How to Follow Christ – Humility

Greetings Dear Reader,

This is an eternal pursuit of anyone who wishes to follow Christ.  As my Grandfather used to always say, “The problem with humility is the moment you think you have it, you have lost it.” 

C.S. Lewis gives a great exposition on how the real monster sin in man is pride.  The only way to begin to get a handle on humility is to realize and embrace how deeply my pride runs.  The obvious actions of pride are easy to recognize and deal with for me.  It is the subtle pride that rends relationships and hinders my following Christ.

Even when I am not motivated by pride I need to be careful that what I communicate does not sound prideful.  How I communicate can be a great tell on whether pride or humility is working in me.  When pride guides my communication I am focused on being right and looking out for me.  When it is humility that guides I am concerned with the needs of others or what is right over what is wrong.

Humility keeps my desires at bay.  I want to look good mentally, physically, and socially.  I must be willing to sacrifice appearances for humility.  I must not put myself first.  I especially must not do things to make others look bad for the sake of looking good.  It is pride that causes me to slander others.  It is pride of looking witty to my peers that causes me to creatively demean those in the public spotlight.  I am free to discuss the issues but it is wrong to personally attack the celebrity or politician.

I must embrace humility in order to properly be a good father and grandfather.  I must be humble in order to be kind in my friendships.  It is a matter of constant vigilance.  If I am to follow Christ I must consider others.  I must look to their needs and count on Christ to meet mine.  I must be constantly aware of how deep the wounds of pride run in my spirit and use active pursuit of humility to heal them.

Following Christ requires that I set myself aside.  Until my last breath I must court humility.  Even thinking otherwise is vain and empty.

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."

How to Follow Christ – Giving

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I began this set of thoughts and observations I made it clear that I am not giving a prescription but rather sharing what works for me.  I am not talking about money here.  What I wish to share is what I must do to feel that I am following Christ in the area of giving to others.

I have mentioned often that I have more than I need.  I have made it clear that I am grateful for what I have.  I try to do most of my giving in secret.  I do not want accolades for it or recognition.  What I want to share about giving is where it comes from within me. 

I used to give out of duty.  I had not reached the place where it was from the heart.  First I had to come to the place where I realized that nothing is truly mine.  Since anything I have is a gift from God embracing that truth leaves me free to give.  Since God promises to provide for my needs I do not need to worry that giving will leave me in need.

I love seeing the needs of others met and more-so I love being able to help in the process.  I feel that in many ways there are those who claim to follow Christ who either ignore the need to give or use the requirement to do so as way of lining their own pockets.  Both are abhorrent to me. 

I give time, materials, talents, and money because it is in my heart to do so.  When I see a need that I can meet I help.  I try to embrace the opportunity to help others when I can.  I love it when I get to secretly provide for someone else.  It is my dream to spend the balance of my life giving to others.  With God’s grace I will get there.

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."

How to Follow Christ – Conversation - Horizontal

Greetings Dear Reader,

Following Christ in my conversation it tightly linked to what I say about and to others.  Yesterday I tried to talk about our vertical conversation with God as a way to follow Christ.  Christ makes it clear that what we say to others matters just as much.

My words and harm or heal.  My words can reflect my love for others or mask it.  My words will either show my commitment to Christ or do harm to his image.  I know that I have not always lived this well.  I am slowly learning that what I say does matter and how I say matters even more.

Another aspect of this is keeping silent when I should.  It is not my place to talk on and on about others.  It is wrong for me to gossip, malign, or demean anyone.  I can offer opinions on issues but must not be pejorative towards people.  I can disagree with what a politician does or says.  I cannot follow Christ and make jokes at their expense or insult their character.  Being course, dishonest, and negative are not good ways to treat others.  What I say matters and it is clear that I am accountable for every word.

It is more than what I must not do though.  I am expected to speak kindly.  I am required to speak with gentleness and to encourage.  I do not have the luxury of withholding good words if I wish to follow Christ.  I must take the risk of being good to others.  I must use kind words even when others do not.  I must see the good in others and speak to it.

To apply all of this I try to speak less.  I do not weigh in on as many things.  I do not engage in as much simple talk as I used to do.  I try to show interest in others.  I tell people when they have done well. Jesus made it clear that we would give account for every word we speak.  I have a long way to go.    

You and me we use so very many clumsy words.
The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.
When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to communicate His love,
He spoke it in one final perfect Word.  – Michael Card – The Final Word

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."

How to Follow Christ – Conversation -Vertical

Greetings Dear Reader,

I do not wish to be coy here.  I am talking about prayer but that word seems to communicate so little concerning the conversation we have with God.  God wishes a relationship with us.  He values knowing us and wants us to know him.  In light of this we are supposed to be in conversation with God. 

I cannot tell anyone else what to do in this area.  I can say that what works for me is treating God as if he is ever present.  When something thrills me I inwardly and sometimes outwardly share my feelings with God.  This can be anything from a great sunset to a creative idea to remembering something important. 

Since I believe that following Christ is about adopting and following his view of the Father it is necessary to keep the Father in focus.  I know how much I yearn for my children to reach out and talk to me about ANYTHING.  They do this and it makes my day.  I think that this is the same feeling that God has toward us.

So much of what we do is dependent upon God and yet I know that I forget to include him in the conversation at times.  There is time to pray in the formal sense but successfully following Christ must become a constant attitude of conversation including the Father in my thoughts and ponderings.  I know that whether my children are telling me about the kind of dog they wish to get or the new band they have discovered it means something to me.  How can I not give God the Father the same consideration I desire?

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."

How to Follow Christ – Forgivingness – Receiving It

Greetings Dear Reader,

My younger Son, Bezel once said to me; “My biggest problem with forgiveness is how do you forgive yourself?”  For some people that is a more difficult task than others.  For me there are more difficult wrongs than others.  I think that the answer lies in how I view my own failures.

I have talked about our need for forgiveness and our need to give it.  Like the giving and seeking of forgiveness receiving it takes humility.  When I seek forgiveness from God I must accept that my wrong is pardoned.  This does not mean that there will not be ongoing consequences. 

It is, however, vital that I realize that to hang on to guilt and shame is to hinder my potential to do good out of my failures.  It takes humility to accept that I am forgiven just as much as it does to accept my need for it.  It is out of this brokenness that God wishes to mold a heart that he can use to love others.  In those moments is when I need to see that no matter how others feel about me I am forgiven by God.

That same humility must work in me to show those I have wronged that I admit my need for man’s forgiveness as well.  Those who have been hurt by my failures need to forgive me for their own wellbeing.  I cannot for a moment think that I deserve it.  When they do, however, give it, I must accept it with gratitude and meekness. 

I have seen the power of forgiveness that is mutual and genuine.  I cannot afford to hold on to anything I have against someone else.  I need forgiveness too much not to give it.  I know I let past failures hold me back in some ways.  There are places where I have not forgiven myself for what I have done.  There are places where I have accepted that I am forgiven by God but others have not truly forgiven me.  There are things I have done that I will never get over.  I can only keep following and hoping that as I do forgiveness to and from others becomes habitual.

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."

How to Follow Christ – Forgivingness – Seeking It

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have said this before but it bears repeating; if you think you do not need forgiveness just ask those closest to you what your faults are.  No matter what we believe about God we need forgiveness from each other daily.  We become tolerant of our own minor unkindness to each other.  We accept that we take others for granted.  We allow our own selfishness to seem less than that of others.  We become dulled to the ways in which we hurt each other and think our damage dealing is not as bad as the next fellows.

If we can spare a moment to be honest we can see that we need forgiveness every day.  The word is not popular but I sin daily.  I can be impatient, demanding, selfish, and controlling.  Sometimes I can be all of those at once.  I have great sins that have hurt others.  I have minor sins that I indulge daily without even thinking about it.  The problem is that no wrongs done to others are minor.

This leads to what Christ has to say about seeking forgiveness.  We are to seek it whether we think we are wrong or not.  If we know that someone has something against us we are to reconcile it as quickly as possible.  We are to even leave what we are doing to make things right.  The important thing here is if we think someone has something against us not if we think we have done wrong. 

The idea of forgiveness is reconciliation.  It is about living in peace with others.  It is about showing Christ to others by trampling our own pride.  I live this out by not accepting that saying I am sorry is enough.  I must always live in the knowledge that if I am to follow Christ I must not leave any room for pride to mask my brokenness.  If I allow pride to make me think better of myself than I am then I am not showing my need for forgiveness and cannot help others see that they need it.

It is in my broken crooked honesty that Christ can be seen by others.  My pride gets in the way of this.  Unless I daily review my actions and seek forgiveness when needed I cannot hope to follow Christ with all my heart.

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."

How to Follow Christ – Forgivingness – Giving It

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have written about forgiveness before.  It relates so clearly to the essence of following Christ.  A day does not go by where I am not in need of it.  A day does not go by when I do not need to give it.  I think that this is a very difficult aspect of following Christ.

I am not sure how but failing to forgive weakens our faith.  It puts a barrier between God and us.  It strengthens the barrier between us and those we need to forgive.  Failure to forgive is failure to love.  Failure to love is the opposite of following Christ. 

When I feel anger or resentment towards someone whether it is just or unjust I must forgive them.  During the evening I think through my day.  I review the things that have offended me and assure that I have forgiven the offender.  If I have trouble forgiving someone I look to the reason that I am withholding love from them.  If I cannot figure it out, I plan to do something nice for them.

I find that going out of my way to be good to someone I have not forgiven helps me forgive them.  Someone said to me recently how hard it is for them to forgive.  I think that part of this is due to atrophy of the forgiveness muscle.  The more often we genuinely forgive the easier it is.  The less often we forgive the more difficult it becomes.

Pride and anger fuel the lack of forgiveness in me.  When I withhold forgiveness I am holding on to anger or demanding justice.  Sometimes the latter is justified but I am to trust God for justice and not seek it on my own.  One can seek justice and forgive at the same time.  I can forgive someone that rear ends me at a traffic light and still insist that he pay for the damages.  I can seek justice if I do it from a place of forgiveness.

I follow Christ by working to constantly forgive.  I have not come close to perfecting it but visiting it daily allows me to keep shorter accounts on my need to forgive.  I know that if I do not focus on forgiveness of even the deepest wrongs done to me then anger and bitterness grow in me quickly.  It is through active forgiveness that I find myself drawn to Christ more deeply. 

And when I failed you

When I’ve lost my way

Still I am drawn to you

Like a moth to a candle flame - Kemper Crabb – Candle Flam e

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."

How to Follow Christ – Listening

Greetings Dear Reader,

The reason that I speak so often of my Grandfather is that he was the first influence for Christ in my life.  His life drew me to the Christ long before I understood what he was saying.  Later, when I made the choice to follow Christ I became influenced by people who chose practice over pure following of the Christ.   It was more important to maintain standards they chose and build the size of the church than it was to share the life of Christ with others.

One day during a sermon the pastor was dwelling on the phrase “Preach the word…” from 2 Timothy 4:2.  I quote the King James Version here because that is the version used then.  A quote that is unverifiabley attributed to St. Francis of Assisi rose in my mind, “Preach the Gospel always; when necessary use words.” 

A sharp contrast began to form in my mind between the way Christians lived and the way Christ intends us to be in our lives.  Later this combined with remembering what my Grandfather used to say to me when I was distracted from instructions he was trying to give.  “God gave us two ears and one mouth.  We should listen twice as much as we speak.” 

All of this forms in my life something I am trying to learn to do.  I try to listen much more than I speak and I try to live more than I preach.  I am not ashamed to share my faith and the reason for the hope that I feel.  I also want to live my life in such a way that my words have validity when I speak them.

I must listen for God.  I must listen to others.  I must speak only when my words will do good and not harm.  I must speak the truth in love.  I must listen with my heart and mind.  I must seek first to understand before asking to be understood.

There is little I can do to mask the past failures of my life.  I cannot undo the impact they have had in those around me.  What I can do is listen to the needs of others and respond with a heart that loves.

Scanning the Silence with inward ear

Life is a listening

Enfolded in echoes of timeless years

The Word comes whispering

Build my being from your throat

Meld my meaning with every note

Wrap me ‘round in an aural cloak

That I may truly hear. – Kemper Crabb – The Vigil

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."

How to Follow Christ – Introduction

Greetings Dear Reader,

Before I launch this discussion I wish to put forth a very clear disclaimer.  I am just getting the hang of this after almost forty years of trying.  I am not in any shade of the term perfect.  Most times I am tolerable.  It is a daily struggle to do what it right.  It is a conscious choice to be more that someone who only lives for what he wants.

As I have said many times before the key to following anything is in what you believe.  I accept it as an axiom that one must have faith because nothing can be absolutely proven.  Some things are more reasonable than others.  What I propose here is to be open as to the struggles involved and the methods that work for me in overcoming those struggles. 

There is no secret formula.  There is a to do list but it is simple and short.  It is also hard and demanding.  There is an extreme paradox.  Many of the things involved in following Christ seem foolish.  Truly following Christ demands that we give up everything.

So the question comes, “What does one do to do that?”  What works?  I think that the first thing I had to do, and it took a long time, was realize how few answers I have.  All of the things that I struggle with, all the sin that hinders my following Christ are part of who I am.

When I think that I have the answers I am in error.  The entire concept of following is that I do not know the path but rather I need someone to follow.   So this is where I begin.  I wake up every morning realizing that today I need to follow more closely than I did yesterday.  Every morning, when my feet hit the floor I remind myself that I am unable to follow Christ without first facing my need for him. 

I begin my day of following by asking for guidance.  I ask that I do nothing that is not following.  I ask for strength, grace, and mercy.  Nothing about following Christ works if I do not embrace the depth of my need to do so.  I realize this seems brief and simplistic but it is also key.  If I seize the moment of awakening to renew my determination to follow Christ then I am much more likely to do so in the moments that follow.

The journey is a series of moments.  If I live to be seventy-two I will have 2,272,147,200 of those moments.  If I wish a life that is lived in following Christ I must give as many of those moments as possible to that following.  Some will be more vital moments than others.  The more I make a habit of following Christ in every moment the more likely I will be to follow him in the vital ones.  This is where it begins.

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."

Why I Believe – A Few Final Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

As I said at the outset of this I was opening a dialogue and am thankful for those who have joined in.  I would like to draw a distinction between offering a discussion on apologetics and opening to discussion the reasons why I believe.  It seems that some of the interactions have presumed the former when I clearly intended the latter.

If one wishes a real discussion on the general area of apologetics I would recommend my dear friend Donald Williams as an excellent person with whom one could palaver.  My understanding of such matters is my own and not as efficient as his.  This is why I wrote about why I believe and did not attempt to convince anyone else.  I do not believe my words could do that.

The things I covered are some of the things that have influenced me whether anyone else accepts them or not.  Some comments have been interactive and some condemning.  There were a few that were mean spirited and vulgar.  I chose not to approve them to be posted on my Blog. 

Some of my thoughts did not meet the approval of some of my Dear Readers. Others were encouraging or thought provoking for me. I particularly loved the last line of AL’s comment:  “This is our journey and we must figure it out on our own before we be deemed worthy, for we are lost souls struggling to find the light in this increasingly dark abyss.”

I agree that we are in an increasingly dark abyss.  We do struggle to find the light and so many things attempt to hinder the search.  Less and less do I condemn other beliefs or thinking in the place of trying to live out what I do believe before others.  I do not have the power to undo my failures in faith and following in the past.  I do have the desire to live today and tomorrow and any other days I have in following Christ.

With some people it has been made clear to me that I have no right to be heard.  With others I have chosen to try and be the embodiment of my beliefs hoping to earn the right to be heard.  I also know I have a few fellow travelers who get me and see my heart.  For all of these people I am thankful.  In each way they challenge me to be more like I should be as a follower of Jesus Christ.

As I said I am going to leave this topic and attempt to write about ways in which I try to make following Christ a daily act in the moment.  I am sure that I am incomplete and fractured at this but I also know that there are others in the same boat.  I openly admit that I need someone to guide me and I have chosen Christ.  If I am wrong I will not have lost anything for I find I am most content when I feel I have represented him well and that contentment is priceless. 

Finally I do not think I can prove to anyone who Christ is or what he wants from his creation.  I think the mystical aspect of this is that when you believe it makes sense because you believe.  I realize how irrational that is but for me it is none the less true. 

To those who think me foolish, misinformed, or puerile I would ask the following.  Instead of arguing with, dismissing in whole, or despising openly those who claim to follow Christ try this:  Require that we truly follow Christ by treating everyone with respect and compassion.  Hold us accountable to caring for the poor, the sick, and those in need.  Mandate that we not see ourselves as better than anyone else.  Insist that we see the social needs around us and take our Christ mandated place in meeting those needs.  Demand that our defining attribute be unconditional, unflinching, unstoppable love.  Some of us are up to the challenge.

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."