Posting...Finally! My creative nemeses....

Wow. It sure has been a long time since my last post - in fact, that's the longest postless stretch this blog has seen since its creation.

I've been fine recently, although I did injure my elbow playing hockey a few weeks ago - a chunk of bone got chipped of, but it doesn't really hurt anymore. The only issue I have with it is that I can't play ice hockey again until next month. :( Not being able to straighten my right arm isn't too fun either.

Since I don't really have anything too insightful to post on at this time, I'm going to talk about writing. That's always fun, isnt' it? Just make sure to throw in a dose of (Flying potatoes! Run for your life!) insanity.

I'm attempting NaNoWriMo this year, which even in the first week has helped with several aspects of my writing (Discpline being the number one thing its taught me, as well as the number two thing, and number three....). That being said, I wish I had some helpful knowledge or insight towards writing, but I've recently found out that I have a WHOLE LOT to learn about it myself. Descriptions don't come naturally to me at all, so I always wonder if I've given enough of them to engage readers in the story (but at least I don't describe too much or too frequently, or at the wrong times ;). I've just begun writing short stories, both for publication and for applications to scholarships and university programs I'd like to get into, and I find that I have considerable trouble coming up with good plot ideas; a lot of the things I come up with are either too much of a copy of someone else's idea, or they're just too silly or ridiculous and even my creative/insane genius mastermind can't figure out how to make them work. Although maybe if I tried a bit harder...hmmm.

Anyway, that's about it for me talking....the comment section of this post is hereby dedicated to discussing writing techniques and assistance, etc. Have fun!

Ciao!

FIRST EVER....

Have you ever submitted something to someplace, and then been thrilled when they respond saying that they loved it and accepted it?

Yeah. Me neither.

But I have recently recieved my first *REJECTION LETTER*. (Or email, but whatever.)

Here's the poem I submitted to Mindflights a few weeks ago:


Disturbance rules the world tonight
When not one ear has heard the sun’s last cry
While the leaves and branches tremble
As cold harsh wind of fear and doubt blow by

Among the trees no light remains
To find a path to freedom’s final spark
Yet still they clamber like blind wolves
To try and reach a way to end the dark

All around the blazing flames die
Snuffed out by the sudden streams of tears
And their torches forever trapped
In an endless darkness no fire can pierce

Yet something soars above the trees
Gleaming like an eagle in the moon’s cry
Seen by all, hushed as a serpent
And perched untouched among the starlit sky


Instead of boring you with my own analysis, I'll just share a part of the letter I got that wasn't automated. Here's what some of the editors had to say about it:


*****

I think this one is good.

*****

The meter doesn't scan well in some places and I feel like it could be a little longer and expand more on the thing in the sky -- what it is and what it means to the people who see it. I did like this line:
"Snuffed out by the sudden streams of tears"

*****

There are some nice lines in this poem, but I have to say that I find the sf/fantasy element so faint that I'm not sure it's even there. Also, I agree that the meter is not quite right in places, which weakens the poem as a whole.

*****

This didn't feel sufficiently SF for me, as it felt more metaphorical.... but I also kinda didn't like how it felt vague and a touch too emotive for so little substance. A "meh" from me. And a no.

*******BACK TO IAN...


So this is what it's like to be rejected. I feel like I've hit a milestone. :P

:)Ian(:

Thoughtful Question #1

If you were to suddenly meet someone you had never seen or heard of before, how long would it take you to change their life forever?




Ciao

Aaaah!

I know I haven't posted in a while, I'm sorry, I am hoping to post again on Friday.

In the meantime, I'm just dropping in to ask if some of you could pray for me. I have my first-ever job interview tomorrow (Thursday), and I can't say I'm not nervous. ;)

Thanks!

Ciao!

Not a Religion

There are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, and probably fewer who, without a shadow of a doubt, believe that the Bible is true and that all other beliefs are wrong and will lead their followers to Hell.

There are probably even fewer who can back this claim up against onslaughts of reason, logic and experiences that might be thrown at them in an aggressive maneuver to displace them from their seats on their pillars of faith.

Many such people are likely among the ones who Jesus said would fall away and be swayed from their faith. Though they believe to have built their pillars on the solid rock of God, their faith’s foundation has no basis, and is an easy target for the relentless storms and tides of this world.

There are some who, even without knowing why, have their faith solidly placed in the Rock of God, and will not be easily persuaded away from that – in fact, such persuasion is nigh impossible. These people are not simply clinging to a hopeful belief system that they believe will take them to heaven – they made the decision to follow that path, and as they progressed, they began seeing with their spiritual eyes to the point where they no longer need doubt their decisions and their faith. If asked why they believed what they do, they will probably have some sort of answer based on their journey and explorations.

From reading things on the internet from atheists, Christians, and people of different religions, I’ve found that answers such as “you just have to have faith” are extremely frustrating to others. Hopefully, those people who once decided to “take a chance” and follow Christ’s path now have the ability to formulate different answers that are based not only on their own experiences, but also on what God has taught them. If they have been truly following God long enough, such an answer would be sufficient to let another person see clearly enough what it means to be a Christian, and allow them to make a fully educated choice about it. Of course, by no means should we assume that everyone will come to the conclusion that they should be a Christian.

I’ve thought about it, and if someone questions my motives for my faith, I will not be caught without an answer. And I refuse to let my bottom line be “you just have to have faith.” To do so would put my beliefs on the exact same pedestal as every religion in the world.

But Christianity is not like those religions. Religions are merely systems of beliefs designed to prepare people for a life after death. The focuses of following Christ are not getting to heaven or going to Hell, and Christianity is not a set of beliefs and commandments that we are supposed to follow without question and without real purpose. All of the things commanded in the Bible are not meant to merely appease some god and get us into heaven. They are meant to keep us away from harm, because all the things commanded against have very real consequences. Anyone, even those who don’t follow the Bible, should be able to see that.

The real focus of Christianity is not appeasement, or fear, or reward: it is building God’s Kingdom. It is rescuing the world from the darkness of sin that has seized it. It is about Jesus Christ saving US from what we have all done to ourselves.

And unlike the gods of other religions who apparently sit around and expect everyone to follow their pointless, hollow commandments, Christ shows His power through His followers. Everyone who accepts his sacrifice, follows His path and is cleansed by His blood in dying with Him will shine clearly in the world. Jesus gives them the power to be fully and ultimately freed from death and sin, and they have the courage to do the craziest, wildest, most unfeasible things anyone’s ever heard of. God even works miracles through people’s faith! THAT is the faith of Christianity, not blindly believing that there is some God up there and hoping we are right. Really following God means that we KNOW God, and have a relationship with Him, and are becoming like Him, and have His power working through us to show the world who he is. He does not sit invisibly in another universe or dimension – He works here on Earth, even though He does not show Himself to many people the way they want Him to prove that He exists. He still wants people to have faith in Him, because faith is more powerful than sight, and it will eventually weed out the weak pretenders from the strong and courageous followers of Christ.

The God we serve and believe in created everyone with a set purpose. His kingdom is based on love, not on appeasement. God is not ready to throw us away to eternal fires on a whim. He does not enjoy destroying people. He spends lifetimes trying to call people to Himself and out of the lies and darkness that they have fallen into. Yet many resist the call, and he must destroy them, or they would destroy His kingdom and the faithful and the righteous who gave up their lives to serve Him.

And this is what our God wants; this is what Christianity is: a life, not a change in certain habits. A true Christian has counted the cost and given up everything to serve the Creator who loved him enough to give up His own life to free him. It is a decision to live for God that is based on ancient truths that have stood strong through all the tests of time and are also present truths. These truths are not a belief system that we hope to be right, and they are not truths that seek to freeze us in stone as we try to satisfy the seemingly pointless demands of a higher being. They are the things and values that were set in stone long ago, and will surge us forward, past the destruction of this world and to the completion of the Eternal Kingdom of God.

Everyone God creates is created with a purpose. God will use everyone for something whether they choose to follow Him or not, but nothing compares to the awesome power that God can show through those who give their lives to the One who knows exactly what is best for them.

Every one of God’s commandments has a purpose. They keep us from falling into evil or being swept away by the world, they light our paths in times of struggles, and they keep us safe from consequences. They are not a box that we must stay inside, as other religions are – they are the truths that will ultimately set us free from the box we were once trapped inside.

And God Himself has an ultimate purpose, to build a perfect Kingdom free of fear, darkness, and pain, a kingdom that will end evil and sadness forever.

Oh, and guess what? You can't convert away from true Christianity. Anyone who "converts" away from following God was very, very, very likely - in fact, almost positively - never a true follower of Christ to begin with. No religion can honestly say that, or this: being a Christian is a state of being. It means that you have been changed by God, and are being molded into who He meant for you to be. Religions, on the other hand, only have their followers obey sets of commands and believe certain things. Christianity has real power, no matter who, no matter where, no matter when - God is with us. In everything. And He shows His presence and His power.

Ciao!

Challenged Faith

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I mean, a lot. Mostly about this: why am I a Christian? Why do I believe in God? Out of all the ancient texts out there, why do I believe the Bible?
For a couple of weeks, this drove me crazy. For a time, I think I actually stopped being sure that I did believe it. Everyone always says to “have faith”, right? Well, I simply couldn’t blindly have faith in something that I had absolutely no idea why I had faith in it. There are lots of other people who have complete faith in their religions. Muslims and Buddhists, for example; I doubt that the Muslims who are out killing people don’t believe that their religion is true. And the people who spend their lives trying to become “enlightened” don’t believe that they are wasting their time on something false.
So why would I put my faith in the God of Christianity? The question wouldn’t stop haunting me. Why? Why?
This “phase”, as I’ll call it, kind of went on and off in my mind. But it was always there to spring up whenever something arose that might cause doubts. I think the initiator was probably my observing of the world, which I had never really used to do the way I started to. I saw how people were fully convinced that there was no God, how they simply saw me and others who did believe in the spiritual and supernatural as “religious” people who were chasing after some hopeful dream that there might be something more.
I’ll tell you something about me here. Sometimes this is a blessing, and other times it feels like a curse. In nearly every debate I have ever seen, heard, or participated in, I can almost always see and understand both sides of the argument. I am able to figure out what both sides are saying, why they express it the way they do, what they want to get across, and a few other things. It always baffles me that others can’t see this stuff when it often seems so clear to me.
Please understand that I’m not at all bragging. Unless I’m delusional and only think I can see all of this, it’s a gift that was given to me by God. And even then, I haven’t used it very effectively. If I had, my house might be a lot more peaceful, and some people I know might have better relationships with each other.
Anyway, here came the problem: looking at the big picture of the world, I started to see the big debate going on about theology. And yep, I began to see and understand every side of it.
Now technically, there are millions of sides to this debate, with all those countless religions that some people subscribe to. But really, all of them can be reduced down to four: religion, atheism, allegiance to God, and knowing allegiance to Satan (i.e. being against God). Soon after I saw this, I found myself being tested by each one of these. The rules, as dictated by my own view of the world, thoughts, and realizations: I could not use the Bible to directly prove reality, I could not base anything on my own experience, and I had to prove everything in a way that did not involve “just having faith” or anything completely incomprehensible. Basically, I could only use tools such as logic and reason to decide and understand my beliefs.
Boy, was that ever an interesting time.
The “test period” lasted for one week. Since it would probably take a long, long time to post them all at once, I’ll post each “test” separately in my next few posts.

The last thing I’ll say for now, is this: when Jesus proved who He was to Thomas, He was very right when He said “Blessed are those who believe without seeing.” If you can have that total and unconditional faith in God’s existence, without having to have anything proved by yourself or by anything or anyone else, you truly are blessed.

Ciao!

Filler

I know that some of you, if memory serves, have been wanting me to post a picture of myself. So, while I'm in the process of writing my next post, I figured I'd humour you, and this time I won't be so cruel as to post a picture of my jacket.






























































And so, without further ado, here are a couple that I took of myself in the mirror:

NOW, if you look REAL CLOSE. . .

And also, I would like you all to jump over to Elliot's revamped-ish blog, which is now at www.countercultural-blog.blogspot.com. From what I know of him, he his humorous, friendly, and very committed to serving God with his writing.

Ciao!