Good to Grace ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Whether you share my faith or not, please look carefully at this quote from Paul’s letter to the Christ-followers in Ephesus.  No matter what anyone tells you that you must DO, redemption (salvation) comes through faith by way of grace.  It is not from anything we can do because it is a gift.  Please dwell on that for a moment.

Jesus is not after your money, your freedom, or your independence.   He wants you to accept a gift from him.  The idea is that he extends grace to us so that we can have faith.  This is done out of God’s love for us.  His love moves him to express himself through grace and all we have to do to receive it is to accept the gift by faith.

No matter how good we are we cannot earn a gift.  If we could, then it is not a gift.  I cannot merit redemption.  It is our hearts that the Father desires.  I must place all of my trust in the grace that God gives me to journey toward him by following his Son.  It is my faith that sets me on the path.

Once there more grace is extended to help me see where my love for the Father is incomplete or flawed.  As I accept the grace given and respond to it, I am also better able to love my fellow humans.  Paul goes on to say, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The good we wish to do gains its value after the Father has reclaimed us through the gift of his Son.  He created us to do good things but they only find their value after we accept his grace through faith.  It is through grace and love that we benefit those around us.  When we express the Fathers love through obeying his commands to love others, that is when we are extending grace.

I was explaining administration to someone last week.  The word means to minister through others.  The Father administers his grace through us when we show others his love.  Our benchmark is love but the love flows through us to others by the Father’s grace.  As I journey home, I realize that I must remain what I have always been.

You see, Dear Reader, as much as I know about following Christ, I am not very good at it.  I fail to follow.  I get my own ideas about how to follow and they are wrong.  It is only when I love through grace and mercy that I am able to reflect the Father’s love.  I am simply a door warden hoping to share some stories and help others find the door.  I only wish for you to follow me on my media pages.  What I really desire is for you to follow Christ.  Here is a writing by someone that inspires me.  It is long but worth the read.  Please remember, Dear Reader, that I love you whether you accept what I am saying or not.  I do, however, pray that you can find the grace to see the Father’s love for you.

I Stand by the Door - An Apologia for my Life - Samuel Moore Shoemaker

I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So, I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.
Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him.
So, I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics.
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in.
Sometimes venture in a little farther,
But my place seems closer to the opening.
So, I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get partway in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia
And want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.
For the old life, they have seen too much:
One taste of God and nothing but God will do anymore.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door
But would like to run away. So, for them too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there too.
Where? Outside the door -
Thousands of them. Millions of them.
But - more important for me -
One of them, two of them, ten of them.
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.

So, I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
'I had rather be a door-keeper
So, I stand by the door.

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.

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If we could buy redemption by being good, it would not be worth the price that was actually paid for it.

Good to Grace ~ Warriors

Greetings Dear Reader,

I realize that as someone who places love and grace above everything, “Warriors” is an odd title for my post this morning.  I am, however, in good company.  The New Testament writers often framed what we do in the metaphor of being soldiers in a conflict.

Even when things are peaceful and sublime, we must not forget that we are at war.  The difference is that our front lines are not visible as the battles are always first fought in the heart and mind.  Our weapons are not made of steel and wood.  Still, we are in a battle every day and often at every moment.  To those who oppose us, every kindness is an act of war. 

It is not the kind of war we can see.  When we prepare each day for this war, all of our weapons and armor are given to us.  We do not have to earn them though we may have to prove some of them.  That all we need to withstand our enemies is given to us freely is another mark of the permeation of grace in our lives.  Redemption, truth, righteousness, the Gospel, and the Word of God are all products of grace.  We have covered that redemption and righteousness are products of grace working in us.

That we can comprehend the truth of God is also an act of grace on his part.  It is part of the great gift that grace is.  The Gospel; the good news of Jesus is a product of grace.  Faith is only possible because of the grace we are given to have it.  We are armored fully through grace and the only weapon in our hands is the Word of God wielded in love and grace.

I realize that this metaphor assumes a great deal of belief.  If you have journeyed with me for very long, you know that I do not reject anyone who does not believe what I believe.  What I must do is understand that I battle daily in this armor and with this weapon.  As I put it on, I must realize that if it is done with anything other than love, I fail to wear it effectively.   The thing we leave out of the list is the cloak that covers it all; love.

We are warriors of grace, Dear Reader.  Whether we engage directly with those who need our love or stand by the door for those seeking a way into our ranks, we fight.  The journey is constantly a march.  It is one we take up when we rise and keep with us when we rest.  We fight through the day choosing in our minds and hearts how we will deal in grace.

It is not possible to otherwise make our way.  When we choose not to stand or fight in love and grace, we choose to aid darkness.  There is never a moment when we are not fighting for or against the light.  There are no secular issues.  I cannot divide things between war and peace until we are home and all is back to good.  Until then, I will fight for you, Dear Reader.  I will love you, and the Father, and our enemies.  I can only do any of this because of grace that flows to us from the love of the Father.

 No Rusty Swords – Michael Card

Don't you know the battle's raging
And you got to join the fight
There's an army of the darkness
And an army of the Light
There's a side that fights for Satan
And a side that's for the Lord
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords

Christ has made the final move
So, our side is sure to win
He became like us so we would have
A chance to be like Him
It seems strange so many fall back
When the victory has been won
You just need to ask yourself
Which side you're on
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords

There's a fact you need to understand
Before you join our side
You need to know when Jesus calls
He bids you come and die
He's invaded Satan's kingdom
And He's claiming all His own
When the battle's over
He will lead us home
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords
And on this battlefield, there are no rusty swords

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:
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We are at war.  We fight every moment of every day.  The difficulty is that we sometimes switch sides during the battle.

Good to Grace ~ Seven Layer Cake

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I taught Information Technology at the college level, one of the primary things students had to master was the Open Systems Information (OSI) model.  It is a seven-layer set of protocols that explains the flow of information through a network.  Each semester my networking students had to come up with creative ways to demonstrate their understanding of the OSI model.

Over the years students presented nesting dolls, video games, and even a song to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas.  One group of students made a list of thirty different ways to remember the layers of the model.  My favorite project over those years was the seven-layer cake presented one fall semester.

It was not just that the cake represented the layers of the model well.  It was delicious, stable, and beautifully created.  The cake was colored like a rainbow but each layer had an increasingly richer flavor.  As I have been thinking about the nature of grace this week, it has occurred to me that it is like this cake but the layers of grace are infinite.

The Father extends grace to us to draw us to him.  When we respond to that grace, he then gives us more to follow his Son.  As we begin to draw closer in our journey with the Son, he extends grace to every area of our lives to teach us how to love him better.  He gives us the grace we need to see how to love our fellow travelers as he loves them.  The Father even provides the grace we need to extend grace to those we encounter on our journey. 

Grace carries with it all the rich flavors of love that are available when we align our hearts with the Father.  We receive it layer upon layer as we yield our hearts and minds to love, kindness, and mercy.  We can taste the sweetness of patience, generosity, and humility as we serve them to others.  All of this flows to us and through us in a conduit of grace.

It is vital that I savor grace at every opportunity, Dear Reader.  In grace, I receive and in grace I am able to give.  The Father is the source of all grace both as I accept it and as I pass it on to others.  It is faith that allows us to receive it and even that is built upon generous servings of grace from the Father.  Grace becomes rich, delicious, and a constant delight to us as we experience it.  Oh, and in case you were wondering Dear Reader, grace is never fattening no matter how much we take in or pass on to others.

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
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When we see the journey of our lives through the Father’s eyes, we will see layer upon layer of sweet grace that allows us to become good.

Good to Grace ~ Will and Grace (Not the TV Show)

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have a friend who dances between belief in God and unbelief.  The thing he says that keeps him believing that there may be a God is free will.  My friend is very intelligent.  He has reasoned his way to the understanding that the only genuine deity would be one that gave us the freedom to choose him.

Once we accept the truth that we are not good enough to merit the redemption that we need, we must also see that we have a choice to make.   This choice is whether we put our faith in the source of our redemption or reject it.  The logic goes like this:  We are given the grace to see that we need redemption.  Then we are given the grace to understand that we cannot redeem ourselves. 

At this point, we have a choice.  Many choose to think that they do not truly need reclamation.  It is one of the lies that leads to so many of our human ills.  We choose to reject the God that made us and loves us.  Too often it is based on the actions of his followers.  We measure the Maker by the children that have disobeyed his instruction to love everyone.  As is our human nature, we judge God based on those who misrepresent him.

You see, Dear Reader, the Father loves us enough to give us a choice.  Anyone can come to him and request the gift of redemption through faith.  The grace is always there if we choose to move past our will.  We want to believe that we do not need anything beyond ourselves.  What we really need is to accept by faith the grace that is offered for the forgiveness we need.  If we add anything else to the process, we fail to see that it is grace alone that allows our faith to be sufficient.

The One who made us gives us the grace needed to recover from our rejection of him.  He does not, however, force us.  He gives us a choice and that choice is governed by our will.  The Father constantly extends grace to us in order to draw us to him.  The call is constant and the choice is open as long as we have life.  Our will and God’s grace live in a constant pas de deux.   We are foolish enough to try to lead this dance when the only thing that works is to give that role over to the Father.

I must live in this dance between will and grace moving in step with the Father as led by the Son.  I must listen to the music that calls me to follow the Son home believing that he will supply all that I need for the journey.  Anything else, Dear Reader, will cause missteps and failure.  The beauty is that the Son always is there ready to take up the dance with us again when we choose 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
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“And the universe wheels and whirls like a dervish in perfect seven-step time.
The Lord made the Danse, He taught her the steps, and He causes the songs to shine.”

Good to Grace ~ Not Good Enough

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am close to someone who, no matter what you do for him, it is not good enough.  There is always something you should have done better or forgot to do at all.  Nothing is ever seen as complete or viewed as the best you could do with what you have.

In the journey to be lovingly unoffendable, this person is a constant test of my resolve.  A good friend of mine just mentioned last night that learning to be unoffendable is not easy and that sometimes it really hurts.  The journey we are on is filled with moments where our best is not good enough for us to be unhurt and sometimes uninjured.

Whether we accept it or not, we are all on a journey back to God.  The difficulty is that we are not good enough to be worthy of reaching him.  The very best among us is still light years away from the goodness of God.  We do not like this truth.  It is inconvenient and tramples on our pride.  It is grace that gives us the ability to take even the first step in seeing that on our own, we are not good enough.

There is the other side of the issue as well.  There are those who believe that no matter what is done that is good, he or she is never good enough.  Whilst it is true in relation to the Father that we are not good enough, that is not the measure of our worth but only our state.  We can never be good enough to merit God’s favor but grace wishes us to see that even before we embrace him, he favors us with his love.

It is not our good that matters.  We are worth the effort in God’s eyes at the deepest level.  It is that the Father first loves us and then extends grace to us asking that we embrace it in order to love him.  My good thoughts, words, and deeds are never enough without the grace of the Father first creating the path for me to follow to him.

The journey home is impossible with only the good I do.  The path only appears when it is illuminated by grace, Dear Reader.   I am free to follow it or not.  When I do, however, I find that I am always following the Son, Jesus.  It is that light of grace seen through faith that shows us the way.  Please, feel free to walk with me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a 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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The very best person we know is not good enough without grace.

Good to Grace ~ Why Grace?

Greetings Dear Reader,

A friend posed a question that is clearly part of what must be explored to address our journey properly.  In approaching grace, one must understand why grace is necessary.  It begins with my introductory quote, “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fear relieved.”

My friend asked this: “What part does fear play in this journey? Grace teaches us fear, and also liberates us from fear if we let it in. So maybe some of the good works that are set as ‘reserves to ensure redemption’ are born of fear that pre-dates acceptance of grace…whether tempting faith or testing faith.”

If you read me regularly, you know that I believe that fear is the seed of all that we do that is selfish, unloving, and wrong.  I will not take a deep dive into that here.  I will say that when I am honest about my motivations when I am selfish, I can trace it to fear of not having, not being safe, or not being loved. 

All of our fears stem from our inner understanding that we are not as we should be in relation to the Father.  We can never be what we are designed to be on our own.  We will not create that utopian world that we so richly desire.  Our lives are filled with fear because we strive to be good when we are not in harmony with the One who personifies goodness.  At the very essence of our need for grace is the honest fear that we cannot reach the goodness of the Father on our own.

We cannot merit the goodness of God any more than an ant can achieve the sentience of a human.  My friend is correct that we carry some fear that we need to merit the Father’s favor into the time after we have accepted grace.  When I do this, it is because I have lost my understanding of the vast unplumbable depths of grace.  It is grace that teaches me my need for the Father’s love. 

That grace is what draws me into the place where I can even see my need for redemption.  Then it shows me that I cannot merit redemption on my own.  Out of the love the Father shows us our need to fear not embracing his grace.  This first move is the prime act of grace.  It is love allowing fear so that we can be freed from that fear by grace.

Then once we accept redemption by grace, we still feel that lingering need to merit what we have been given.  For me, it is like someone giving me a very thoughtful Christmas gift. I know that I do not deserve it and I feel self-conscious about someone loving me so much.  Instead of pure gratitude, I indulge my fear that I am not good enough.  The essence is that this is not how grace works.  It is by grace through faith that we are relieved from that fear.  Any good we do after that is a response to grace and not a maintenance of grace. 

We live out grace, Dear Reader, by loving others and the Father.  The grace from the Father that enables to love is what can cast out the residual fear that we need to maintain our redeemed status.  It is the love that we accept and give that generates our understanding and application of grace.  As my friend suggests, it is the employment of our faith that grace is sufficient that mitigates our fear.  Love is employed from the Father by his giving us grace and he in turn asks us to use love to extend grace to others.  It is all to evidence our transformation and not to merit or maintain it.  It is the ongoing gift we receive from the Father.  It is fear, un-arrested by grace that causes us not to love as we should. 

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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In giving good over to grace, we must allow grace to dissolve any residual fear that we need to merit favor.

I Said All That… ~ Mercy Me

Greetings Dear Reader,

When my sons were wee lads, they knew when they had done wrong.  They knew also that there were consequences for doing wrong intentionally.   Sometimes, however, I wanted them to learn about mercy.  We would discuss why what they had chosen was wrong.  Once I was clear that the one committing the infraction understood why what was done was wrong, I would explain that I wanted him to understand about mercy as well.

I would explicate that this time there would be no consequences for the infraction.  I would explain that it is as important to understand mercy as it is justice.  My eldest Son caught on quickly.  He evidenced it through the kindness he would show to others when they did not deserve it.  My younger Son got it as well.  He also thought that he could use it to his advantage.

One early Saturday morning when was I writing, Bezel, my younger Son came into my office looking very nervous.  He asked me if I was busy and I responded that I was not too busy for him.  He came over and gave me a big hug.  I asked what was the matter.  He responded in his most adult four-year-old tone, “Papa, I think that today I need to learn about mercy.”

It took all I had to not laugh immediately.  I asked about what I needed to be merciful.  He told me that he had eaten the blueberries that I was going to use for breakfast.  I was moved with great compassion as my boy put his hope in my hands that there was forgiveness and mercy for his wrong of taking what he was told not to take.  In his defense, blueberries are one of his favorite foods of all the foods that are food.

I could tell that he needed to be heard and we had a good talk about how it hurt the whole family that he took something that was meant for everyone.  He did receive mercy and we took a one on one trip to the store to get more blueberries for breakfast.  Mercy may be one of the best uses of power there is.

Mercy is that reverse of the coin of grace.  Since grace is receiving something we do not deserve, mercy is not receiving something that we do deserve.  Whether we admit it or not, we are at the mercy of the Father constantly.  We do not merit grace and it is in his mercy that we are given it.  Mercy is what gives us a path to reconciliation, reclamation, and redemption. 

It takes humility to choose mercy.  It takes sacrifice.  We do not deserve any good thing from God but he shows us mercy all the time.  He makes a path for us to follow.  The path to mercy is blazoned with God’s own blood.  It is easy to find and hard to follow.  He gives us mercy and asks us in return to be merciful to others.  Therein, Dear Reader is the great challenge.

There are people in our lives who have wronged us deeply.  They may be friends, family, parents, or children.  It is common in the current culture to cut them off and disavow them.  It is encouraged that we label people as toxic and remove them from our lives.  We do this, claiming still to love them.  We may be completely right in our assessment of the character and actions of the other person.  We still have an obligation to mercy.

When someone has wronged us over and over, we have great power.  Even if they do not see the wrong they do, we are commanded to love them.  We are required to be merciful.  We must set clear boundaries that protect us from enabling the wrong people commit.  We must also always provide a path to reconciliation.   The absolute expression of love for someone who is consistently, undeniably wronging us is to find ways to show love and mercy with faith and humility. 

That person that we have cut off may not deserve our mercy and kindness.  He or she may deserve to never again feel the genuine love we carry in our hearts.  Instead of measuring by that standard, Dear Reader, I must measure by the standard of the great mercy I need for the wrongs I have done.  My love and mercy must be expressed out of recognition of my debt, not my power.  Only then can I use the power I hold.  Only then may I employ deft strokes of retribution for the wrongs done to me.  Strokes of retribution must be acts of love, fueled by mercy, dealing out grace. 

I said all that to say this: At that intersection Dear Reader, where love is trafficked through the joining of grace and mercy is where real healing can begin.  It is where we find power and strength to continue.  It is where we begin to rise above the mire of the wrongs we commit against each other and begin to get a glimmer of what we can be if we choose grace and mercy as a way of life.  The path is clearer and easier if we carry these things in our heart.  I have plenty for you and could use all you can spare.  Oh, and because we get our grace and mercy freely from the Father, we never run out.

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 ͡°)

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Hobbits ~ Mercy

Greetings Dear Reader,

“A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold sigh, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in the flash of a second. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by a new strength and resolve, he leaped.”

We need to be clear that at this moment Bilbo has Gollum at his mercy even though Gollum is unaware of it.  Perhaps there is little that reveals our hearts more than how we act when we have power over others and no one else sees it.  A person is at our mercy and has no idea that it is true.

Had Bilbo ended Gollum here other elements of the story would have unfolded much differently.  The reward for his mercy, however, is that he hears Gollum proclaim that Baggins is a thief and will be hated forever.  Bilbo will never again encounter Gollum but his part in the story is not finished.  Had Bilbo not shown mercy to the creature who wanted to kill him the story would not hold all the richness it does.

Mercy is often rewarded with further hurt to the merciful.  This is just the simple truth.  It is not our nature to see mercy as the opportunity that it is.  Rare is the individual who is deeply moved by mercy to the point that it changes him or her permanently.  Still, it should move us. 

We have been shown so much mercy by the Father that we need to replicate it whenever justly possible.  I have adopted the response that reflects my desire to remember that all that I have is due to God’s mercy.  When someone asks how I am I have a simple response: “Better than I deserve.”  It reminds me that I live under the grace and mercy of God at every moment. 

All that I have is a blessing from God.  All good things that I get are because of his grace.  Every time I do not get the bad things I deserve, it is his mercy.  I, in turn, must show that same mercy whenever possible out of love and gratitude.  Failing to do this means that I do not understand the level to which I need mercy.  It is one of the places where there is a reciprocal promise from God.

Jesus says clearly, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy.”   It is in this promise that we find the value of mercy outside of doing things for the sake of love.  It is our need for mercy that can drive us to be merciful until we learn to do it for the sake of love.

Bilbo receives great mercy that flows from his merciful act.  He is never really controlled by the One Ring.  He enjoys the benefits of the ring without being subject to its curses.  That can only be credited to the power beyond the ring showing the noble Hobbit mercy because of the mercy he shows to the ignoble Gollum. 

Mercy becomes a great weapon and protection when wielded out of love.  It is a way to demonstrate our love and vulnerability.  This can disarm our enemies and at the same time offer us further protection.  When we lovingly show mercy to those who deserve worse from us when open the ground for the Father to be more merciful to us. 

In the world through which we travel Dear Reader, we are daily in need of renewed mercy.  We will also have to have to show and renew mercy every day of the journey.  Even those who love us will repeat the same offenses day after day in some instances.  It is our obligation and benefit to be merciful whenever possible. 

It is in this merciful state that we can move forward with less burden and more grace.  We will have others at our mercy Dear Reader.  Let us remember that it is never wasted when we show mercy even when we know that the recipient will only betray us again.  Let us agree to show others mercy at its finest when they deserve it the least.

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 ͡°)

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Journey Me ~ The Quality of Mercy

Greetings Dear Reader,

We often speak of the love and grace involved in the journey home.  Too often we neglect that other side of grace which is mercy.  We define grace as the Father committing righteousness to us at the expense of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.  We gain something we do not deserve by the actions of another.

Mercy is the other side of that coin.  When we are shown mercy, we do not get what we deserve.  We are given the chance to learn the lesson without the payment for our error.  We do not understand just how much mercy we are shown or how deeply that mercy goes.  I know that I do not often enough ask for mercy.

When my Sons were young and they would transgress I would sometimes try to teach them about mercy.  We would talk about the wrong done and agree that they deserved to be punished.  I would tell them that I wanted them to understand mercy and that on this occasion there would be no punishment.  It would be so that they could understand the quality of mercy. 

One afternoon my younger Son came into my office whilst I was writing.  “Dad, he began, “I think I need another lesson in mercy.”  I could not help but laugh at his attempt to arrange things in his favor.  He knew he had done wrong.  He knew what the consequences were.  He wished for mercy.

I have begun to pay more attention to the need for mercy in the journey.  I seek mercy for my failures and the consequences that echo through my life and the lives of others.  I beg the Father each day for mercy for my children that they will remember the faith they once embraced and come back to following Christ.  I ask mercy on our nation and our world. 

We have turned into a world that does not remember how deeply and desperately we need the Father’s mercy. The humility required to seek it seems lost to us.  The world grows further from this understanding daily. 

I know that I need mercy and grace in great measure.  I also need to find better ways to seek it and show it to others.  What about you Dear Reader?  From whom do you need mercy?  Upon whom do you need to bestow 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 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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Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

You Were Never Meant to Carry This – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Dear Younger Me, you were never meant to carry the shame and regrets of your past.  You were never meant carry the penalty of your sin.  You were never meant to carry your failures into your future. 

You are designed to be holy, righteous, and free.  We are all designed for this.  We are all meant to live in complete goodness and harmony.  The past is written in stone.  The present is that same stone molten and malleable to my choices as it slips around me. 

It is my responsibility to mold every moment to match the Maker’s design for it.  In this I can follow.  I cannot do it if I am constantly carrying the stone I have already created.  Whether that stone is a lower mill stone grinding all around it or a great obelisk of honor it is the past.  It is not meant for me to carry.

I must follow with as little as possible.  I must follow with all my heart.   Nothing I would say to a younger me would change anything.  I can, however, learn from his failures.

Dear Younger Me – MercyMe

Dear younger me

Where do I start

If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far

Then you could be

One step ahead

Of all the painful memories still running thru my head

I wonder how much different things would be

Dear younger me,

Dear younger me

I cannot decide

Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life

Or do I go deep

And try to change

The choices that you'll make ‘cuz they're choices that made me

Even though I love this crazy life

Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride

Dear younger me, dear younger me

If I knew then what I know now

Condemnation would've had no power

My joy my pain would've never been my worth

If I knew then what I know now

Would've not been hard to figure out

What I would've changed if I had heard

Dear younger me

It's not your fault

You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross

Dear younger me

You are holy

You are righteous

You are one of the redeemed

Set apart a brand new heart

You are free indeed

Every mountain every valley

Thru each heartache you will see

Every moment brings you closer

To who you were meant to be

Dear younger me,

Dear younger me

You are holy

You are righteous

You are one of the redeemed

Set apart a brand new heart

You are free indeed

You are holy

You are righteous

You are one of the redeemed

Set apart a brand new heart

You are free indeed

You are holy

You are righteous

You are one of the redeemed

Set apart a brand new heart

You are free indeed

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 ͡°)

You Were Never Meant to Carry This – Every Moment

Greetings Dear Reader,

Thru each heartache you will see

Every moment brings you closer

To who you were meant to be

Dear younger me,

The span of our lives is made up of moments.  Each day we encounter a thousand moments and over the years those moments become our lives.  The choices in the moments become who we are.  A life is made up of the cumulative results and consequences of moments.

We view most of our life through the past and the crisis or joy of the moment.  We see the distresses and consequences of the moment as they occur but rarely remember to live in the moment. 

No matter the circumstances those moments are what shape us.  They shape us through our choices, attitudes, and responses.  They shape us relative to the efforts of the Father to bring us back to good.

We often, I think forget that God’s plan includes the response to every choice each of us will make.   It takes in to account every nuance of thought and action.   The King of the Sunset lies waiting for the dawn when his counter moves to our moves bring all things back to the way he intended them to be. 

It is my place to find him in every moment so that I am no surprised in the moment when I find myself with him.  It is in him that we live and move and have our being.  It seems only logical to recognize that each moment is an opportunity to find Christ and follow.  In a life we have 36.792,000 such moments.  He stands in each one waiting to help bring me closer to who I am meant to be.

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 ͡°)

You Were Never Meant to Carry This – Every Mountain, Every Valley

Greetings Dear Reader,

I recall fondly that my dad and I used to play a game called Feudal.  It was one of the popular Bookshelf Games.   In it you set up your army and used some very contrived moves to attach your opponent.  There were mountains and rough terrain on the board.  One had navigate around mountains and only certain pieces could go on rough terrain.   

The journey is often over rough terrain.  We have to traverse it whether we wish too or not.  We climb rough rugged mountains.  We traverse deep dark valleys.  Some days even smooth soft paths hurt our feet.   Some days every step is an effort.

Other days we the journey is easy in the warm sunlight.  The wind is at your back and the path is filled with loving fellow travelers.   Some days the journey is filled with real joy.

The challenge is to realize that the easy path and the rough terrain are all necessary and good.  They are all part of our movement toward home and permanent good.   It is never the journey younger me.  It is the one we follow on the journey.  It is the love we show our fellow travelers.

No matter where I find myself in the journey make the most of it.  I must follow in faith and only carry the things that I need.  It will get better. To resit the path is, after all, futile.  

Mountain Top – Second Chapter of Acts

The mountain tops are not as tall

The valleys seem to be getting small

Still the river rolls deep inside me

Take the dreams that didn't grow

And visions that melted in the snow

Take away my laugh

Still I'll climb the pathway home

With my hand in your hand

My life in your life

My spirit will rise

Until I see the rainbow

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 ͡°)