Dale Cresap's blog

Have I not chosen the poor to be rich in faith? The poor are aware of their need for me, but the affluent have no such awareness, and so they suffer from poverty of spirit, which is not the same thing as being poor in spirit. This is bad enough, but it can be carried one step further. The poor are also aware of their need for one another and so they seek out one another and make the connections that sustain their community of life.

Nicodemus came to me and I told him that he must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. He was shocked. Are you? Has this phrase become so commonplace to you that you do not recall that the process of birth is strenuous and messy? Is this how you would describe your conversion experience? And for the one being born it is the ultimate departure from a comfort zone, into a place that is larger, but still completely strange and unfamiliar. Do you understand that all of these concepts apply to a spiritual birth?

What descriptor is more sought after by adolescents than being cool? Yet is this a desirable trait? It implies aloofness, cynicism, suppression of enthusiasm, and opposition rather than support. Do you admire people who are warm rather than those who are cold? Being cool and being cold are similar. Do you see these qualities becoming increasingly prevalent in older people and society as a whole in a culture that resists maturity? Adolescent traits are not attractive in adults.

Have you heard that prayer changes things? There are multiple ways to view this. For some, prayer is the means to change the world around them. There is Biblical support for this, and if you need prayer for healing, go to those who expect that something will happen as a result of their prayers. Another school of thought is that the primary purpose of prayer is to change the one who is praying. The Biblical support for this is not as obvious, but it is there. Could it be that both are right?

Are you a trusting person? Are you aware of the dangers of being too trusting of other people? You can be taken advantage of, and your trust can be violated. Are you aware of the danger of not being trusting enough? This one is not so obvious, because the losses are by omission. If you are not sufficiently trusting, do you know what beneficial opportunities and relationships you will decline? Even if you are reluctant to trust others you may be too eager to trust one particular person. Yourself. How can you approach your life in such a way that you are not too trusting of yourself? 

Do you attend the best church for you? Is it the best church? Do you understand the difference? The best church for you may not be the best church for everyone. Israel was divided into tribes, but was still one people and one nation. You may not think of churches as tribes, but do the same concepts of group identification apply? Belonging is a strong inherent human impulse. So is superiority. Can you see that one is innocent and the other is not? Support your church as the place that I have planted you for nourishment and growth.

Are you generous? The world runs on money, and this influence is present in the church as well, where stewardship is a euphemism for giving, and it is reduced to one dimension measured in dollars. I have given some people more financial resources than I have given to others, and of whom much is given much is required, but does that make them more generous than others? I want you to think of generosity in terms of generosity of spirit, which is a larger and more extensive view of which money is just a part. How many dimensions of generosity are present in your life?

Have you heard it said that anything you say can and will be used against you? This concept isn’t limited to those who are arrested. You know intuitively who you can trust with information that could be damaging to you, and who will use it against you. Yet if you don’t share it with anyone it will be damaging to you by keeping it inside. As a part of your own inner work you need people you can confide in. who can you choose? Start with those who are doing their own inner work for this puts them in a position to show empathy and mercy.

Have you heard of some churches being criticized for being too emotional? Perhaps you have done this yourself. Have you ever heard of a church being criticized for being too intellectual? The conventional view is that emotional responses are easy to generate in the moment but they do not endure. Then what is the best approach to bringing about enduring change in people? Emotions are a valid part of human experience, and if they are not engaged, then the whole person is not engaged. The more dimensions of the person that are involved, the better, and all contribute to transformation.

Are you looking for my return? There are many passages in scripture to encourage you to do so. To those who love my appearing, to hastening the day of my return, to what manner of life you should live knowing that I will be back. Do you have a scenario in mind as to how this will occur? This is not as bad as setting dates, but many people have constructed elaborate sequences of events concerning this throughout history and none has proven to be correct so far. The admonitions to watch for me do not give detailed schedules.