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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).
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.
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.
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.
