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:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
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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
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
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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
Bookings: aramisthorn@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          
Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com
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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          
Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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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.

Good to Grace ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

There is a management book, Good to Great by Jim Collins.  It is one of those books that can transform an existing entity or create a lasting foundation in a new venture.  I recommend it for anyone starting a new business.

There is something beyond that though, I wish to ponder.  When do we in business, friendships, and all of life get to the place where we think of moving from good to grace?  Yes, I meant grace.  I read recently that of those who identify as Christians, over 60% believe that they can earn redemption.  Whether it is a belief that one must maintain a certain set of rules or that one must be “in balance” between good and bad deeds, there are those that think they muse merit redemption.

A further danger is that we move into the area of thought that we maintain our status of redeemed by what we do.  Some apply faith for reclamation but then invoke a system of good deeds to merit the continuation of their favor with the Father.  There are those who move through life thinking that their good deeds are what keep them safe from separation from the Father.

What I wish to work through over a few days are the areas where we intentionally or accidentally infuse good works into the redemption process.  The idea is to get our thinking from being good to receiving grace.  It is by grace that we are redeemed.  It is by grace that we are held.  We do not own redemption that can be broken by what we do. 

If I am to see the redemption process properly, I must be clear on my thinking here.  If I am to follow in faith, there must not be any area of my thinking that is entrenched in my deeds, good or ill, as a contributor to my reclamation.  Rather, those deeds evidence my obedience to the Father that has taken me in as his own.

Please, Dear Reader, travel with me through this thinking.  Adopting a deeper understanding of how grace works in me will help us both embrace it.  As always, your thoughts and questions are a vital part of my journey.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

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

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon          
Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.”

Second Thoughts ~ A Year of Peace

Greetings Dear Reader,

A year ago, my life changed drastically.  Before I get to that, I need you to understand that I have a very clear position on the mystical aspects of following Christ.  I believe in the supernatural and that God works miracles daily.  I do not believe they are necessary for me to believe.

I am not the kind of guy who thinks that reasonable motivations are God lighting up road signs for me to follow.  I believe he does wield the neon when he thinks it necessary but I attempt to make it unnecessary.  That leads us to those few times when I have been impressed upon to do something that I did not understand.

Last Memorial Day weekend was such a time.  I had no plans and was early to church that weekend.  Whilst sitting in the lot preparing my heart and mind for the service, I got an inkling.  It was in place in the back of my head where irritating ideas are born and refuse to die until seen to their end.

That soft stirring voice said, “you should go to Folly Beach today.”  Please understand that my history with Folly Beach is both beautiful and baleful.  I argued and said no.  I reasoned that the traffic would be horrid and that it was a long drive.  The voice said, “You like long drives.”  It went on to add that I was not to worry about the traffic.

Ignoring the voice, I went into the church.  During worship the voice said, “it is really only five hours and you love the smell of the ocean.”  I opened my Bible. It opened to Psalm 107.  “They that go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord.”  I decided to tell that voice that I would consider it which means the same thing it does when you say it to your kids.  It means no.

After church, I thought about what I would do for lunch.  The voice said, “You are going to the beach, you can get something along the way.”  I half-heartedly gave in.  Starting my car, I compromised, “Let me go back to the house and get some lunch and put on some different clothes.”

The voice seemed more outside my head this time.  It said, “Give no thought for your clothing or what you will eat.  I have that covered.”  I pulled out toward the interstate and drove to Folly Beach.  There was no traffic and the trip was easy.  The temperature was 104 degrees when I arrived at the beach. The voice said “Go down and park at the public beach.”  I did.  After I parked and took a picture of my dash to record the temperature, the voice, “Get out and go put on your boardies.”  Apparently, the voice knew that I always have a swimsuit in my car.  I changed and thought I would die from the heat.  The voice said, “Go get in the water.  It is cool.”

I put my suit on, went down to the water, thinking that I would melt before I got to it.  I stepped in and felt the power of an outgoing riptide.  I joked with the voice that He did not need to bring me all the way here to kill me.  The voice did not laugh.  Every sad thing in my life flooded into my mind at that moment.  The abuse, the terror, the failures, and the pain all surged through me threatening to kill me before the water could cool me at all.

The voice said, “Get under the water.”  I took a deep breath through overwhelming tears.  I sank down into the water, steadying myself against the riptide.  I felt how easy it would have been to let it take me and not feel that pain any longer.  The voice spoke again, “You were never meant to carry such sorrow.  Rise and leave it here.  It is not yours because I bought it.”

I rose out of the cool water and felt the tears still streaming down my face.  My brain flooded again but this time it was with the memories of beautiful and good things that have been in my life.  I felt a freedom that I have not felt since I was nine years old.  I felt a lightness that I have never known.

After changing clothes again, I took in the sunset and dinner at a place that has been on the island for as long as I remember.  I prayed and wept with joy on the drive home and took a couple of days before I shared my experience.  The thing of note is that until the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend 2019, I have had regular nightmares since I was a boy.  I have not had one since that day.

This event is what has confirmed me on the path to love everyone and in that attempt to be lovingly unoffendable.  As I mark a year without nightmares, I cannot say how deeply it has benefited my heart and mind.  I am resigned to living the remainder of my years finding ways to love others unashamedly and to avoid offenses so that I can better show that love.  I love you more than I can express, Dear Reader.  Now, when I have happy dreams I long for you to be a part of them.  As we journey home together, I hope to help you find this freedom as well.

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.”

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Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

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Loving What We Will Become ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We are all on a journey back to God.  I realize that you do not all agree and that is understandable.  It is not my place to judge your choice on this.  My obligation is to love you and try to be an example of what following Christ can be like.

I fail.  I fall.  I get up and keep walking.  Some of my fellow travelers do things to hurt the journey for others.  I cannot fix my errors in the past but I can become someone who makes the journey easier for others.

For too long many of those who claim to follow Christ have not allowed that God understands all that is happening.  They have judged and condemned those that they are supposed to love and care for.  Sometimes people I love become things that they should not.  I am not required to accept the current state.  I am required to love them. 

I have to move away from things that damage me.  I have to do what is right no matter how I feel about it.  Even when it hurts I must become more attuned to Christ and what he wants for me.  It is in this that I find that pondering what we will become gives me strength to move forward.

It is in following in the hard areas that I see more clearly what must be left behind and what must stay with me.  As the years unfold it is easier to see that I do not need as much as I desire.  Everything that I carry impacts the journey.  The question must always be, “Is this necessary for what I will become?”

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ The Scars

Greetings Dear Reader,

Scars can be painful or interesting.  Some have amazing stories others are the tattoos of our foolishness.  I have a couple that are interesting but they have faded over the years.  I have some that are tied to mental and emotional scars that I avoid pondering.

We collect these permanent reminders along the way.  I often use them for the opportunity to tell a tale or to learn from others about the journey.  Scars are a way of seeing our imperfections without needing to be reminded by others that we have them.  Mine remind me of accidents, bad choices, and damage from others,

What we will become is scar-less.  Eventually we will be perfected.  The scars in our skin, hearts, and minds will be gone.  We will become a road-map of grace and love instead of one of pain and damage.

There will be scars when all is made good again.  They will not be ours.  The scars will be the ones Jesus carries to remind all of creation of his suffering to redeem us.  That sounds so dramatic but it is still true.  It is worth pondering.  Jesus alone will carry scars in the Undiscovered Country.

Known by the Scars – Michael Card

Mother Mary cried as she held heaven her arms

For the shadow of the scar she saw was clear

As her own bewildered baby lay weeping for the world

Whose frightened tears would free us all from fear

The marks of death that God chose never to erase

The wounds of loves eternal war

When the kingdom comes with its perfected sons

He will be known by the scars

For a time He sought to tell the world He was the Way

That God the father had a human heart

With His own holy hands He sought

To touch and heal their scars

But they chose to tear those gentle hands apart

What was there to wipe away the tears

Firm the holy eyes of God

As He looked upon His one and only Son

Who never sinned, nor lied, yet was crucified

And after they had slain Him and laid Him in the grave

And the ones He loved had fled into the dark

Then His love and power raised Him

God won the victory

But they only recognized Him by the scars

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ Perfected Sons

Greetings Dear Reader,

One day I will be free from the sins that besiege me.   I will no longer desire to do the things I would not.  I will only desire to do the things that are good.   Some days I look forward to this more than any other thing.

We will become perfected.  I believe this is why we have that unattainable concept of perfection.  I do not always love what I will become.  There are things that are not right that I still indulge.  There are sins that are my pet sins for which I do not put forth enough resistance.

It is never enough to be good enough.  We need to perfect our redemption as much as possible until the time that it is perfected for us.  I want the transition to be simple and a next step rather than a great leap.  I wish for the transition to that undiscovered country to be an adventure but also a logical transition.

My Grandfather seemed to have a keen understanding of this.  He would explain the story of Enoch who “walked with God” like this:  Enoch and God used to walk together and talk in the cool part of the evening.  The walks were long and they discussed the world and its goings on.  One evening as the sun  was dipping behind the horizon God  looked at Enoch and said, “We are much closer to my place than yours.  Why don’t you just come on home with me?” 

What we will become should be what we are working toward.  It should be how I live every moment; as if I am preparing to enter a new culture and desire to fit into it easily.  My Grandfather always said something else about this.  It was not original to him but it was where I first heard it.  “Good, better, best; Never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is your best.”

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ Irrelevance

Greetings Dear Reader,

We live in a culture where things become obsolete or irrelevant quite rapidly.  An example would be our phones.   I have Nokia brick phone that is basically only good as a travel alarm clock and dialing 911 if needed.  When I purchased it, it was state of the art. 

16 K of RAM and dual floppy drives

Even the phones I have had for over the last five years fall quickly into obsolescence as new technology is introduced.  Just to give one a place to stand and compare there is this.  My current phone has 67,108,864 times more RAM than my first computer.  Except for it place in history that first PC is ire relevant.

The issue is that we are becoming a society that give lip service to the value of life but have begun to see some life as obsolete or irrelevant.  We allow homelessness to be a common thing.  We murder the unborn at a genocidal rate and even justify it as a viable choice.  We meter out health care to those who can afford it and get rich off of the needs of the dying.

We use epithets such as “times have changed” to justify the erosion of our morals and values.  The failures of others to live up to those morals and values is used as justification for calling them irrelevant.  I actually saw this posted by a friend: “Cannot Christians see that Christianity has become irrelevant?”  Yes, I called this person a friend.

Remember that my search in all of this is to find better ways to follow Christ and love the world as he does.  I must do whatever it takes to love those who see me as irrelevant.  I must not hold anything more precious than loving those who need it most.  We all need help in places where our understanding is blind.  We all need to be loved where we are so that we can become what we are meant to become. 

As I look at the world I see so much and burdens my heart.  It radiates out from my personal losses to people I will never meet who need to be loved.  No human life is irrelevant.  No one is beyond becoming the product of love and grace.  It is my place to live a life that treats no one as irrelevant.

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ Infighting

Greetings Dear Reader,

For those of you who do not share my faith please forgive me.  I am focusing for a moment on those who do.  This will benefit those outside of my beliefs as it will give you something by which to hold us accountable.

As I ponder what we will become and try to love it I consider the differences that exist amongst Christ followers.  It saddens me how much time and energy we waste arguing over things that will not matter eternally.  It is also true that the wasted time and energy may matter eternally. 

Paul warns Timothy, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”

We divide and argue over things that do not matter.  We make things important so that we can sound knowledgeable and wise.  In that stance we become foolish and evidence our ignorance of what the Father truly desires.  We fail to put love and peace first.

I must not engage in arguments.  The conversation and congress among my fellow travelers must be about how to love and serve more deeply and more purely.  There is no stance the trumps the command to love unconditionally.   There is no requirement in theology that exceeds the greatest commandment to love the Father with all that we are.

We will all become the same in the end.  We will know and believe the same because faith and ignorance will be abolished.  Should we not love what we will become now?  Should I not embrace it with all that I am?

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ When They Stray

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have seen people who are precious to me both betray and abandon the beliefs I hold dear.  I know others who have done this and seen friends and family abandon the party with condemnation and judgement.  I refuse to judge these people.  It is not my place.

What then is the proper way to love what we become when we lose our way?  I do not claim to know the full answer to this.  I do know that it is what I must do.  Perhaps knowing and determining to do so is enough.  Perhaps the choice to love others no matter what they become is the ultimate answer. 

If you can reason with me for a moment Dear Reader I will try to explain.  I do not know all things.  The Father who commands me to love everyone does.  He will not ask me to take up a love that I cannot hold.  He knows how he will draw us all to him.  My obligation is to love who they become because I have faith in him. 

I do not know how to make things different.  I do not know how to change anyone and it is not my place.  It is my place to love and be good to others.  I cannot control their judgment of God and his way of dealing with us.  I can only control my love and that I must give to everyone no matter what they become.

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 ͡°)

Loving What We Will Become ~ Name Days

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yesterday my youngest Grandson turned five.  I truly love what he is becoming.  He has such deep compassion for others. He always has an adventure going on in his head.  He has something to say and loves to report the news of the day.

He notices injury on others and offers comfort and care.  So much of his energy is already devoted to showing his care for others.  He remembers it and checks on you when he sees you again.

He can dance.  Not just jump around and move but he feels the music and moves well to it.  He does not constantly move but when he does there is always a rhythm and energy to it.  There is imagination to it as well.  He has such creativity.  I have seen entire stories or games leap from his mind in a moment.

I love him and what he is becoming.  I see the beauty and wonder in him.  I see that the world will benefit from having this bright and beautiful boy in it.  Happy birthday Grandson.  I am proud to love what you become.

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 ͡°)