Dale Cresap's blog

Do you like stories? Everyone does. Do you see them as harmless entertainment? You get to choose which stories you listen to, but you are influenced by them in turn, so you should take stories seriously, and be selective. Stories are so powerful that I used them to convey eternal truth. Stories teach you what to expect if you continue in a particular direction, and what to value. So the consequences of your stories are enormous and you should think of them as lessons rather than entertainment. You get to choose what course of study you will pursue in school.

You refer to certain metals and stones as precious. They are valuable because they are rare. Can you apply the same logic to yourself? You are a unique creation and precious to me not only because there is just one of you, but also because of the love I have for you that doesn’t apply to inanimate objects, and you are made in my image where they are not. How should you respond? This knowledge shouldn’t make you arrogant, but humble, knowing that it is not based on your own accomplishments. Can you apply the same logic to everyone else, and take your place among all my precious children?

Do you lead a charmed life in an enchanted world? Do you think everyone does? You may think that this applies only to believers, but I send sun and rain on the just and on the unjust alike. Do you know anyone whose life can be explained by random chaos? My favor and blessing are over all. Yet not everyone is aware of this. Even those who walk in darkness are the beneficiaries of my blessings, even as they do not acknowledge them. Blessed are you who know the source of the benevolence bestowed upon you, for you walk in the light and can have peace and confidence in knowing this.

When a relationship breaks up, the person initiating the separation may say, ‘it isn’t you, it’s me’. Is this credible? Who thinks that they are the one at fault? If you get in a dispute and tell your friends about it, are they likely to side with you? The probably are, since they are already biased in your favor since they are your friends, and they are only hearing your side of the story. The law of probability would suggest that you are occasionally at fault, but fear and insecurity prevent people from recognizing this. Are you secure enough to realize when the problem is you?

Who do you think of as poor? Those with no money? That is the most obvious definition, but are there others? What about those with no friends? Which is the more devastating experience of poverty? In what other dimensions of human experience can you be deprived? Health? I spoke highly of the sheep who met the needs of the least of these, whether it was for clothing, or food, or drink, or shelter, or companionship for those sick or in prison. You are capable of meeting all these needs.

Are you a saint? In some faith traditions this term applies to all believers. In others this is a recognized honor bestowed on a select few. It is possible that one is being too inclusive and the other is being too exclusive. The term implies that someone is living a life that manifests Christian principles, and some do this without being recognized for it, but it is not something that happens automatically for every believer. This is not an office in the usual sense of a designated authority in a church hierarchy, but they serve as living examples of Christlike behavior.

When you give alms you are not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. This is quite a high standard for maintaining security. It is a strong statement against virtue signaling. Have you met people who find ways to inform you of their moral superiority? Don’t you find this annoying? I do. It is no compliment to a believer to be called ‘holier than thou’. Yet you are also told not to hide your light under a bushel, but to put it on a candlestick, to let your light shine before men. Do these seem like conflicting goals?

Do you watch the news? Have you ever been away or out of your normal routine so that you had to get caught up when you returned? Did you find that you had missed very much, or not very much? When you do watch the news, how much of it is repetitive, shallow, superficial, sensational, and transitory? How much of it is directly applicable to your life, let alone deep and profound and permanently enduring? On this basis would you benefit by more exposure to the news, or less? If anything important happens you will find out. Would you benefit with fewer distractions and fleeting images?

Are you more sure of what you are opposed to or what you are in favor of? I compared the generation I encountered to children playing in the market. We piped and you wouldn’t dance, we played a dirge and you wouldn’t mourn. I was referring to people who thought that John was too ascetic, and I was not enough. There is no pleasing some people. It is easier to tear down than it is to build, but what do you have to show for your effort? Resist the temptation to appear sophisticated and worldly wise by disdaining everything. Commit yourself to something positive and pursue it and build. 

Do you take the Bible literally? Does this work in every case? I told my followers that unless they ate the flesh and drank the blood of the Son of Man they would have no life in themselves. Later I told them that this was my body broken for you. Do you take these passages literally? If not, then are you able to affirm the reality and substance of symbolic language? If so, you can find greater depth there than in the literal meaning, which is normally the narrowest and least insightful approach?