Dale Cresap's blog

What do you do that makes you better? The first thoughts that come to mind may be activities that you enjoy, but are you a better person after you do them? Studying anything will make you smarter, and this can be helpful, but it doesn’t automatically make you better. Your friends may have a better perspective on this question than you do. Do they see a trajectory of improvement in your life? Deep and enduring changes are difficult to accomplish, but are facilitated by consent. Have you ever seen ‘self-improvement projects’ that had no effect other than solidifying egocentricity?

Are you protective of your children? With your age and stature and strength and experience you are aware of dangers and how to deal with them. Your children do not have these advantages and so you take on the role of their protector and give this task top priority. Do you see the parallel with me? For I am protective of my children as well. I issue strong warnings against anyone who would harm one of my little ones, for their (your) angels always behold the Father. How many times do I say this in different ways?

Do you like riddles? I posed one to my critics concerning an Old Testament passage about David and his Lord and his son, and they could not comprehend it. Do you think of me as the light of the world? But I said that you are the light of the world, like a city on the side of a hill. Can both of these be true? A city has many people, so you don’t have to assume that light resides in one person. If I am right, how should you then live? Don’t put your light under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light to all who see it.

Have you ever called down fire from heaven on anyone? Have you ever wanted to? Hopefully you know better, but my disciples did not. I declined and used the occasion as an opportunity to teach them. In another passage I talk about heaping coals of fire on the heads of your enemies. These may sound similar but they are not the same thing. This is a matter of loving your enemies; blessing and not cursing. Do you want to destroy your enemies or win them over?

Do you think that all faiths other than the one you practice are of the devil? What about the Jews? I lived in a time of great spiritual diversity and encountered people from a wide variety of faiths. How did I handle this situation? I did tell the woman at the well that her faith practice was wrong, but for the most part I commended both the faith and the good deeds of others even when I did not agree with their doctrine. I did have some strong words for the leaders of my own tradition., but when a man gave me a wise answer I said he was not far from the Kingdom of God.

What are you afraid of? Your culture offers sympathy to fearful people, but the Bible gives strong words against fear, linking it with unbelief and torment. You have heard of people being paralyzed by fear and have seen examples. Fear prevents people from taking the actions necessary to move ahead into their own future. So how do you deal with the unknown and with scary circumstances that require action? I know this is not easy, but you might find it helpful to realize that the greatest risk you face is the failure to show up and lead the life  that I have set before you.

Do you recognize other people by the sound of their voice? Do you find it amazing that even though many people may speak the same recognizable words, each one adds their own unique character to the intonation, much like a verbal fingerprint? You can recognize particular voices even over remote means of communication. How do you recognize my voice? For all my sheep hear my voice, even if it is still and small. If you don’t recognize the tone of my voice perhaps you can recognize the content.

Do you make your first impression of people based on their outward appearance? What else do you have to go on? Yet when you get to know people well is their outward appearance eclipsed by your knowledge of their character? The Bible refers to knowing by the flesh in contrast to knowing by the spirit. Do you assume that knowing by the spirit is a rare event that is only available to a select few in special circumstances? That would be incorrect.

Do you consider yourself to be a dignified person? How is that working for you? Dignity is an honor you should extend to every person, for they are made in my image, and this is a regard for their inherent worth. What about claiming it for yourself? Has this ever been a burden for you? Has the desire for dignity ever hindered you from expressing the joy in your heart? Don’t die with your joy still inside you. This is too great a burden to bear. The conventions of your culture confuse dignity with lack of expression. This is a false conception that you cannot arbitrarily correct.

I was a stranger and you took me in. What does this mean? This is important since it is a deciding factor in entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you have to take in strangers as overnight houseguests? Some have entertained angels unawares in doing this, but perhaps the threshold is lower than this. Not all strangers require lodging. They do require a recognition of their essential humanity, that they too are made in my image whether they believe in me or not. I called on my servants to go to the highways and byways to seek far and wide to fill my wedding banquet with guests.