Stories & Spirituality

Of course, of course. We go to the church, we listen to a man on the podium that tells us from this story there are five bullet points on how to 'live a christian life'. We say that the five little stones that David threw mean five things like faith, trust, love, etc., etc.

God never said anything like that. He just gave us a bunch of stories in the OT about His pursuit of man and then there is the the NT which is Jesus' expression on that in human form. So, why do we need to break down 'Christianity' into bullet points?

If your life was a story, was is the chief conflict? Who is would be the protagonist in your life story? What shape or form would the plot direction take? Would it be a tragedy? A comedy? Would there be a twist? an anti-climax? Or, if it were a movie, would it be a blockbuster? a Hollywood spin-off just like every other movie and every other person? An reflective art-house? How would it change or elucidate to viewers things about our christian life like love and god and stuff? Would it be a classic that would get told down the line because of its impact?

Because what we learn from the good book is because all these take place in the stories we got handed down in the bible. We know of God through stories we are told, so how about knowing and telling about God now through our stories we can share?

Don Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, Searching For God Knows What, Through Painted Deserts and To Own A Dragon, speaks here at Imago Dei of his insights into these things while editing and working through McKee's stuff (of the movie Adaptation).

Stories by Don Miller.

NO SONNET FROM SHAKESPEARE

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm.
For love is strong as death,
jealousy, as fierce as the grave.
It's passions burst into flames.

Love cannot be drowned,
by oceans or floods;
it cannot be bought,
no matter what is offered.

- S.O.S. 8:6-7

This is love poetry from the Good Book!

Out and In

Lots to thank God for

... for seeing me through the last three months at Ghetto Secondary School all the training I have had and the supporting staff that have helped me.

... for my posting to Fairfield Methodist Secondary School. It is as good as it will be bad and that is a good thing saying that in the end you have to make the most of what you've got.

... for great fellowship with Trace who reminded me with the sparkle in her eye about the passion for pursuing a reflection of Jesus in our lives.

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WORK

So, I have been missing and by no excuse because of work. I really dread becoming a lamenting lemming blaming and bitching on work. So, I won't write about how it feels to be in The System. Suffice to say that I got a 0 for Compliance on my DISC test.

I was reflecting some bit about what I've accomplished with my time here... Back in Japan (and in Australia), I was quite satisfied with all the things I did and accomplished, it made me feel it was worthwhile to be there and that I made more than full use of the time I was afforded. Beyond the average. I guess a lot of that satisfaction came from giving to the community and people. Instead of using my time by simply 'taking'. I got more from giving.

But its such an easy trap to fall into, making full use of the opportunities that come by through validating how much one can take and receive and internalize. I've realized that I'm falling into the trap too. I've been at school, learning new ideas, pedagogies and theories, I've made new friends and I re-established old ones. I validate the last couple of months I've moved back to Singapore by what I've done (for myself) because I've not done much else for others except building relationships.

That is not to say that relationship building is unimportant but that I don't know how much difference I've really made to others. I tell myself not to get too involved (I said this same thing in Japan...) not to get too drained because I have a lot on my plate this year and that I'll need all the energy I can muster to make it through. And so, I just take, take and take because I think "I don't have anything to give".

I think its about time I started returning something to the community (above and beyond what I can do at work - and what can I do at work. Really.) but one wonders how much I can do about that this season. I know I need other avenues beyond work but I keep hearing myself say I need to put more into work so I can be good at it and I haven't heard myself say what I can do for others for quite awhile...

It's always about me.