22 March 2021

I Tried That ~ But You D0o Not KNOW

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Many who have tried seeking the Father have chosen to remain uncertain.  Agnosticism is popular with the emphasis on not being able to prove that God exists.  I wish to say loudly that to a degree, this is right. 


We cannot KNOW that God is there to the degree we know other things.  This is because of the Father’s own design that we follow the Son in faith.  Without faith, we cannot please the Father.  We think that we have tried faith but there is a difficulty with that. 

Faith is something that is supposed to carry us through to the end of the journey.  There are many who say that they will not enjoin anything that requires faith.  The difficulty is that we use faith every day.  We may not admit it but life would be impossible without faith.  We would have to verify the safety of every action from sitting on a chair to riding the bus.  All food would have to be processed and tested personally were we to not have faith in those who produce it.  Life is impossible without faith.  

If we apply the need for faith to the need to seek the Father, we must see that once the existence of God becomes reasonable, faith is necessary.  I say reasonable because from a philosophical perspective that God exists is reasonable.  Even those who are atheists and honest will admit that God’s existence is not beyond reason.  Since we cannot “prove” his existence to a scientific certainty, God requires us to have faith. 

Trying faith is good.  There is never a time to give up trying it.  We are to follow Christ in faith so that when it becomes sight, it will be all the richer, Dear Reader.  The journey is one of faith.  If we need to discuss this, I am fine with that.  Please ask all the questions and tell me your thoughts.  Love is not possible without faith and I love you. 

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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You are to love but love requires faith.  

21 March 2021

I Tried That ~ What About the Church?

Greetings Dear Reader, 

In case you have not picked up on it, I have a tenuous relationship with churches.  I do not have a problem with the Church universal.  That is established by Christ and built on the Gospel.  My issue is with many, not all local churches.  This does not mean that I do not attend and participate. 


This is not judgment or condemnation.  Rather, I want to be certain that I attend for the right reasons.   This requires setting a balance between attending and accepting.  I need to realize that like me, no one is perfect.  This includes church leaders.  What I need to look for always is love and humility.  This also what I must always bring. 

From the outside, the church gathering can look like a costume drama or magic circle depending on the flavor of the church you attend.  We sing our songs to summon God, offer our money to appease him, and listen to a story or lecture about what we should be doing.  I say this to make a point and not in anger.  

Too often, the church treats God like a windup toy.  A Steve Camp song says, “We pat God on the back like a buddy from out of town.”  The Father loves us.  He thinks of us constantly.  Jesus is a friend and companion, but he is also God.  He is not our buddy.  When the church loses sight of this, they use God for their own purposes.  

The reality is that when we mold God to our image of him, this is what it really means to take the name of God in vain.  When churches make the practices of their distinctions the focus it is defrauding the Father.  When money or lifestyle trumps faith and following, the purpose is not Jesus.  We have relegated the things God commands the church to do to social institutions and governments.  

None of this lets me out of the obligation to be a part of the body of faith.  We are not going to find a perfect church but we must keep trying to make the church better.  We are supposed to be what Christ asks us to be and infect everything with that.  This means that we do not abandon the church but we work lovingly to make it stronger and richer.  We become the love and grace the church is supposed to represent.    

You will not find a perfect church, Dear Reader.  You will find people who are trying to perfect themselves in Christ.  Keep trying until you find them and then help them.  It is sweet and makes the journey so much easier. 

Wind Up – Jethro Tull 

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 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 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.
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 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 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 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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Too often the church treats God like a windup toy.  

20 March 2021

I Tried That ~ Hedgerows of Iron

Greetings Dear Reader, 

The Pharisees, religious leaders in Jerusalem at Jesus' time, enforced the Talmud as law.  The Talmud is a collection of writings that pondered the Torah, or the Law of Moses.  What the rabbis who wrote the Talmud did was construct a hedge around the Law. 


I truly believe that their purpose was a good one at first.  Their initial intent was to set up a system whereby the average Jew could avoid violating the Law.  Whilst the intent was laudable, as with all things designed by man it was easily corruptible.  Two things occurred:  The people were no longer learning the actual Torah as they were supposed to learn it.  The hedge then became an orthodoxy without life.   The second thing was that their hearts were not engaged in knowing the Law out of love for God. 

It was easy from there to become people who followed for the purpose of obeying the rules instead of out of love for the Father.  In the attempt to hedge the Law, the people become fenced out of the first commandment, to love the Father with all that they are.  The difficulty is that the failure to keep this commandment makes it impossible to keep any of the others. 

Before we allow pride to make us think we are better, it is clear that we are not.  The Church has done the same thing over the millennia.  It has turned the freedom we have in following Christ into systematized pockets of division that hinder our journey.  We too fail to love the Father as we should and still brag about our distinctives, doctrines, and programs.  We also create barriers to faith that are difficult to overcome. 

If we are going to seek the Father we must do so in truth.  This means that most of the “rules” you hear about are just hedges of iron built around the Gospel.  Mazes are created making it difficult to approach grace and mercy.  The power of Christ is to set us free so that we can love the Father as we should and find peace in the limitless grace that sustains our journey. 

What I must do is only seek the things that please the Father and never seek to impress or please those constructing the hedges.  I do not have to wander through their requirements to follow Christ.  There are practices and programs that are good.  I must get the first things right first.  Love, faith, and following must come before doctrines, catechisms, and programs, Dear Reader. 

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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“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.” – Jimmy Paige 

19 March 2021

I Tried That ~ Removing Filters

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Ponder with me what you know about following Christ.  I still encounter many who hold beliefs that cannot be verified through the Bible.  We turn tradition and practice into a form of faith that is not reflective of how Jesus wishes us to treat each other. 


This has resulted in Christians being seen as aligned with things that are not based on love or grace.  You know, Dear Reader that I do not call myself Christian.  It was a good word for 2000 years but has become diluted by the bad acts of those who take the name of God for their own purposes.  Rather, I attempt to follow Christ.  I attempt to remove the filters through which we seek, view, and follow him. 

If we are going to try to find the Father, we must strip away all of the inherited practices of the church and instead see the Gospel for what it is in its clearest form.  If we are going to seek God with all that we are, we must ignore the practices that distract from that.  Not all of them are bad but inherited practices are not what Jesus calls us to observe.  

Jesus asks us to love the Father. He asks that we love, respect, and serve each other.  He insists that we set ourselves apart through humility, kindness, and grace.  This means that taking up condemnation, judgment, and hatred become filters that block out showing the love of the Father to others. 

As we strip away the filters we have put into place to define us as Christians, we often may find that what we had in place prevented others from seeing Christ.  I ask that we try again to see Jesus through the filter-free clarity of what the Gospels say about him.  

It is a chore to be certain that I adopt things of faith and not tradition.  Even prayer and praise can be tradition-centered and, therefore, faithless.  Rote repetition or dancing in the aisle are worthless if they are not steeped in faith and love.  Flowing from our love of the Father, however, they are beautiful and strong. 

If you are attempting to seek the Father with all your heart, I suggest that you set aside all the traditional practices and take them up one at a time for the purposes of examining their relationship to following Christ.  Removing all the filters will allow us to see Jesus as he is and to better follow him home.  If you have questions about practices that are a concern to you, feel free to ask.   What I must do is seek to see Jesus as he is and adopt behaviors that draw me closer 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 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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Camera lens filters cause us to see things differently than they are.

18 March 2021

I Tried That ~ The Bible (a different approach)

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Before you ponder that this is just another defense of the Bible, please bear with me for a moment.  Being sure that many have tried reading the Bible, they likely started in the beginning, hit the begets after Noah, and gave up.  I am not going to ask you to believe the Bible (I do believe it).  I am not even going to ask you to set aside your questions about it (I still have some).   


What I want to suggest is that you approach it as literature that gives you permission to start in the middle of the story.  This is what Tolkien does in the Hobbit.  We find out there is a vast history preceding the adventures of Bilbo.  Then we proceed to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as our understanding evolves.  I value both the Old and New Testaments.  I would ask you to do what I did that helped me come to a better understanding of who Jesus is.  If we are going to seek him with all of our hearts, we need to see what the Son says about the Father.  Jesus is the best representation of him. 

What I would suggest, and I do this from time to time still, is that you read through the Gospels as if they are simply stories (they are not).  I would also suggest this order: John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew.   They each present differing views of the Father and of Jesus; the Father’s final Word.   There are some things to look for along the way that a very important to the story.   

The value of this that is allows us to see how the Father moves the story along.  The Gospel of John shows us with love and compassion how the Father wishes us to believe through the Son.  This is much the same as the Hobbit does for us, making us ready for the grand scale of the Lord of the Rings.  If you have not read Tolkien, then I will simply say that this order leads us from the story that pulls us into the great adventure that heralds the return of the King. 

Again, Dear Reader, I am no asking you to accept it all.  I am asking that you try this as a way of seeking the Father with all your heart.  If you have questions along the way about the story, feel free to write me.  You can send me your theological questions as well and I will lovingly answer them as best I can.  Theology, however, is not the purpose of this exercise.  You may email me at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com. 

The purpose is to see who the Father is through his Son and the four differing but non-contradicting views of the Gospel writers.   Just to show my support, I will do this again in the next couple of weeks.  I promise to always journey with you, Dear Reader, as you are part of the joy in traveling.  

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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BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

My parenthetical statements are for those who need me to verify my position (mostly those who believe as I do)

17 March 2021

I Tried That ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Often over the years, students would come to me with academic difficulties.  Some were genuinely stuck and I did my best to encourage and assist them.  Some were lazy and wanted me to give them the answers.  “The problem with teachers is that they give away answers too quickly.”  


Whilst reviewing notes for an online class I teach; I found an incident that I had noted from a classroom-based course some years ago.  A student had come to me during office hours requesting aid with the lab assignment for his class.  Those who know me will tell you that I almost always answer a question with a question.  It endears and infuriates.  

In this instance, the student answered each guiding or leading question with, “I have tried that.”  By the third question, I knew that he had not tried.  One could not have read the material, reviewed the handout, and done the first part of the lab without having found the answer to his question.  I told the student that all he needed was in the materials he already possessed. 

We all do this to some degree.  We do not try sometimes and yet we want the answers.  I know that we do this with Jesus.  We say we have tried to follow him or to understand him.  I often hear others quote Jeremiah saying “’ For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”   The difficulty is that we need to keep reading.   We all want to find God whether we admit it or not.  Jeremiah continues, “’’ Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”  (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV) 

I stopped there but the passage has more to consider.  I will make my point and then consider the rest of the passage.  The focus is that we must seek God with all of our hearts.  We have to try with all that we are.  The rest of the passage reveals that the Father is speaking to those in captivity and exile.  It is written for us but not to us.  Still, my focus is that we must worship the Father in truth and in spirit.  We must still seek him with all of our hearts. 

Since we are supposed to love him with all that we are, we cannot find him unless we seek him with all that we are.  I am going to continue to prepare my heart and mind for Holy Week by considering the things we say we have tried in order to follow Christ.  Please walk with me as I attempt to refine my seeking process by considering the things which we try that will not work.  As always, Dear Reader, your thoughts and questions are welcome.    

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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BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

“Tell me who you seek.”

16 March 2021

Is That Not Enough ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader, 

A friend mentioned recently that she did not think that the Father is omniscient.  One of her reasons was that he uses language that seems to give him characteristics of surprise and a lack of foreknowledge.  My thought on that is that we could not understand God if he did not communicate in the finite.  There are many other reasons that I believe that God is omniscient but that is not my purpose in mentioning this.  


My aim is to help us see the depth to which the Father loves us.  He already knows everything I am going to do.  He knows when I am going to love him and when I am not.  He knows when my love will fail even if it still there.  In all of that, he still chooses to love me first.  

It is popular to point at events in history and say that the Father is absent and does not love us.  We define what God would do by our standards and then judge him based on our definition.  Whether we accept it or not, that is a false and empty accusation.  Only the omniscient Father knows the “why” of things and I lack the understanding to comprehend the big picture.  

It seems that we need to make the Father less than he is.  The Son needs to be insufficient and the Spirit is not enough.  I suppose that if creating us and loving us should have been enough, we need to see everything else as a display of not only the Father’s love but his grace and mercy as well.  Instead, we build a broad intricacy of theologies and ideologies that remove us from the simple call to love the Father with all that we are and to demonstrate it by loving each other. 

I know that as I prepare my mind and heart for Holy Week this year, my desire is to see the Father’s love in every instant of time.  I also desire to return that love in the meager ways that I am able.  The best way to do that is to love you, Dear Reader.  A friend posted a question yesterday for me.  He asked, “Is there any issue that suspends the command to love others?” 

The simple answer is no.  No matter what we seek to know or do, it must be guided by the principles of loving the Father and his creations.  If that is my hard deck then it is enough.  As I filter every thought, attitude, and action through loving the Father, other things fall away.  Lying and selfishness become obviously unneeded.  Relationships, no matter how strained or painful become places where we can heal.  Shame and self-loathing become obviously a poor option when we allow the Father to be enough.  We can embrace hope, mercy, and grace when we allow the love of the Father to be enough.  We do  not have to change a thing to allow the Father’s love to embrace us.  We are never too far away or too wrong.  Listen to the song, Dear Reader.  I love you but not nearly as much as the Father does.  

Come as You Are – Crowder 

Come out of sadness
From wherever you've been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal 

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are 

There's hope for the hopeless
And all those who've strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There's rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't cure 

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
Lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are 

There's joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal 

So lay down your burdens
ay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are 

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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BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

“Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal.”  - David Crowder

15 March 2021

Is That Not Enough ~ The Final Word (not closing thoughts)

Greetings Dear Reader, 

I said at the beginning of this series that I was preparing my heart for Holy Week.  I am also preparing my mind.  All of those times when the Father wished to communicate his love have a purpose.  He knew that they would not be enough. 

He has a plan from the beginning.  He knows what he will do and how he will express his love for us.  He chooses, in the form of the Son to become human though remaining divine.  Jesus is conceived supernaturally.  He is born in circumstances that can only be divine.  After we get the history of his human origin, there is another couple of decades of silence. 

Then, Jesus shows himself as the Messiah.  He heals the sick, instructs us in love for the Father and care for each other, and questions how the religious leaders have handled the Law.  For three years he puts himself forward as a man that loves the Father with all that he is and as the Lamb of God who has come to redeem us all. 

They could have accepted him as the Messiah.  They could have made him King.  Instead, they insisted that he first conquer the enemies of Judea.  The miracles, even raising the dead were not enough.  The clearly spoken truth was not enough.  

The difficulty is that even when the Father gives us his very best, we do not see it as sufficient.  He expresses love at a cosmic level when all we do is reject him.  The Son of God is enough and we say he is not.  That is my breaking point. 

It is the Father who loved us first.  It is the Son who died for us so that by faith we could have redemption.  All that the Father wishes is for us to love him, love each other, and follow his Son.  Jesus clearly makes love our prime mover.  We still do not treat him like it is enough.  We still will not do all that is necessary to show his love to others.  That, Dear Reader, is where we must live.  Love is the hard deck, the benchmark, and the power of those who follow Christ.  There is more and we will conclude with it tomorrow. 

The Final Word – Michael Card 

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.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Father's fondest thought became flesh and blood.
He spoke the living luminous word, at once His will was done.
And so the transformation that in man had been unheard,
Took place in God the Father as he spoke that final Word.

And so the Light became alive and manna became Man.
Eternity stepped into time so we could understand. 

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
Facebook     
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Medium         
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BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

When the Father speaks again, his final Word is still not enough for us.

14 March 2021

Is That Not Enough ~ Silence But Not

Greetings Dear Reader, 

After the captivity, we move into a time of “silence” with the Father.  Gone are the prophets, fiery pillars, and parted waters.  What remains are the promises both from the Father and from his people.  


Joshua ends with the people vowing to keep the Law.  Every chapter of Judges sees them fail and return to those promises.  When they ask for a king to be like other nations, they abandon their promise and eventually destroy themselves.  After the kingdom divides, they return from captivity, cured of their outward faithlessness but pursue a path of dead orthodoxy to the Law.  They forget that they have promised to love the Father with all that they are. 

The Father, however, forgets none of his promises.  He is faithful to them. Even when Rome arrives, he keeps them from being wiped out or assimilated like so many other nations.  Those silent years see the temple rebuilt and even though they are an occupied country, they still have the Father’s promises.  Even though he seems to be silent, God is moving the pieces to provide even more.  

All that he has already done is not enough for his people.  They still refuse to love the Father.  There are those who do but the priests and politicians of the day are serving themselves instead of God.  When the Father seems to be silent, his past actions should be enough.  Instead. we look for signs and blame the Father when they are not there.  We proclaim loudly that all he has done is not good enough for them to love him.  

Elijah reminds us that the Father speaks with a still small voice.  We want to see the fireworks when even in the silence the Father is calling to us.  We are required to love him. Instead, we use silence as an excuse to reject him.  I must not do this.  I have to love the Father first because that is what he does with me.  I have to hold onto faith because that is how he wishes for me to related to him.  In doing that, I have heard the still, small voice.   I have seen him move to meet my needs and care for my sorrows.  

He is there.  He is always waiting for me to seek him out of love for him.   He knows that silence will not always be enough.  After 400 years of it, he prepares to speak again.  The words will come and they will be direct and clear.  His actions were not enough.  His silence was not enough.  So, even though it should not be necessary, there will be more. 

The Silence of God – Michael Card 

It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heavens’ only answer is the silence of God

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

But when you have to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

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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When God seems to be silent, there are still rocks and stones

13 March 2021

Is That Not Enough ~ Handwriting

Greetings Dear Reader, 

Yesterday, we discussed how Israel was offered a paid vacation every seventh year for the entire year.  It seems that there are times when the Father wishes for his message to be quite clear.  After 490 years of refusing this offer, the Father steps in to remind us that the offer was also a requirement. 

At the end of that time, Israel is overrun and the land is taken from them.  They are told by the Father that they must pay back the years of vacation they did not take.  They once again find that they have been enslaved by another nation.  The city of Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed.  The people are carried away to Babylon and they will remain there for 70 years.  

Whilst Israel is in a time-out, the Father continues to show that he is there.  We see his movements to reveal his power and call his people back to faith.  When challenged he still uses the supernatural to reveal himself.  The stories of Daniel and the Lion and the Fiery Furnace are just two examples.  The Father is showing his power to those holding Israel captive to draw them to himself.  That, however, is hot enough. 

Balthazar, king of those holding captive Israel is feasting, celebrating the gods that are not gods.  He calls for the holy vessels that his father took from the Temple in Jerusalem.  He uses them for his entertainment.  Then, the party gets crashed by God.  The hand of God appears and writes, “mene, mene, tekel, parsin”.  Daniel tells the king what the words mean.   “Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Parsin: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”  

That night Balthazar dies and Darius of the Medes becomes king.  All of this is not enough for us to believe that the Father is the one who sets up and tears down rulers.  Worse, it is not enough to make us handle the things of God with reverence and respect.  These events serve to remind us that the Father is involved and that he wishes for me to pay attention. 

Failure to heed the warnings of the past always lead to the need to live out the consequences of the future.  Under Darius, the captivity of 70 years will end.  Israel will return to Jerusalem and the Temple is rebuilt.  The Father has cured his people of their idolatry and they become much more disciplined in keeping the Law.  That, however, is not enough.  The Medes and Persians will fall to the Greeks.  The Greeks are conquered by the Romans.  All of this will set the stage for Israel to receive the Father’s ultimate effort to proclaim his love.  Yes, tomorrow there is more even though what has passed should be enough for us.  You see, Dear Reader, we too have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.  We too need to see the handwriting on the wall. 

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
Facebook     
Twitter        
Medium         
Instagram 
BLOG Archive:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

When the Father puts you in time-out, you go to time-out.