That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Through the week I have been writing this great sorrow has visited me.  Two dear friends have passed away.  I have had to watch young parents burry their young child.  Another precipitating sorrow walks with me daily about which I am not free to speak. 

It is in these moments that I realize that the daily challenges seem so difficult because my energy goes to processing the grief and loss.  We hear about floods and do not really comprehend them until they impact us.  We do not feel the loss of waters washing away all there is until it is OUR all there is. 

The slow flood of things over the last year have tried to wash me away.  I thought I was strong.  I am not.  I have faith.  I want to say unequivocally that it is Christ and the kindness of others that is sustaining me.  Only through faith and following am I not destroyed.  My emotions want me to despair and doubt.  I refuse. 

We must train our minds to be stronger than our feelings or we will lose ourselves every time.  I was in danger of losing myself.  The sorrow and grief remind me where to look.  The pain and loss drive me to pursue.  The joy in the darkest parts of the journey is found in following the Light.  “That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much…Except Sweet Jesus, roll all over me.”

Sweet River Roll – Waterdeep

Homebound Henry's got a tumor in his head
He wakes up every morning after dreaming he was dead
He used to think that life was boring, but now that's not the case
He turns to his wife in the evening, he says "Honey I'm afraid I'm gonna lose this race."

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

Soaking wet Juliet- she lives in a well full of tears
Her husband left her for some bimbo after twenty-two years

Now she's got to start all over, but she's just so terrified
She thinks it woulda been so much easier if he woulda just died 

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

And I'm lookin out my car window sittin' in the pouring rain
Although your house is fifteen miles away, I can still feel your pain

I've thought and prayed and worked it through about a hundred times or more
How your soul just cries to everyone to help you get up off the floor 

Right now it's morning, you're probably totally unaware
Of the flood of kisses you hold back by the way that you despair

It ain't me I'm talking about here, or anybody else you can touch
That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much…

Except Sweet Jesus, roll all over me
Sweet Jesus, roll all over me...

You gotta come down and just set me free

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ You Say

Greetings Dear Reader,

We get so caught up in our own thoughts and feelings that we do not hear it when others say good things to us.  We treat the good like we are coated with oil and the bad like we are made of glue.  We imagine things far more harmful than what was actually said.

When we build lies, even on the truth we do so much damage to ourselves.  We can create a maelstrom of negative thought that destroys us.  The trap of negativity in our minds becomes quicksand.  We think we are the authority on us when that is just not true.

I know that I do not see my good or bad qualities as clearly as I should.  There are those who see me as wonderful and those who see me as horrid.  I must be careful not to believe my own press and not to fail to see that which is true about me.  The vital truth about me is contained in the Father’s view of me. 

You too Dear Reader need to see the love and great regard that the Father has for you.  You do not grasp the depth to which you are cherished.  That is all I am going to say right now, except perhaps, you should listen to this song… 

You Say - Lauren Daigle

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough

Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up

Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?

Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

And You say I am held when I am falling short

And when I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours

And I believe, oh I believe

What You say of me

I believe

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me

In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, o-ooh

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

And You say I am held when I am falling short

And when I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours

And I believe, oh I believe

What You say of me

Oh, I believe

Taking all I have and now I'm laying it at Your feet

You have every failure God, You have every victory, o-ooh

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

You say I am held when I am falling short

When I don't belong, oh You say that I am Yours

And I believe, oh I believe

What You say of me

I believe

Oh I believe, yes I believe

What You say of me

I believe

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Unaware

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Right now it's morning, you're probably totally unaware
Of the flood of kisses you hold back by the way that you despair

It ain't me I'm talking about here, or anybody else you can touch
That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much…”

Rivers roll whether we wish it or not.  They roll even if we do not know they exist.  They carry their water and flotsam along the course they flow.  Rivers roll because it is their nature to do so.

We can use them for great purposes.  They allow for commerce and leisure travel.  They feed dams for hydroelectric energy.  When we dam a river for its energy we create a potential flood should the dam fail.  We have all see the effects of floods.  They devastate. 

Our denial of the Father’s love for us shows in so many of our poorer habits.  We choose things that keep us from knowing the love of God.  We think that through unbelief and self-gratification we can hold back the flood that is coming.  Love crushes those barriers like a rolling storm-engorged river.

I can only do so much.  What I can do is refrain from creating barriers and do my part in showing that love to others.  That, however, is all I am going to say right now…

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ I Thought and Prayed and Worked it Through

Greetings Dear Reader,

“And I'm lookin out my car window sittin' in the pouring rain
Although your house is fifteen miles away, I can still feel your pain

I've thought and prayed and worked it through about a hundred times or more
How your soul just cries to everyone to help you get up off the floor”

I hear you Dear Reader.  I do not often have the answer in a practical applicable form but I do hear you.  Your pain is real and I understand it.  Even if you think I do not understand it, I do not have to in order to love you and care about your pain.

We all end up on the floor at some time.  We all need help to get up and try again.  Too often we fail to help each other rise.  We look down, condemn, and step over or on those who need a hand. 

We also alienate those who want to genuinely help.  We let our pride or our romance with our pain keep us from accepting help when we need it.  We sometimes let our hurt become our identity.  We claim we are not victims whilst playing the role in every moment. 

My failure is often to tell everyone I am OK when I am not.  I do draw a line between making my troubles my banner and denying them.  I must be more forthcoming when I speak to my friends.  I must be more open here as well. 

We all need help to get up off the floor.  We should do better at doing that for each other.  That’s all I’m gonna say right now.  I don’t wanna say too much.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Soaking Wet Juliet

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Soaking wet Juliet- she lives in a well full of tears
Her husband left her for some bimbo after twenty-two years

Now she's got to start all over, but she's just so terrified
She thinks it woulda been so much easier if he woulda just died” 

Relationships are so difficult in our time.  Conflicts of values, priorities, and lifestyles limit our ability or willingness to connect.  Once in relationships there are easier escape clauses and diversions.  The complexity of the world and our roles in it make it too easy to disregard commitment, responsibilities, and vows. 

We actually use our own desires and wants as justification for violation of the trust of others.  Please read clearly that I said “WE”.   I am guilty of this as well.   We abandon lives that are our responsibility in the name of finding ourselves.  We pursue our dreams leaving a wake of destruction and pain.  It always comes back to us. 

The other side of that is our failure to forgive those who wrong us.  We carry the pain as our new best friend.  We turn bitterness into our way of life.  We make the betrayal our banner and gather like minds under it.  This too leaves a wake of pain in its path and returns nothing good to us.

We justify our failures.  Sometimes we abandon all of our values just to get what we want.  In truth, even if things turn out well for us we have bought that success on the lives of others.  That is never acceptable, but that is all I am going to say right now.  I don’t want to say too much…except, sweet river, roll.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Homebound Henry

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Homebound Henry's got a tumor in his head
He wakes up every morning after dreaming he was dead
He used to think that life was boring, but now that's not the case
He turns to his wife in the evening, he says ‘Honey I'm afraid I'm gonna lose this race.’"

This first verse of the song I chose as my springboard into this always haunts me a little.  I know people who are facing terminal or chronic disease and pain.  I also know the long-term impact of nightmares on our ability to cope. Pain and trauma impede our hope and too often others just do not understand.

I know that even talking about the maladies that I face is uncomfortable for me.  I do not wish to complain or burden others with carrying my pack.  I also know that when I do not address my needs I slip into unhealthy ways of dealing with them. 

We need to be more compassionate to the ongoing pain of others.  There is a balance between enabling their weakness related to it and not showing the needed kindness.  We must not let pain be our banner but we must also care about the pain of others.  I have friends who suffer daily from emotional, mental, or physical pain.  Some of those with physical maladies have a clock on their lives. 

Since we are all on the same journey and is not a race, it does not harm us to be more compassionate and caring.  We lose nothing when we invest kindness in the hurt of others.  I would wager that instead we gain.  My obligation is not to get “my needs” met.  It is to care for others and trust that my needs will get met. 

Again, I find that following Christ is not about me.  It is about being sure that I am compassionate and loving others at any cost.  When I focus on my own pain and needs I turn inward.  That is not how we are designed, but that is all I am going to say right now. I do not want to say too much.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Self Talk

Greetings Dear Reader,

We hear and see things often about our inner dialogue.  Not a day goes by where social media does not include a meme about who we are and how we should think of ourselves.  The subject is vital but I wonder if we have the discipline to apply it.

When I think of self talk, I think that the negative messages over which we ruminate are the dangerous things.  All wrong begins as a thought.  We ponder something and then it becomes an action.  Our negative feelings about everything start as a tendril of thought that we allow to grow into weeds that clog our minds.

Thomas Traherne said, “To think well is to serve God in the interior court.”  We are told in the epistles to bring into captivity every thought.  It is how we think that determines what we do.  It is our minds that lead us to good or ill.

We choose.  We take in data and accept or reject it.  We tend to believe lies over the truth.  We embrace negative over positive.  I must capture every thought.  I must kill the bad ones and propagate the good ones.  I must reject the lies and have faith in the truth.  I must only say what is good and true.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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

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That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now ~ Too Many Words

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have been downsizing my library of late.  My goal is to reduce it by half.  As I work through what to lose and keep something occurred to me that had not.  I sit here spinning out my thoughts and tales so easily because I have a computer.  So many of the books I have were written before there were computers.  Many of those were created before the typewriter.

Even my earliest writings were done on a typewriter.  When I consider the works of writers like Charles Dickens I see the many hours of penning tales, restarts, and then typesetting to create the newspaper in which the story was forged or the book to be published. 

Anyone can write what he or she wishes and throw it out on the blogosphere for others to read or ignore.  It is too easy to say too much.  It takes no discipline to rant about anything for pages.  I often wish to do this.  The discipline is to say what needs saying and do so lovingly, politely. 

I do not need to trample on anyone to express my thoughts and questions.  I would prefer to have the real-life conversations in person so that I can listen as well as communicate.  It is easy to use too many words.

As I work to craft my novels I fill in detail and descriptions to extend the experience for you Dear Reader.  Here I aim to be brief out of respect for your precious time.  I would be honored to hear a word or two from you.  I will keep it brief so that I make space to listen.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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“That’s All I Gonna Say Right Now” ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

There comes a time when we must all choose.  What we choose always matters and there are ripples, reverberations, and repercussions.  Some things can be healed or mended.  Words can never be recalled.

We go through the process.  We feel, think, and speak.  We judge and condemn.  We become angry, make assumptions, and harbor opinions that damage those we love and our own spirits.  As we sink deeper into the things that harm us we speak lies and do harm.  I still carry the echoes of words said to me when what I needed what an ear and some kindness.

We know that we need help and we summon the courage to speak.  We seek out someone and take the risk.  Then, all that person does is talk, advise, and fail.  They do not see that we need someone to just listen.  We need them to listen with heart and spirit and be with us.

Recent events have required that I confront that heart.  I am a very good listener when I remember to listen.  Sometimes, however, I get mired in my own thoughts and feelings and forget that I am supposed to be that good listener.  A series of serious events have reminded me that I need to constantly sharpen this blade.  If I do not I become dull of hearing and fail to be of good use to others.

I intend to spend some time delving into this.  I intend to listen to the things others say and form a better strategy for helping.  This week has included death, tragedy, and pain that impact me deeply.  As I see how things unfold I realize just how little I can do other than be there. 

Please walk with me Dear Reader.  Tell me what you want me to listen for.  I know that I must become more aware of the flood of love that awaits us all in a world that works so hard to hold it back.  That is all I am going to say right now.  I don't want to say too much.  Sweet river, roll.    

Sweet River Roll – Waterdeep

Homebound Henry's got a tumor in his head
He wakes up every morning after dreaming he was dead
He used to think that life was boring, but now that's not the case
He turns to his wife in the evening, he says "Honey I'm afraid I'm gonna lose this race."

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

Soaking wet Juliet- she lives in a well full of tears
Her husband left her for some bimbo after twenty-two years

Now she's got to start all over, but she's just so terrified
She thinks it woulda been so much easier if he woulda just died 

Sweet River, roll all over me
Sweet River, roll all over me 

And I'm lookin out my car window sittin' in the pouring rain
Although your house is fifteen miles away, I can still feel your pain

I've thought and prayed and worked it through about a hundred times or more
How your soul just cries to everyone to help you get up off the floor 

Right now it's morning, you're probably totally unaware
Of the flood of kisses you hold back by the way that you despair

It ain't me I'm talking about here, or anybody else you can touch
That's all I want to say right now, I don't want to say too much…

Except Sweet Jesus, roll all over me
Sweet Jesus, roll all over me...

You gotta come down and just set me free

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

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

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Times They are A ‘Changing

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have many friends who struggle with the loss of an hour of sleep and are feeling that pain this Monday morning.  I have always been someone who needs little sleep and who rises early.  It does not really impact me. 

This means that I get to be more compassionate for those who do suffer from this event.  My dear friend Heather is begging for buckets of espresso.  My Daughter will struggle with the adjustment for days.   Mothers of young children will be awakened early for weeks. 

There is humor to be had.  There are memes all over social media.  There will be stories of being late for brunch or church or work.  There is humor to be found in the difficulties as we are subjected to a practice that seems archaic or useless. 

The history of the event is not well known and there are false things that are assumed true.  Benjamin Franklin did not invent it.  He did propose getting up earlier and going to bed earlier during certain times of the year.  It was not done to aid farmers.  Cows do not know that they need to be milked an hour earlier.  The corn does not care what time you plant it. Many countries have tried to do away with it but abandoned the idea.  The state of Arizona refuses to play.  It is "Daylight Saving Time" not Daylight Savings Time".

No one has risen up to lead the charge to change the change.  I enjoy the daylight lasting longer in the summer evenings.  It fits with the romance I remember of baseball and peaches as a youth.  It reminds me of drifting along Georgia roads in my first Volkswagen with my friends. 

It also reminds me of how little I control in my world.  I can only control my responses.  I can only control how I act.  As with all things I must ride the wave and seek to be good to my fellow humans.  I must be a little more patient whilst others adjust.  I must be grateful that it is easy for me.  Oh, and I must remember how to change the clock in my car. 

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 ͡°)

Love They Neighbor Revisited ~ Closing

Greetings Dear Reader,

I cannot solve the many problems we face.  I can be a part of the solution.  We can all be a part of the solution.  We started this by noting there are two laws upon which all laws are built.  I cannot impose those laws on anyone else.  I cannot force you to love others.

All that I can do is work with all that I am to love God and to love others.  I cannot make you be reasonable.  I cannot force you to see right or wrong.  I cannot even be sure that you will see it if I do.  What I can do is live the values I hold and be an example. 

I cannot make others humble about following Christ.  I cannot stop those who say they follow Jesus from using his name for their own purposes.  What I can do is work daily to realize how much grace and mercy I need.  I can work at understanding and living humility. 

Love is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal against evil.  My duty is to use it as often as I am able.  There is always a war for good.  There is always need for me to fight for others to feel loved.  It sounds oxymoronic but it is true. 

I must realize that any other rules or laws I embrace must have their foundation built upon love of God and my neighbor.  They must flow through that filter into my life.  If what I do is not loving then it is wrong.  I can be that way without mitigating holiness, righteousness, and justice.  If we all work toward loving each other the problems will sort out themselves. 

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 ͡°)

Love They Neighbor Revisited ~ So Very Basic

Greetings Dear Reader,

It could be that at times I oversimplify things.  I know that at times I also overcomplicate them.  In this instance it may be that the answers are very basic and that all our responses do is muddy the water and hinder action.

When we struggle with forgiveness we wonder how often we have to forgive someone.  We want to find the place where we can stop being forgiving more than we want to love others.  That means that the problem is us.

We are often given opportunities to be good to others.  Instead we serve our own interests.   We put our agenda ahead of being good to others.  We make choices for our own interests.  We make up reasons not to keep our commitments both small and large.  What we assure in the moment of asking becomes murky when it is time to act.  What we promise becomes a choice in our mind and we refuse to keep our word.

All of this is a failure to love each other.  It is really true that when we do these things we are saying, “I love my own interest more than I love you.”  I may want to do things for my own needs.  That is not always wrong but my primary responsibility is not my needs but, rather, the needs of others.

We immediately ponder that our needs will not get met.  If everyone stopped focusing on their own interests and truly saw and met the needs of others it would become something amazing.  I cannot be the one who says, “they may not reach out to me so I will not reach out for them.” 

I must take the first step.  I must risk it every time so that others can risk it as well.  It is not in this that we find our reclamation.  It is in this that we know we have been reclaimed.

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 ͡°)

Love They Neighbor Revisited ~ Kindness Need Not Be Random

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I was young things contrived to build up a great deal of anger in me.  I had no mechanism for dealing with it at the time.  Some was justified and some was my indulgence of my darker nature.  For a time, anything that felt good hurt.  I was on the road to hard-hearted hatred of myself and every other human.  I was also very good at acting like I did not.

Then a stranger infused some very intentional and determined kindness into my life.  He refused to let my mask and my hard heart keep him from being kind to me.  He spent time and effort teaching me how to be tenderhearted.  I promised you some practical approaches to loving one’s neighbor.

It may be as simple as looking for opportunities to be kind.  Whether it is setting a standard of being kind to everyone we encounter or seizing opportunities for intentional moments of kindness out of the ordinary, we can set our hearts toward always being kind.  We can choose to be kind to others as a matter of course.

Loving one’s neighbor requires kindness.  The best way not to miss it is to practice it intentionally.   Engage with people.  Treat them as more than the service they provide or the stranger next to you.  When we intentionally infuse kindness into the lives of others we set aside our busy selves.  We see the people we encounter as humans to be loved and valued.

Again, this seems like a broad stroke.  In truth it is a standard that can guide almost all of our congress with others.  As I move through the day my attitude is much better because I am focusing my mind on being kind to my family, the people I see, and those who attend the places I go. 

It is in this tenderheartedness.  It is in this intentional kindness.  This is where I find the capacity to love my neighbor in the moment.  Planning and executing intentional good keeps me from all kinds of bad.  Little by little it drains the deep well of anger and pain filled from my youth .  It is in this intentional choice to love through action that peace is found.  Acts of kindness need not be random.

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 ͡°)

Love They Neighbor Revisited ~ The Thinks you Will Think

Greetings Dear Reader,

Let us reason together for a moment.  I have talked about the theoretical but not given much practical.  There are some things I have done to put my mind in the frame of loving my neighbor that seem to work.  Keep the meat and throw away the bones.

The first thing that worked for me was controlling my thinking.  Although I do my best not to use colorful metaphors of the expletive nature, my mind was much poorer at this especially when driving.  One day I realized that if I was going to really learn to love everyone I had to bring my thoughts into captivity.  As my Grandfather used to say when people would swear around him, “What’s down in the well is what comes up in the bucket.”

This means that if I am going to be a loving person I need to do so internally first.  I admit that it is difficult sometimes but it is worth it.  Another aspect of this is learning to filter my thoughts that are negative about people.  Again, I find this the most difficult when I am driving.  I find I am riding along, singing my little songs: “Oh how I love Jesus…”, someone cuts me off, “STUPID JERK!!!”, then back to “Oh how I love Jesus…”

This is not very practical and quite hypocritical.  I need to think differently about people.  I need to discipline my mind daily to think of others as unique creations loved by the Father and, therefore, deserving of my love.  It is much more difficult for me to call someone a jerk, even when they act like one, when I am seeing them through the eyes of the Father.

Tomorrow I will get even more practical.  For now, Dear Reader lets us think about the thinks we think.  They create what we are toward others.  They determine our view of life, the universe, and yes, our neighbors. 

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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Love They Neighbor Revisited ~ The Great American Novel

Greetings Dear Reader,

As a writer I always hope that my writing reaches the world.  I do not think I have the “Great American Novel” in me.  I do know that I have many novels to write.  I know that I work daily at this.  What does that have to do with loving my neighbor?

It has to do with solitude, openness, and engagement.  One cannot write about life unless one lives it.  One cannot see the condition of people unless one engages with them.  Further, one cannot benefit others if one does not see things both as they are and as they can become. 

If we give an honest eye to history, humans always have the potential to do great things.  Too often, however, we do them at the cost of the well being of others.  If we allow our neighbors to starve in order to accomplish a great thing, how great can that thing be?  If we do not treat every human in any situation as more valuable than any endeavor then we stain that endeavor.

I am not saying that brave humans attempting bold things will not require their lives at times.  I am stating that failing to meet the needs of others for the purpose of discovery is a poor practice.  We live in a world where life saving drugs are held ransom for only those who can afford them.  We placate our conscience by having programs to help those “in need”. 

Why do we not love our neighbors enough to insist that people get the care they need no matter their station or situation?  Why do not Christ followers lead the charge in this?  We distract ourselves from real need and give little care for flood of it around us.  We can and must care for the needs of those around us even if it is a sacrifice for us.

Even as I stand on the edge I see ways that I can give to the needs of others.  I see ways that I can show love and kindness.  There is always something one can do if one chooses.

Great American Novel – Larry Norman

I was born and raised an orphan in a land that once was free

In a land that poured its love out on the moon;

And I grew up in the shadows of your silos filled with grain,

But you never helped to fill my empty spoon.

And when I was ten you murdered law with courtroom politics,

And you learned to make a lie sound just like truth;

But I know you better now and I don't fall for all your tricks,

And you've lost the one advantage of my youth.

You kill a black man at midnight just for talking to your daughter,

Then you make his wife your mistress and you leave her without water;

And the sheet you wear upon your face is the sheet your children sleep on,

At every meal you say a prayer; you don't believe, but still you keep on.

And your money says in God we trust,

But it's against the law to pray in school;

You say we beat the Russians to the moon,

And I say you starved your children to do it.

You are far across the ocean in a war is not your own,

And while you're winning theirs, you're gonna lose the one at home;

Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace,

Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies?

The politicians all make speeches while the news men all take note,

And they exaggerate the issues as they shove them down our throats;

Is it really up to them whether this country sinks or floats?

Well I wonder who would lead us if none of us would vote.

Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped from whispering through the fence,

You know every move I make, or is that just coincidence?

Well you try to make my way of life a little less like jail,

If I promise to make tapes and slides and send them through the mail.

And your money says in God we trust,

But it's against the law to pray in school;

You say we beat the Russians to the moon,

And I say you starved your children to do it.

You say all men are equal, all men are brothers,

Then why are the rich more equal than others?

Don't ask me for the answer, I've only got one:

That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son

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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