Dale Cresap's blog

Do you like to get good news? Who doesn’t? You know that the word gospel means good news. Have you found that the people you share this message with regard it as good news and receive it gladly, or avoid you if they know what is on your mind? For those who know they need forgiveness of sin, this message is good news, but how many people do you meet with this awareness? It is the Holy Spirit that convinces of sin; if you try to do this it may explain why people are not more eager to hear your message. How can you present the gospel message so it is received as good news?

I teach you to love your enemies. How do you go about this? Do you find it is easier to do in the abstract than in the concrete? Do you understand that the commandment to heap coals of fire on their heads is to be taken figuratively rather than literally? Do your enemies know that you love them? They should if you do this in real tangible ways rather than just as mental assent. Does this require you to donate money and support for people and organizations you do not agree with?

Do people confide in you? What do they confide? This is an important question. If they are willing to share their darkest secrets as a form of confession you should be honored that they trust you with this information and will not judge them or use it against them. If they confide in you the faults and failings of others the proper term for this is gossip and you should not feel so honored for two reasons. They have identified you as someone who will listen to gossip, and those who gossip to you will gossip about you.

Are you familiar with the story of the wheat and the tares? They were allowed to grow together side by side until the time of the harvest when they were separated. This story is presented on a large scale with the separation taking place at the time of harvest, or at the end of the age. Could it be applied on a smaller scale as well? Can you distinguish between beneficial things in your own life that you should nurture and care for, and tares that consume time and resources, energy and attention and produce no value?

Paul wrote a letter telling a church that he was with them in spirit, even though he was absent in the body. Have you ever done this? It is easier said than done. Paul was referring to more than well-wishing from afar. How much more is open to debate. Have you ever been present in body while absent in spirit? This is so commonplace today that most of the people you meet only expect clouded or distracted presence and that is all they have to offer. Are you working on being present in spirit with others as Paul did? Start by being present in spirit where you are present in your body. 

Have you heard that wounded people wound others? Have you seen this in practice, where people with unresolved trauma inflict it on others? Perhaps you have been on the receiving end of this yourself. Can this concept be turned around? Can healed people heal others? They are in a position to do so if they will. Yet they still carry their wounds, as I did, even after the resurrection. All wounds start out as ordinary, but the way you bear them can transform them into sacred wounds, even as I did. You too may have wounds that you will not be ashamed of in the resurrection.

Are you familiar with the story of the sheep and the goats? In this story you want to identify with the sheep, and the only deciding criteria is how you treat the least of these. In the story this is treated as an individual choice. Is this concept scalable? Can your church band together and assist the least of these in a unified, coordinated effort? Is your involvement in such an effort enough to make you a sheep? What about your government? If your government has programs to assist the poor and you pay your taxes, is that sufficient to make you a sheep? What is your part in this?

Are you familiar with the concepts of top down and bottom up? These are different versions of developing and presenting concepts but they can be applied to the same ideas. This distinction is most  commonly applied in business and politics. Could it be applied to spiritual matters as well? What is the most common presentation you hear of the gospel message? Does it start from God and go down from there? This is clearly top down. Can the same message be presented starting with the unavoidable human longing for identity, belonging, meaning, and self-transcendence?

In the world of commerce you hear about win-win arrangements. The principle is that both parties enter into a deal freely and voluntarily, so it has to provide an advantage for each. This is clearly better than win-lose. Do you think the same principle applies in church? The church needs workers for the things it does. You have spiritual needs as well. Can you find a way to serve your church that serves your spiritual needs at the same time? The win-win principle should apply as much at church as anywhere.

Are you familiar with the concept of resonance? It is a term of acoustics that refers to things that vibrate at the same frequency, but the concept is so powerful that the term has been appropriated broadly for human interactions and responses. Have you encountered people or ideas that you identify and connect with, even though you couldn’t offer a rational explanation for it? Has time shown these initial impressions to be true more often than not? You could also refer to this as discernment, or the experience of being led by the Spirit. Some things that are real cannot be explained.