I was just thinking this morning about how it’s almost the end of the year. The end of 2008. I was thinking about all that’s happened this year, and also all that hasn’t.

Last night I watched the end of Six Feet Under. Only the second time I’ve ever watched the series finale. One of the major parts of the final episode (written and directed by the superlative Michael Ball – who also wrote the Oscar winning American Beauty) focuses on the character Clare Fisher, as she drives off to her unknown future. As she does so, we flash forward into the final moments of every character’s life. Giving us the impression that all the characters lived full and meaningful lives.

As Clare drives off into her future though, she doesn’t have any preconceived ideas as to where her future will take her. She just sets off with her ideas, ideals and knowledge that she wants to be an artist – leaving all the baggage behind her.

In one portion of the episode, her brother tells her about the regrets he had…

NATE: Claire, you wanna know a secret? I spent my whole life being scared. Scared of not being ready and not being right and not being who I should be.

So, I suppose this all got me thinking about me and my future. Where I’m going. What I’m doing. Who I am. And who I will be. Note the lack of question marks.

I think, for the first time in a long time, I actually don’t care where I’m going in life – or more specifically ‘what I want to be when I grow up’. Who really knows? I still have an idea as to what I want to do with my life, but I’m open to what comes my way. I have a lifetime of issues to deal with, but I think I’m starting to trust God more.

There should always be a time when we look back, when we reflect on ourselves. If we don’t, we never will learn from our mistakes, or understand our behaviour, or understand our past and how it affects us. But that’s just for a time.

We should be outwards facing, enjoying our present, looking towards our future – whatever it may be.

NATE: You can’t take a picture of this. It’s already gone.

So I thought I share some amazing things God has done in the past year, leading up to this week. And it’s why God is my provider.

So after ejecting a lot of friends from my life who were bad influences on me (and who I allowed myself to be influenced by)…even childhood friends. God blessed me. My Gran died…no no…that wasn’t the blessing. But unexpectedly she left me money….so I prayed about it and invested it in a flat. I own a flat now – which still makes me go ‘EH?!’.

God also blessed me with an amazin’ job…in fact two…one of which I now have a promotion in.

But, I have found it’s when I have little money, not much (enough to get by) that my spending habits go wacky and I buy what is technically called…a lot of crap.

So I started (yes, I stopped for ages) tithing [that is giving 10 percent of your earnings to your local church...also known as giving a proportion of what God has given you...back to God]. I kept at it even when money was become tight to the point of me feeling depressed (that was two Sundays ago).

Theeeeeeeen in the space of a week and a half:

> someone took me food shopping for an entire months worth of food.
> someone bought me dinner
> someone gave me enough money for a social life and to pay for another months worth of food
> someone gave me £100

For people who struggle with the concept of God being your provider? Suck on that (and that little statement is aimed at me too…cause I have always been like ‘how nice for you’ when people tell me how God has blessed them financially.

My God provides for me…but the point isn’t the stuff: it’s the trust.

DO YOU TRUST GOD?

And here’s a line from my new favourite song:

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be empited again
The seed I’ve recieved I will sow

Desert Song – Hillsong

I hate adverts that have no point apart from to be confusing in a bid to make you buy their product - because you’re left pondering why such a visual oddity exists.

It must be said though, your airport advert IS awesome. But get the monkey out my face and someone pass me a trank-gun…

“Materialism is the biggest challenge to this generation. We’ve got sucked in bad. The advertisers have convinced us that luxuries are necessities and that we just can’t do without them. They have filled our lives with so much stuff that our priorities have drifted off course…”

(Banks, 2000:22) 

We fill our lives with it…the need to have stuff. Advertisers tell us we need it, and we casually accept it…

BUY IT!

O.K

We just accept adverts at face value, ignoring the messages embedded within. Advertising works on one of two levels.

On fear or desire.

Oh, if I don’t buy it…I won’t be sexy. I won’t ever, never, ever have sex with anyone ever! No sexy sex for me. What a scarey thought, no one will like me Cause I’ll be such a looser.

Maybe if I wear this sexy, manly fragrance…Kelly Brooke will have sex with me. she’s so sexy…she…and this man-spray is the ACtaul SEX.

“Consumerism, like all addictions, is a spiritual problem. Few people in their rational moments really believe that owning more things creates a greater sense of security. All of us know that money is not a panacea for every ill…We live in a culture that says that it is essential to look good, feel good and make good. It was Eve, the first consumer, who fell for the lie that God was holding back from her something that was essential for her satisfaction”

(Glass, 2000:20/21).

And let me tell you, no one can escape. Even high-flying business men and sucessful working women are willing victims in consumerism.

Some may say it’s like we fill our life with stuff…as something’s missing. We always feel it don’t we? That we’re not good enough, or we’ll be good enough if…if only I had this…more of this…less of that… 

What happens when we become addicted to consumerism? To ‘stuff’? It becomes a consuming force in our life…a god that we create? Or is consumerism the god…and the buying of ‘stuff’ the worship??

This is what God has to say about ‘stuff’ that’s worshiped…

Isaiah 46…

 5-7“So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
   Can you picture me without reducing me?
People with a lot of money
   hire craftsmen to make them gods.
The artisan delivers the god,
   and they kneel and worship it!
They carry it around in holy parades,
   then take it home and put it on a shelf.
And there it sits, day in and day out,
   a dependable god, always right where you put it.
Say anything you want to it, it never talks back.
   Of course, it never does anything either!

 8-11“Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
   This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
   your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have—
   incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
   telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
   on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul,
   I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
   from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it.
   I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done.

 12-13“Now listen to me:
   You’re a hardheaded bunch and hard to help.
I’m ready to help you right now.
   Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
   Salvation isn’t on hold.
I’m putting salvation to work in Zion now,
   and glory in Israel.”

Better go, have to go buy some shoes…

Banks, Duncan, (2000), Breakfast with God, Marshall Pickering – An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers: page 22

Glass, John, (2000), Released From the Snare – Racing Towards Your Destiny, Paternoster Publishing: page 20/21

Having done Media studies at Uni for four years, and being bored to death with the concept of Postmodernity, it frustrates me that people just don’t know what they’re talking about! Anyhoo, Grameme addressed that problem but presenting to the church what Postmodernity is, from a sociological stance. The idea that we have shifted from a modern society into a postmodern one, where truth is relevant and no-one is wrong. So arguably this presents a problem, as Christians think of God as the truth. Therefore, in terms of postmodernity, does this mean God doesn’t exist? He only exists to the individual? As Greame put it “my truth, your truth, his truth, her truth…”.

Flash forward to Cal De Sac, so I was thinking in the toilet: ‘What is authentic? What is real?”

Do they mean that the restraunt serves authentic French food becuase of the recipies, the style of food, the way it is served, who cooks it, who serves it, the enviroment it is served in? I’m in Scotland eating food that is mascurading as ‘Authentic French Cuisine’. Is it anymore French than McDonalds is American? When you sit in McDonalds are you thinking that you are eating an authentic American burger? Is this a postmodern restraunt? Is reality also relative? Does your experiance destinguish what is real and what is not?

Morpheus asks Neo “What is real?”. Just because I’m told it is real doesn’t make it real. Just because I think it’s real doesn’t make it real. Just because I feel it’s real doesn’t make it. So in some ways it’s like a Hollywood Blockbuster, you have to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the experience.

In some ways it’s the same with God. Just because I think He’s real, doesn’t make Him real. Just because I feel He’s real doesn’t make Him real. But that’s the difference between a postmodernism and faith.  

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 

Hebrews 1:11

And just because society tells me there isn’t one truth, doesn’t mean there is not.

And then I washed my hands and went back to the table.  

Ting Tings…rubbish or rather good?

I like the two singles, but I can’t help but think that they sound like CSS from Salford – with a dash of Go! Team on some of the album tracks. But all things considered, I think I like them. Although in a year they will annoy me. Kinda like lady Ting Tings hair…get some conditioner love!

http://www.scribd.com/people/view/180607

Over and out.

I have been meaning to start one of these for a while, but just haven’t got round to it. So I decided to copy all of my friends – cause apparently blogging is en vouge again. Anyhoo, ‘what’ I hear you say ‘is your blog all about Jamie’. Well some of you may remember the days of The Sparky and Becks Show and then my solo student radio show. Back then I used to have a rant now and again about random stuff: my general thoughts on current events, popular and not-so-popular culture, Christian culture and ‘Christian’ culture, the Church, society, postmodernity, the media, my future, my past, my present. So basically a whole lotta me!

It will be interesting, thought-provoking, funny and sometimes shocking.

Until then,

Over and out.