Steven Colborne's Blog, page 2

Lord of Turnarounds

The first book I wrote, The Philosophy of a Mad Man, was in two parts: ‘My Journey’ and ‘My Philosophy’. The journey section of the book was autobiographical, recalling my spiritual journey, which at the time of writing had taken me from an obsession with meditation and enlightenment to a journey through the mental health system and finally onto reading the Bible and beginning my relationship with Jesus.

It is perhaps strange that a debut book written at a relatively young age should be autobiographical, but I felt my spiritual explorations had been rich and full and I wanted to get the story down on paper, partly to process what had happened, and partly to encourage others and share the excitement that I felt from a new-found interest in philosophy and theology. Little did I know at the time that philosophical theology would become my life’s great passion.

The ‘My Journey’ section of the book ends with the following line:

“Only God can turn a life around. Trust in Him and never give up hope.”

I wrote that line when I was in a very positive season of my life. Despite several spells in psychiatric hospital, I had found good accommodation, I had inherited some money, and I was feeling grounded and happy. I would subsequently suffer a series of relapses, with frequent admissions to psychiatric hospital, so that line I wrote was far from final, even though it seemed to indicate closure at the time of writing.

I think that in general, we all have seasons of joy and seasons or suffering. It was naive of me to think that at the age of 30 my lows were over and my life was ‘turned around’ permanently. But at least the experience of writing that book captured a chapter in my life story, and I hope the book has helped encourage some readers to go deeper in their spiritual journey. One reader commented that the book had made her reconsider her atheistic position and perhaps believe there is a God, and I’m delighted if the book has the potential to make that kind of impact.

It’s true that the only way someone’s life can turn around is by the grace of God. God is sovereign over all events and has the power to bestow good or ill on a person for whatever reason He chooses and at whatever time He chooses. We should always look to Him as our source of comfort, direction, and hope.

If you’re going through a difficult season right now, know that even though you might not be able to see a way to better times, there is a way. God can turn it around. Infinite possibilities exist for God in every moment.

Blessings,

Steven x

The Philosophy of a Mad Man is available exclusively from StevenColborne.com.

God Our Healer

Greetings, friends,

Sometimes in life we can feel weighed down by our circumstances and by hurt from the past. These things can cause stress, depression, addictions, and other troubles. But while we may be struggling with unresolved pain, we may not necessarily understand that this is the case, and if it is, how it can be resolved.

In the accommodation where I live, I was challenged with a troublesome neighbour for many years. He would bully me on a daily basis and in ways that caused a lot of hurt. I know some readers of this blog are aware of this, because many of you were very supportive and some of you even helped me out financially when I was staying in emergency temporary accommodation.

Eventually, the neighbour moved out, and the flat where he had lived became vacant for a period of months, which was a real mercy.

Today, by the grace of God, I spent some time thinking through what happened with that neighbour and how I dealt with it. I questioned whether I should have done more and perhaps taken the neighbour to court. But the Lord reassured me that I acted well, and I am deeply appreciative of that reassurance, as it gives me a kind of closure that I wasn’t even aware I needed. Glory to Him!

I remember that at the height of my struggles with my neighbour, I tried to act in a way that was as close to the teaching of Jesus as possible, and that is why I chose to take the hit rather than engage with court proceedings. I chose to leave the matter of justice in the Lord’s hands, and my prayer is always for forgiveness and mercy rather than retribution.

We all need forgiveness, and my neighbour is no different. We cannot help the circumstances we are in and the way in which we act, as all our conduct is determined by God. As this is the case, my hope is always that God grants mercy and forgiveness to all sentient beings.

In floods of tears, I experienced the healing hand of God today and I feel lighter and happier than I have for some time. We must always trust in the goodness of God and His loving intentions, and His ability to turn around even the bleakest of situations for good.

Peace be with you all!

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Stemail

Greetings, all,

You may or may not be aware that I send out an eMagazine (rather like a newsletter) on the first day of each month. The eMagazine was originally called Puppet Mail, but I thought better of the name and have now changed it to Stemail!

Issue #1 of Stemail goes out tomorrow and I’d be delighted if you would consider subscribing. You can do so via my website at StevenColborne.com (on the homepage or on the eMagazine page).

I had imported my list of Perfect Chaos subscribers to receive the eMagazine but felt bad about doing so without permission and so I have removed all of those subscribers from the list. Apologies if doing that was a little presumptuous! If you do want to receive the eMagazine, you will have to sign up yourself.

Have a blessed day!

Steven x

Discerning the Will of God | Struggling With Sin

Dear friends,

I recently attended a local church service in a Catholic church and listened to the priest describing a scenario in which three priests were meeting together and discussing their struggles with sin. One of the priests was struggling with alcohol and the other two each had their own struggles. It was in a sense comforting to hear that even people in positions of authority in the church are not exempt from the struggle with sin.

Coming out of my suicide attempt and spell in intensive care a couple of years ago, I have found engaging with others to be challenging. I have struggled with isolation and the urge to drink alcohol. I often set my alarm to 6am before I go to bed with the best of intentions for making the most of the following day, and sometimes I am able to get up and embark upon a daily routine, but other times I stall and find that I cannot make progress.

Often, during times of prayer, the Lord tells me that I need to stop struggling and striving and just do what I want to do. He says that my religious obligations have been fulfilled in their entirety. This is comforting, but it leads me to question what I should do with my time and focus my attention on, since an evangelistic life used to be my top priority.

It can be challenging to discern the truth when God speaks to you and tells you things challenge your preconceptions. Sometimes all you can do is trust and keep going.

Whatever challenges you are facing today, my prayer is that God would be merciful to you and grant you peace and clarity.

Getting the Show on the Road!

Dear all,

In my last article, I discussed the importance of embracing face to face interactions in addition to virtual interactions when promoting a project or business. Today, I thought I would share with you the flyer I designed for the purpose of advertising my newly lauched website. I used Canva for this, which is a great site for doing design related things, especially if you’re not a Photoshop wiz!

I intend to take these flyers out and about in the coming weeks and am excited to see what kinds of conversations and interactions I have with people about matters of philosophical theology, which is my passion.

Whatever you’re doing today, may you be blessed!

Thanks for reading.

Steven

Virtual Interactions vs Face to Face Conversations

I’ve been reflecting on the prevalence of technology in contemporary society and whether or not it is a good thing. I sometimes imagine a world that is in tune with nature and how beautiful the natural world is, and I can’t help but think our computers and smartphones pull us away from that.

Technology is amazing in its own way. It allows us to organise our lives and connect with one another in ways that are really rather miraculous. But we should never forget the value of human interaction in the real world. What we focus on becomes our reality, and it’s easy – when stuck behind a screen – to forget that there’s a big wide world out there that has so much beauty and opportunity.

Being behind a screen can feel safe and comforting, but it is our relationships with other human beings that offer the best opportunities to experience love and fulfilment.

To promote my new website, I have decided to opt for flyering and talking with people on the street as well as digital marketing because it is those face to face conversations with people that are often the most meaningful. Whatever you’re working on at present, I challenge you to do the same.

Thought for Today

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The end of wisdom is love.

Being In Nature vs Being Glued to a Smartphone

Friends,

There are comforts in being sat behind a screen. The Internet allows us to be connected with one another in a wonderful way. It can be exhilarating to publish something online or in an app and feel noticed when the ‘likes’ come in.

But does this experience compare in any way to feeling fresh rain on your skin or the warmth of the sun emerging from behind the clouds?

A couple of days recently, I went out at night and sat under a tree in the darkness. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t feel frightened and that the cold felt wonderful rather than uncomfortable. I noticed how time passes much more slowly when in nature when compared to sitting behind a laptop or smartphone.

In an age of technological overload, I encourage you to take a few hours and spend them reconnecting with the beauty and comfort of the natural world – especially if you are fortunate enough to have spaces near you that have not been developed.

Spending time in nature reminds me of the Garden of Eden and what was perhaps God’s plan for human enjoyment before the fall of man. Let us never forget that God crafts every raindrop and every blade of grass individually, and they are to be appreciated.

Wishing you well.

Steven x

Puppet Mail | What to Expect 💌

Hello everyone,

I recently changed the focus of my online activities from this blog to StevenColborne.com. I am intending to keep Perfect Chaos live with its archive of posts related to philosophy and religion, but StevenColborne.com will be the focus of my attention moving forward.

On the website, you can find all of my creative work, including a store selling my books and music. You can also download a free eBook and sign up to receive Puppet Mail, my new monthly eMagazine.

Puppet Mail is all about philosophical theology with a particular emphasis on the divine sovereignty versus human free will problem, which is an area of theology I find particularly interesting. You will receive the debut issue of Puppet Mail in your inbox in the coming days, which I offer to you as a taster of things to come. You can either remain subscribed or unsubscribe with the tap of a button.

As always, I’m thankful for your interest in my blog and my writing, which I hope contributes something of interest to those who are spiritually curious and theologically inclined. Your engagement with my articles means a lot to me.

Have a wonderful week.

Steven

The Internet | Mourning and Celebrating

Hello, friends,

Through self-publishing a series of books related to philosophy and religion, I experienced the joy of having the opportunity to reach many readers via the Internet. I will always be thankful for that. However, with the advent of AI, the experience of using the Internet has changed and I find myself disheartened with technology in a way I never used to be.

Things change, and that’s life.

With our smartphone addictions we have lost a lot of the kind of connections that make life fulfilling, connecting with people in a conversational way and trying to encourage and help one another.

I have been feeling trapped and stuck recently. I think it’s because I invested so much time and energy into self-publishing and that the opportunities of the Internet have lessened significantly in recent years.

For everything, there is a season.

My predicament moving forward is how I align my calling, which involves my writing and music, with the Internet as it is today. I feel that there is value in the books I have written, but the urge to promote my work via social media has declined significantly.

In the short-term, I have a website which is a blessing in that it means my work is still readily available for anyone who is interested. However, I feel that the energy I once expended in promoting my books and music online needs to be channeled in a different direction moving forward. What exactly that will entail is something I’m still figuring out.

I imagine that there will be people reading this article who can relate and I wish you well in your creative journey. There are infinite possibilities in every moment and we must hold on to that truth. God only knows what possibilities will open up for creative people in the future. So while I am mourning that the opportunities presented by the Internet have changed, I continue to celebrate the wonderful opportunities we are blessed with in a reality that unfolds in accordance with the perfect will of our Creator.

Love and blessings,

Steven x