Hold On ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We have heard the old saw about never seeing a hearse pulling a U-Haul.  Still, the Pharaohs built tombs and filled them with things they would need in the afterlife.  We gather things up until the end in most cases.  We hold on to all the wrong things most of the time.

Whether things are good or bad, there is always a need to hold on for some reason.  There will be times even in prosperity where we have to hold on to things that are dear to us.  It is in the holding that we discover what we value.

We live in a culture where we rent storage rooms because we hold on to all the wrong things.  We gather possessions and have much more than we need.  Even now, after purging almost everything I own, I own too much.  Last evening, I went through another round of divesting myself of things I do not need but possess too many.  I felt the loadstone pull to hold onto them.

Life draws us to hold things that we do not need, do not matter, or will harm us when the only thing we can truly hold is Christ.  In that even, it is Jesus that holds us and no one can rest us from his grasp.  Anything we hold other than Christ is useless and will diminish. 

Through Christ we can hold onto love, life, and light even in the darkest and loneliest of days.  I can walk through anything I must to keep following Christ because of a certainty of which I am reminded by my friend Tripp and by Job.  It is that we hold on in hope.  We endure in hope.  Our faith yields hope that whether the darkness is spiritual, metaphorical, or actual, after it there is more.  Beyond it there is real enduring light.  Post tenebras spero lucem ("After darkness, I hope for light").  This is Job as translated from the Latin Vulgate.   The passage is worth understanding in context.  His friends are chiding him and blaming him for his trials and terrors.  Here is the framing of his statement:

Job 17:10-12 (NASB)
10 “But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.
11 “My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.
12 “They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.

In chapter 18, another of his friends argues with him that he must be guilty of something and he needs to quit making excuses.  Job, in the darkness of loss, pain, and terror says this:

Job 19:25-27 (NASB)

²⁵ “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.
²⁶ “Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
²⁷ Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.
My heart faints within me!”

I have no excuse for not holding onto Christ.  I have made the error of trying to hold other things that will not care for me.  They are things, control, and power.  They do not comfort or care.  They badger and batter for my attention and love but give no love in return.  I cannot hold on to people.  I grip chokes too much and they are not mine to hold.  They are mine to love and cherish but they belong to the Father and they are his to hold. 

During this distress and any other, it comes to the same choice that it is during times of plenty and joy.  What will I carry with me?  What will I hold?  If the answer is anything other than Christ, I will lose and I will suffer.  I have already lost much through failing at this.  I will do my best for what time remains to hold on to Christ alone.  This I can do and share it infinitely with anyone.  I will dream my dreams and seek my path home.  You are welcome to journey with me, Dear Reader.  I have failed you in the past, but I hold on to hope that the Father will make all things good between us eventually.

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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Hold On ~ The Gathering Darkness

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the advantages in my living space is that if I turn off all the lights it is almost dark enough to develop film.  For those of you who do not know what developing film means, it is so dark you cannot see your own hand.  I use this to practice moving in the dark without bumping into things.  I am very poor at it.

Still, when I am awake in the wee hours and it is dark, I am not in complete darkness.  There is the light from the microwave clock, the LED lights from devices that are charging, and the tiny Christmas tree that sits on my desk, also provided by LED lights.  Even when the power goes off, my UPS has a row of small lights that cast their red glow across the floor.

We are rarely in total darkness.  Seldom do our lives become plunged into darkness so deep we cannot see.  Still, when I have been in a situation where I needed light, I have always wished that humans were bio-luminescent.  It would be nice if we could will light to shine from our foreheads or hold out a palm and light up our path.  I am captivated by this ability in marine life. 

When I ponder this, I am drawn to a realization.  No matter how dark it is or how deep my inability to see feels, I carry the most important security within me.  Instead of bio-luminescence, as Christ-followers we are gifted with Spirit-luminescence.  The Light of Christ dwells in us.  Even if we can only shuffle, we have a light that illumines the darkness.   We are supposed to be the light-bearers.  We are required to move through the darkness carrying the light of Christ, giving others something to which to hold onto. 

No matter how dark it seems, I have light and must use it.  I have a guide who will not abandon me.  I have the ability to use my faith to illumine any darkness.  I also need to remember that it is impossible to define darkness without speaking of the absence of light.  If therefore, we carry the light of Christ, then we are never in true darkness.  We can hold on because, in the deepest and most terrifying darkness, we are neither alone nor without light.

The journey is long and there will be dark times.  You and I, Dear Reader can find the light to share and help others along the way.  We can be a source of hope and light if we choose to see.  We can teach others to find the same light and follow it home.  No matter how dark it is, we can do that one thing that a journey requires; we can keep moving.

  

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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium         Instagram 

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

Hold On ~ In Dreams

Greetings Dear Reader,

A couple of weeks ago my six-year-old niece was telling me that when she grows up, she wants to be a nurse-astronaut-chef.  Her older brother said that she could not be all of those things.  I explained to her that as we develop more space travel, there will be a need for nurses in space and that anyone could be a chef as a hobby.  She smiled and said, “well then that is what I am doing.”

I often think about the professions I dreamt of as a boy.  I had a chance at a couple of them.  My home was not one that encouraged my dreams and aspirations.  It took me many years to have the courage to dream of things that were my heart and not my doubts.

We see often now the encouragement to hold on to your dreams.  Social media will feed us memes that tell us we can have it all if we pursue it.  Many things, however, get in the way of realizing our dreams.  In the current distress, many who have worked for things envisioned have had to put them on hold.  We can invest in our dreams and never realize them.

I hold onto many dreams that seem foolish to others.  What I have learned is that there are filters I can put in place that make my dreams worthy of time and substance.  Of all the boyhood dreams that have drifted away in the sands of time, being a writer has remained with me and I work at it daily.  What has made the dreams that I have manageable is the filter through which I pass them. 

When I seek my dreams, what am I seeking?  There are two things to hold on to when considering this.  The first is to understand what Jesus wishes me to seek.  His admonition is to seek the Kingdom of God first.  He wishes for my primary vision to be the complete reign of the Father over the universe.  He wishes for me to dream that things on earth be as they are in heaven.   He wants me to follow after the righteousness that comes from that condition.  I must filter my dreams to consider if they line up with that purpose.

The second filter is that of determining where my satisfaction lies.  That which delights me must be the focus of my journey.  If I am delighted by money then I will pursue it.  This is why the core of all delight must be centered on what is worthy of that dedication.  I must hold on to being delighted in Christ.  I must find him as my portion, my passion, and my pursuit.  If I am delighted in Christ, he will provide the desires of my heart.  My mind fully focused on him will filter out the things that are foolish or self-serving dreams.  I will be free to dream of the things that promote the Father’s kingdom and honor Christ.  This does not mean that I cannot dream of things that are not spiritual.  It does mean that no dream can be separated from these ends and be worthy of my time. 

I once dreamt of being a professional baseball pitcher and it was a valid, possible dream.  It is not wrong to want these things.  I must hold on to truth that what the Father allows will lead to the best for all things.  Being delighted in Christ alone yields a life that is free from wasted effort on wasted dreams.  I will hold on to the dreams that I am given and work toward them.  Whilst I am pursuing Christ, I will work toward those dreams and set aside the ones that detract from following more closely.  You are always welcome to journey with me, Dear Reader. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a 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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

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Medium         Instagram 

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

Hold On ~ Lifting Legacies

Greetings Dear Reader,

I mentioned yesterday that I committed 2019 to make love the prime mover in all that I do.  It will take the remainder of my years to perfect this and likely more beyond that.  In order to do this, I must build on that foundation things that enhance my ability to walk the path.

If I am going to deal with all things in love, then that which offends me must be minimized.  I must not let the things that step on my pride or preferences yield offense.  Beyond that, I cannot afford the luxury of allowing my spirit to be offended on behalf of others.  In thinking about how to handle loving others at every turn, I realized that I need to become unoffendable.  As my friend Tripp says, “This unoffendable thing is not easy.”

I must love those who are being hurt or in pain because of others.  This does not allow me to withhold love from the person causing the pain.  This is a hard truth but it is pure truth.  I may take up the defense of others but never take up offenses on their behalf.  We can relay all the circumstances and scenarios we wish but none of them release us from the requirement to love everyone.

It is not loving to be offended by things on behalf of others.  It is wrong to harm anyone but we are not allowed to stop loving those who cause harm.  I need not belabor this Dear Reader.  I must be unoffendable for the sake of others and set an example of loving them and those that are their enemies.  It is not easy but it is true.  I must not lift the legacy of offenses and carry them with me.  If I am lifting offenses, I cannot hold on to love.

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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium         Instagram 

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

Hold On ~ The List

Greetings Dear Reader,

I love lists.  I used to try to fit everything into a list.  I use them for decision making, event planning, and journey preparation.  When I was discussing dealing with the anger in my heart with a friend, she said, “I always knew you had a list.”  She referred to those with whom I had unresolved anger.

When I spent the year of 2019 reordering my thinking about love, I realized that I needed another list.  This list would be different from those I had made in the past.  It needed to be a list used to justify any measure of refusing to love another human.  I needed to be able to place love of others in perspective to their faults and failures.

The list had to work like this: getting on the list of those from whom I am allowed withhold showing love required that you pass two very specific tests.  The first was the severity of your offense as it related to me personally.   I am not saying that the offense could be vague.  I am not counting people who commit heinous offenses who I do not know.  It is a waste of time and resources to hate anyone who I have not met.  It also violates the second rule, which we will consider momentarily. 

The list of offenses is simple to create.  Lies, irresponsibility, and unkindness make the list easily.  Racism, violence, and murder are obvious.  Mistreatment, abuse, and human trafficking are things I clearly hate.  Greed, avarice, and coveting have to be included.  Being that some of these things are worse to me than others, I ordered the list in that way.

It is easy to find ways in this list to shun others.  It is simple to affix labels and categorize people into pods of rejection based on their crimes and sins.  This is why the second filter is necessary to the list.  To remain on the list of those to whom I can withhold active, demonstrable love one must pass both tests.  The second filter is that I will withhold active love from anyone that Jesus refuses to love.

It goes like this, “If he is a controlling narcissist (fill whatever justification you have for withholding love from someone) and Jesus does not love him, I will withhold showing love to him.”  You see, Dear Reader, we have to hold on to that latter filter with everyone that has breath.  That filter is the one we are commanded to use.  The demand from the one who forgives our evil and loves us no matter what we do is to love our enemies, neighbors, and strangers.  We are to love our family and show them love no matter what.

We are to hold on to love at any cost.  I mean that.  I have failed at it and so have you.  We justify our lack of love because of what others have done to us.  The only thing that heals others is love.  The Father’s love for us can see us through loving those who make the first part of the list because of the second filter.  You need not be perfect to say this.  There are those who refuse to show me love because of my past failures.  This is not how we would wish to be treated.  This is the heart of “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” 

If we make a list of those unworthy of our love, what we are really making is a list of those we have not forgiven.  We are calling out those for whom we need to have compassion, kindness, and unconditional love.  If we do not wish to be rejected for our failures, how can we think it is allowable to reject others due to theirs?

Holding on to love is what gives us the power to see the needs of others and at times meet them.  Moving past all of the hatred and anger gives us freedom to follow in a way that makes the journey easier and less painful.  It is not easy to get to that point and requires maintenance but it is worth it.  I will hold on to the idea that no one belongs on this list. I will follow the example of Jesus and count on him to give me the strength to do it.

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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium         Instagram 

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

Hold On ~ Waiting on Worship

Greetings Dear Reader,

“If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”  - Rudyard Kipling   

If I am going to hold on in the current distress, I cannot depend on or trust my feelings alone.  I know that in the past when I have been overburdened by circumstances, I have turned to wild, abandoned worship.  That is not bad but it is, for me, unhealthy.  It is only one side of the adoration coin.

You see, I am not truly worshiping for the sake of giving honor and love to the Father.  I am emoting in a safe way.  It may be that at times it even comes from a place of rage.  If then, I feel overwhelmed, overburdened, or overstimulated by pain or anger, I must wait to worship.  I must keep my head no matter what is going on around me.

As this occurred to me, I have taken a very calm approach to worship time at church and alone.  I sit during worship, taking in what is going on around me and identifying the feelings inside my heart.  I trace them to the thoughts that yield those feelings, pondering the thinking and the purpose behind it.  Once I know where my head is, I will find lines in the current worship song that reflect my honest thoughts toward the Father. 

Whether in corporate worship or alone, I speak clear thoughtful statements about my love for the Father and my gratitude for all he does for us.  I face how I am really thinking and yield my heart to things that honor God instead of emoting to squelch the undeniable voice of truth.  Shouting and dancing is just noise if it is not couched in the arms of truth.

We must hold on by keeping our heads.  We must think well and allow every true thought to have its voice in us.  I must meter my feelings based on truth and not make the feeling my truth instead.  I have to think and then feel.  When the truth that flows through my mind is good, then I can love through worship with abandon.  I must worship in spirit and in truth.  If I only worship in spirit I am leaving out half of the binary that connects me to the Father in the moment of adoration.

Whether it is a captivating sunrise or an act of kindness witnessed, I can take a beat to see the Father at work and express my love and gratitude for the truth of his presence in all things.  Part of learning to be in a constant attitude of prayer is seeing the Father at work in every moment.  I must wait to worship so that I hold on to the truth.  I must be sure that my heart and mind are aligned with the reality of the situation.  

If I worship to avoid dealing with the truth, I am taking the name of the Father for my own purposes; in vain.  That, Dear Reader, will lead to less truth and more pain.  That will destroy my ability to hold on.  As we journey together, let us keep our heads and share honestly with the Father what hinders us.  Then we can move past the obstruction and worship in spirit and in truth.  Then we will have the whole of worship to help us hold our place and travel onward.  We will be able to travel in the midst of where the Father abides.

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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium         Instagram 

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

Hold On ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

In my collection of short stories, Sheetrock on the Road, every story begins with “sometimes.”  It is a device that I will carry into the second volume which is almost complete in its first draft.  It led me to a thought that I wish to process and invite you into the journey through that course.

I was reading through my book of Kipling poetry and this line jumped into my head and began to demand attention: “And so, hold on when there is nothing in you except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’”  I have been besieged of late with my desire to be where I wish to be and doing what I wish to do.  The present distress and some of my obligations do not yet allow this. 

If you read regularly, you know that I long to only derive my income from writing.  You also know about Project Tortoiseshell.  I am not impatient for these to be a reality.  I am, however, longing for it.  For those of you who pray for me, I would be honored if you would include these two things in your prayers.  That is not my focus here.

What I wish to ponder and hone is my mind’s will to hold on when things are not as I wish them to be or unfolding as quickly as I desire.  I believe that we are not as good at holding on as we should be at it.  In too many ways we have lost the long view of things.  We forget that what we are traveling through at this point is not permanent.  We lose sight of the journey in the current circumstance. 

There is a proverb that has an uncertain origin.  It has been attributed to many philosophers.  I care more for its truth than its progenitor.  “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.”  I have heard worded several different ways but the truth is the same.

I want to think clearly through ways and circumstances in which we need to hold on.  It may take all of our wills.  It may take all of our courage and strength.  It may even take all of our faith, but we must remember how to hold on to truth and journey forward.  I must hold on to my resolve and heart.  No matter how long it takes, I must believe that the tree will grow and there will be shade for those in need.

Please travel with me, Dear Reader as we look to bolster our hope and heart.  Perhaps we can find better ways to hold on to that which matters and throw away things that do not.  It will not always be easy or seem practical.  It will allow us to move closer to home and to that time when hope and faith are no longer necessary.  It will give us a place to stand until we see the next step.  Perhaps we can learn together some better ways to hold on because your thoughts and questions always help me see a bit clearer. 

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          

Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook       Twitter        

Medium         Instagram 

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