've been chosen too

But He's the One Who's gonna shine

We call His name Jesus, Immanuel

He'll save His people from sin and hell

And of His kingdom there will be no end

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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Praying with Those Who Cannot – The Apostle’s Creed

Greetings Dear Reader,

So we arrive at the heart of what started this thinking.   The prayers involved in praying the Rosary are common and known by many both Catholic and not.   To say that it is wrong to pray the Rosary is something that reflects puerile thinking and makes too many assumptions to be valid. 

If we examine the actual prayers of the Rosary we may find that there in good there into which every Christ follower may tap.   The first thing to consider is what we have already discussed; any prayer spoken in faith has validity.  Another consideration is that it is healthy to review things that we believe in an ordered manner.  It can reassure us and help us to ponder new questions in the proper framework.

The first thing we consider is the Apostle’s Creed.   I had to memorize it in grade three.  Here is the text:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

Was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

It is worthy to note a few important details here.  First is that this is the earliest creed of which we have record.  It influenced the Nicene Creed.  It is first recorded in Milan in 390 A.D.  In text we should consider a few distinctions that make it common to all. 

The first is that the word “catholic” here does not refer to the denomination of that same name but rather to the original meaning of this word which is “universal”.  It speaks to the common connection between all followers of Christ.   

Second the word “communion” refers to our common union in Christ.   We symbolize this in celebration of bread and wine.   No matter how we dress or windows or our ceremonies if we follow in faith we are united.  We cause the divisions when we fail to see this.

The last thought for this is that praying this creed affirms what we believe to the Father.  It reminds us that we have a common mission.  In Christ alone we stand and work.  His command is for us to do this in love.  There is no use in praying this rote.   The power comes from the affirmations and our faith in them.  In that I can stand in faith as I pray.  In that there is no shadow or doubt. 

Creed – Petra

I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ His only son, I believe in the virgin birth.

I believe in the Man of Sorrows, bruised for iniquities.

I believe in the lamb who was crucified, and hung between two thieves.

I believe in the resurrection, on the third and glorious day

I believe in the empty tomb, and the stone that the angel rolled away

He descended and set the captives free

And now He sits at God's right hand and prepares a place for me

This is my creed

The witness I have heard

The faith that has endured

This truth is assured

Through the darkest ages past

Though persecuted it will last

And I will hold steadfast

To this creed

I believe He sent His spirit, to comfort and to reveal

To lead us into truth and light, to baptize and to seal

I believe He will come back, the way He went away and..

Receive us all unto Himself but no man know that day

This is my creed

The witness I have heard

The faith that has endured

This truth is assured

Through the darkest ages past

Though persecuted it will last

And I will hold steadfast

To this creed

I believe He is the judge, of all things small and great

The resurrected souls of men, receive from Him their fate

Some to death and some to life, some to their reward

Some to sing eternal praise, forever to the Lord

And through the darkest ages past

Though persecuted it will last

And I will hold steadfast

To this creed

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 ͡°)

Praying with Those Who Cannot – Constant Prayer

Greetings Dear Reader,

I do not think that I ponder enough the aspect of constant creation.   We are renewed always by the Father.   We are constantly being recreated in his image.  Every moment he invests in every individual.  We are constant creation.

In the same way the Father desires constant conversation.  There was a time when Bezel, my younger Son would constantly ask me questions.  They were usually simple and childlike but I never tired of his desire to know.  I also never tired of his desire to know me.

The Father is the same.  He wants us to know him in every moment.  He wishes for us to be in constant conversation with him.  We formalize things too much and call it constant prayer.  It is not wrong to call praying prayer but we do have an aspect of it that is informal.   We can just talk to God and he loves it when we do so.

If we are going to pray with those who cannot we need to be familiar with the Farther.  We need to be in constant conversation with him.  All that we have is from the Father and he wants us to know him in all things.  I would begin with just saying how I feel.  It always works. 

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 ͡°)

Praying with Those Who Cannot – Thoughts and Prayers

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the recent tragedy of the shootings in Orlando, Florida many as usual have expressed their offered “thoughts and prayers” for the victims and their families.  This has been met with a new response.  Things have been said like “keep your thoughts and prayers and ban assault weapons.”

The things that come to mind here are twofold.  First is the idea that we should do anything without prayer.  I will not weigh on the gun question here.  I have often made it clear that I abhor violence against anyone.  Others in my clan have weighed in on this better than I could.

Inside this is the idea that we can succeed at anything good without the support of the Father.  Prayer has validity and is needed more as the world darkens.   Those who follow Christ are supposed to be in constant conversation with God.  The response we are to have to tragedy is to ask the Father to aid those in need.

This gets rejected by the masses because faith without works is dead.  Jesus’ brother explains that we cannot wish well for someone and not act.  We dare not expect the world to hear the sincerity of our offered prayers if we are not going to act.  People trust how they are treated.

The problem is that we are not on the front lines when others are in need.  We are not living out the faith we profess in sacrificial undeniable ways.  Until we do we have no right to expect any acknowledgement from those who do not believe.   We do not give enough yet.  We do not love enough yet. 

Another thought is that we do not look people in the eye and engage with them.  We do not tell them that we are praying for them.  We water it down as the socially acceptable “thoughts and prayers.”   If we are not confident that saying we are praying for is evidence in our lives then we should be silent.  If we are living out our faith then our expressing that we pray out of compassion may be heard.

Our failure to live our faith erodes both the effectiveness of our prayers and our words about faith to others.  As my Grandfather used to say, “You do what you believe.  Everything else is just religious talk.”

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 ͡°)

Praying with Those Who Cannot – The Father

Greetings Dear Reader,

I realize that I am late in the day.  I had not planned this segment of this to coincide with Father’s Day but here it is.   Please know that as a father and grandfather I truly am grateful for my Children and Grandchildren.

When Jesus wished for us to understand more clearly how to pray he taught us:  “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

The Father wished for us to love here as he loves there.  He desires for us to forgive to the measure that we need forgiveness.  He desires for us to depend on him.  He wants to deliver us from the power of the evil one.

The Father loves us.  We can repeat this prayer as often as necessary to understand this.  As it is above we are to be below.  We need to live out forgiveness and dependence upon the Father.   We must pray for things to be as the Father wishes.  We must count on the fact that we will ultimately be delivered from evil.   

When we pray for those who cannot this is what we must wish for them.  We need them to see the love and providence of the Father.   We need to help them see their need for him.  It is in the Father that we find our place to live and move in freedom.  It is the Son that leads there in faith. 

He is OUR Father.  He is loving and kind.  He makes no distinction other than faith or no faith.  He asks only that we love him and our fellow travelers.  I pray for those who cannot pray to understand this.   Everything else rests on 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 ͡°)

Praying with Those Who Cannot – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Recently my friend Joy posted a question about praying the rosary.   She cares for a woman who used to do this but no longer has the capacity to do so.  Rightly so Joy was concerned about doing what is right.  Rightly so she felt that the Father would allow such a thing.

When she posted about it I was happy to support her.  Then I realized that there was more here.  Why do we not speak more about praying for those who cannot pray for themselves?  It is clear that we are to pray for others.  It is clear that we are to pray for their wellbeing and their needs.

What I think we need to embrace is that we can also pray with those who cannot pray.  We do not even have to know what they would pray.  The Spirit intercedes for us when we do not know what to pray.

Not only do we honor the Father when we do things like this but we are caring for the “least of these” in the way Christ wishes us to care for them.  The faith we exercise when doing benefits us as well. 

Many would think that rote prayer would not be a good thing.  I would posit that any prayer, prayed in faith is more powerful than we can imagine.  We have lost our understanding of the extreme power that prayer holds.  We may be able to learn something about how to pray.  I am going to spend a little time on what the Rosary can do for anyone.

I am not telling anyone to do this.  Neither am I saying it is what we should do as our common practice in prayer.  What I do wish to do is acknowledge that the practice of many of my Catholic brothers and sisters has value and examine how I might walk closer to Christ through it.   Walk with me Dear Reader.  Talk with me.  Pray 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Prayer – Why I Pray

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I first began to regularly pray I did so out of obedience.  It was hard.  My faith was new and my doubts were still nagging at the back of my mind.  Someone I trusted suggested I obey the commands to pray out of the good place in my heart. 

It was like eating uncooked oatmeal at first; dry and difficult.  I felt as if I was completely disconnected and rambling. Then someone taught how to find the right things about which to pray.  I will get to that tomorrow.  Then the real breakthrough came.

A dear friend asked me about prayer.  He said he was enjoying his time of prayer more than ever and wanted to pass on that joy.  What he said was that he realized that God wants us to talk to him like we would a father.  I realized that I had a very poor blueprint for that.

Then I remembered all the times I spend talking to my Grandfather when I was young.  He really listened.  He listened with his head and his heart.  All that I was reading about God told me he would do the same.  So I began to pray as if I was talking to my Grandfather.  I poured out my thoughts, questions, and hurts. 

I made sure that I balanced methodology and heart.  I worked to assure that nothing was rote or canned.  Then I began to respond to everyday things by having a conversation with God about it.  I would thank him for a great sunrise.  I would comment on someone else being kind.  I would express my anger at someone being a jerk.

I began to listen as well.  I began to ponder how my heart was toward things and try to change my thoughts based on that inner voice that is the Father moving me closer to his Son. 

I pray because God is there and listening.  I realize that it comes down to faith to do this, but if we dare approach God it must be in faith. 

Hungry (Falling on My Knees) – Joy Williams

Hungry I come to You

For I know You satisfy

I am empty but I know

Your love does not run dry

So I wait for You

So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all

This heart is living for

Broken I run to You

For Your arms are open wide

I am weary but I know Your touch

Restores my life

So I wait for You

So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all

This heart is living for

So I wait for You

So I wait for You

So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all

This heart is living for

I'm falling on my knees

Offering all of me

Jesus You're all

This heart is living for

Hungry I come to You

For I know You satisfy

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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Forgetting Who God Is – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

God is so much more than I can pack into my meager scribblings.  I want to remember who he is daily.  I want to remember who he is in every moment.  I do not want to mistake the gift of free will for absenteeism or silence.

My life is a journey back to God.  We are all on the same journey whether we wish it or not.  Our lives belong to God whether we acknowledge him or not.  The internal war is to follow or merely arrive in his presence.  I do not wish to merely arrive.

God does not force us to him.  He draws us.  He does not demand our companionship.  He asks for it.  When we reject, deny, and disbelieve we are pursuing things for which we were never created.  We try to justify this by dismissing God, our creation, and the very value of human life.  We disavow the supernatural and miraculous. 

If we relegate God to the place of the puerile and uniformed it is much easier to ignore his constant call.  We can be dismissive of those who represent Christ honestly and humbly.  We can treat faith as a matter for children and the uniformed.

I, however, am required to love.  I am required to follow in faith and believe that God is who he says he is.  I believe he is so much more than we can grasp.  He is so far beyond who I dream him to be for my sake.  I must remember daily that he is who he claims to be and not some fairytale. 

It will become dangerous to believe.  Sometimes it feels like it already is.  I can no longer count on following Christ as a guide for the world in which I live both universally and locally.  I can only commit my heart to love for and faith in the God who is there.  I can be assured that God is with me.  I can count on him to show me my errors and enhance my good.  When the whole world turned against God he required his followers to love him, each other, their enemies.  Everything else is built on this.  That is who God is.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time – Bruce Cockburn

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by

You never get to stop and open our eyes

One minute you're waiting for the sky to fall

The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

These fragile bodies of touch and taste

This fragrant skin this hair like lace

Spirits open to the thrust of grace

Never a breath you can afford to waste

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

When you're lovers in a dangerous time

Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime

Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight

Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight

When you're lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

Lovers in a dangerous time

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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Forgetting Who God Is – With Us

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes when my Daughter has nightmares she just needs to be reminded that she is not alone.  She needs reassurance that she is in a safe home and not in danger.  She does not even need to wake up sometimes to be reassured.  My soft voice as a response to her cries in the night can be enough.  Reassured that she is not alone and safe can sooth her back to sleep.

God claims that he is with us.  Again, this is something that doer require my belief to be true.  Whether it is natural revelation, specific revelation, or both God has shown himself to us and assured us that he is present always.

We choose whether or not we will have faith in this.  Instead of choosing it based on who God claims to be for us we choose based on human circumstance, knowledge, and experience.  We avoid faith because we do not like needing faith.  It goes against our need to control things.  Faith requires a letting go of control.  Faith must be coupled with yielding to the object of our faith.

This understanding is vital to our ability to embrace that God is with us.  The incarnation is the ultimate statement that God is with us.  The presence of the Holy Spirit is the ongoing allegiance to that commitment.  God gave us his very best to show us he wanted to be with us.  

I must live my journey in faith that this will always be true.  I must step into every moment looking for and embracing the presence of Christ.  It through this that I will find the strength to do what is right.  I will gain the power to love selflessly and unconditionally.  It is only through this that I can become what God has designed me to be.  “Understand that I am with you, even to the end of the age.”

Immanuel – Michael Card

A sign shall be given a virgin will conceive

A human baby bearing undiminished deity

The glory of the nations a light for all to see

That hope for all who will embrace His warm reality

Immanuel our God is with us

And if God is with us who could stand against us

Our God is with us

Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death

A glorious light has dawned

For all those who stumble in the darkness

Behold your light has come

Immanuel our God is with us

And if God is with us who could stand against us

Our God is with us

Immanuel

So what will be Your answer? Will You hear the call?

Of Him who did not spare His son but gave Him for us all

On earth there is no power there is no depth or height

That could ever separate us from the love of God in Christ

Immanuel our God is with us

And if God is with us who could stand against us

Our God is with us

Immanuel

Immanuel our God is with us

And if God is with us who could stand against us

Our God is with us

Immanuel

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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Forgetting Who God Is – Now Here/Nowhere

Greetings Dear Reader,

Recently several people felt the need to assure that I saw “story” in The Onion about God failing to write a new book.  It was one of the many things I have seen lately that posits the question of his silence. 

As I have been diving deep into the study of the letter Paul wrote to the Romans I have been reminded just how present God always is.  I am reminded that creation, moral law, and our own inner workings declare that God is there.  We have confused subtlety with silence.

I wonder how many other relationships we expect to work when we demand that the other person communicate with us on our terms.  We insist that God be what we wish him to be.  We demand that God speak our moral perspective instead of obediently speaking his. 

We deny his power and presence and use his image for our own purposes.  This is the true definition of taking God’s name in vain.  I must assure that whenever I think of God it is as he wishes to be thought of.  I must assure that I follow the Christ who is there not the image I wish him to be for my own purposes.

If I listen, he is speaking.  I if believe I will see.

My God – Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson - Lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar

Martin Barre - Lead guitar, recorder

Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond - Bass, recorder

John Evan - Piano

Clive Bunker - Drums

Lyrics:

People, what have you done?

Locked him in his golden cage, golden cage

Made him bend to your religion

Him resurrected from the grave, from the grave

He is the God of nothing

If that's all that you can see

You are the God of everything

He's inside you and me

So lean upon him gently

And don't call on him to save you

From your social graces

And the sins you used to waive, you used to waive

From the bloody church of England

In chains of history

Requests your earthly presence

At the vicarage for tea

And the graven image you know who

With his plastic crucifix, he's got him fixed

Confuses me as to who and where and why?

As to how he gets his kicks, he gets his kicks

Confessing to the endless sin

The endless whining sounds

You'll be praying till next Thursday

To all the gods that you can count.

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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Forgetting Who God Is – Merciful

Greetings Dear Reader,

When my younger Son, Bezel was four he decided that the sugar bowl was his personal candy dish.  The first time I caught him eating the sugar I warned him that he should not do it.  The second time I caught I chose to teach him about mercy.  I sat him down and explained was that mercy was not getting the punishment we deserve from the person who has the right to issue that punishment.   The third time I caught him raiding the sugar he looked at me, smiled, and said, “Dad, I think I need to learn more about mercy.”

Mercy is defined as showing compassion and forgiveness to one over whom you have the power to punish or harm.  Whether we accept it or not we are all guilty before God of rejecting him and failing to love him as we should.  We do not understand the level of mercy we need.  We do not understand the level of mercy we are already shown.

Once again this is something which we have left behind in our journey away from and understanding of who God is.  As I journey back to God I see his mercy and the need for it.  It begins with an understanding of the depth of my failure to love him with all my heart. 

He extends mercy to us so that we can find our way back to him.  He gives us that way and an example to follow through Jesus.  I am not sure how all of this will work its way out in my life.  I do know that by faith it will. 

I do not just walk in faith.  I walk in the renewed mercy of God.  He may need to renew it every morning, every hour, or in my case every second.  He does.  He wants me every moment just like I am.  He is merciful to me just as I am.

Come As You Are – Crowder

Come out of sadness

From wherever you’ve been

Come broken hearted

Let rescue begin

Come find your mercy

Oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless

And all those who’ve strayed

Come sit at the table

Come taste the grace

There’s rest for the weary

Rest that endures

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t cure

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Fall in his arms

Come as you are

There’s joy for the morning

Oh sinner be still

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Come as you are

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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Forgetting Who God Is – Unchanging

Greetings Dear Reader,

We are mercurial in our opinions, moods, and loyalties.  We do not believe we are but it is true none-the-less.  We change our minds about things we have committed to do.  We have mood swings and mood tsunamis.  We put our wants above the things to which we have pledged our lives and loyalties.

God does not change.  He is the constant in the chaos.  He is our fulcrum and lever in the void.  His love for us is unchanging.  His desire to return things to good is unwavering.  His passion to redeem all that he created is immeasurable.  He gives us an inkling to that measure in his Son, Jesus. 

What we see in Christ is the God who was willing to travel to us when we could not travel to him.  We see the unwavering love and commitment of one who wishes for us to have all that we are created to have.

When we waiver on the things that show God’s love for us we represent a wavering God.  Since he asks us to follow in faith this cannot be the way he is represented.  He does not change and his compassion does not fail.  We see new aspects of his love and care daily but we ignore them.

I must see him in every moment.  I must see his consistency and compassion in every small thing.  I must acknowledge that God is unchanging in all my choices of faith and then he will direct my path.  The journey involves a guide who is constant, present, and communicating.  He is mine and I am his.  In every age it has been thus and so shall it ever be.

El Shaddai – Michael Card

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

El-elyon na adonia,

Age to age you're still the same,

By the power of the name.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

Erkamka na adonai,

We will praise and lift you high,

El Shaddai.

Through your love and through the ram,

You saved the son of Abraham;

Through the power of your hand,

Turned the sea into dry land.

To the outcast on her knees,

You were the God who really sees,

And by your might,

You set your children free.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

El-elyon na adonia,

Age to age you're still the same,

By the power of the name.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

Erkamka na adonai,

We will praise and lift you high,

El Shaddai.

Through the years you've made it clear,

That the time of Christ was near,

Though the people couldn't see

What messiah ought to be.

Though your word contained the plan,

They just could not understand

Your most awesome work was done

Through the frailty of your son.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

El-elyon na adonai,

Age to age you're still the same,

By the power of the name.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

Erkamka na adonai,

I will praise yo 'till I die,

El Shaddai.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

El-elyon na adonai,

Age to age you're still the same,

By the power of the name.

El Shaddai, el Shaddai,

Erkamka na adonai,

I will praise you 'till I die.

El Shaddai.

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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