Dale Cresap's blog

What have been your most profound learning experiences? There are different methods of teaching, and lecture is among the most common, and the same concept is called preaching in a religious context. Another method is conversation. Lecture is a powerful way for a knowledgeable person to present information, but it is a passive experience on the part of the audience. Have you ever had your mind wander?

Are you concerned about your safety? You are in a way that you may not be aware of. Do you constantly read the emotional landscape and ask yourself if it is safe? You do this without thinking about it, and quickly assess those you are with for what you can say and what topics are off the table. You have experienced emotional constriction from being around those for whom you feel you must tiptoe through a minefield. You have also experienced the safe presence of those truly gracious and loving souls who accept as much of your authentic self as you are willing to reveal. Which do you prefer?

The Bible speaks of the laying on of hands for the healing of the sick, but do you believe that prayer works at a distance as well? This was not always understood to be true. A Centurion came to me asking for healing for his servant and I offered to come but he said that wasn’t necessary and I could just speak the word to accomplish it. He was right, and I marveled at his great faith to know something that only a few comprehended at that time. Although most believers would affirm this in principle do they demonstrate this in practice?

Do you believe that you are commanded to honor and respect all people? How does the Bible read to you on this question? Do you struggle to implement this in your life, since you have clear visible evidence that some people have conduct and opinions that you cannot respect? How can you resolve this? You can make a distinction between respecting someone’s humanity and respecting their opinion or behavior. You can treat people with human dignity even if you don’t agree with them.

Do you enjoy food? This biological necessity is the one pleasure that can be enjoyed throughout life. Do you see a spiritual connection with food? Churches are famous for their potluck dinners and have been criticized for them as merely social occasions. But see how much of my own ministry centered around food. There was Mary and Martha, several miracle feedings, The Last Supper, and many others. Were these spiritual events? Since you have to eat anyhow, why not make it a spiritual event? As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup do so in remembrance of me.

Do you get an annual performance review at work? These are typical as a meeting with management to discuss what is going well and what needs work. In the best of conditions it is an affirmative meeting. Would you be eager to have such a review of your spiritual life with me? Would you fear it? You need not think of it as punitive. You would benefit from periodic reviews of your practices to find out which are working for you that you may do more of them, and which are not working that you may let them go. Come and let us reason together.

How do you know when you are deceived? You can’t figure this out on your own and need others to help. How do you know when you are self-righteous? Do you think there are self-righteous people? Are they aware of this? Do they identify as such? What do you think is the source of the problems in the world? Can you readily identify them? Does your list of immediate responses include only those other than yourself, outside your group and creed? Can you only see evil outside of yourself? If you think that everyone other than you is the problem then you may be self-righteous.

Have you ever run from me? Jonah did, but he couldn’t outrun me, and I got him in the end. People spend a lifetime running from me, but I’m always in hot pursuit. This is a legal term for police in actively chasing a suspect, and you too will find that you can’t outrun me. Where would you go to escape from my presence? The Psalmist discovered that no matter where he went I was there. So if you decide to stop running you don’t have to trace your entire route back. No matter how much time and distance you have put into running from me, if you stop and turn to me I will be there.

Are you familiar with the passage of scripture that says that my mercies are new every morning? I set the world up to run in one day increments so you can take things one day at a time. Even so, every day is different and presents a different set of challenges. And so you have my promise that the mercy you receive every day is appropriate for that day; custom made if you will. Do you walk with a conscious awareness of the presence of mercy in your life? Are you sufficiently attuned to it to see how the characteristic flavor of it changes to meet your current needs?

Are you familiar with the passage of scripture that says many are called but few are chosen? Do you understand this or is it an enigmatic statement that leaves you with more questions than answers? Can you interpret it in the context of the other doctrines of your faith? Are you comfortable with the idea of many being called? Is the concept that few are chosen more difficult to deal with? How would you describe your own experience? Would you say that you chose me or that I chose you?