Second Thoughts – Are We Brave Enough to Truly Honor our Veterans?

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

It seems to me that I cannot escape the feeling that we have betrayed the blood of our veterans.  Men and Women have volunteered to leave family and home to enter harm’s way for us.  They have died, been wounded, and suffered trauma that will last the remainder of their lives.  How have we repaid them?

We have VA agencies that give poor if not criminal medical treatment.  We allow this to come to light and there is not a consensus of outrage.  We do not demand justice for them and destroy the pollical or professional careers of those who caused and allowed it.

Thousands of our veterans are homeless and we ignore the plight as we pass them by to get our pumpkin spice lattes.  We ignore them as we cue for a show at the downtown theater.  We sent them into hell and reject them because they came back smelling of sulfur. 

They stood on the line for our freedom and we squander that freedom over political posturing and pride.  What we should be doing is uniting in that freedom to show them and every American they defended love, kindness, compassion, and respect.

There is no excuse for us to thank them for their service and fail to use our freedom to serve each other.  We have paid for the party with our dearest blood and we demand more whilst our leaders on every side waste what they have given.  I am ashamed of what is becoming of a nation that can be an example of truth and justice if it chooses.  Instead the lives of our veterans are poured out like water in the sand. 

We need to wake up.  We need to truly honor their continuing sacrifice by building a UNITED States.  We need to use the mighty force we have to let go of greed and grasp ideas like honor and character again.

I am thankful for every soul that put his or her life on the line for my freedom.  I love and respect them.  I will honor them by treating everyone with love and respect.  I will thank them by being generous and kind.  It has always been the common man or woman who can change things in our nation.  Why don’t we commemorate our veterans by taking back the nation they preserve for us with a heavy serving of self-sacrifice and care for everyone?

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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Freedom ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I think that in many ways we have abandoned the idea of personal responsibility.  We blame circumstances and others for our failure to do what we should.  We say we need more time when we have all been given the same amount.  We say we have too much to do when we have over-committed.

Too often we are not honest about what we want to do and then blame others for making us do things.  We do not excise an honest locus of control on our lives.  We then blame others for controlling us. 

I am free to do as I choose to do.  I am, however, accountable for my choices.  It is in those choices that most of life unfolds.  I cannot control the choices of others and I may be impacted the consequences of their choices.  I still am free to choose my response.

What then are the preset guidelines for my choices?  What do I put in place to assure that I exercise my freedom with responsibility?  I choose to follow Christ.  I choose to assert his primary commands to love God and to love others. 

In the freedom of choice I will fail at times.  The goal is to shorten the time between failure and rectification.  To lessen the times of failure is a goal as well.  If excising my freedom and commitment to love others becomes the habitual and not the uncommon then I will exercise my other freedoms more responsibly.  In that lies true freedom.

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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Freedom ~ Commitment

Greetings Dear Reader,

I wonder if we truly understand the nature of commitment.  When I make a commitment I am giving up a piece of my freedom.  This is why it needs to be voluntary and fully reasoned.  When I choose to give my word on something then I must not think that I am free to do as I wish.

Our society, including me, does not always see this as clearly as it should.  I have worked hard to become someone who does what he says he will do.  It is not a little thing to fail at this even in little things.  I am not speaking of implied consent or unjust expectations of others.  My only concern is with the things we say that we do not do.

My friend Tina recently asked for regular prayer for a new situation that is challenging her experience and comfort.  I told her I would pray for her.  I put my favorite picture of her in a place where I see it daily so that I remember to pray for her needs.  Too often we tell others we will support them and we fail to do it.

It is too easy to say we will do something small and forget about it in the next moment.  It is too common to make big commitments and abandon them when it gets hard to keep them.  If I cannot fulfill something I must not commit to it. 

It is damaging to the fabric of who we are to think that once we have committed to something that we are free to do otherwise.  When I commit to something I give up my freedom to choose what to do.  I may appeal if circumstances change.  I may even ask to be released from my commitment.   My heart, however, must be focused on committing only to things that I can do and then doing them with all my ability. 

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 ͡°)

Freedom ~ Choice

Greetings Dear Reader,

I feel I need to draw the distinction between will and choice.  I can make choices as an act of will.  It is not logical to proceed that choices are forced upon us.  We may be forced to choose but there is always a right choice. 

The right choice may seem impossible or un-doable but we still can choose it.  We are responsible for all our choices.  We may be the “victim” of the consequences of another’s choice.  We are still able to choose our response.  The freedom to choose comes with the great responsibility of the consequences of our choices. 

No one believes when a man abusing his wife says, “look what YOU made me have to do.”  It is always his choice to abuse her.  It is always wrong to do it.  Instead of taking responsibility for our choices we try to mitigate them.  We may say, “I did not have a choice.”  There is always a choice.  We are always responsible for those choices. 

I have made poor choices and poor excuses for those choices.  The freedom to choose means that I must choose what is right no matter the personal cost.  I can provide all the situational justification I wish but that is not truth.  Truth is that I can choose.  I do choose.  In following Christ I must always use my will to choose what is right.

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 ͡°)

Freedom ~ Will

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things that amazes me about humans is free will.  We exercise it and hide at will.  We choose not to choose or we demand choice. 

For those who think that everything is predetermined I would submit the simple argument that foreknowledge does not equal predetermination.  That, however, is a different discussion.  I proceed from the assumption that we are created with free will.  If one does not believe that we are created then there is surly no argument against us having the power to choose.

The thing that hangs us up is consequences.  We either deny or wish to avoid consequences.  I have a friend, that when faced with the consequences of choices says quite petulantly, “I don’t want there to be consequences.  The difficulty is that things follow in sequence.  That is the way the universe works.

We are free to choose.  We have free will.  Every choice has a consequence.  I was recently in a situation where I was being treated unjustly but wished to still mitigate some of the fallout for others.  The person in charge of the situation looked me in the eye and said, “There need to be consequences and they need to see them.”  He could not mitigate the injustice to me but was determined that things should fall out as they would.

I need to accept that in every choice I make I am accepting the results of that choice.  I choose to follow Christ because I believe that is the best outcome for life.  I choose to love others because the consequences of unconditional love are good even when they seem late from my perspective.  We are supposed to live in the moment with the long view.  I find that I can only do that if I consider the consequences of exercising my will.

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 ͡°)

Freedom ~ Speech

Greetings Dear Reader,

As I sat in the baseball park yesterday celebrating Independence Day with my family I took in the cacophony of ballpark noises.  There is never a moment as silent as when the opposing team hits a home run. 

The difficulty at a baseball game where you have young children present is the first amendment.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Whilst I sat there with my Grandsons the guy an isle to my right felt it was a good thing to berate the umpire with anger and foul language.  There were wee ones all around him and he was untouched by the disapproving glances from surrounding parents.

He is free to say pretty much anything he wants at a baseball game.  The problem is that in saying “any silly thing he wants” is that he neglects that he has a responsibility for how his words infect the innocent in our society.  His larger fueled tirade is unfortunately accepted at baseball games, however, reluctantly.   

The right to free speech comes with great responsibility.  It comes with the understanding that words have power.  They can do great damage.  Once spoken words cannot be called back.  “I take it back” does not work.  It does not un-ring the bell.

Jesus assures me that I will give account for every idle word I speak.  I have the freedom to say anything but it does not absolve me of responsibility for everything I say.  I must consider every word and who those words impact. 

Who hears me and what I say will need context.  I must have a life of kind speech good words that are the backdrop to moments when I am not understood.  It must be the river of responsible real words on which the leaf of momentary lapse floats.

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 ͡°)

Freedom ~ Independence

Greetings Dear Reader,

I wonder if we truly understand the meaning of independence.   It is the freedom from outside control.  It is not being dependent on something from the outside for one’s livelihood, direction, or sustenance. 

It has been two hundred and forty-one years since we declared that we were an independent nation.  I wonder if we are.  If the whole is the sum of the parts I think that we may not be.  If we honestly look at our global dependence on offshore products then we may not be independent.

We are not ruled by other nations.  We are, however, in debt to them.  We are dependent on products they produce.  We would suffer were these things to become critical. 

I am not saying that foreign trade is bad.  I think that debt to any other nation or entity is unwise.  I think that dependence on the trade for our well being is not a good thing.  This country is based on freedom.  If we are in debt and dependence on other nations then we may not be truly free.

This also extrapolates to the individual.  We are dependent on our own government for so much.  Some of it is effort for the common good.  Some of it is support of programs or efforts are not commonly good. 

We cannot claim that we are independent if we do not put into the process that we count on for our sustenance.  If we take out more than we put in then someone else has to make up the difference. 

We need to depend on each other.  We must also always do our part.  We have to have some measure of inter-dependence to function as a society.  We must care for each other.  It is a vital requirement of the Gospel. 

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 ͡°)

Freedom ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I wonder if our understanding of freedom is properly aligned.   Do we really understand what it means to be free?  I think that freedom has many facets and that those facets link together in a matrix that is true freedom.  I also think that we overlap those facets in an unhealthy way.

I want to ponder this as we celebrate Independence Day.  I want to be sure that I use freedom wisely.  The freedom we think of as American freedom came a very high price.  I am sure that in many ways we squander it.   It is not the only kind of freedom, however.

When we exercise a freedom we take on responsibility.  It is the other side of every coin of freedom.  There is always responsibility.  There is always a price.  If we do not shoulder the responsibility the price can be higher.  It can be forced to be paid by others.

This journey has great freedom in it.  It also has great responsibility.  Walk in freedom with me for a bit as we discuss our responsibilities Dear Reader.  As always I value your thoughts.

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 ͡°)

Second Thoughts – The Gay Marriage Ruling

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

As with almost everything I post here I am pondering what I should think, feel, and do concerning the recent ruling by the Supreme Court.  The first thing that I felt was sadness for the division that would deepen in our nation.  The second thought I had was regret for how badly some of my fellow Christ followers would behave.  Sadly they have not disappointed me.

I think that the court has overstepped its authority and I fear for the implications that will arise from it.  I am not an expert on constitutional law nor can I say that I am qualified to interpret every aspect of this issue.  That is not my focus anyway.

My personal feelings about the question of same gender marriage are not what matter either.  I have a responsibility to everyone who identifies as anything other than heterosexual.  This responsibility is unavoidable and ordained by God.  I must live it out with extreme prejudice.  It is identical to my responsibility to my fellow humans who are heterosexual.

You see I believe those who oppose same gender marriage and are Christ followers are to blame for the situation in which we find ourselves.  If we treat any subculture of the human race badly we are not following Christ and should not be surprised when things turn out in a way we do not want them to turn out.

If Christ followers want to be heard by other communities and social groups they need to earn the right to be heard.   I do not have to agree with the morality of something to treat the people involved well.  I want everyone to have the same rights under the law.  I want everyone to have insurance, benefits, healthcare, and social recognition. 

We do not live in a theocracy. We live in democratic republic.   It is not my protesting, rejection, and criticism that should influence the law.  It should be my reputation for love and compassion.  The Church should be leading the way in combating true prejudice and social needs.  We do not.  We relegated social issues that are the Church’s responsibility to the government.  We should not be surprised that they did not carry our faith and morals with them. 

We are in a situation of our own creation.   We are not called to judge, condemn, and alienate.  We are required to love.  We are required to show compassion.  It is our place to care for the sick, the poor, and the oppressed.  If we want to care for the sick should we not lead the way in aids research?  If we care for the poor then should be not be on the front line of the homeless epidemic?  If we care for the oppresses should the Church not be demanding work benefits and family care for everyone that punches a clock? 

It is not loving to deny someone basic human needs because you object to his or her morals.  When Christ healed the sick they did not to fill out a morals and values questionnaire.  We need to clean our own house before we can hope to gain any ground socially.  I fear we have already lost too much ground.

Before we address anyone else’s marriage rights we need to quit divorcing each other.  If we are going to question how healthcare is handled we had better be pouring some serious resources into caring for the sick.  We need to be working until everyone who is hungry has food.   Until we set the example for doing in right in these areas we have little hope of being heard on moral issues.  Until we stand in support of people with real life needs we have nowhere to stand.  Until we are known for our love we should probably just be silent.

I realize this is harsh but I am weary of the contradiction between what we say and what we do.  I also realize Dear Reader that the Church does do good in the world.  The problem is we are not doing enough.  We can do better and we must.   Until we take the risk of losing everything for the sake of living the Gospel, both social and spiritual, we are only going to keep losing ground.   Caesar has spoken.  It is time we show him that we can live as loving Christ followers under any circumstance.

Prayer of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan

Lord make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

And where there is sadness, joy.

O divine master grant that I may

not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive-

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

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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