Dale Cresap's blog

Do you wonder about the cause of setbacks and tragedies in your life? Do you attempt to assign blame for apparently random events? Do you blame me? Joseph was the victim of the malevolent intent of his brothers. In this case there was nothing random; their intention was clear. Yet Joseph maintained a good attitude, and after a long course of events, was able to rescue his brothers and parents from the famine. His own assessment of the matter was that what they meant for evil, God meant for good. Can you see the advantage of this approach?

There are medically useful drugs that provide relief from pain, but the stronger versions of these are controlled because of their strong side effects and addictive nature. Prudent people will limit their use of them to when they are necessary. There are other types of pain and other ways of dealing with them including distractions, diversions, and addictions. These are some of the things that people use to escape the pain of life, and they actually work. Yet they are not narrow in their effect, for they kill joy as well as pain. How important is your joy? I came that your joy may be full.

Have you ever watched a movie that featured a monster? Special effects can create fanciful beings that bear no resemblance to humanity. These are usually fearsome and horrible creatures for whom you feel no sympathy. Can the same term be applied to people? You can think of historical figures, typically tyrants, who are referred to as human monsters. The common connection is that they are lacking those things that give the connections and contours of humanity. Yet you affirm that all people are created in my image. Can you connect with those with whom you have nothing else in common?

Do you worry about the end times? I will keep my promise to return, but my people put too much effort into developing timelines and trying to match characters from Biblical prophecy with current political figures. The main thing you need to know is that to be absent from the body is to present with the Lord. This is the universal truth that is valid regardless of any scenario. I told my followers that the Kingdom of God was within them. Do you understand this as a doctrinal position? Do you understand this as an experienced reality?

Do you prefer the company of those who agree with you? Is it easy and comforting to be reassured that you are right because you can find people who hold the same opinions? How do you respond to those who are not of your group? Do you have a basis for connection with those you disagree with? This is more difficult but it is worth the effort because it can enlarge your circle of life. Can you start with the fact that everyone is made in my image? Do you see this as a sufficient basis to see everyone else as your brother or sister?

In times past it was believed that the earth was the center of the universe. Theologians defended this idea but science proved it wrong. People had to recalibrate their thinking about their place in the world, but I was not threatened by the discovery of the earth orbiting the sun. I made it that way. Do you see yourself as the center of the world, or at least of your world? Would it take a scientific discovery to convince you this is not true? Have you discovered this on your own? Do you find it threatening to know that the world does not revolve around you?

What do you make of my statement that the poor will be with you always? Do you see this as an excuse to ignore their plight, since the problem will endure despite your efforts to resolve it? If you recall the original story, my statement was in response to a disingenuous objection to love lavished on me. Caring for the poor has been a strong theme supported in the Bible and Christian practice since the beginning, so my statement above should not be considered an excuse for not doing so.

You live in an extremely individualistic culture. Do you hold your faith in the same way? You can find theology to support this, but throughout history cultures have had a stronger sense of community and those that were Christian have found support for this in the Bible too. So has modern culture imposed individualism on the church? If so, is the church better off for it? In ancient times did I deal with Israel as a collection of individuals or as a people? In the New Testament do I describe my people collectively as a body, and people as members that comprise it?

Have you ever said the Lord’s Prayer? Are you familiar with the part that says, deliver us from evil? What do you think this means? That you should be spared from trials and afflictions? But these are common to everyone and praying this prayer will not prevent them from happening to you. Could it have another meaning? How do you respond to your trials? Do they make you bitter and resentful, or do they give you a broken spirit and a contrite heart? You can see how these are opposite responses.

How do you view the doctrines of your faith? Do you see them as propositional truth claims that you must assent to for salvation? Do you see them as anything else? Do they express things that you wouldn’t accept as true in any other context? Is anything necessary beyond an affirmation that they are true? The founders of the faith had no doctrines, but they had encounters with me. Have you? I don’t want you to think of doctrine as a way to avoid encounter with me. Instead I want you to see it as an invitation to encounter me. I want you to see it as an open door. Come on in.