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.

How Supernatural Should Each Day Be?

As a Christian I am in a relationship with the God who created the universe. But something that Christians can't seem to agree on, and I am not sure about myself, is what this should look like on a daily basis.

Should a follower of Jesus be able to go for days at a time in quiet obedience with no supernatural events? Or should the nature of this relationship cause healing, prophecy and visions to frequently occur?

I do not want to be a miracle-chaser, someone who focuses more on the miracle than the Maker. But at the same time, I do not want to set my standards too low and miss out on the amazing things God might want to give me.

Discussion With A Seeker

The following is the outline of some major points covered in a discussion I have been having with a friend who is seeking to test the idea of Christianity. In some ways our minds work in a similar way, and so I was happy to spend time to think through any questions. The actual discussion happened across many hours on more than one day, but I remember the following 3 questions because in my opinion they were highlights or central points.

Christianity is just one religion out of many in the world, and there is so much within it to think about before I would feel I could commit myself to it.

There isn't enough time in anyone's life to sample or even evaluate every single human religion or faith. Even in Christianity, there is too much to assess within a single lifetime, evident by the fact that committed Christians never stop exploring and learning more about what they believe. Therefore it makes sense to direct your focus to a single question: Was Jesus really raised from the dead after His crucifixion?

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.