Penny and Pound ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have never been one who likes Kool-aide.  When it comes to politics, social issues, and faith I become more and more someone who cares more for thinking thing through than following along.

No one, including you and I Dear Reader is right about everything.  My pursuit must be for truth with humility.  I must listen with compassion to what others think.  I must filter every position through the requirements of my faith to love and compassion.  I must seek righteousness and holiness with every step.

When any side demands that we accept everything in order to “belong” I must question the validity of the motives.  You do not have to believe everything I do for me to love and accept you.  I am all in on wanting everyone to have love and value.  I desire for every human to have the chance to live a rich and meaningful life. 

I cannot accept that all beliefs or positions are acceptable.  I do not, however, hate anyone just because I disagree.   I am not allowed to accept everything. I am not allowed to hate anyone.  These can live in harmony.  It is my obligation to be in for a penny and a pound on my love for Jesus and following him.  I am also required to be all in on my love for every human. 

It may be the one place where I insist that we should all be all in.  If everything we did was out of love for each other the world would be a much better place.   It is in this truth that we could all agree even if it is just a philosophical starting place.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Logical Conclusions

Greetings Dear Reader,

We take positions on issues and ideals.  We decide what we believe and what we think others should believe.  Adopting values that coincide with our beliefs becomes who we are.  Very seldom do we have the courage to take our belief systems to their logical conclusions.

I am not going to dive into this too deeply.  Remember Dear Reader that I am processing this for my own benefit.  I am trying to sort out the reasons why I am all in relative to my faith and following.

Do we really follow our beliefs to their logical conclusions?  My faith tells me that the entire effort is to get things back to good.  It requires me to love unconditionally.  It requires me to care for the needs of others.  It is vital that I not dismiss anyone based on his or her beliefs. 

I ponder if others follow their beliefs to their logical conclusion.  If, for example, there is only the natural world and this is all a huge accident there is no logical reason for me to care for anyone’s needs/wants but my own.  We can postulate all we want that about common good and making the world a better place.  If this is all there is then it does not matter. 

I must follow my faith to its logical conclusions and live them.  I must be all in for this or abandon it.  Since I believe it the latter is not an option.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Worrisome Words

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the terms that recently stopped me in my tracks was “alternative facts”.  By its very nature a fact is “a thing that is indisputably the case.”   It is, therefore, unreasonable and worrisome when one claims that there are alternative facts. 

Just the facts Ma'am.  Just the facts...

We may disagree on ideas and ideals.  When we disagree on things of substance we look for facts.  When we disagree that there are absolute truths we really have no ground on which to stand.  Pilate asked this of Jesus.  He asked “What is truth?” 

We seek axiomatic principle in almost everything and in many cases reject what we find.  If we claim that there are no fundamental truths then we are loaded with logical difficulties in all communication.  In many cases the alternate truth is a lie or an error.

We demand that others embrace our “truth” and judge them if they do not.  Again, both the right and left do this with vigor so do not think that there are alternate truths about it.  I realize that there is a question begged here and I will not duck it.

I claim to hold belief in some very narrow absolute truths.   I also realize that these truths are not as inclusive as some popular thought would require.  These beliefs do not make me phobic or a racist.  They do not generate hatred or prejudice. 

Everything I believe is based on two primary requirements.  I must love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This alone is a lifelong effort that must be renewed daily.  I must love my family, neighbors, strangers, and enemies without qualification.

This means that anything else I claim as truth must fall in line with those requirements.  I cannot accept that there are alternate facts that go against this requirement.  I will not accept that I have to agree with you about everything to live out these commands.  In fact, I am required to reject ideas that would make these commands invalid.

If there are no hard truths that we can treat as the bedrock of our congress together then everyone is entitled to their own choice of alternate facts.  I know what my dangerous weaknesses are.  The world does not want an Aramis Thorn who pursues those alternate “truths”.   More on that thinking tommorw.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ A Response

Greetings Dear Reader,

I hope you realize how highly I value your responses.  Elisabeth sent me a response to yesterday’s post that I felt deserved to be shared with you Dear Reader.   She posted the address to a simple passage from the first letter to Timothy from the Apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 You must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfeeling, uncooperative, slanderous, degenerate, brutal, hateful of what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.  They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.

Please know that I do not intend to launch on a tirade about the last days or point a finger at anyone.  I find this passage fits greatly with the idea of a world with malleable ethics.  I could spend an entire series just pondering the meaning of each term in relation to the current state of both our national and world culture.

More important is that we realize when we see this behavior in the world we should not be surprised.  We should also assure that if we are following Christ we avoid these things.  Most interesting is that the list begins with people loving themselves.  These does not mean self-worth.  It means that people put their desires over what it right and the common welfare.

I would say that both sides of the coin do that to a great extent.  How often do we see an individual put his or her “rights” or will above the common good?  We I am not being prophetic.  I am merely commenting on what I see in the world.

I must see this list as something to avoid.  I must assure that I am not boastful, arrogant, hateful.  I must love the Father rather than what makes me feel good.  It is in being faithful to the opposite of these things that I find myself following Christ more closely.  Thank you Elisabeth.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Malleable Ethics

Greetings Dear Reader,

There are some things where one is either in or out.  One cannot be “a little bit pregnant.”  One is alive or dead.  One is faithful to one’s spouse or they are not.  There are some lines that cannot be crossed without being other than what we claim to be.

I cannot point my finger at others.  That is not my place nor the purpose of this exercise each day.  Rather it is so that I honestly consider what I must be in my heart, mind, and actions so that I do what is right.  I fail. That too drives me.  I want to be better today than yesterday.

Increasingly we see that ethics in our culture are opening malleable.  Our ethics have always been situational in some ways but it becomes more open and flagrant of late.  We have a serious problem of being ethically mercurial.   

We live out logical fallacies and embrace untenable philosophies.  We deny truths to appease our social and political desires.  We put truth, honor, justice, love, and kindness on a sliding scale.  

I had friend, who no longer considers me a friend because he wanted to minimize God’s command to love everyone.  He insisted that we need only respect everyone.  The Father is clear that we must love Him, our neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies.

We cannot pick and choose to whom we will show love, grace, and kindness.  I cannot refuse to love anyone.  I cannot pretend that I am better than anyone else.  I must be all in as one who commits to being faithful in my devotion to Christ’s example and following him.  It is not a weapon.  It is a practice in clear ethics lived out in humility.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Intolerant Inclusion

Greetings Dear Reader,

It seems that both the right and the left have a blind spot that I am not sure how to heal.   They both seem to demand that if I side with their side on anything that I must side with their side on everything.  When I offer a penny, each side demands a pound.

Some of these arguments for consistency are logical.  I cannot want equality in an area without wanting it for all humans.  I cannot speak of the value of life without speaking to the value of every life.  Where the demand for pounds over pennies confounds me is in the assumption of cross-pollination of values.  

My faith does not allow me to accept every position of either side.  I cannot claim to follow Christ and accept hatred of any kind.   I cannot promote violence and follow the Prince of Peace.   I cannot worship the Father and allow the slaughter of children. 

It is my experience, however, that both sides demand that I follow in the extreme no matter how illogical the position becomes.  To bolster this untenable dichotomy false syllogisms are created.  It is assumed that because I disagree on a point that I disagree on all points.   In the inverse if I support either side’s position on a single point it is assumed that I support it on all points. 

I can oppose the murder of the unborn without feeling that women should have less rights than men.  I can believe that all people should have access to quality affordable healthcare without being a communist. 

What I must do is follow Christ no matter who it offends.  As with so many things the demands of both sides make no room for the things that are reasonable.  The truth is often somewhere in the middle.  I must seek Christ and the truth no matter what the cost; penny or pound.

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 ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I begin with the presumption that we have all heard the expression “in for a penny; in for a pound.”  For those of you who do not it simply means that one is all in for something.  It means that if accept a part of something then you accept it all.

I find that I ponder this in light of things of and not of the faith.  Let me mitigate a question.  All things are of faith.  There are no secular issues.  There are, however, sectarian issues.  There are questions of custom, practice, and politics that one must answer individually. 

These questions have to do with faith and following.  They have to do what is required of me by the Father and sometimes its opposition to the church, the public, and the politic.   By way of example I consider that there are those who would have me hate people who do not share my faith.  This is not the way the Father deals with the world.

In some things I am all in.  In some things I must not be because I cannot accept all things.  To hone my skill in following I must ponder all of them carefully.  In this part of the journey I will not get to them all but I hope you will walk with me for a bit as I ponder those before me.  Thank you as always for your company 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

There are so many analogies that make it clear that our moral high ground is almost always shifting sand.   Jesus used the analogy of removing the beam or log from one’s own eye before trying to remove the spec from another’s. 

In truth we have moved so far from genuine accountability that we have forgotten how out of bounds we often are.  We often have double standards.  We decide which things are wrong or right based on our own values instead of accountability to outside standards.  We then claim that we are “right” and others are “wrong” based on our preferences, prejudices, and predilections. 

As a follower of Christ I must adhere to sound principals based on his teachings.  One of those teachings is that I not ever assume that I have the moral high ground.  In truth, if I want to take the high moral ground I must never assume that I am on the moral high ground. 

I must never see others as less than me.  In fact I am required to think of others better than myself.  It is about seeing the value and beauty in every human.  It is that the high moral ground is seeing that every life matters.  Every human has inalienable rights just because they exist.  If we do not love everyone and reject others based on own standards we will be very surprised.  If you cast aside anyone and think you have the high moral ground a tidal wave is coming.

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 ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Deplorables in Baskets

Greetings Dear Reader,

I wonder how many people have taken the time to look up the definition of “deplorable”?  Not to worry, I have done it for you Dear Reader.  

Deplorable: 

adjective:

1. deserving strong condemnation.

"the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held"

synonyms:     disgraceful, shameful, dishonorable, unworthy, inexcusable, unpardonable, unforgivable; reprehensible, despicable, abominable, contemptible, execrable, heinous, beyond the pale

"your conduct is deplorable"

antonyms:     admirable

2. shockingly bad in quality.

"her spelling was deplorable"

synonyms:  lamentable, regrettable, unfortunate, wretched, atrocious, awful, terrible, dreadful, diabolical; sorry, poor, inadequate; informal: appalling, dire, abysmal, woeful, lousy;

"the garden is in a deplorable state"

antonyms:     excellent

When I see these words I can see applying them to actions but never to a person.  Calling any person deplorable is to fly in the face of love and kindness required of those who would be on the moral high ground.   We can condemn actions as disgraceful or reprehensible.  It is not wrong to identify behavior as abominable, heinous, terrible, or diabolical. 

People are to be loved and valued by us.  No one is to be written off as unworthy of love and the opportunity to be better that he or she is.  The Father expresses that we all fall short of his expectations for us.  He does not reject us because of it.  Instead he sacrifices all he is to build a bridge to us.

So I wonder, given the full meaning of this word, if we would ever assign it to any individual.  Even less to apply it to half of a group that represents millions of your fellow countrymen is very far from the moral high ground.  Perhaps it is unwise to ever generalize in the negative about humans outside of the natural negatives we all share.

It is not my place to call anyone deplorable.  There is no moral high ground for me if I insult others this way because I think I have the high moral ground.

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 ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Mocked and Scorned

Greetings Dear Reader,

This coin has two very dark sides.  For those of us that follow Christ we all too often scorn those who are our detractors.  We pick a class of morality or values and decide that for some reason “those people” are less than us in some way.

The very people we are supposed to love instead are treated with disdain and disrespect.  The ones in need of unconditional love and acceptance get scorned by those who have accepted that from God.  To scorn anyone is to fly in the face of all that we believe.

The other ugly side of this coin is that of mockery.  I have been mocked for my beliefs even by members of my own family.  I have seen those who share my treated with little tolerance and acceptance of their diversity.  We are required to accept everyone but in the same breath unacceptable.

Our intelligence and character are questioned because we do not always accept things that are outside of our faith.  Mockery of our beliefs is acceptable to others.   Insulting our God is common language in our culture.  Others think nothing of cursing our God with no regard for how it impacts us as his followers.

We are mocked for our faith and often we scorn those we are supposed to love.  When we arrogantly reject others perhaps we deserve to be mocked.  When we scorn others we fail to live the love we are required to show.  We all really need to see others and their needs.  Mocking or scorning others is a bad penny best not picked up by anyone. 

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 ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Lent: Not Just for Adverting

Greetings Dear Reader,

These forty days of Lent are observed in differing ways in the Christian world.  The discussion about what one “gives up” arises and as was the case yesterday on Jeopardy.  The idea of this is not one we are to advertise.

My Daughter asked me yesterday what I was giving up for Lent.  I reminded her that I do not share what I choose to set aside for a time.  I have, in a couple of instances so that I could have some needed accountability.  The point being that this is to be an internal decision evidenced by a private outward action.

When we sadly report that we cannot enjoy the cake because we have given up sweets we are not serving the spirit of Lent.  The choice is voluntary for the purpose of focusing on faith and following.  We are supposed to rejoice in the moment and replace the indulgence with thoughts of Christ and his love and sacrifice for us.

We have turned it into thing we do as a matter of comparison and conversation.  I must as with all things act in faith.  I must trust that my sacrifice will create moments where I become closer in my understanding of who Christ is.   It is a month of moments to be caught off guard with the opportunity to focus on Jesus instead of whatever want I have replaced with him.

There is the crux of it.  We think we have the moral high ground because we give up soda for Christ when in fact he is supposed to be at the center of everything.  The high moral ground is for me to put Christ first in all things in love and humility.  It is my joy to quietly allow him to create moments where I am reminded of this.  These moments when I encounter that which I have sacrificed can put me in mind of all that was sacrificed for me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Fat Tuesday

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am going to sound prudish in the example but please understand that I do not do so in judgement of others.  Rather it is to lay the foundation for that which I must assure that I embrace.  I do not think that I am better than anyone.  I do think that we are doing it wrong.

Today is Fat Tuesday.  In some places there will be all night debauchery.  I am not against alcohol.  I think celebrations are grand.  The purpose of Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday was to indulge in richer foods before beginning the fasting and prayer time of Lent.  It was the culmination of the time of Carnival which lasts from the Feast of Epiphany to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

As with all most things we have gone overboard in the feasting and lost most of the purpose.  I will spend the evening pondering the plenty that I have and how it is a blessing from God.  I will ponder the cost of my redemption in the days leading up to Holy Week. 

God does not require us to follow a liturgical calendar.  He does honor it when we commit ourselves to understanding just how much he has given us.  I must celebrate and fast when it is appropriate.  I must remember that there is a high cost for my redemption.  The purpose is not to be naught to be good.  It is instead to celebrate what I have then deny some of that in recognition of what I will receive.

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 ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Moral Compass

Greetings Dear Reader,

When we choose what we see as proper or good it can be based on many things.  The values we hold are formed by our environment, education, examples, and experiences.  Our elders hand us a moral compass that points toward their true north.  We choose whether to follow it or create our own.

The one given by those who rear us may or may not align with directions that are socially acceptable.  They compass points may consider the needs of others or may be based on a faith or following of other traditions.  The compass points tell us when we are headed toward that which we value.

My moral compass must be based on my faith.  The one I was handed by my parents had too many erratic movements to be kept.  The one I chose was based on things leaned later and planted earlier by my Grandfather.  Following Christ demands that I have a moral compass. 

The compass demands that I have strict moral values and that I live by them.  It also forbids me from condemning others who do not follow it.  It requires that I live an example and not from a position of pride or arrogance.  I must never claim to have the moral high ground but must walk it in a spirit of humble grace. 

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 ͡°)

High Moral Ground ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

As I watch the verbal civil war raging in our nation I notice that all sides claim the high moral ground.  We all want to believe our values are the ones that are correct.  We have standards that we think are the “right” standards.

Some claim that there are no absolute right or wrong positions.  Others see a vast spectrum of gray where everyone can do as he or she pleases.  Some of these gray positions include that one should not harm others.

There is a difference between claiming the moral high ground and being on high moral ground.  I am pondering my standards; how they impact my life, which ones are preferences, and which ones are intricate to my faith.  

As I wonder through this thinking I search for the path that keeps me closest to Christ.  I search for the high moral ground without ever claiming the moral high ground.  The only way to do this is with humility and, therefore, it is impossible for me to claim much given my need for grace and mercy.

Please walk with for a bit as I try to match my values and standards with who Christ is over my preferences and predilections.   As always, your thoughts Dear Reader or cherished.  Your company helps move me down the road.

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 ͡°)