Gift or Passion?

This is a bit of a chicken and egg question... If I'm gifted at something, how has that become the case?

Was I born gifted in an area, my natural talent lead me to be skilled, my skill enabled me to enjoy putting my gift into practice and my enjoyment makes me passionate about this?

Or, was I born with no more or less skill than anyone else. Instead of being born with a natural gift, maybe I was born or given early in life a passion for an area. That passion would have fueled my interest, my interest would have lead to learning and practicing, my skill level would have increased, and I could be perceived by others or myself as gifted in that area.

My Theology-Worship Cycle

My belief in God doesn't seem to change, but my reactions to the belief do. I think that I go through cycles of actively being in relationship with Him and then learning and thinking about Him, one after the other.

I think that both part of this cycle are good and healthy, but I wish that I found it easier to do both at the same time.

For several days I can be aware that God is within me and present because of my relationship with Him through Jesus. I will enjoy talking with Him, listening for guidance in tasks, and find it easy to focus during times of worship.

Why God Won't Help Me Win the Lottery

I have sometimes fantasized that although I do no play the national lottery, God would give me a winning set of numbers in a dream or vision. Then, armed with these numbers, and obviously God's approval, I would win millions!

Of course, this has not happened in real life. But I took a moment the other day to wonder if God might actually use the lottery in that way, and came to the conclusion that no, He wouldn't. I think that even if God wanted me to have loads of money for something, He wouldn't use the lottery to accomplish this.

A Break From Blogging

I'm going to take a break from posting on Sky and Field for about four months.

I have decided this because I am currently at a point where, after over two years of blogging on here, I am finding every upcoming deadline for a new post more of a hassle than an enjoyment. Perhaps my creativity has largely been spent. Or it might be that I only need to breathe for a bit, and then come back refreshed.

I will continue to post material from 5th January 2013, the start of next year, and then hopefully maintain my habit of posting every 5th, 15th and 25th of a month from that point onwards.

In the next few months I will be able to write material when I feel like it, and by January should have a few posts already scheduled as usual. I think that the important thing is not that I stop writing, but that I should not feel that deadlines are always looming nearby.

So I hope that everyone who reads this has a good rest-of-2012... I will see you again in 2013!

Ian



Image source: http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=533

Good Characters Make Bad Sequels

Most movie sequels seem to be worse than the original films that they follow. Why is this normal? You might think that films should get better as film makers re-use only the best material and ideas.

A sequel would only be made if the first movie was considered successful and popular, and a movie is only very successful and popular if it has good characters.

The Fields So Far

I have been posting an article on this blog three times each month for over two years now. I'm taking up one more post to dwell on that for a minute.

The old saying that 'practice makes perfect' seems to become increasingly self-evident as you get older. I know that many adults say that they wish they had been more devoted to some of the hobbies they enjoyed when they were younger, because they know that they would like to be enjoying the fruits of their persistence now.

I set myself a target to write something on this blog three times each month because I thought it would be challenging enough to push me, but low enough that I wouldn't burn out or get frustrated. So far, it seems like that was a good estimate.

Money, Coming and Going

When Jenny and I got married and brought our two lifestyles under one roof, we realized that we each manage our money in different ways. I look at what will be needed in the future, and budget so that I have enough, and Jenny keeps track of what she has spent her money on so she can tell when she needs to change her spending habits. I plan ahead for the future, Jenny analyses the past.

I do not think that either is the 'right' way to manage money, but I do think that using both of our methods together is a powerful combination.

Choosing how we watch our finance probably says something about our personalities.

Music, Memory and Marketing

When you sing a song, you are combining the sound of a melody with the meaning of words. The words by themselves, without a tune, would just be a quote. This shows that our minds are born tuned to remember things associated with a musical tune, because we all remember far more song lyrics than we do other quotes.

This is a powerful combination, and many parts of culture have already used this to their advantage. You have been influenced by the songs you know.

By songs, I'm not even beginning by thinking of the pop music industry. No, the time that this was recently brought to my attention was when watching scenes of celebration for the royal family on television.