Cherries

Greetings Dear Reader,

I realize that this is an odd post but that is understandable for me.  I often speak of my love for peaches but I seem to neglect other fruit that catches my attention.  Anything that is a “berry” is delicious to me.  Today, however, it is the cherry that has my attention. 

I am enjoying some perfectly ripe Bing Cherries for breakfast.  They are cool, sweet, tart, and tender.  They are one of those fruits that I enjoy in almost all possible forms.  Fresh cherries are to me the essence of late spring.  They capture all the cool dampness of spring.  They harbor the reminders of the bitter winter and the sweet life of spring for me.  The pits make them an effort to consume and occasionally the outside firmness belies one that has gone off in the middle.

The joy I find in them is not as long lived as peaches are for me, but when I have them I am reminded of picking them with my maternal grandfather one summer.  It is one of those memories that stands out as tart and sweet.

Mostly I am reminded about the vast variety that exists in creation.  I ponder the many ways in which God gives me joy in eating well.  We all have so many things we enjoy.  I try to turn consuming each cherry into an act of grateful worship. 

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."

The Days of Summer

Greetings Dear Reader,

I will probably be very brief this week.  I am committed to writing almost every day this year and will keep that commitment but I am also feeling the need for some down time.  I am going to give my thoughts on some simple things this week.  You may do with them as you will.

Up for today’s pondering is summer.  It varies in length depending upon where you live.  For my Australian friends it is coming on winter and I apologize that you are not getting this six months hence.  I love many things about summer.  This week as summer approaches I was thinking about summers past.  There has been much wasted time and many good times.

I yearn for the beach and down time with family and friends.  I long for fishing and swimming. Mostly I look forward to the thing that God continues to provide even though I am hundreds of miles from the source.  In a few weeks we will have Georgia peaches. 

Today I will do a few things but most of the day will be spent just unwinding.  Join me if you can.

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."

Sensitivity Training – Friends in Need

Greetings Dear Reader,

How often do we find ourselves in a situation where we can truly help someone else?  I think that we do not find this opportunity because we do not look for it enough.  I have a coworker who has a lot placed on her shoulders daily.  Part of her job requires getting information from other very busy people in a timely fashion.

It is my responsibility to anticipate this recurring need and not make her have to chase me down.  It is an easy thing I tick of my to-do list by getting it done right away.  What is the second mile then?  How do I go beyond the easy to the place where I am doing all that I can to show Christ to this person?

I am not going to answer in specifics at this point but I do need to make the thinking my focus.  I should always be looking to the needs of my friends and colleagues.   I should anticipate the needs of others and when possible and appropriate meet them without being asked.

Everyone has needs.  Sometimes people have the courage or humility to ask for what they need from people they trust.  If I am known for meeting the needs of others when I can then more people may be willing to ask.  I, however, must anticipate them.  I must be more sensitive to the needs of 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Sensitivity Training – The Lives of Others

Greetings Dear Reader,

I made a new friend this week.  He is a Christ follower and his life is in transition.  As I am first getting to know him, the challenges he is engaging cause me to realize just how good I have it.  He is just moving to the town in which I live.  He is just beginning a new job.

In order to start this new job he is going to be away from his wife and children for three months.  He will travel three hours one way on weekends to see them when he is used to being there every night.  They have Skype but it is not the same.  As I have listened to his life unfold this week I am driven to pray for him and his success in his new venture.

It seems very clear that God continually gives me opportunity to have some small input into the lives of others as they are in transition.  I know that this is an honor and a privilege.  I must follow Christ closely in this so that I have the best possible chance for being ready to be there in the moment. 

I do not that this encounter has made me think less about my own circumstances and instead how to be a loving fellow traveler in his.  That, I think is at the heart of being what Christ has called us to be for 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Why am I Aramis Thorn?

Greetings Dear Reader,

My first thought when I was asked this question by a Dear Reader was, “there is a story behind that.”  There is.  That, however, is not what the Reader was asking.  They wished to know in general why I choose to use a pen name. 

Even though I wish to make my living as a writer, I do not wish to be famous.  I do not wish to be on talk shows and have my picture on the back of my books.  At heart I want to give thought, entertainment, and fuel to the lives of others.  Also it seems that the story behind the pen name has taken on a life of its own.

My Shield

My alter ego, we will call him Peter (there is a story behind that as well) often insists that in some way I “really” exist.   I have been around since he was eight years old.  He often converses with me and insists that I am often irritating.  I wake him at odd hours with ideas.  I pester him to write when he has other things he must do.  In general I have few social skills or consideration when it comes to the rest of the world versus the mission of writing. 

Peter says that there is also a freeing aspect to a pen name.  I will write things that he would never have the courage to put on paper.  I can delve into aspects of who he is that he prefers to avoid.  I open doors that he wishes left closed, sealed, and forgotten for the great good.

As much as I am a bother to Peter we agree on one thing always.  We both wish to direct glory and honor to God.  It is much easier to do this if we do not have to worry about his name being all over a bookshelf somewhere.  The veil of anonymity is thin but it is an easy to keep perspective.

The story of how I came to be is available out there somewhere and he does tell it at book signings and such.  The story of why I call him Peter is not going to be told to anyone outside the family.  Which reminds me, he has not invited me to any of his gatherings lately.  Would someone mention this to him?

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 Do I Write?

Greetings Dear Reader,

This part of my life is never easy.  I love writing and watching things emerge on the page brings me a measure of satisfaction.  That said, it is often a painful and frustrating process.  Were I able to do so I would only write. 

What that means for me is facing an empty page and attempting to tell the story, emote the poem, or wrestle with the feelings that are current and precipitous.  I write every day; usually when most of you are asleep.  So when I write my stories, poems, and blog why do I write each thing?

I write stories because I love telling a story.  Eventually they take on their own life and I am enslaved to them until the end.  I hope that my stories raise good questions about things that matter.  I hope that they entertain but know that I am always up to something in those books.  My ultimate goal in every tale is to ask that one see Christ in a new light and perhaps forge a friendship with him.

My poems are altogether another story (pun intended).  They are where I emote my pain and joy.  I have written hundreds of them and one or two are good.   I do not share these with anyone.  If you wish to read some good contemporary poetry buy Stars Through the Clouds by my dear friend Donald T. Williams.  My poetry, since I was very young is meant to express things that I do not share with others.  It is intended to keep me from bottling up feelings that I would rather only show to God.  I realize that some of them should be shared with others but I am not there yet.  I have to sift through the pile and find the few gems in the muck.  I will get to it but not yet.

This blog has two purposes.  The primary purpose is for me to be open about my journey with Christ for others.  If you wish to know where I am or what I am pondering about Jesus, the church, or my own journey, this is a good place to look.  The second purpose is for you Dear Reader.  I hope that I can spur some thought.  I hope that perhaps you will carry something away that makes your life richer. 

I avoid weighing in on some issues intentionally.  I am not here to preach or tell others how to live.  I am trying to live my journey openly without judging others or ridiculing anyone.  I do have a difficult time not railing against bad drivers and people who leave used diapers in parking lots but I must govern my passions or they will be my undoing.

I am determined to get to the place where the bulk of my working day is committed to writing.  Some days it seems that I will never get there.  Some days the blank page terrifies me.  Then a comment, a fortune cookie, or especially you Dear Reading will remind me that someone is listening; someone is reading.  Even a single life enriched by what I write is of value to 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

A Walk with Aqualung – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

This was my introduction to Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson, Aqualung, and beginning to think for myself.  I went the wrong way for quite some time.  My journey was toward anger, hatred, and destruction.  Drugs and alcohol helped me along.  Loneliness and feelings of rejection were my constant companions.

I believe there are some wounds from which one never truly recovers.  Those inflicted on me both intentionally and unintentionally between ages eight and eleven created soil fertile for my descent into destruction.  I realize that this seems young but that does not change the truth of it.  I mastered hiding my pain and self-destructiveness.  I was brooding and miserable.

Music became my only friend for some time.  In the early seventies there was plenty of dark music.  Fortunately there was also Thick as a Brick.  This is a true concept album containing a single 43 minute song.  It is worth the listen but be sure to do so with a copy of the lyrics.

In 1974 I had another encounter with a man who would change my life.  I had plans to take my own life and this man saw through my bravado and reached out for the damaged child screaming inside me.  He patiently answered all my objections to God and acceptance of Christ. 

What broke my willful resistance to the love and grace that Christ offered was this man looking into my eyes and with no knowledge of my past or thoughts saying one simple thing.  He put his hand on my shoulder after listening to my objections to the church and smiled.  “God is not the kind of thing you wind up on Sunday’s and ignore the rest of the week.” 

I may have used my introduction to Jethro Tull to begin my path to hating God.  God used my love of Jethro Tull to draw me back to him.  No matter where you are in the theological journey I think that faith and following saved my life.  I do not hate anyone that believes differently than me.  I do not think that one can get around that being a part of any faith or being an atheist contains a measure of arrogance.  Believing in anything means that others are excluded.  This requires that one approach faith with humility.  In that is learning possible. 

I do know that I have learned that there is a vast difference between organized religion and following Christ.  I do not mean that church or a certain pattern of practice is wrong.  What I do mean is that choosing that pattern must be done with a firm understanding that it is the following and not the function that matters.

I have a friend who got some bad clam chowder at a restaurant in Florida about thirty years ago.  To this day he refuses to eat clam chowder.  I make really good clam chowder and it is never poison.  I have had bad clam chowder as well.  It just seems foolish to reject a food for life that is wonderful and can be safe to eat. 

Rejecting God because of the bad actions of some of his followers seems just as unthinkable to me.  That does not mean that I disrespect or dislike anyone who has.  Rather, it is my responsibility to cultivate love and humility that will allow others to see the difference between churches and Jesus.  It is not my job to covert others, to save souls, or to judge. 

It is my job to see Aqualung and have real compassion for him.  It is my responsibility to see Johnny Scarecrow and want him to have a coat and more.  I must brush aside wind up gods and caged images so that Christ can be seen for who he is.  Guilt and gilding are both improper ways to treat faith and following.  I must choose to live what I believe in a way that makes others feel accepted and welcome. 

What I believe is my choice.  What I do about it must comply with who Christ is in a way that is both confident and humble.  What I believe must be seen long before it is spoken.  I have failed in this in the past and should not be surprised at the damage it causes when I do so.  I do not pretend perfection.  I do with to be identified with both the crucified and risen Jesus.  By God’s grace I hope to live it out in a way that is honest and genuine.  You see after all is said and done, how I live out what I believe is not up to some religion, denomination, or system of theology.  It is truly, Dear Reader, Up to 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 home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

A Walk with Aqualung – Lick Your Fingers Clean

Greetings Dear Reader,

This song was intended for the original album but the technology prevented it.  Some years later I encountered this song.  It was reworked into Two Fingers on the Warchild album.  I think it would be a disservice to the work to not comment on it here.  Keep in mind that I was in a much different place mentally when Warchild came out in 1975 and when I heard this song live for the first time.  

I love the imagery of the offering plate being a chamber pot.  Again Ian Anderson fits a very honest message into the song without being preachy or snarky.  The key for me is when he talks about election.  Most people do not realize that he is speaking of one of the vast arguments of faith. 

Some believe that we are chosen (elected) by God to be perfected by God.  If we pretend perfection and do not realize how far we have to go to be like Christ then we are dishonest.  If we pretend that we are perfect we will not crucify the flesh as we are required.

If we are not going to accept God over the institutes of the church then we should be sure that we make a good deal with the church.  Remember that the Christian church is guilty of selling salvation in many ways.  Faith, however, cannot be bought. 

If we are going to buy into the systems of religion we had best do so in a way that leaves us a good name with them.  If we are going to truly follow Christ we had best adopt some humility and realize the depth of our failure to be what God wishes us to be as his followers.

By the time I heard this song I was already on a path that included Christ and following him.  I still had much to learn about what that meant but God was slowly healing my mind and heart. 

Lick Your Fingers Clean – Ian Anderson

I'll see you at the weighing in

When your life's sum-total's made.

And you set your wealth in godly deeds

Against the sins you've laid.

So you place your final burden

On your hard-pressed next of kin:

Send the chamber pot back down the line

To be filled up again.

Take your mind off your election

And try to get it straight.

And don't pretend perfection ---

You'll be crucified too late.

And he'll say you really should make the deal

As he offers round the hat.

Well, you'd better lick your fingers clean; I thank you all for that.

And as you join the good ship earth

And you mingle with the dust

Be sure to leave your underpants

With someone you can trust.

And the hard-headed social worker who bathes his hands in blood

Will welcome you with arms held high

And cover you with mud.

And he'll say you really should make the deal

As he offers round the hat.

Well, you'd better lick your fingers clean, I thank you all for that.

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."

A Walk with Aqualung – Wind Up

Greetings Dear Reader,

Imagine being an already disillusioned eleven year old hearing this song for the first time.  The melody is calming after the rush of Locomotive Breath.  The song pegged exactly how I felt about school, God, and life.  No one was willing to hear my thoughts at this time in my life.

The stanza about being compared to one’s father really sank deep into my lonely and enraged spirit. Thought my encounters with my father had been few they had already damaged me in ways that still hurt almost fifty years later.   

As the calmness gives way the same truths said in more harsh tones I remember the anger rising in me.   I remember being told when I was very little “You cannot get angry, you will hurt someone.”  Who said it does not matter.  That it stuck does.  As the anger welled up in my spirit I automatically pushed it back down.  I remember deciding that “they” had everything wrong.

It was not until some time later that I realized that Ian was more correct than my angry heart realized.  I was rejecting God with the rejection of my elders, the hypocrisy, and the pain.  I would come to the place where I realized that God is very real.  It is the constructs built around him that are often false.   I think that the statement “He’s not the kind you have to wind up on Sunday” may be the ultimate statement of God’s sovereignty. 

Again we do not see God as he intends to be seen.  We see him in the trappings of religion and in keeping with Ian’s cover words, have made him in our image.  This was the last song on the album in 1971.  The time through the album left me with a determination never to be the things others said I should be in any way.  I failed at this later.  I was on a path to destruction when the last note of this song played.  You may not blame Ian Anderson or the era.  It was all up to me.

Wind Up  – Ian Anderson

When I was young and they packed me off to school

And taught me how not to play the game,

I didn't mind if they groomed me for success,

Or if they said that I was just a fool.

So I left there in the morning

With their God tucked underneath my arm --

Their half-assed smiles and the book of rules.

So I asked this God a question

And by way of firm reply,

He said -- I'm not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.

So to my old headmaster (and to anyone who cares):

Before I'm through I'd like to say my prayers --

I don't believe you:

You had the whole damn thing all wrong --

He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.

Well you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school

And have all the bishops harmonize these lines --

How do you dare tell me that I'm my father's son,

When that was just an accident of birth.

I'd rather look around me -- compose a better song

'Cause that's the honest measure of my worth.

In your pomp and all your glory you're a poorer man than me,

As you lick the boots of death born out of fear.

When I was young and they packed me off to school

And taught me how not to play the game,

I didn't mind if they groomed me for success,

Or if they said that I was just a fool.

So I left there in the morning

With their God under my arm --

Their half-assed smiles and the book of rules.

Well you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school

And have all the bishops harmonize these lines --

When I was young and they packed me off to school

And taught me how not to play the game,

I didn't mind if they groomed me for success,

Or if they said that I was just a fool.

So to my old headmaster (and to anyone who cares):

Before I'm through I'd like to say my prayers –

Well you can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school

And have all the bishops harmonize these lines --

I don't believe you:

You had the whole damn thing all wrong --

He's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.

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."

A Walk with Aqualung – Locomotive Breath

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is unfortunate but a little theological history is necessary to delve properly into this song.  First and hopefully obvious is that “Old Charlie” is an archaic euphemism for the devil.  Since this is the focus of the chorus it is important but more on that later.  The next item and more in keeping with the religious theme of the B side is and understanding of who the “all time loser” is. 

In the ultimate struggle for the souls of men it is the devil who is also the ultimate loser.  From a theological perspective the entire thing begins with Lucifer’s rebellion against God and his interference with men.  The “all time winner” then is God.  It was Lucifer who led the rebellion against God and “caught” the angels who fell with him.

“Gideon’s Bible” is a reference to the organization called The Gideons who are known for leaving Bibles in hotel rooms.  Page one would be the first chapter of Genesis.  This is significant in that the first line of Genesis is simply, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

With this as the backdrop it seems clear to me that the story is simple.  How it impacted me is not so simple.  I did not have the same impact on me back then.  I did not have the theology to understand the song and because of life I saw myself as “the all-time loser.” 

Anger and pain combined with this feeling set me on a path toward destruction.  It would be at the last moment when I found that I would rather live.

Locomotive Breath – Ian Anderson

In the shuffling madness

Of the locomotive breath

Runs the all-time loser

Headlong to his death

Oh, he feels the piston scraping

Steam breaking on his brow

Old Charlie stole the handle

And the train, it won't stop going

No way to slow down

Oh, oh

He sees his children jumping off

At stations one by one

His woman and his best friend

In bed an' having fun

Oh, he's crawling down the corridor

On his hands and knees

Old Charlie stole the handle

And the train, it won't stop going

No way to slow down

Yeah, yeah

He hears the silence howling

And catches angels as they fall

And the all-time winner

Has got him by the balls

Oh, he picks up Gideon's Bible

Open at page one

I thank God, he stole the handle

And the train, it won't stop going

No way to slow down

No way to slow down

No way to slow down

No way to slow down

No way to slow down

No way to slow down

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."