... I went got me a new one. Check out 'Communikate' for the whys and wherefores. It's been about a little while but I figure having more than two readers might encourage me to write a bit more. I'm not going to lie to you, there's not much quality there right now - I'm kinda out of flow an all. But I have got some dreams about what it could be so watch this space, if you like.
Sorry there's no clever/ridiculous/tenuous analogy to introduce it. I just can't be arsed (hence it being time for a new blog).
I still massively believe in the metaphor mind. More so than ever perhaps. Life just got interesting in other ways recently and I thought I'd explore that for a time.
Over and out.
X
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I miss you
I miss blogging. I miss everything. I miss finishing something I have started writing; capturing a thought and turning it into something complete; sitting down with a nice cuppa tea and not having a nagging "to do" in the back of my mind. I miss rest and I miss activity that is productive - how can a person be so busy and not be at all effective? Or at least, not effective in the things she puts most of her energy into.
I know well that the Christian call is not one to be a "doer" of life. That's because we don't need to work at being saved, because it isn't possible so God, who is gracious, made a way through Jesus (link)!! It's also because life isn't a hobby, action or event - it's a state. It is the context within which other things happen - jobs, relationships, children, ministry, creativity etc etc etc - and it's quality shouldn't be determined by the "stuff" it contains; rather, the quality of what it contains is determined by the atmosphere around it.
So I quit my job...
I miss them too. In a way. I miss the dear sweet (pain in the arse) children, and the fight for progress. I miss the office banter and I even miss the people I didn't see eye to eye with.
Mostly though, I miss me.
I suppose if one's character is constantly changing, being redefined by what you do and experience, then all too easily we can become strangers to ourselves if we rapidly change tack. This isn't always a bad thing but when it is the potential damage is high. I'm glad I've realised now but I still feel a little farther from home that I would like. But then perhaps this is my Dorothy moment : somewhere over the rainbow...
I also miss what goes missing when you don't have opportunity to be. To be yourself, to be with God, to listen to the world around and hear what it is telling you through the most ridiculous and sublime media. No wonder I don't have an analogy to share today... I've been so busy I missed it.
I know well that the Christian call is not one to be a "doer" of life. That's because we don't need to work at being saved, because it isn't possible so God, who is gracious, made a way through Jesus (link)!! It's also because life isn't a hobby, action or event - it's a state. It is the context within which other things happen - jobs, relationships, children, ministry, creativity etc etc etc - and it's quality shouldn't be determined by the "stuff" it contains; rather, the quality of what it contains is determined by the atmosphere around it.
So I quit my job...
I miss them too. In a way. I miss the dear sweet (pain in the arse) children, and the fight for progress. I miss the office banter and I even miss the people I didn't see eye to eye with.
Mostly though, I miss me.
I suppose if one's character is constantly changing, being redefined by what you do and experience, then all too easily we can become strangers to ourselves if we rapidly change tack. This isn't always a bad thing but when it is the potential damage is high. I'm glad I've realised now but I still feel a little farther from home that I would like. But then perhaps this is my Dorothy moment : somewhere over the rainbow...
I also miss what goes missing when you don't have opportunity to be. To be yourself, to be with God, to listen to the world around and hear what it is telling you through the most ridiculous and sublime media. No wonder I don't have an analogy to share today... I've been so busy I missed it.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
False prophets
I know I know I know, I have not been At All around. I'm sorry. You think you're hard-done-by? Try being one of my actual real-life friends that I am neglecting.
That is a whole other story though.
Remember my Cat of Redemption (link)? Dang it, it really would help to have a picture. Mum, Dad, C, Rich - if you are out there anywhere could you email me a pic of Tilly and Abby together please? It is high time I illustrated this point.
Anywho. CofR (aka Tilly) is an all-black cat and Abby is black and white with the white being mostly on her belly. One time a dear friend of mine Miss Love came over and she met Tilly... she then saw Abby on a chair later and said oh there's The Cat of Redemption again. Ehr Ehr! (quiz show fail noise). From that moment onwards Abs has had the rather unfortunate name of "The Cat of False Prophecy". (Kitty the fluffy tabby feels rather left out.)
It is SO easy to take a fabulous analogy - like, I don't know, a pertinent song or a car - and think it means something. A friend of mine did that once. She fancied a boy who had her dream car: it was in her favourite colour and the make had brilliant adverts. That, coupled with a memorable moment of eye contact and a shared taste in music, had her smitten. Perhaps you might want to say smote as it wasn't really a good thing.
We were in my car the other week behind the very same model of car and it prompted a memory; and a revelation. The boy thing never worked out and the car (and song) were always a bit of a frustration for her - why did it even have to be like that? Why fall at all, with such small but darling details to now have to let go of?? My thought was that perhaps God sometimes let people see small "signs", from which they inevitably infer big wrong things, because working through all of the resentment and pain the lesson comes out that people are, in fact, emotional and pattern forming creatures who often see what they want to see.
This might not sound very hopeful from a blog that seeks to find something in everything! However, it is important if one is seeking out the truth and not a projected ideal. Care must be taken when looking for answers; if not, when the lights come on and you realise it was just a fiction, hearts can get hardened rather than wisdom increased.
So the false prophecy was actually a real analogy! Everything is significant, just not always in the way we expect or want it to be. I think Abby probably feels a lot better about her name now. I know my friend finds it easier to let go... Having a purpose to pain always helps, I find.
That is a whole other story though.
Remember my Cat of Redemption (link)? Dang it, it really would help to have a picture. Mum, Dad, C, Rich - if you are out there anywhere could you email me a pic of Tilly and Abby together please? It is high time I illustrated this point.
Anywho. CofR (aka Tilly) is an all-black cat and Abby is black and white with the white being mostly on her belly. One time a dear friend of mine Miss Love came over and she met Tilly... she then saw Abby on a chair later and said oh there's The Cat of Redemption again. Ehr Ehr! (quiz show fail noise). From that moment onwards Abs has had the rather unfortunate name of "The Cat of False Prophecy". (Kitty the fluffy tabby feels rather left out.)
It is SO easy to take a fabulous analogy - like, I don't know, a pertinent song or a car - and think it means something. A friend of mine did that once. She fancied a boy who had her dream car: it was in her favourite colour and the make had brilliant adverts. That, coupled with a memorable moment of eye contact and a shared taste in music, had her smitten. Perhaps you might want to say smote as it wasn't really a good thing.
We were in my car the other week behind the very same model of car and it prompted a memory; and a revelation. The boy thing never worked out and the car (and song) were always a bit of a frustration for her - why did it even have to be like that? Why fall at all, with such small but darling details to now have to let go of?? My thought was that perhaps God sometimes let people see small "signs", from which they inevitably infer big wrong things, because working through all of the resentment and pain the lesson comes out that people are, in fact, emotional and pattern forming creatures who often see what they want to see.
This might not sound very hopeful from a blog that seeks to find something in everything! However, it is important if one is seeking out the truth and not a projected ideal. Care must be taken when looking for answers; if not, when the lights come on and you realise it was just a fiction, hearts can get hardened rather than wisdom increased.
So the false prophecy was actually a real analogy! Everything is significant, just not always in the way we expect or want it to be. I think Abby probably feels a lot better about her name now. I know my friend finds it easier to let go... Having a purpose to pain always helps, I find.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Still here... and still hoping...
Blimey, I haven't been blogging much at all. Talk about being a changed woman. I have plenty of excuses to make and a great long list of things I'd like to say that I don't have time for but let's cut the crap.
Firstly: Happy Christmas! I hope that you all get the analogy of giving presents - that Jesus came to earth as a gift for all of mankind and that is why we celebrate on the 25th December! You didn't? More's the pity.
Second: Happy New Year! Did you realise (I didn't) that this isn't actually a new decade, since the first year A.D. wasn't actually 0 but rather 1, ergo this is the last year in the 201st decade since Jesus was given to mankind. Bit of a dampener isn't it? Still, Radio 1's list of the UK's top 100 purchases of the decade (link) was kinda interesting. Interesting and WRONG - in the top 10 HALF of them were winning tracks from television programmes such as Pop Idol and X-Factor :-O Analogise That! for what it says about British culture. I am disappointed in us all.
Though, to stay on topic for a moment, analogise the way facebook managed to get 'Rage Against the Machine' to Christmas number 1(link). Is it power to the people and a sign of the potential for world alteration through the unity of "insignificant" people? Lol. I particularly love the way that the runner up's X-Factor song 'The Climb' has the lyrics:
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
True dat.
The thing is, I'm not actually taking the piss. I even bought that track 'cause I'm all about the uphill battle and am well aware that though "my faith is shaking I gotta keep trying". Ridiculous? Or sublime? (I know my metaphor swapped sides halfway through - deal with it!)
In other news, all over England we have beautiful prophetic weather. I wrote a song about it last Feb, when we first got - to quote the Mayor of London - "the wrong kind of snow". It's called 'Snow Hope' and a bit of it goes like this:
S’a tiny flake of hope as I sit and wait
For the day that the weather will break
and a little piece of heaven will cover my world
One on it’s own the world would melt
Oh so fragile they can barely be felt
Yet they can halt life’s daily machine
You know it looks quite different when it all looks clean
Pause a while take stock and smile...
The way I see it, this country is basically brought to a stand-still when something bigger than them takes over. Getting in everyone's way because, actually, the world doesn't revolve about them and their way isn't The Way.
It's clearly an image of grace (being made clean) but I am particularly excited by how it's when all the flakes get together that they have a massive force. So strong that "the world" can't cope and they can't ignore or deny it either. People are gonna have to change, and fast, to deal with this outpouring. Each flake totally unique, beautiful and pure... with potential to make a HUOUGE difference.
Are we going to make that difference this year? I ruddy bloody hope so. I think we all need to be stopped in out tracks, before we drive off some proverbial cliff...
Hmmmm. I have enjoyed writing again, it's been far too long. Been expending lots of my words in other arenas you see... another time perhaps I'll share but until then: change the world. OK?
"What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible." - Theodore Roethke
P.S. But can they do it again? http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=212018962226http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=212018962226
Firstly: Happy Christmas! I hope that you all get the analogy of giving presents - that Jesus came to earth as a gift for all of mankind and that is why we celebrate on the 25th December! You didn't? More's the pity.
Second: Happy New Year! Did you realise (I didn't) that this isn't actually a new decade, since the first year A.D. wasn't actually 0 but rather 1, ergo this is the last year in the 201st decade since Jesus was given to mankind. Bit of a dampener isn't it? Still, Radio 1's list of the UK's top 100 purchases of the decade (link) was kinda interesting. Interesting and WRONG - in the top 10 HALF of them were winning tracks from television programmes such as Pop Idol and X-Factor :-O Analogise That! for what it says about British culture. I am disappointed in us all.
Though, to stay on topic for a moment, analogise the way facebook managed to get 'Rage Against the Machine' to Christmas number 1(link). Is it power to the people and a sign of the potential for world alteration through the unity of "insignificant" people? Lol. I particularly love the way that the runner up's X-Factor song 'The Climb' has the lyrics:
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
True dat.
The thing is, I'm not actually taking the piss. I even bought that track 'cause I'm all about the uphill battle and am well aware that though "my faith is shaking I gotta keep trying". Ridiculous? Or sublime? (I know my metaphor swapped sides halfway through - deal with it!)
In other news, all over England we have beautiful prophetic weather. I wrote a song about it last Feb, when we first got - to quote the Mayor of London - "the wrong kind of snow". It's called 'Snow Hope' and a bit of it goes like this:
S’a tiny flake of hope as I sit and wait
For the day that the weather will break
and a little piece of heaven will cover my world
One on it’s own the world would melt
Oh so fragile they can barely be felt
Yet they can halt life’s daily machine
You know it looks quite different when it all looks clean
Pause a while take stock and smile...
The way I see it, this country is basically brought to a stand-still when something bigger than them takes over. Getting in everyone's way because, actually, the world doesn't revolve about them and their way isn't The Way.
It's clearly an image of grace (being made clean) but I am particularly excited by how it's when all the flakes get together that they have a massive force. So strong that "the world" can't cope and they can't ignore or deny it either. People are gonna have to change, and fast, to deal with this outpouring. Each flake totally unique, beautiful and pure... with potential to make a HUOUGE difference.
Are we going to make that difference this year? I ruddy bloody hope so. I think we all need to be stopped in out tracks, before we drive off some proverbial cliff...
Hmmmm. I have enjoyed writing again, it's been far too long. Been expending lots of my words in other arenas you see... another time perhaps I'll share but until then: change the world. OK?
"What we need are more people who specialise in the impossible." - Theodore Roethke
P.S. But can they do it again? http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=212018962226http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=212018962226
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