Faith and Writing - The Creative Spirit

We are told in the Bible that GOD made us in his image.  Male and Female he created us, and then he breathed his Spirit into us.

In his image.

With His Spirit.

But what does that mean?

Well, the first thing we see of GOD in the Bible is in Genesis where he is creating the Earth, and everything in it.  GOD is a creator.  More than that, he is a loving creator, who loves each beautiful thing he brought forth.  He created the peacock because he loves beautiful things, he created the Hippopotamus because he has a sense of humour.

And he loved each thing he created.

In my writers group at the moment, we are working our way through a book called The Artist’s Way.  The book is subtitled “A Spiritual path to Higher Creativity”. 

I like that. 

I like the fact that the author, Julia Cameron, says that GOD is a creator, and when he calls us to be like him, he is calling us all to be creators as well.  Suppressing your creative spirit is not only suppressing what GOD gave you, but also suppressing part of his purpose for your life – to create.

I have always felt a strong connection between my writing, and my spirituality, and I think this is one of the ways GOD wants me to express not just myself, but also Him.  I remember a line from Chariots of Fire, where Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

I believe God made me for a purpose, and it might not be to be a writer.  But when I write, I feel His pleasure.  Because then, I am using his creative spirit.

And I hope I can learn to love everything I create, not because it is beautiful, or humorous; but because it is my creation.

I'm back(ish)

Wow!

Has it really been three weeks since last I posted here?  I guess it has. 
I've been very busy you know, and as my friend Venus says, "Time's fun when you're having flies."

Or something like that.

I have been very busy of late.  In my business life I have been travelling out of town to teach librarians about copyright law.  In my writing life, I have joined a newly started writing group, and am putting together some poems/stories to submit to journals in August.  In my personal life....

Well, sorry.  Nothing to report.

I'll think of something profound to post tomorrow.  (Maybe)  In the meantime, I need to go prepare for my writing class tonight.  I'm leading the lesson, and I don't think the other victims participants know what they got themselves in for. :-)

See you around.

SB

Thought for the weekend.

I want to stop talking about Him, and start talking to Him.

Then maybe I would stop hearing about Him, and start hearing Him

That is all.

Good night.

Biblios Hokku - James

Ah, James.  I am a huge fan of his work.  I have designed and presented bible studies on this book on more than one occasion.  James is a pretty straight-forward kind of guy, and doesn’t beat about the bush.  Take for example James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

James is probably most famous for raising the whole question of faith vs. works, and his claims that faith without works is dead.  I think we often get tied up on that section, and look too much at the charity argument.  But this passage was not about being charitable, or caring for the less fortunate.  James was trying to tell us that….

JAMES
To grow in spirit;
Your belief is not enough.
Faith needs deeds to live.

Our deeds are what make our belief into faith, what gives life to our faith, because the two are in fact one.  Like body and spirit, we cannot have one without the other.

At least that’s what this FISH believes.

For the complete Biblios Hokku, go read my other blog.  Or stay tuned for further poems. 

Now? Or Never?

I mused recently on the question of why do we blog?  Now as a follow up question; do you force yourself to write, or does it just happen?

Two of the blogs I occasionally visit have similar, but opposite, memes going.  Both have cool buttons, but I really don’t think you could use both. :-)

C. Beth has a button for Blogging with Discipline.  They theory being that it is sometime better to write something regularly, rather than make it perfect.  So it is about committing to blogging regularly, whatever that means for you. 

Tartx has a different idea, called Blogging without Obligation.  The principle here is that you should only blog when you feel like it, otherwise it becomes a chore.

Two different ideas, two cool buttons. 

Which do you think is right?  Which describes how you blog?

Who are you people?

When I first started this blog, way back in the long distant past of January 2009, I really had no idea what it was going to be.  Which is to say, I really didn’t think anyone would read it, so I didn’t think it would matter.

The blog was started with the idea that it would help me with my daily journaling.  Every morning, after doing my quiet time, I would write in my journal about the deep spiritual insights arising out of my daily reading.  Since you know how disciplined I am about daily routine, I thought I would help it along by doing it online.  Then it would be obvious to me that I was missing a day.

So it was supposed to be a sort of online journal.  I just never imagined that anyone else would read it.

Then it occurred to me one day, while reading Stuff Christians Like, that instead of commenting as <Real Name deleted for privacy reasons> I could just comment as Sharkbait.  Much simpler, and then I started doing the same on some of the other blogs I used to follow.

And the next thing I knew, people were reading my blog, and talking back to me.

It was quite disturbing.  In fact, when I got my first ever comment, on 17 February 2009, I nearly wet myself. 

These days I have about 40 people following me in one way or another, and around 50 direct hits a day.  I still don’t know where they come from, but it has changed the way I think, and write.

I assume most people would be too bored to read my fishy ideas about deep theology.  In fact when I wanted to get all deep and theological over Lent, I even created a separate blog for it. 

I still think most of my posts are really just me talking to myself, and working through ideas in my own head, but I am definitely influenced by the fact that I know people are listening.

What about you?  Would you write differently if no one read your blog?  Would you still blog if you had no followers?

And just who are all you people who come around every day?  (And what were you expecting to find at a site run by a Fish?)

Happy 4th of July

Caffeinated Randomness : A day in the life…

Since yesterday’s post put me in a fairly random mood, I decided to do a Caffeinated Randomness post, which I haven’t done very much of recently.  To learn more, and see other people being random on a Friday, go to Andrea’s blog.  (Or go anyway, it’s worth it.)

A DAY ON THE LIFE OF SHARKBAIT:

Friday

05:00 – Wake up refreshed
05:10 – Quiet time and personal prayer.
06:00 – Attend Men’s Morning Prayer Group
07:10 – Get home.  Go for 5 mile run
07:50 – Eat healthy breakfast of yoghurt and muesli
08:00 – Go to office, work until lunch.
13:00 – Make light lunch and do afternoon devotions.
14:00 – Back to work
17:00 – Turn off computer

OKAY, that’s what it says in my diary.  Here’s how it sometimes, usually, actually goes:

05:51 – Realise hand has hit snooze button a few times
06:09 – Arrive late for prayers.  First one there.
07:15 – Arrive home. Prepare for run.
07:20 – Realise sitting to put on shoes was mistake.
07:30 – Still staring at my feet.  Must run.
07:45 – Start running.  Hear asthmatic elephants chasing me.
07:50 – Stop after 1 Mile, realise elephants are me breathing.
08:05 – Arrive back home.  Sit down to take off shoes.
09:00 – Wake up, realise still wearing running clothes.
09:30 – Arrive at office (in running clothes).
09:35 – Eat breakfast (Cold pizza and coffee)
09:45 – Do quick prayers in office.  Complain when clients interrupt.
09:50 – Check e-mails and blogs.
10:59 – Stop reading blogs. 
11:00 - Start again in case anyone has commented.
11:05 – Realise most bloggers area still asleep.  (3AM in US)
11:10 – Play solitaire and online poker. 
13:00 – Lunch time.  Peanut sandwich.
13:10 – Take a 20 minute nap.
14:30 – Get up from 20 minute nap.
17:59 – Finish work for the day.  Decide to check blogs.
20:00 – Time for supper I suppose.
20:30 – Order pizza.  (Breakfast for tomorrow)

So what about you?  Do you follow your plan for the day, or is it just as random as mine?

Pleasantly disturbed

For almost as long as I have known him, Duanne Scott has been running a meme called Pleasantly Distrubed Thursday.  Actually today is only the third time, but since I've only known him about five weeks it's still true.  One of these days (alledgedly next week) he will get a button for the meme, and then it will finally have some credibility.  In the meantime we'll just make do.

I haven't tried writing a PDT post before because I am not at all disturbed, or random.  My mind is like a steel thingamajig, but actually I sometimes enjoy just taking my mind off the hook and letting my fingers do the talking over the keyboard.  It's a little like free writing, or free association - you really have no idea what you are talking about, and just have to hope your fingers are better spellars then yuo are.

I was a little afraid I might end up babbling about the weather, or bowel movements.  Like old people do when they start talking, and seem to have disengaged their brains.  But it seems that I can avoid the topic, although it would be nice to try and make a joke about playing scrabble and being "Inconsanant, and with no vowel movement".  

But that would be a really sad joke, so I won't make it.

But I have been playing a lot of scrabble lately.  I have discovered the Scrabble function on Facebook, and enjoy playing with people around the world.  (Excluding USA and Canada)  

I don't mean I don't like playing with people from North America, but I think that the game is Worldwide (Except for USA and Canada), probably for copyright reasons. I must admit it makes a change from all those videos you Americans watch on your blogs that I can't watch because "This video is blocked in your country for copyright reasons."

I have been enjoying the scrabble, but I hate it when my opponent forfeits. I mean what kind of victory is a forfeit?  Here I am winning, and relying on breaking my own high score by laying down my last 7 tiles to make "JAUNDICED" across a triple letter and score 122 points, plus your penalty tiles, and you forfeit your last move.  Talk about a hollow victory.  The only acceptable time to forfeit is when you are beating me by 300 points, and suddenly need the toilet.  Then you can forfeit.  Because we both know I would have made a come-back, and it's your own fault for not having a stronger bladder anyway.

Oh wow. One step away from talking about bowel movements anyway.  Go figure.