Posts by: Kezzy
You may have heard the expression “Do not be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthy use”. I.e, if we become too spiritual, we will stop being practical. But I would argue the expression should in fact be “Be so heavenly minded, you cannot help but be of earthly use”. After all, Jesus himself was totally God focused, yet people flocked to him for spiritual and physical healing.
The Bible tells us to focus on Jesus and to live like runners racing to win the prize (Hebrews 12v1-3). And in Phillipians 3v18-20 Paul talks about those who face destruction, whose minds are on earthly things, “But our citizenship is in heaven”. The Lord’s prayer says “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven” – we are to see God’s Kingdom come to the Earth. But the Lord’s prayer still starts with “Our Father who art in Heaven“.
If we focus on heaven, we won’t be able to do anything else but serve those around us. Our love for God leads us to love others, it will flow out of us without even realising it. The more we focus on heaven, the more we will want to see heaven-like qualities on earth. If we don’t focus on how awesome the world could be then how will be motivated to make it better? And if we don’t focus on Jesus then how can be have the energy and spirit to help those around us?
Therefore it is clear we are called to be “heavenly minded”, so where does the expression about not being come from?
As Christians we need to be careful not to falling into “super-spiritualism”, where we just sit and talk philosophy or finer points of doctrine, over and over until it becomes meaningless. All for no reason other than to just talk about spiritual stuff. Yet we still need our focus to be on God at all times, to always be heavenly minded. So how do we find balance?
I believe the trouble resides in, well, where we reside. We are called to be citizens of heaven, but for now we are confined to this planet Earth, so we must make our temporary home someplace here. If we hide away in Churches to pray, praise and seek God, make that our home, how can the world see our light? We hide it almost as much if we pretended to not be Christians at all! Jesus prayed and praised as he went out into the town, he was in constant communication with God. He made His home amongst the unbelievers, with the sick who needed a doctor. If we go to those who need us, make our home there, our focus will turn to the areas of the spiritual that benefit those around us.
Now there are times we need to meet together with Christians, after all Jesus went away to quiet places to pray, alone or with other believers. We time to be fed, and spend time without pressures, yet it seems likely (judging by how the Gospels are written) those quiet times for Jesus were the exception not the rule. Jesus heard from God as part of His ministry.
So let’s go outside, walk around and pray. Maybe God will show us someone we can help. Go out with friends and in gaps in conversation pray for them, ask God how to share the Gospel. Watch TV or read a book with heaven in mind and maybe find God is using it to speak to us. Let’s not replace that valuable Church time, but rather make more use of the time away from Church. Be heavenly minded, all the time, in every place, and you will find your earthly use. You won’t be able to help it!
Sorry for the incredibly long delay in posts, Dan and I have been dealing with scary end of year stuff, we find out our results in less than a week. We’re already looking at jobs, which is even scarier. There will be more updates soon :)
As some of you will know, I’ve been wanting to write my own webcomic for quite some time. Pretty much ever since I got into them in fact. At the moment I’m not sure I have what it takes, but I want to get some practise anyway. So, as the more astute among you will have already seen, there is a comics page. I’ll be putting up my things in there that are stand alone, as well as continuing to illustrate the occasional blog post. Hopefully in time I’ll decide on a system and start up a comic.
Constructive criticism is welcomed, just actually be constructive. I need to learn, but I don’t really want to be told “you suck”. “You suck because your colours run” maybe, but not just “you suck, hurr hurr”.
For those interested, I used cartridge paper on which I penciled my design, then inked in water-based outliner. Coloured by hand using promarkers, scanned then edited in iPhoto (cropped, straighten, enhanced and attempted touch-ups that failed).
A while ago Dan and I were walking around Canterbury Cathedral. We had seen round the bits we could get to, and we were musing we had thought it was much larger. Just as we were meandering one last time around, Dan saw The Door. It was a big door. With one of those large metal ring pull handles and lots of blackened metal studs. It looked important.
I hadn’t really paid the door much attention, assuming it was locked and just part of the building. Dan however disagreed. He wanted to open The Door. I said not to try, it wouldn’t be allowed, or it would be locked, but he was already at The Door, opening it.
Turns out that was the way into the rest of the grounds, and we spent another half hour having fun exploring. That was the day he and I started going out (well it was early the next morning, but near enough). We started going out in part due to me feeling more comfortable with him after this little date. But what a difference The Door made. Gave us more time together, showed me his spirit and his courage. Maybe things would be different without it.
Two things struck me after this encounter, the first was that I needed to be braver. There had been no “Stay Out on pain of flogging” sign on the door, or even a “Keep Out”, the worst that would’ve happened would have been it was locked. I should try things more, go out of my way a bit more, it opens up a whole host of opportunities.
The other thing I realised was I needed other people to see what I don’t see. For me sometimes it’s my friends spotting someone waving hello (I’m notoriously unobservant), sometimes its a relevant sermon, sometimes its God, throwing messages my way. Whoever it is, noticing whatever it is, I’m better off with people. I need to see through someone else’s eyes, so I can see the unopened door, so I may know what lies behind it.
For the last two days, Dan, myself and the rest of our group has been working almost solidly on our group project. It’s been a long haul, finding out last minute things that need to be included, formating around 80 references to very specific standard, choosing words carefully and balancing word counts. Heck even just reading over 8,000 words aloud had its challenges.
But although I’m tired, and a little drained, I only really lost my cool the once, and mostly I’ve kind of enjoyed it. I certainly don’t feel the mental anguish and loss of energy I do say spending 4 hours on a math-based assignment. I think its because I know as a team we can get through it. We’ve worked so hard and come so far, I know no-one is going to let us down and we’ll pull each other through. It has also shown me what I want from a job, that camaraderie, that you aren’t in it alone, or having to prove yourself or compete.
It’s also shown me that I can edit and write reasonably well, and more importantly not want to kill anyone too much after spending a day doing it, something I cannot say for working with MATLAB (if you don’t know, MATLAB is a program for coding mathematical programs).
So to my project group- hang on in there! You’ve been really awesome, I am so proud to be a part of this group.
Hey everyone, I just wanted to tell you all about my favourite blog ever, Wes Draws. Wes Molebash wrote one of my all time favourite webcomics, ‘You’ll Have That” and now has an epic blog. It’s no secret I hope to eventually illustrate my posts with my own drawings (two are in the pipe-line) but this guy puts me to shame. Short life wisdom posts, and awesome comic style drawings, gentle discussions about faith, Ghostbusters, what more can you ask for in a blog?
I was reading a blog the other day, and it mentions about how time was the only resource we actually totally use up with no hope of regaining. I thought about it, and it really struck me. Later that evening I’m watching the series Tudors, and King Henry VIII asks his closest friend (paraphrased)
“What is the one thing you cannot regain?”
“Your virtue?”
“No for by your actions you may redeem yourself”
“Your honour then?”
“No, for again by your actions you may regain honour. It is time, the one thing we use up competely.”
So at this point, I’ve got my ears pricked up thinking, ‘Hmmmm I think God’s got a point in this for me’.
Next day, in Church, the leader of my Church is preaching, but he decides God wants him to not do the sermon he planned, but instead talk about how we don’t have much time on this Earth, that it is time to stop being apathetic, and time to start living for God. At this point I am certain God is saying something and start to wonder what to do about it.
The final nail holding up the “The Time is Nigh” sign was that night’s film- The Bucket List. A film about two dying men on a journey to complete a list of things before they ‘kick the bucket’.
First off I was tempted to think of it as an impending doom proclamation. “That’s it, my number is up, gonna get cancer, or get hit by a bus…’. But the Bible itself says in 1 Thessalonians 5v 2
“… for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” and in 1 Corinthians 9v24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
So this whole thing isn’t exactly new news, suggesting it’s not a warning to me in particular. However, it’s always good to avoid walking in front of buses anyway…
So what do I do with my new-found revelation? What struck me was how much it meant each day, each hour, each minute of my life needed to count, every moment matters. I need to life my life in love, for God and for those around me. I have to admit, I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to work this out practically, but I can tell you this much, after all that prompting, something’s gonna change!
Oh, and I started my own Bucket-List, something I will post about next.
I’ve just finished watching the film “Wanted”, which, despite being an 18, is a good film. The parting line before the credits is “What the **** have you done recently?” Avoiding the swearing, I thought it an interesting question. What have I done recently?
I have worked towards my degree, filled out forms, tried to help friends, earned money, solved problems and generally done productive stuff. Things that were worthwhile even, so I’m not going to do down the traditional route of, to quote the song, “What have you done today, to make you feel proud?”. I have spent time with friends, I have prayed, I have done things that I hope will last. But I still feel I could’ve done more.
You see, above all recently, I’ve worried. I’ve fretted and been neurotic over all the tiny decisions I’ve had to make. Worrying I sounded too bossy being project manager, or not enough. Worrying about if I checked the right boxes on my tax return. Worrying about whether I’ve outstayed my at welcome places. The thing is, in a months time, will I even remember these decisions? Everything I’ve done, had to be done, that’s part of life, but it doesn’t need to take up so much room in my head.
The Bibles says In Matthew 6 v25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” So if we aren’t to worry, we should just do the best we can before God, with His spirit and move on. If I spent as much time praying as I did worrying I would have done a lot more recently, and probably a lot more of worth.
That tag line “What the **** have you done recently?” Just made me realise, despite all I’ve achieved, I don’t feel a sense of satisfaction, as I could’ve done better, and more, simply by wasting less time worrying. Yes, I still need to care about other people’s feelings and not hurting them, but I also want to be effective. Neuroticism does not make one effective, or feel effective even if you have been. Time to accept what’s gone and move forward. To do something, not worry about something.
Kezzy and I have been talking about how easy it is miss the good things in life. like the trains and busses actually being on time or things just going right. Most of the time we only notice and pay attention to the relatively few times things go wrong, and those are the things that stick in our memories. Much as when you look at a blank piece of paper with a dot on it you just see the dot rather than the background. This isn’t such a bad thing, if the bad things stand out it’s because they are different to the normal, so the normal must be good, right?
Good things happen just as often (if not more so) than bad ones, yet we all too quickly fixate on the problems of the day rather the successes. For example; the bus being just late enough for you to catch it is drowned out by the fact you forgot your pencil case. It’s important to hold on and pay attention to the things that go right and be grateful for them.
Reverse Lent
Hello Everyone,
My name is Kezzy, and this is Dan. Together we make up the blog team of Philosophyfish. We are a Christian couple at university studying Physics. We aim to bring a little bit of happiness and thoughtfullness into your week.
So why now? Well, this year we thought we’d try something a little different for lent. Instead of giving up something “bad” we’re taking up good things, in a kind of reverse Lent. Like blogging. For those that don’t know Lent starts the day after Pancake Day and runs up until Easter, it’s 40 days not including Sabbaths (in Jewish tradition those would be Saturdays). Traditionally it is a celebration of Jesus’ temptation in the desert after being baptised. Matthew 4:1-11, hence the idea of fasting.
I usually don’t celebrate Lent at all, but this year Dan mentioned how he celebrated Lent, and how one year he had taken up a good habit, this idea stuck with me. A good way to celebrate Easter.
Dan here, so yeah I had the idea of doing good rather than giving up bad over Lent when I realised that we’re not actually ment to give up bad things, we’re meant to give up things we like. So that every time we miss them it reminds us of what Jesus went through and helps us realise how easily we can be tempted. It’s unfortunate that the thing people like, such as chocolate, are considered bad for us and so people came to associate Lent with giving up bad instead of good.So to stand out a bit and try to improve myself over Lent by way of challenging myself in a similar way of monitoring my behaviour, I decided to try to take up a good habit.
I understand how not eating at all can help you to rely on God, and through that reliance develop a closer relationship with Him. But not eating chocolate for 40 days? Just seemed to me to be a legal thing, trying to earn favour, and God is about grace. I think for some people, including me, it is helpful at times to give up something for God. But right now, I feel challenged to be good for God. Seems simple enough right? Hears hoping!
So over Lent we will
- Update Monday, Wednesday and Friday (we missed this week due to illness, so there will be catch up posts)
- Pray for 15mins a day, specifically for those around us in need.
- Dan will exercise more, and Kezzy will eat more healthily.
- Generally make even more effort than usual to go the extra mile for people.
These are habits we aim to keep up long term, but for now lets get to Easter. What do you do over lent?
If anyone has prayer requests please comment on this post or email us at philosophyfish@gmail.com, we’d love to pray for you.
