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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Forgetting Who God Is – Love

Greetings Dear Reader,

Let me say this without reservation:  God does not hate anyone.  No matter what anyone may say to you God does not hate you.  He does not hate gay people.  He does not hate any race of people.  He does not hate the people who do things Christ followers think are wrong.

He does hate some activities.  So do we.  When we proceed from the assumption that God hates anyone we create a barrier to faith for them.  We must proceed from the truth that God’s love transcends every barrier.  He loves everyone. 

We put requirements and standards on God based on our definition of what love is.  It is God that gave us the power to love.  It is God that defines love.  It is by his definition that we learn what love is.

The failure of Christ followers to live out the love of God in the lives of others makes seeing this difficult.  It is there.  It is available to anyone willing to accept it.  So many people who accept that God hates anyone have not worked through what God has to say about love. 

Jesus gave us two commandments to follow:  Love God with all your being and love your neighbor.  He also told us to love our enemies.  He did not tell us to hate anyone.  We are to avoid sin.  We are to hate sin.  We are to love every life that exists.

If I do not live out this in every encounter with every human then I dare not think that I am following Christ.  As I prepare my heart for Advent I must focus on the purpose for the incarnation.  “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, the WHOSOEVER (anyone, anywhere, anytime) believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

 I must love always.  I must love in a way that with what meager ability I possess I reflect God’s love for the world.  Jesus is God’s final word on the matter.

The Final Word – Michael Card

You and me we use so very many clumsy words.

The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.

When the Father's wisdom wanted to communicate His love,

He spoke it in one final perfect Word.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.

His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.

Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.

And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Father's fondest took on flesh and bone.

He spoke the living luminous word, at once His will was done.

And so the transformation that in man had been unheard,

Took place in God the Father as he spoke that final Word.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.

His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.

Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.

And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Light became alive and manna became Man.

Eternity stepped into time so we could understand.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.

His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.

Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.

And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

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 – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We often hear about a person before we meet them.  How someone else characterizes an individual is going to be limited to his or her perspective.  It will be coloured by opinion, background, culture, and education.   People will front load their opinions of others.

So much of our view of God gets front loaded before we really know him.  We fail to give the opportunity to be who he is.  We fail to see him for what he wants to be for us.  There are those who do not believe in him who mock him.  There are those who misrepresent him who claim to be his followers. 

As a part of my preparation for advent I want to revisit some of my thoughts on who God is.  I think we are so inundated with what culture says God is that we forget to listen to who he says he is.  We do not get to know him.

As I walk through this I will attempt to lay aside the filters of culture and presupposition.  Rather I will try to establish the presuppositions that God wishes us to have.  Walk with for a bit.  Perhaps your thoughts can help clarify mine. 

I Will Bring You Home – Michael Card

Though you are homeless

Though you're alone I will be your home

Whatever's the matter, whatever's been done

I will be your home

I will be your home

I will be your home

In this fearful fallen place

I will be your home

When time reaches fullness

When I move my hand I will bring you home

Home to your own place in a beautiful land

I will bring you home

I will bring you home

I will bring you home

From this fearful fallen place

I will bring you home

I will bring you home

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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Entertaining Angels – A Lover of Life

Greetings Dear Reader,

As the controversy around Planned Parenthood unfolds I am drawn back into the conversation about abortion by friends who know my faith and feelings.  I am not going to hear have a conversation about Planned Parenthood or abortion but what I say is relative to those things. 

What I have to do is consider life as a whole.  In the dance between Divine Sovereignty and free will there are some things that are to be un-violated guidelines.  It is one of the reminders that the world and all in it are not mine.  The earth does not belong to man.  This is true whether you believe in creation, evolution, or alien seeding (please notice that my tongue is firmly in my cheek on that last). 

My particular world view is that God created and owns it all.  He loves life and created us to live.  We invented and have applied killing with great fervor and success.  Through wars, genocide, and abortion we have destroyed millions of lives.  We treat human life as if it is an unlimited disposable commodity.   

In our arrogance we think that the lives of others do not matter.  Through abortion alone we have destroyed over 3.1 BILLION years of potential life in the United States.  That number is based on some very conservative math and only calculated since 1974 when abortion became “legal”.

We think we can legislate morality in either direction and that makes what we choose moral.  What we have evolved instead is a society with a multiple personality disorder.  I mean no disrespect to those who suffer from the actual malady.  My problem is that one face of our culture says that a child may be murdered in its mother’s womb based on her whim.  In some of the same states one can be charged with double homicide if one murders an expectant mother and both lives are lost. 

This is just a couple of the divergent personalities that our collective face shows to the world.  We have a diabetic epidemic in a nation where there are people still starving.  We demand our world view whilst trampling on the world views of others (whether you are liberal or conservative you are guilty of this so avoid the smuggary {I realize that smuggary is not a word but I am a writer so it is now.  Use it and enjoy it}). 

God is a lover of life.  His work in the world whether he is creating or redeeming is geared toward life.  As I develop my faith and following I must do the same.  We should avoid murdering others even if it might be only maybe wrong.  If there is any room for doubt we should err on the side of respect and value.  I am required to value, respect, and love all life.  After all, even if I am totally wrong in my beliefs living out this will give me a life full of yet another kind of love.  That alone would be worth the pursuit.  However, as I have said and will continue to say on this part of the journey:  It is not about us.

Bungle in the Jungle – Jethro Tull

Walking through forests of palm tree apartments ---

scoff at the monkeys who live in their dark tents

down by the waterhole --- drunk every Friday ---

eating their nuts --- saving their raisins for Sunday.

Lions and tigers who wait in the shadows ---

they're fast but they're lazy, and sleep in green meadows.

Let's bungle in the jungle --- well, that's all right by me.

I'm a tiger when I want love,

but I'm a snake if we disagree.

Just say a word and the boys will be right there:

with claws at your back to send a chill through the night air.

Is it so frightening to have me at your shoulder?

Thunder and lightning couldn't be bolder.

I'll write on your tombstone, ``I thank you for dinner.''

This game that we animals play is a winner.

Let's bungle in the jungle --- well, that's all right by me.

I'm a tiger when I want love,

but I'm a snake if we disagree.

The rivers are full of crocodile nasties

and He who made kittens put snakes in the grass.

He's a lover of life but a player of pawns ---

yes, the King on His sunset lies waiting for dawn

to light up His Jungle

as play is resumed.

The monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune.

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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Great Expectations – Generic Faith

Greetings Dear Reader,

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

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Commitment – To God – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Throughout this I have been careful to avoid directly referencing commitments that we make to God.  I realize that not everyone who reads this believes what I believe.  For those of you who do not follow Christ you may consider this a way to hold accountable those of us who do.

Eccl 5:4 When you make a promise to God, don't be slow to keep it because God doesn't like fools. Keep your promise.

These are the words of Solomon.   We do not hesitate to quote him when we wish to appear wise or make a point about wisdom.  We must also embrace him when we dwell upon commitment.  Christ followers make commitments to God.  It is the nature of following.

So Dear Reader we must always consider those commitments when we act, think, or breathe.  Jesus made this much simpler for us:

Mat 5:33-37
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.' But I tell you don't swear an oath at all. Don't swear an oath by heaven, which is God's throne, Or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. And don't swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.

When we say yes to what Christ asks of us we are bound to it.  We come up with many reasons, excuses, and pretenses as to why we do not need to keep our commitment to God but the truth is they are useless.  We even fool ourselves into believing that unbelief will free us from our commitments.  We think that because God is slow to call in our debt of commitment that he will not.  

Whether we continue to sing in the choir or abandon our faith altogether our commitments to God are still alive.  It I say yes to follow Christ it means I say yes to all of it.  I take up the cross.  I follow when it is easy and when it kills me.  I keep my commitment when I doubt or when my faith roars like a lion.  

The measure of who I am is forged in my faithfulness to my commitment to Christ.  I have failed so often that I still feel shame when I think about it.  I have markers I have placed in my life to help not forget my vows to God.  I have daily reminders that I have bound my life to Christ and am wholly his.  I carry the symbol of my oath with me always.  I have said yes to Christ and do not wish to be a fool.

There are daily temptations to be other than what I have committed to be in Christ.  I could have many things I desire if I simply leave behind my fealty.  Darkness and false light both offer me solace if I will only abandon my faith for something less restricting.

I have broken oaths, promises, vows, and commitments.  I know the bitter taste of those acts coming home to roost.  I know what it is to be the fool who has broken faith with God.  When tempted to abandon faith for some more convenient I have only one response:  “I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.”

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.  
His house is in the village though;  
He will not see me stopping here  
To watch his woods fill up with snow.  

My little horse must think it queer  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
The darkest evening of the year.  

He gives his harness bells a shake  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
The only other sound’s the sweep  
Of easy wind and downy flake.  

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.


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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The Boundaries of Faith – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Whether we care to admit it or not we all believe in something.  Even atheists “believe” that there is no God.  I do not say this in a pejorative manner.  I respect that many people come to this belief through reason.  It is still, however, a belief; an act of faith.

As a Christ follower my beliefs are basic and sometimes confounding.  From God’s perspective the only boundary to faith is fulfillment of that faith.  Humans, however, set boundaries to their faith.  We determine the tests and limits of what we are willing to believe. We demand proof and when that proof is not to our liking we change the rules.

When life tests our faith those boundaries begin to matter.  I have thought through my faith.  I have listened, read, discussed, and sought.  My faith is based on reason but not on conclusive evidence.  The latter would preclude the need for faith.

So what are the limits of faith?  Where are the boundaries of faith?  I must assure that my faith in Christ is reasonably limitless.  I realize that sounds like an oxymoron.  I need to explore the boundaries of my faith.  I need to examine them so that I push them, test them, and expand them.  My faith needs to be both deeper and larger.

For me this is a first step in preparation for Holy Week.  After all, celebrating the resurrection of Christ is a large act of faith.  It is also reasonable.  It a belief I cherish.  It is an event that is the bedrock of many other things I believe.  It is by faith that I approach God and in faith that I follow. 

It makes sense, therefore, to want larger and deeper faith.  I will examine the boundaries that I set for my faith and seek to push them outward.  I will plumb the depth of my faith and seek to increase it.  Please feel free to join in the discussion as we journey. 

By Faith – Michael Card

By faith one was commended

For the sacrifice he made

Another out of holy fear

Built an ark the world to save

Another left his homeland

and as a stranger he'd reside

But none received the promise then

And so, in faith, they died.

Others conquered kingdoms

Quenched the fury of the flames

Some made strong in battle

Some were raised to life again

But many more were martyred

Midst the crowds loud clamoring

By faith they would not bow the knee

Nor kiss the emperor's ring

Faith understands and offers

It assures and calms our fears

It can shut the mouths of lions

And make sense of scars and tears

We persevere in hope

And with conscience clean and clear

We walk this fallen wilderness

With Salvation's Pioneer

Being sure of what we hope for

Seeing what is yet unseen

A universe from nothingness

New life where none had been

The known made from unknowable

And hope for the comfortless

Who hear and hold on firmly to

The faith that they possess

So fix your eyes upon the Champion

As you seek to run the race

Understanding that He cheers you on

As you long for His embrace

So hold on and do not grow weary

Of the faith that you profess

Remembering that you are ringed around

By this cloud of witnesses

Faith understands and offers

It assures and calms our fears

It can shut the mouths of lions

And make sense of scars and tears

We persevere in hope

And with conscience clean and clear

We walk this fallen wilderness

With Salvation's Pioneer     

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 – Debts We Owe

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is so easy to forget that our lives are not our own.  We owe God a death.  We will end.  I have been keenly reminded of that lately.  Life is a gift from God.  The things we are good at are a gift from God.  The entire universe is a gift from God.

When we proceed from this truth we must admit that we owe a debt.  When I write well I owe a debt of gratitude to God.  When I dine out well with my children it is because of God’s provision.  When I enjoy good music it is because God has ordered the mathematics of the universe in such a way music is possible. 

We get so mired in what we think we are that we do not really remember from whence we come.  I realize that some of you Dear Reader don’t believe any of this.  That is one of the minor reasons why this is a hard truth.  It is a harder truth for those of us who believe.

If I believe then I not only owe the debt to God but I am aware of it.  I am accountable for that debt.  I am moment by moment incurring more debt for the rich life I have.  In each act that I follow Christ I pay a portion of that debt.  In each moment that I follow he gives grace and mercy on that debt.

There is no other source.  I realize that you may not agree with me.  The hard truth is that we do not determine the truth.  My belief or another’s unbelief will not change what is true.  Someday the bill will come due.  Someday the God of the Universe will ask me what I have done with what he has given me.  He will open that clearing at the end of the path and evaluate my journey.

The other side of this truth is that I know all will be well as long as I have followed his Son.  His demand is that I pay in love and faith.  He currency is grace and mercy.  The exchange rate is how I forgive versus the forgiveness I seek.  I cannot pay all I owe.  Proceeding from that truth makes God’s offer of redemption so very real.

The Dance – Kemper Crabb

All creation moves in a cosmic dance

Before the Lord her King

The rhythms, the reason, the rhyme of the dance

Poses within everything

And the universe wheels and whirls like a dervish

In perfect seven step time

The Lord made the dance, he taught us the steps

He causes the stars to shine

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must yield our steps unto the King

We must dance, dance, dance

Dance in God’s honor

Let his praises ring throughout the earth

Adam and Eve danced in Eden’s environs

Early in earth’s morning air

They named all the animals musical names

Glorious potentiality shared

But Lucifer sang out a serpentine song

And offered death’s dance as his token

In pause to listen Adam missed his step

Earth’s harmony in the dance broken

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must yield our steps unto the King

We must dance, dance, dance,

Dance in God’s honor

Let his praises ring throughout the earth

Jesus danced into the world

Singing his heavenly song

And he taught his dance to those who would listen

And learn and he moved along

But steps of his dance they led to a cross

Where he died while the haters mocked on

But he dance through death’s arms and over hell’s gates

And in three danced forth from his tomb

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must yield our steps unto our King

We must dance, dance, dance

Dance in God’s honor

Let his praises ring throughout the earth

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

We must dance, dance, dance,
Dance in God’s honor

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Second Thoughts – The Empty Comfy Chair

Greetings Dear Reader,

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

In my writing office I have an over sized comfy chair.  The chair itself is worn and ragged but it is covered so that one can enjoy it without pitying it too much.  I rarely use this chair.  Others have used it when they wished to be near me whilst I was writing.

When Christmas first came to live with us I would find her there every morning sleeping.  Both her need and her fear drove her there.  She feared not being available if I had some demand.  This was a ravenous echo of her past that she soon learned to release.  Her need was to know that I was there and that she was really safe.  I am glad both of these things have healed but I do miss her presence.

My grandsons often sit there when they spend the night.  Whichever one awakens first knows to find me at my desk writing.  They know that a blanket and juice box await them in the comfy chair.  The conversation in those early morning hours is precious to me.  The current difficulties severely limit my opportunities for them to sleep over.   So again the chair is empty more often than I would like.

Others who frequented the chair are very gone.  Writing about absent friends reminded me of them.  I have often thought of getting rid of the chair.  I could use another book shelf.   But the space is sacred.  It is a space of requirement.  I may be lonely for it to be filled but that space belongs to God.

It reminds of how often Christ wants us to be content just to be there with him.  It brings to mind my need to make time just to be in his presence.  I believe all of our good feelings come from God.  If that is true then that contented feeling that echoes in us when someone is simply there with us must be his as well.

Like my child or grandchildren I need to find time to just be there to be reassured that he is there.  I need to rest in his presence and be comforted by it.  In real love there is contentment in the context of proximity even if the chair is old and ugly.

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 ͡°)

To Immensity and Beyond

Greetings Dear Readers,

Do you enjoy the beach? I know I do. I spent many summers of my youth walking the sands of a small Island off the South Carolina coast. Think of the vast grains of sand it takes to make up a single beach. We love to quantify things and yet there are some things that cannot be actually quantified. We can estimate how much sand there is on a beach, but it is not the quantity of sand that makes the beach for us. It is the unique beauty and temporal nature of that beauty that creates awe in us.

Albert Einstein observed that "Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted." What then do we do with the vastness that is in God? I cannot measure the grace and love he must extend to put up with my often rebellious existence. Furthermore, he asks me then to extend grace and love to others and promises to provide to me the measure of that grace and love needed to do so. At what point does God's grace end so that I may quit extending grace to others? It does not.

Someone recently told me that they could not extend grace to me because it would be unwise to do so. They twisted the purpose of grace to their own ends to justify harming me. They do not know the future and neither do they see what grace God would give them to supply their need. I do not wish a God who measures out grace in teaspoons that must be earned. I think it more wise to count on grace to be sufficient for me to extend myself again when necessary so that as I am stretched thin, even to the breaking point, I become more transparent so that others can see it is Christ who provides the grace and I am just the conduit.

Pray that I stand in this rain of grace that God pours down on me so that I may become all he needs me to be to make his love known in the lives of others. I love living for a God who is immeasurable, uncountable, and unquantifiable. Anything less would cheapen my faith.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn