Dale Cresap's blog

Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘in my humble opinion’? This has become a stock phrase. Was humility obvious in the opinion that followed, or is this just a manner of speaking? How many people do you know who hold their opinions with humility? They should, because they are just that. They are internally generated and more akin to taste than to objective reality. Are your opinions a part of the essence of your being? The more strongly you identify with them the harder it is to hold them with humility and the more offended you will be with those who differ with you.

When I sent my disciples out in pairs to perform ministry, I gave them specific instructions. This was primarily about traveling light, to carry no more than the essentials with them; they were to seek lodging with those who were worthy to host them. Do you see traveling ministers following these guidelines today? The same principles could be followed in spirit even if not in letter. Do you see any advantages to traveling light? This keeps you mindful of your dependence on me. It also frees your mind to focus on the task at hand. Have you ever travelled this way?

Do you desire intimacy? There is a normal human longing for connection. Do you think of this only in sexual terms? That is one aspect, but the concept is broader and not limited to that. What are the barriers to intimacy? There are many, but one is the presentation of a perfect and complete image. This is a false way of presenting yourself, and there can be no intimacy without vulnerability. You need some acknowledged flaws and rough edges for people to hang on to. It isn’t easy to grasp a full inflated balloon. Can you let some of the air out of yourself so you can connect with others?

Do you think that “individual believer” is an oxymoron? Those who are lost are in a state of alienation and isolation, but believers are a part of a body, in particular, my body. You become your brother’s keeper and by entering into a relationship with me you enter into a relationship with everything else that is in relationship to me. Extreme individualism is the curse of the modern era. I said that it was not good for man to be alone, and this is still true. Do you view your redemption as being saved from sin?

When you pray for someone and they are healed, who gets the credit? Logic would suggest that if the healing occurs after you arrive and after you pray, then it was because of your prayer. Yet when I prayed for people and they were healed I said to them that your faith (not mine) has made you whole. Are you more eager to see them healed or to get recognition for it? This is an area in which the Kingdom of Heaven is different from this world. You know that God is the ultimate healer, and yet people are involved in this process.

Have you ever performed an intervention? These may be rare, but if your friend has problems so severe that he is either unaware of them or unable to take the steps to act in his own best interest then you may decide out of love to intervene in his life to assist him in dealing with it even though it isn’t requested or appreciated. This is a risky thing to do, and your friend may become alienated and reject you. Have you ever needed an intervention yourself? Would you be able to identify the conditions that require it?

Are you looking for validation? Who doesn’t like to be affirmed? Are you in the right state for validation, or should you work toward improvement before validation is appropriate? If you know that you are not where you could be or should be would it be better to make some progress before looking for approval? But can you wait for the completion of your development before getting approval? For this is a lifelong process. Acceptance may be a better goal than validation. Are you content to be accepted now, even as a work in progress, as you move ahead toward full maturity?

The Bible speaks of a peace that surpasses understanding. Is there anything else that surpasses understanding? You live in a rational intellectual culture based on the assumption that all things yield to examination and can be proven, so human understanding can explain all things and is the measure of all things. In ancient times the church was comfortable with the concept of mysteries that could be lived but not explained. The secular culture exerts pressure to abandon this position. Has the church been influenced by this? Are you comfortable knowing things that you can’t explain?

Do you earn your living at a desk or work with your hands? It takes a large workforce to construct the buildings and keep the lights on and the water flowing and the food grown and delivered and everything else essential to modern life, but there is a greater and greater divide between those who work with words, and those who work with their hands. Are those with advanced education capable of being arrogant and condescending toward those who do not? Those who labor may not qualify as the least of these but life as you know it depends on their service.

Do you know of people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious? In times past how many people do you know who refused to identify with a denomination or even a faith tradition? Yet spiritual independence has become prominent. Is generic spirituality adequate? It is too easy to create me in your image without the structure and tradition of an established faith tradition. Remember that you are created in my image rather than the other way around. Transcendence is a great place to start your spiritual journey, but can you finish there?