Dale Cresap's blog

Do you believe that I am a God of justice? This phrase is so commonplace among believers that it could be treated as one word, but it isn’t obvious at first glance what it means. Do you think of justice as retributive; consisting of punishment for the evildoers? Is there another version of justice? What about restorative justice which looks forward to redemption rather than backward to offenses? Would you be offended if others received restoration rather than punishment? What version of my justice do you see operating in your own life?

Have you ever seen anything that is disguised or camouflaged? The purpose of these practices, whether for animals or people, is to make them difficult to identify, so doing so requires careful observation and discernment. Can this concept be applied more broadly? You know that fear and hatred are bad. No one will admit to practicing them. Does that make them go away or just become invisible? Have you ever seen hatred and fear masquerade as religion and morality? Even Satan is able to present himself as an angel of light. Is it possible to deceive the elect?

Do you believe that I am a God of justice? Do you see my justice as being active or passive? Active justice would involve a system for apprehending perpetrators and a means for imposing penalties on them. You are familiar with this from your own civil justice system. A passive system would involve providing you with some guidelines to inform you of the most beneficial way for you to conduct yourself, lest you should go down a self-destructive path unawares. What is your perception of reality on this issue? I have given you a moral code to follow. Do you see me enforcing my own rules?

Do you believe in the laying on of hands? This is a Christian doctrine practiced both for conferring authority and for healing. Are there any other applications? Have you ever had anyone confide in you an experience of trauma and felt an instinctual urge to put your hand on their shoulder, or take their hand? Have you ever felt the longing for contact for yourself in a similar situation? The need for touch is deeply embedded. Your culture has rules you must follow about propriety and consent.

Do you know any critical people? There are real problems in the world and to ignore them is to leave them unaddressed. But some people can only see the problem and what is wrong, and this is not useful either. Criticism comes in more than one version.  It can be problem oriented or resolution oriented. A good guideline is to look for redemptive purpose. Isn’t that what I do all the time? If you look forward to a brighter future you will find it, and you won’t be stuck in the current darkness.

What are you building? Are you familiar with the scripture passage that refers to me as the chief cornerstone? This implies that I am the foundation of the building, and I establish the location and serve as a reference point for all the building that is to follow. Even with these conditions given to you this passage is an invitation to build, and an open door for a wide variety of creativity. Do you have a plan and all the building materials you need? Have you applied for a building permit? You will find that I’m generous in reviewing and approving your application.

Do you see the world in absolutes? This is also known as black and white. Do you know that the peacemakers are blessed and they are my children? A quality that is required to be a peacemaker is the ability to see both sides of a conflict, to be able to relate to both parties involved. Will either side see you as a credible mediator if you have no sympathy for their position? So to be a peacemaker you need to hold both sides of the dispute within yourself. Can you hold this tension so that conflict may be resolved between others? Can you see how much this is needed today?

What do you think that bravery and strength consist of? Do you think the bravest and strongest never back down? This is accepted conventional wisdom, but you may have observed from my teachings that I turned conventional wisdom upside down. I said that the first would be last, and the greater would serve the lesser. In this context, would the first one to apologize in a dispute be showing more bravery and strength than the one who was last to reconcile? Is the one who is first to value reconciliation over their own position the more courageous?

Are you familiar with the idea of equilibrium? This is a scientific term that describes a stable relationship between things. A change in conditions may cause the equilibrium to shift. Can you apply this concept in a larger context? Can your comprehension of me, and yourself, and the world around you be described as a state of equilibrium? Do you see yourself on a spiritual journey? That implies that your comprehension of reality is changing. If any of those three things change, will it require a change in the other two?

Do you think of medicine as pills produced by big pharmaceutical corporations? Have you ever been healed by something that wasn’t medicine in this narrowest sense? Then it was medicine for you. There are many dimensions for healing. Can you see how many ways you have received healing? What about being a healer yourself? In this broadest possible sense, what type of medicine do you provide for others? Let your imagination run on this to see the gifts that I have given you for healing, and be aware of them, and employ them with deliberate intention for effect.