Dale Cresap's blog

What do you do when you need something that costs more than your available funds? The most common approach is to borrow the money. Where do you go if you need something that is not monetary in nature? What if you need hope or endurance? These are things you cannot get at the bank, but you can get them from me. I have all the resources you need. The bank you borrow money from has criteria that you must meet to qualify for a loan, and they are very specific about repayment terms. I hand out resources to anyone who asks, and do not ask for repayment.

Do you feel emotional and well as physical pain? Do you feel vulnerable in emotional expression and exposure, and feel wounded and violated if nothing is reciprocated? Would it surprise you to find that I feel the same way? How do you react? The temptation is to put on a suit of emotional armor, to draw back and hold back and avoid the risk of exposure. But doing so would diminish your authentic expression of humanity. How do you see me responding? Do I not still reach out to seek the lost even when they reject me? I know it hurts.

What is the worst insult that can be offered today? Isn’t it that someone is stupid? In a culture that prizes cleverness this is a low blow. But have you found that the lack of cognitive ability is the greatest obstacle people face? You can learn facts more easily than you can change your ability to draw inferences from them. But isn’t it fear and insecurity that hold people back more than their level of intelligence? This isn’t just about earning potential. Fear can dominate your whole perception of reality. But fear is easier to change than intelligence.

Are you looking for a community? Everyone needs a place to belong. This desire is deep in the human race. (I put it there on purpose). How fussy are you in selecting a community? You would prefer to find others who are in perfect alignment with you. Have you been able to find that? How close of a fit do you require for acceptance? People are tribal by nature, but I promised those who left their tribe to follow me would have a hundred times as many brothers and sisters in this life (along with their persecutions) and in the world to come, eternal life.

Are you wounded? Not all wounds are physical and visible. This is the common experience of humanity. Do you know anyone who has escaped unscathed? If it appears so they may just hesitate to make them public. I was wounded publicly for all to see. What do you do with your wounds? All of them start out as ordinary wounds, but they don’t have to end there. Mine started as an ordinary execution but I transformed them into sacred wounds for the redemption of humanity. Do yours seem mundane in comparison?

Moses saw a burning bush, and watched long enough to notice that the bush was not consumed. He realized that he was encountering me, and I told him to take off his shoes, for he was standing on holy ground, and this was an appropriate response. Have you ever stood on holy ground? Have you ever stood on ground that was not holy? You hold the doctrine of omnipresence. Does that imply that all ground is holy? If that were true, then what response would be appropriate? I don’t expect you to go barefoot everywhere. But you benefit by the awareness that I am with you always.  

You are familiar with the concept of default states. Do you think the default state of humanity is judgmental or non-judgmental? It is deeply embedded in human thought process to categorize, and to explain by cause and effect. Both of these things favor a judgmental approach. Are you familiar with the Biblical commandments against judging? Have you found these hard to put into practice? You have to overcome habits to avoid reaching judgmental conclusions.

Do you enjoy interaction with other people? Are you secure enough to hold serious discussions with those who hold other viewpoints? What is your objective in these encounters? Are you more interested in learning or winning? You can’t really have it both ways. Do you enjoy winning? Yet you have encountered others whose objective was winning and you did not enjoy this experience. You can learn from others without compromising your own beliefs. Are you willing to change your beliefs on the basis of learning new truth?

How free do you feel to criticize other faiths and others who disagree with you? How do you go about it? Have you seen a decline in civil discourse in your culture? Have you contributed to it? So many feel free to mock openly anything or anyone that doesn’t belong to their tribe. By this they acquire a bad characteristic that does not serve them well in reaching those beyond their group. You have real and significant differences with other world views and beliefs. This is normal but does not excuse you from loving them.

Has your spiritual growth caused you to outgrow friends? This can be a painful loss. Are you torn between wanting to move on and reluctant to lose your community? Have you ever had friendships wither even when neither of you has gone through a substantial change? Perhaps you are looking for more permanence in your circle of friends than is reasonable to expect. You are not the only person to follow a path of growth and I will provide you with new companions for this stage of your journey.