Whetting my appetite on a diet of malnutrition things I am supposed to not eat but eating them anyhow no one will see my diet of mental malnutrition but nevertheless I go ahead and hope for the best making sure no one sees me and I die a death, losing myself, my integrity, did I even regret the impulse that came over my brain in a haze of momentary lack of mindedness set on just one thing and forgetting I said it was mental malnutrition. The death of my soul, now a hole, and no one knows, but I die, alone. I jumped from thing to thing and the desire grew and blew and blew until it flew, and I’m left with the residual hue nothing like I wanted.
I got my coffee and wish time would stop because it is National Gormet Coffee Day. I would go home to have dinner, but since it’s Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day I don’t go home. My wife is trying to replace her fad diet with a real one and I want Gormet burgers with my coffee. Just imagine it if I went home. For a start, I can’t even cook my own meal…
My brother is a lousy cook. He’s always tired. He needs a good cook.
But it’s Peking Duck Day so we could go out for takeaways! So much for my wife’s Healthy Weight Week.
But life is easier with Gourmet coffee up close and personal. I don’t have to do anything. It is 4.02pm. But I wish time would stop. There was fifty-eight minutes to go before the family will wonder if I am lost, but I wasn’t thinking too far ahead. Even when the barrister said, “Something special today” and handed me my coffee, I wasn’t thinking about what could happen at 5.00pm. I was thinking about my Gourmet coffee.
A palatable easy rock sound coupled with some interesting philosophical lyricism leading more to unbelief than belief, in the face of commercialism and the invisible barriers between people.
This article was written twenty-one years ago. I want to republish it as “food for thought” or something interesting on the topic in retrospect and how it may relate to the present, such as in how things have or have not progressed since then. Not much perhaps. But, on the lighter side, January 10th is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day so why not post it.
First impressions of work can be favorable, but later, an objective eye may see the flaws and blemishes. It should sound right on second view, but might not. Why not test it? Send the articles in and see if one’s reservations lined up with the editor’s view. I hope I am surprised…
Hi. It’s National Lose Weight – Feel Great Week – January 2-8, 2022 (Starts First Sunday in January) so I dug into my archive and found the following article about health, fitness and body image, written and published twenty-two years ago. National Lose Weight – Feel Great Week may be an American observance but I had already written in voices from New Zealand so…One can always revert to themes and local color.
Autopsy is a television series from Britain’s ITV studios that analyses the events around the untimely deaths of famous people. Dr. Jason Payne-James looks at the cause of death that is on the celebrity’s death certificate but looking closely at the evidence he concurs with the certificate or comes to another conclusion.
The subjects of the series are people well-known in film, music, and sports. The days leading up to the deaths of actors Robin Williams and Heath Ledger, and others, are analyzed.
In the episode I am looking at today, the life and death of the Irish-born, Manchester United footballer George Best is scrutinized.
The other day (described in a previous post) I considered a devotion I was writing — based on the book of Genesis verses one to five — was a dead end. I thought the my personal application wasn’t suitable for the publisher. But now I see my personal application differently in light of the next few verses of Genesis which I now use in my devotion.
I completely changed the introduction and edited the body to reflect my new angle. I think this devotion is now usable for the publisher.
In my mind, Genesis 1:1-3 promised a devotion of some sort (described in a previous post), but on looking at what I wrote, I thought about how it missed the publisher’s requirements. So, onto another devotion I wrote that is in draft form…
By the time he got home, he had half a cup of coffee to go. He was optimistic as he had saved half a cup for now although half was already gone.
He checked his watch and it was 12.00pm. “Three hours before my next coffee,” he muttered to himself. “Can’t wait. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy this cup.”
By the end of the coffee, he wondered if he developed a habit. It dawned on him, actually, like a revelation.
“Old habits die hard,” he said to himself, muttering away. There was a knock on the door. The man opened the door and saw the barrister from the coffee shop.
It was all rather painful when he pulled it of his mouth. It couldn’t be the coffee. This was harder than coffee. Was it something in the coffee? It must have been!
This an article about the space movies of the late 1970s. I was inspired when reading about a number of space movies of the time, some of these I remember seeing. Here’s the article, newly written.
And about to drink, a bit spilled onto the sink. He took the cup into the lounge and heard a noise from behind. It was a growing noise from inside the kitchen.
…Something will be planted in its place. “A place where vines will be planted”. In place of the ruins of sin, prosperity? In place of the wastelands of sin, life? In place of the lifelessness of sin, the Spirit? A whole country sinned and a whole city. So, the country is ruined. But something will be planted in its place. Based on Micah chapter 1 verses 5-7.
There has been some argument in evangelical circles over the role of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life. Some say the Spirit does not ‘speak’ to us, but that we must listen to the Bible as God speaking to us and as God’s authoritative word.
Although Jesus’ disciples were journeying with him, his disciples left him. But Jesus was not bitter. Although being abandoned is not sweet. Perhaps the experience of the disciples leaving him was, as we say, “bitter sweet”, as at the time of this trial Jesus was not alone because he had his heavenly Father for closeness and friendship. Jesus had his heavenly Father to bond with rather than giving up. If we go through trial, we also need the lifeline that sustains us. Jesus showed his humanity by needing the closeness and intimacy of his Father in heaven when all others abandoned him. Powerful, strong stuff. Jesus indeed can be our strength and sustainer when we go through trials of various sorts as he has been through trials as well and his Spirit can help us.
Meditation 2. The disciples needed courage on their journey with Jesus. Jesus tells them to be brave. They will have to journey more with him to learn the ways of being his disciple. This despite the disciples abandoning Jesus once. They would have to gain their courage and go forward with Jesus. Take courage, therefore, his disciples. He knows your weaknesses and identifies with them yet can help you become more like him in love and in action.
How does one understand today’s poem “The Persian Rug”. Although it may sound like red carpet service for politicians despite their misdemeanors, it does not mean that at all. I can imagine a politician’s flaws being overlooked, though, and life goes on as normal, but this has nothing to do “The Persian Rug”. Quite simply the poem is spiritual. I am not using a strict religious metaphor from the Bible. I could have used another idea than the one I did, but I use “Persian rug” because it sounded like something exotic and transcendent which fitted in with my meaning. It is about how Jesus treats a person despite their flaws and sins. He died for sin but is not condemning someone for their sins. In a way he is treating the person in my poem like royalty even though he does not deserve it. This is God’s goodness to that person.
It is bound to come up in discussion — in some circles academic and theological (theology being the study of the divine, in case you did not know) — the discussion being that of the origin of Jesus’ teaching 2000 years ago. It seems Jesus is recorded as saying his teaching came from his heavenly Father (the gospel of John 17:6-8, in the Bible).
Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
– John 17:7
What does Jesus mean by saying, “Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you”?
The ‘you” Jesus is referring to is his Father. Jesus is addressing his Father in a prayer. I see from this prayer, in John chapter 17, verses six to eight, that Jesus got his teaching from his heavenly Father. Therefore, the disciples have the teaching from the Father Jesus passed on.
The disciples accepted the teaching from Jesus which came from the Father. Jesus said:
For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.
– John 17:8
The disciples knew Jesus’ teaching and not only knew his teaching but accepted it.
Later, they followed what Jesus said to do in his teaching.
The disciples would go from acceptance of Jesus’ teaching to applying Jesus’ teaching.
They were initially invited by Jesus to follow him and followed through to the end. The pattern of following the Lord Jesus has produced many more disciples.
The pattern, again, is hearing his teaching, accepting it, applying it, and to make more disciples.
Discipleship can be a lifelong process for believers as they and God work together on becoming true disciples of the Lord. And his teaching is good, of benefit.
The previous ‘poem’ I wrote, “The Friend”, was written out of more a matter of intent than designing something artistic. There is a debate that says one should always write or create something excellently or this does not matter as much as what one is saying. Well, “The Friend” is inclined to be in the latter camp. I had intent with my idea and the art was second on my mind. I don’t think this poem is really that artistic as there are uneven spots; sometimes it rhymes and then it sounds cheesy in a way. But I trust the intent gets through and that’s felt in the poem’s effect. I was wanting to show that Jesus respects women after hearing the song “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Jesus never came with a iron fist, but was gentle. I was reminded that Christianity can be regarded as an oppressive religion but this isn’t so when you read how Jesus related to women in the gospel.
That Jesus was just (just the main word here) a good teacher is quoted with suspicion by preachers, who are quoting the culture and not themselves or the Bible. But I have never heard, as far as I can recall, someone saying to me personally, that is to me personally, that Jesus was just a good teacher. Though I somewhat took on board the preacher’s words that people have used this description of Jesus, that he is being called ‘just a good teacher‘.
In the gospel of John (John 16:25a to be exact) I see evidence that Jesus was a good teacher (not just a good teacher) and of course he was more.
The question I ask myself is why don’t I do just one version of a review and leave it at that. The thing is that I may dislike a film but see its worth in themes. The traditional way of dealing with this from a Christian perspective is to praise the themes and forget that you disliked the thing. But I don’t forget. I didn’t like the thing! I wouldn’t buy it. Really! But, since I am conscious of the God thing as well, I want to bring something of that out, too, such as in a theme.
The solution was simple: Don’t downplay the so-called God thing in some work I dislike, turn the ‘God-thing’ over in another format of writing.
Therefore: spirit of life category should provide the thematic stuff in movies and music only and related themes. Although some of my earlier film and music writings that are now posted in the spirit of life category do contain some reviewy elements. This reviewy stuff might have been a critique of a theme. My entertainment review category on this blog should provide straight reviews only.
Update: This information in regards to the structure of the blog is no longer relevant. But in terms of reviews I am keeping to subjective reviews in the music category and more or less in the film category.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be posting more literary material, and that I have been doing, with straight reviews, reflections, and poetry. Unrelated to that I was inspired to change the name of this blog. I thought it was a good idea because it would reflect the more literary stuff I am publishing than before, so thought to re-christen it The Write Mix, which means the mix of writings I am presenting here.
Note: I made a major error in this article although it was only the omission of a word. But it changed the meaning. I should have said that there was no deceit in the mouth of Jesus.
Here’s the post with that amendment:
Jesus gives as much as a disciple of his needs at a point in their lives. Based on John 16:12.
I thought to explain some modifications on this blog, so here it goes. Longer reviews I have posted the last couple of months have been shifted to the ‘spirited’ category rather then keeping in the pop life category. These longer reviews are more in line with the ‘spirited’ category, anyhow. These reviews explore ideas and themes more than straight reviews and explore how the ‘spirit’ or ‘life’ of the movie or music got to me. I have more of these kind to post. But the entertainment reviews, which are shorter, are more about if I like something or not. Like I was in process of deciding to buy it or not. These reviews are more straightforward. So, these entertainment reviews are ones like I posted yesterday–the capsule reviews in other words. More coming up. Note: Spirited category has been transferred to the spirit of life category since this post. Update: The structuring as described here is no longer relevant.
TheWriteMix | The Writing + Life & Faith Mix 