daily word - be alone?

Dale Cresap's picture

In the beginning, I said that it was not good for the man to be alone. Do you  think of this only in terms of marriage since it was at this time I gave him a companion? Not everyone is married, but the principle is universal. Everyone needs a community. What punishment is worse than rejection and isolation? Even for prisoners solitary confinement is considered severe. Christians tend to think of their church as their community. This is a good place to start, but not a good place to end.

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daily word - special?

Dale Cresap's picture

Is everyone special? Everyone would like to be, but if everyone is, then no one is. Something in the human heart cries out for a unique identity, and this you already have. The problem arises when you compare yours to others and use it to set you above and apart. The desire to be superior to the rest of humanity only causes you to be alienated and isolated from the rest of humanity. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and you can be grateful for this. Can you be just as grateful on behalf of everyone else for whom  the same is true? This is as special as you need to be.

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daily word - choir preaching?

Dale Cresap's picture

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘preaching to the choir’? This implies an attempt to convince someone of something they are already fully persuaded of. This should be an easy task. Everyone needs a supportive community, and the Biblical terms for this are edification and exhortation. Recognizing that, you should also recognize that this does not fulfill the Great Commission to preach the gospel to every creature. You should expect that those who are not familiar with the gospel message will be a harder sell, but  you will be expanding the Kingdom of God on earth by doing so. 

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daily word - valid criticism?

Dale Cresap's picture

Are you familiar with the idea of valid criticism? Obviously, you should have your facts straight if you take it upon yourself to offer criticism. If you are convinced of the truth of your assertions, does that make the criticism valid? Is it possible to use the truth for condemnation, and that those who do so are judgmental? Even in adversarial proceedings in a court the accused has the opportunity to offer exonerating or extenuating testimony on his own behalf. Is the true story complete without this?

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daily word - receive love

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you ever had experiences that make you feel vulnerable, ashamed, humbled, contrite, and awkward? These are not experiences that people intentionally seek out, in fact, they go to great lengths to avoid them. Have you ever been on the receiving end of love? Can you see how receiving love would feel the same as those things listed above? Love is transformative, but the egoic self can’t admit the need for help, nor ask for it, nor receive it graciously when it comes.

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daily word - silence

Dale Cresap's picture

You consider belief to be central to your faith, and you are right. Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness. What do you think belief consists of? Is it assent to validity of the major doctrinal claims of your church? Yet none of these things existed for Abraham, so what did he believe? Do you see belief in terms of propositional truth? But for Abraham it was relational, even as you assert that your faith is a relationship with me. Can you expand your concept of belief to include the intangible connection that gives you life, as he did?

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daily word - robust faith

Dale Cresap's picture

Is your faith robust? Will it withstand challenges? There is a normal human desire to surround yourself with those like-minded, who hold the same values, beliefs, and world view. This is comforting but not rigorous. If you arrive at the same conclusions they do, they will tolerate some sloppy reasoning in the process. Can you find opponents of good will? If you can have an honest engagement with those who do not share your values and world view, they won’t let you get away with sloppy reasoning and this will sharpen your thinking. As a result, your faith will be stronger.

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daily word - indignation?

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you ever experienced righteous indignation? What about self-righteous indignation? Can you tell the difference? It may be more obvious to other people than it is to you. If it is possible to distance yourself from the problem and claim that it is due to other people who are entirely unlike you then you should suspect the self-righteous version. When Isaiah was undone he said, woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. He was headed in the right direction.

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daily word - happy?

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Are you happy? What makes you happy? The conventional understanding is that people who get whatever they want should be happy. Who could ask for more than getting their own way? Yet have you known people who make this their life’s pursuit and succeed at it? Don’t you find them to be spoiled and miserable? Have you found happiness to be elusive, and more successfully obtained indirectly than directly? Have you ever found more happiness by yielding your own way rather than insisting on it?

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daily word - one love

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you met people who claim to love me and yet their love for other people is not obvious? Is it possible to separate these things? There are things that are widely regarded as Christian practices, such as Bible study, prayer, and worship. Doing them may result in more loving behavior toward others, and it should, but is it possible to do them and not come to this result? To whom does this apply? Consider my reply to the question, ‘who is my neighbor?’ Consider the question, ‘if you do not love your brother whom you can see, can you love God whom you cannot see?’ Obviously not.

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