Dale Cresap's blog

Have you ever gone for a walk to clear your mind or to ponder a question? Do you recall how much of my instruction was given to my disciples while we were on the way, walking from one place to another? You may not have to walk to get to your destination, but have you ever found the practice to be beneficial? Have you found that motion facilitates spiritual insight more than sitting still? If it doesn’t, you are free to do whatever works for you, but it is beneficial for you to be sufficiently aware that you follow your own best practice.

Do you associate with sinners? You could argue this point both ways from scriptures, and many positions in between. Come out from among them and be ye separate. But you are also to let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify me. Paul taught to make a distinction between those who identified as believers and those who did not. So is there a tension between maintaining purity in association and coming into contact with those who need the message you have? What example do you see in my life? Did I avoid contact with outsiders?

Do you ever look back over the span of your life to evaluate your progress? Depending on your age you may have more behind you than ahead of you. Are you discouraged to see periods of stagnation with no apparent growth? Time wasted in pursuits that you thought were valuable but have reconsidered and abandoned? Did you expect growth to be linear and constant? That would be your plan but it isn’t mine. Despite what you see as dead ends are you amazed at the progress you have made? This wouldn’t happen if you were in charge. Trust me to perfect that which concerns you.

Do you think of me as a father? This image was common even during my time when my disciples asked me to show them the Father. This could be a favorable image for you or not depending on the relationship you had with your own father. I told my disciples that if they had seen me they had seen the Father, but I went beyond the conventional understanding of this concept by introducing the word Abba. This term for father elevated the concept to a higher level of intimacy. Have you heard me described in terms that are distant, austere, harsh, judgmental, and indifferent?

Paul said that when he was weak he was strong. Do you actually believe that? Is the contradiction lost on you? Do you see how this goes against every principle and assumption of your society of power and force and dominance hierarchies? This assertion doesn’t make sense under the accepted rules. In order for this to make sense you need a whole new set of rules, a view of reality different from the world around you. Recognizing that my Kingdom is not of this world is necessary to comprehend this view. How is the principle of weakness being strength manifesting in your life?  

Do you like the liberty to choose the practice of your faith? Do you exercise it carefully, in the faith tradition you choose and the denomination and church within that tradition? Do you see this as being your choice? Does your history of liberty make it hard for you to address the question of whether you chose me or were chosen by me? This is something that could be argued either way from the scriptures. What is your perception of the practice of your faith on a daily basis? Are you choosing it, making the path as you walk it, or are you being led by a power greater than yourself?

Are you good at multi-tasking? This is a fairly recent term, derived from computing and the many demands on your time. Do you think that you are more effective at each task or overall when you divide your attention this way? You could be fooling yourself. Other terms for multitasking would be fragmented attention and distraction. Have you ever tried to interact with someone who is trying to do multiple things at once? Did this improve the quality of their attention toward you? The alternative to multi-tasking is presence. Is the task immediately before you worth your full attention?

Everyone ages at the same rate so those who do not meet an early demise go through all the stages of life. The passage of time will turn you into an old person, but does everyone become an elder? In some churches this is a conferred title and it is an office recognized in the Bible. The term implies that it is not available to the young, but is it acquired automatically by the passage of time? What do you expect from a true elder? Have you met people who regardless of their age or conferred title manifest wisdom just by their presence? These are wisdom keepers. Do you want to be one?

Do you have computer network access? Do you have convenient access to data and information through it? Does this require you to have accounts with usernames and passwords to access the information you need? This may be necessary to keep your identity and information secure, but do you ever have trouble remembering your passwords? Can you see how the Kingdom of God operates on a different basis? You don’t need a username and a password to connect with me. Rejoice that your name is written in my Book of Life! But I won’t have to look you up when I see you, for I know you.

Are you familiar with the idea of axioms? These are principles that are so basic and central to your concept of reality that they are not really open to scrutiny and proof. Everyone has a set of axioms and there is not universal agreement about them. Yet they form your view of the world. Could this be why there are deep-seated and irreconcilable differences between people, and neither can comprehend the position of the other? How do you deal with people with whom you have such profound disagreements? What are your own axioms and how do they help you address these matters?