Dale Cresap's blog

How selective are you in your choices of entertainment? Some people will accept whatever the industry provides, on the premise that they are just stories after all. This is faulty reasoning. You could just as easily say that my teachings consisted of stories and you would be right. The stories you encounter are a powerful influence in your life even if you know they are not true. How much more for stories that are true. The influence is greater if you are unaware that it exists, and the intent of the author can be benevolent or malignant with them also being unaware. Keep this in mind when you choose your stories. 

Do you proclaim my message of life boldly? Are you concerned about making errors? This is an awesome responsibility. How would you like to have your gospel presentation reviewed and criticized by a panel of lawyers, theologians, and English professors? But what if people responded in spite of errors in the presentation? Don’t assume that the entire burden lies with you. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t go before you to prepare the ground and facilitate the process, then don’t expect it to succeed no matter how precise, eloquent, and persuasive you are. If the Holy Spirit is involved the worst mistake you can make is to remain silent.

Do you associate only with people who share your beliefs? It is human nature to seek out those who are like you, and left to themselves people will sort themselves out by income level, education, political preferences, interests, and many more. Does your faith become another dimension of separation from others, or does it help break down existing barriers? Even in a culture supposedly free of class boundaries, yours is quite stratified and internally divided. Don’t let your faith make it worse. Does your faith teach you of a common humanity, at least insofar as all are created by me in my image? Follow this idea to its conclusion.

Daily Blog

I invited my followers to come to me and take my yoke upon them and find rest for their souls. What does rest mean to you? Is it the absence of effort, or the absence of care? You can enter into rest even while you are doing productive things by recognizing that the responsibility for all the world’s troubles does not rest on your shoulders. In comparison the yoke that I give you is very light, but how many people act as if they were responsible for everything? Martha was overburdened with care about many things, but how many people care about everything? If you pick up and carry the burdens I give you then you have chosen the good part for yourself. 

Daily Blog

Do you think you have enough resources to carry out my plan for your life? Do you need more? Could you have too much? Consider my story of the vine and the branches. It teaches you to abide in the vine to bear fruit. It also teaches you that every branch that does bear fruit is pruned in order that it may bear more fruit. Pruning involves the cutting away of a living part. Does this seem like a bad alternative between being cut off and being trimmed? Obviously the first is worst. This doesn’t have to be a dilemma. How much do you value fruit? Are there things in your life you could part with to bear more? 

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Which matters more to you, people or ideals? If this is a difficult question for you, consider this: ideals are by definition unattainable abstractions of perfection, whereas people are real and feel pain. Does this make the decision easier? You can argue about which policies would result in the greatest good for the greatest number, and human government may require such considerations, but remember that the number are people. Didn’t I say regarding the Sabbath that it was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath? Did I even support harmful policies for their own sake? Never lose sight of the fact that if it isn’t good for people, it isn’t good. 

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Have you ever seen children playing a game and heard someone declare a ‘do-over’? This is common in disputed situations with no officials. There are even situations in serious contests between adults where such a ruling takes place. Do you ever wish there were do-over possibilities in your life? You know such a thing isn’t possible, but it isn’t necessary either. What I offer you is redemption. Do you think that this is limited to the forgiveness of your sins? I can apply my redemptive purpose to the dark things and bad choices from your past, even as Joseph said to his brothers, what you meant for evil God meant for good. Just give these things to me. 

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Have you ever heard of sin described as ugly? This is true. Conversely, have you ever heard of love, generosity, and other virtues described as beautiful? This is also true. You live in a culture where beauty is understood to be a powerful influence, but you still have a distorted understanding of what it means, thinking it is outward surface appearance only, and so narrowly defined that it is awkward to remark about it except toward the opposite sex. Are you prepared to enlarge your understanding of beauty? The Psalmist desired to see the beauty of the Lord. Are you prepared to see me as the author of all beauty? 

Daily Journal

Every financial transaction has a buyer and a seller, but not all transactions are financial. If no money changes hands then you refer to a giver and a receiver. But is it really this simple and one-directional? When you give, don’t you find that in the very act you get something in return? I said that if you were generous to those who could not repay you, then you would get a reward from your Father in heaven. Ask those who minister to the poor if they get anything out of it. So there is a blessing attached to generosity, and it is more blessed to give than to receive. It really does go both ways. 

Daily Journal

Where do you begin your spiritual journey? Do you think that church is an obvious place? But have you found that every church you encounter has “one true church” mentality to some degree or another? Perhaps this is not the best place to start. There are more basic questions about your own identity, and mine, where you belong, and what your purpose is to make a meaningful life.  These are an expression of universal spirituality because they are in the heart of everyone. These are the basic spiritual questions you cannot avoid. They can be answered in churches, but when dealing with new believers, let the questions be more prominent than selling your church as the right one.