Dale Cresap's blog

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.

Do you see yourself as on a journey? Most people accept this imagery as an expression for the growth of their faith whether they like to travel or not. The Bible is full of terms like following me, walking on the strait and narrow road, and running the race set before you. Most people in motion have a clear goal in mind, called a destination. Your spiritual walk is different in that you are not moving toward a fixed point on the surface of the earth. Yet the terms and concept still apply. For here we have no continuing city but we seek a city with foundations in the heavens.

Have you noticed how many books there are today by people who have gone to heaven and returned to tell the tale? The authors write with great clarity and detail. Do you think these stories speak with authority? Visits to heaven are rare, but Paul did it, so you know it is possible. When he returned he referred to things that were unlawful to speak. How do you interpret the meaning of this? Do you think it was against the rules, or do you think that he was trying to confine to words things for which words were inadequate?

Are you attracted to those who are educated, beautiful, and well off? Everyone is attracted to the attractive. But I was the champion and advocate for the least of these. What does this phrase bring to mind for you? Honest poor people of good character who have suffered setbacks through no fault of their own, who are kind and grateful for your ministry to them? But those are relatively easy to love. What about those who have bad habits from having made bad choices? What about those who are without morals and character? Do you judge them harshly while ministering to the other?

Are you comfortable in challenging authority? Most authority structures are rigidly defined and so you know who is in charge. If it is a universal rule that people make mistakes, then this applies to those in authority as well. Does their position over you make you hesitate to point out their errors? It isn’t always your responsibility to correct them, but how do you respond when what they expect of you conflicts with your deepest values? The early apostles answered this dilemma with the question, should we obey God or you?

Do you come from a place of great prestige? Some places have a good reputation and those from that location obtain the benefit of association whether they have done anything to earn it or not. You can change your location but you can’t change where you are from. Even in this age of sensitivity one of the last prejudices and biases that can be freely expressed without fear of objection is against small-town and rural people. You are right in thinking that this is unfair, but if you are a victim of it you can take comfort in the fact that I was too. Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Have you heard the phrase, I’ve got your back? This originated in the military and soldiers would say it when providing covering fire for friendly forces at risk. This is a powerful enough idea that the same phrase has been adopted in the civilian world for the same concept. Have you ever felt the reassurance of having someone do  this for you? Have you ever done it for someone else? Have you ever felt alone, and without anyone to cover for you? Everyone will feel this way at some time, and this happened to me too.

There are many places in the Bible where I refer to my followers as my sheep, such as, my sheep hear my voice. This is a term of endearment. Do you think of it as a compliment? Sheep are known for being docile, dependent, helpless herd animals. People do not consider these qualities as compliments when applied to  themselves. Would you rather be thought of as a predator? Wolves are more widely admired in today’s culture, but the Biblical references are negative, such as wolves who do not spare the flock. The sheep references imply a relationship.

Do you have strongly held political views? Have you noticed that people who are highly ideologically driven feel justified in name calling and being angry, and perhaps hateful? Have you noticed this is true whether they identify with the left or the right? Do you consider your primary allegiance to be to me? Then you should recognize that those with whom you disagree are brothers under one Father and those whom I am redeeming. You may have strong feelings about proper government policies.