The Vanity in My Novelty

Each of us has many different characteristics, opinions, hobbies and interests. Stereotypes, or sometimes weaker but still present links, are formed in all of our minds about which of these naturally link together. For example, we aren't surprised when someone with a quiet personality turns out to be an avid reader, or when someone tall and muscular turns out to be a regular sports player.

But I have spotted myself trying to avoid falling into such predictable categories and groups. I think that this is due to some fear of being predictable. As a teenager I considered the adjective "predictable" as the worst one that could ever be applied to me; I was determined to be spontaneous, mysterious, or interesting to everyone I met.

Short Story: The Husband Who Drank The Sea

Once upon a time on these islands there was a man who loved his wife. Just like today, these islands were small, but there was one main island that the man and his wife lived on.

But one day the wife got lost and found herself on a seperate island. She did not know how she came to be on that other island, so she did not know how to get back to her husband, and in her heart she missed him.

Now you may think that she could have decided to swim back to the main island. Or you may think that if she was strong she could have cut down trees and built a boat. But she could not do either of those things, because in that age the sea was not made only of water but also of fire.

The sea had always burned with bright orange flames that would burn any boat foolish enough to set sail on it. The water was cool and smooth underneath but bright and hot on the surface. The fire kept all of the islands apart.

Despite the fire and distance, the husband could see his wife on the other island, for he was a strong man. He knew what he would do because he loved his wife.

The husband went  down to the beach of the main island. Then he waded into the sea until the water was up to his neck. The flames were burning all around his head.

Then he put his mouth in the water and began to drink the flames that were on top of the sea. He drank and he drank, and his throat became so hot but the flames from all of the sea began to shrink.

Eventually there was only a small amount of sea flame left. The strong man drank this last part of the flame, and then he died with the fire in his belly.

The sea was now cool and blue like it is today, so that the woman was free to swim back to the main island. But she was not sure if she wanted to swim back to the main island because she had seen her husband die in the water and had mourned him.

But the strong man had both died and not really died. He appeared again, full of life, at the center of the main island. He was whole and healthy, but his lips were now as red as fire.

The woman saw her husband alive on the shore of the main island and was full of joy. She went into the sea and swam back to him, and thanked him for drinking the fire for her sake, and their love was strong.

Now, think of this; if I told you that you are the woman in this story, do you know who the man is?

Social Media and Intimacy

Talking with people face-to-face is a rarity today. As more of our friendships and relationships are maintained online, there are understandable questions about whether being "friends" means what it used to mean only a generation ago.

One of the interesting phenomenon that our culture became aware of quite quickly in social media was the apparent contradiction that a person with hundreds of "friends" online could feel extremely lonely. This has generally been explained by saying that our friendships on the internet are more superficial, or shallower, and that a person who only invests themselves in online friendships will miss the depth of those found in real life.

Offensive Grace

I had a chat with a colleague at work once about my faith. It was a good discussion, she was asking honest questions and I was trying to answer in kind, but by the end of the conversation she was confused and a little offended by the concept of grace.

Grace, as a word, is probably best known from the title and opening line of the hymn "Amazing Grace" which contains lyrics about joy and freedom. The definition of grace is to receive a good thing even though you do not deserve it. It is a free gift that has not been earned. So how does such a positive thing offend someone?

Games: Console vs. Cardboard

When I was growing up, I never had a console, but our family had a computer, and that was enough for me to spend many hours playing electronic games. Now that I'm an adult, I'm only mildly surprised that it is acceptable for adults to play video games, too. I have moved on from video games, but not from games in general; instead, I've become a player (and collector) of modern board games.

Christians Dating Non-Christians

The subject of Christians dating people who are not Christians is one to be careful with. It probably doesn't help that the subject only ever seems to be raised when someone is doing it and someone else wants to tell them why it is wrong.

Both sides of the argument about whether it is OK or not refer to a few bits in the Bible, sometimes the same ones! I am going to leave the task of interpreting scripture regarding this to minds smarter than my own. But I would like to describe 4 possible things that a person may consciously or unconsciously mean when they say "It's wrong for a Christian to date a non-Christian", and my thoughts on each motive or reason.

Bart Simpson vs. Christianity

Brother Faith: "When I was your age, I was a hellraiser, too.  My slingshot was my cross.  But I saw the light, and changed my wicked ways."
Bart: "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by a presto-change-o deathbed repentance."
Brother Faith: "Wow, that's a good angle... But that's not God's angle."
(Taken from http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF06)

The script above is taken from the episode "Faith Off" form the television series "The Simpsons". In the scene, Bart is talking with a Christian miracle healer called Brother Faith, and I think Bart poses an interesting challenge. Why not have fun as I wish for most of my life, and then ask for God's forgiveness at the last minute? When I watched this episode many years ago, I didn't know how to answer that question.

Knowing How the Story Ends

I think that it isn't such a bad thing to know how a story goes before you read or watch it.

This goes against one of the main methods Hollywood uses to keep making money, because one of the most common reasons people choose to watch a film is that they want to know the story. What happens? How does it end? This is particularly true of sequels where the audience has already been emotionally hooked to one or more characters.