Dale Cresap's blog

Are you ever in a dilemma between being truthful and loving? If someone asks your opinion about their appearance and you are not favorably impressed, should you say so? This question can put you in an awkward position and knowing this you can refrain from putting others in this position, but what if it is directed at you? But perhaps the problem isn’t the way they look but your ability to see. For all people are beautiful to me.

A good military commander understands the value of discipline. He also knows the importance of good morale. Do these goals seem to be in conflict? Do undisciplined troops ever have good morale? You see passages in the Bible comparing believers to soldiers. Do you take this to imply that I am a military commander? Do you think I care about discipline? Do you think that I also care about morale? I have called you to rejoice. I wouldn’t expect this to be important to you if it wasn’t important to me as well. This isn’t something that can be issued as a command.

Did you take tests in school? You had to pass the tests to pass the course. This came easily for some and with difficulty for others, but the true purpose of school was not to perform well on exams but to be prepared for success in the real world. Do you view your time on earth as a life-long entrance exam for heaven? Is this one you struggle with? If you understand grace you don’t need to worry about this, but you still have trials and tests to endure.

I told the story of the Good Samaritan to a Jewish audience, and as you are aware, the Jews despised the Samaritans. The story concerned ‘a certain man’, so the story does not make clear whether the man who was attacked was Jewish, or Samaritan, or neither. Do you think the story would have more impact if the victim were clearly identified as Jewish? But this point is left vague for a reason. You may recall that this story was presented in response to the question, ‘who is my neighbor?’ The implied response is that whoever needs your help is your neighbor, and that is all that matters.

Do you see other people as being judgmental? You could be right about that. Can you make this observation without being judgmental yourself? What doth it profit a man to become spiritually awake and aware if it only leads him into condemnation and judgment? It is not enough to be discerning, for you can discern evil as well as good, and perhaps better. I said to my audiences, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. The same argument could be applied to eyes to see. But the vision that you need is full of redemption and divine purpose. You must be transformed to see with eyes of love.

Do you believe in the separation of church and state? But there are some underlying assumptions about the nature of humanity that bear on politics and influence the types of states that are available. I promise you heaven in my Kingdom to come, but some utopian political movements based on the perfectibility of human nature promise heaven on earth. They assume unlimited power to implement their vision. The historical record of their attempts is a clear and obvious story of failure and millions have died as a result.

Who do you recognize as a voice of moral authority speaking to you? This would be someone that you respect enough that you would follow their advice even if it went against your current practices and understanding. Who has the stature to make you revisit your existing habits and thinking? For most Christians this would include their pastor. Is there anyone of national reputation whom you would consider to be such an authority? If you can’t think of anyone for whom you would change your behavior, can you honestly claim to be teachable and open to change? Whose authority do you recognize?

Are you familiar with the story of  the Good Samaritan? I spoke this to a Jewish audience, and the selection of a Samaritan was appropriate because of the deep animosity between these people. The point of the story is how do you assess a situation in which those who are outside your group, whom you reject, perform acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion? So if I had been speaking to a group of Samaritans I would have told the story of the Good Jew. Do you have any group that you identify as outsiders? Muslims? Atheists? If I had told this story to you what group would I have used?

Do you enjoy the company of your friends? What purpose do they serve? Have you heard the old philosophers question about a tree falling in the forest and whether anyone was around to hear it make a sound? This academic question has a corresponding one of real substance. Have you heard it said that nothing happened if no one saw it? Things may happen in isolation, but they gain meaning by being observed. Even if your friends don’t take part in your activities, don’t you find satisfaction in telling them what you did? Those who serve as witnesses to your life add meaning in doing so.

What is saving your life today? You may consider this to be a deep theological question, but don’t overthink it to come up with the ‘right answer’. For the sake of discussion assume that your salvation is already established. With this premise, there is still something that gets you out of bed in the morning, that you look forward to with eager anticipation, that you have to balance against the annoyances, drudgery, and setbacks of life. This may be more of a spiritual pursuit than you assume. The morale of my children matters to me.