Dale Cresap's blog

Do you see your faith as one of making sacrifices? You know that you don’t have to sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins and you see sacrificial practices of other faiths that seem strange to you, but the concept of sacrifice is very broad and still applicable. Paul described his life as an offering poured out, and his life was no longer about him but about the people he served. You have seen this same concept in action in those who pour themselves into their presence and their words and give themselves away to others for the cause of the Kingdom.

Have you ever seen a personality cult in the church? People are prone to this and it didn’t take long from the founding for this trait to appear. Paul had to deal with such factions that formed around individuals, and he was one of them when he addressed the matter of those who said they were of Paul, or Apollos, or even Christ. Does the last one sound the most spiritual? Yet Paul included this in the list and you have observed the same thing in those who claim to be ‘the one true church’. Paul corrects them and brings them back with an appeal to the unity of the faith.

Can you find the words materialist or minimalist in the Bible? They aren’t there, but the concepts are, in even more eloquent ways. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and the man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones was a fool because his soul was required of him that night, and do not assume that gain is godliness. What about the minimalist side? Be content with such things as ye have, for godliness with contentment is great gain. Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow shall take care of itself. Behold the lilies of the field.

Is your workload about right for you? It isn’t good for you to have too much to do, or too little. It isn’t good for you to be idle, or to be crushed by the burden of too many tasks. How do you find the right balance? Do you know what work is yours to do? If you take on tasks that belong to other people it follows that you won’t be able to complete them and yours as well. If you know what tasks belong to you are you able to say no to others?

Do you divide the world into creative people and non-creative people? Which category do you put yourself in? Do you think that creative people are a minority, and that creative endeavors are limited to music, literature and other arts? Don’t be too quick to make these categories too narrow and assume that they don’t apply to you. You acknowledge me as your creator. Do you accept that you are made in my image? This gives you certain inherent traits, and creativity is one of them. As a result, creativity is your birthright. So the question is not whether you are creative, but how?

My word says woe unto the world because of offenses and gives detailed instructions on how to avoid them and how to deal with them when they happen, for it also says that offenses will come. How great an offense can you overlook? For you can see a wide range in responses of sensitivity to offense. Some people seem to be searching for them and others try to avoid finding them even when presented directly. Which do you admire more? Do you find it more noble minded to be able to overlook small things?

Do you find that everyone faces the same questions of identity, belonging, and meaning? These questions of existence are a universal expression of spirituality. Have you found answers to these questions through your faith? Blessed are those who walk in the light of truth. Do you find it discouraging when people come up with wrong answers to these questions? Did you get all the answers right on your first attempt? There are plenty of dead ends available. But I promised that those who seek would find, and the door would be open to them.

How many sacraments do you practice? Different churches recognize different numbers, but they are typically few and well-defined in terms of what they consist of, and who may administer them, and when. Do you think of them as outward symbols of inward graces? Could they also be thought of as simple actions that reinforce your connection to the divine? Have you ever had an experience that met this description that didn’t meet the recognized categories of sacraments? Are you free to make up your own sacraments? You are free to do those practices that you find spiritually beneficial.

Do you think that my offended justice is the most powerful influence in the world? You have a theology about atonement for the forgiveness of sins. Is this the central feature of your faith? Do you read the parable of the talents and think that your offenses toward me are greater than anything else? But there is also a story about the sheep and the goats in which the righteous received favor because of the way they treated the least of these, and the goats did not because they did not consider the needs of the least of these.

How do you view your status in the Kingdom of God? You know that you are saved by grace and not by works lest any man should boast. Does this trouble you? Would you prefer that it be something you earn? The Bible takes the concept further in saying you were bought with a price and you are not your own. This is reminiscent of the practice of slavery, common in Bible times, and those exchanged are not even party to the transaction, either as buyers or sellers. Do you find this offensive? Paul was not ashamed to refer to himself as my bondservant. He took it as a badge of honor. Do you?