Steven Colborne's Blog, page 3

The Struggle with Sin and the Mercy of God

Lately, I have been worried that the struggle with sin might be an insurmountable obstacle in my faith walk. But I am reminded that Jesus carried the weight of my punishment when He suffered on the cross so that I can be free from condemnation. This is a priceless mercy from the Lord.

If you are feeling burdened with sin and cannot find peace in your life, remember that Jesus took the weight of your punishment when He was crucified so that you can have life in all its fullness.

Faith is a gift.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Life Update: February 2025

Dear all,

A few weeks ago I was feeling troubled by the effects that being on medication was having on my body and mind. I made the difficult decision that I would stop taking some of the tablets I had been prescribed because I was worried they were doing more harm than good.

For several weeks following that decision I was in a kind of crisis. I experienced some unsettling states of mind and turned to drinking alcohol to help me cope. It was only when I resumed taking the tablets that things settled down and I started to feel more grounded.

The states of mind and the experiences I had when I stopped taking the tablets were so frightening that I now feel I must continue taking medication for the foreseeable future – maybe even life (although healing is always possible, of course). I’m just so thankful that today, for the first time in a long while, I feel things are back ‘on track’.

I decided to delete my recent post in which I was questioning whether I might be the man of lawlessness mentioned in 2 Thessalonians in the New Testament. I was not in a good state of mind when I wrote that post. The Lord has repeatedly assured me that I am not that person.

My hope is that I will forever be on the side of good rather than evil, that I would be a light of love in the world, and that I would never do, say, or think anything that would be an affront to the Lord Jesus, who I only ever wish to honour.

Wishing you all well.

Steven

‘Puppets’, ‘Robots’, or Free Creatures?

Hello everyone,

I began composing an article today with the title ‘Are We Puppets, Robots, or Free Creatures?’ in which I aimed to offer some insights into the free will problem. However, after noting down some initial thoughts it occurred to me that I have already expressed my views on this subject comprehensively in the books and blog posts I have written over the last fifteen years. Rather than reiterate my views, it feels better to direct anyone who is interested to my website – StevenColborne.com – from where my books are exclusively available. Or as a free alternative, the theology archive here on Perfect Chaos contains much thought on the subject.

My hope is that the insights I offer in my books and articles will help readers to reflect on the free will issue and come to a deeper understanding of how appreciating the sovereignty of God affects our understanding of religious doctrine and thought. This is my contribution to the field of philosophical theology, and I hope that what I have written is of some value to someone – the reflections I share have certainly helped me a great deal on my own spiritual journey.

I hope it’s okay to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year and a blessed 2025.

Warm wishes,

Steven

Festive Wishes 🎄

I made the difficult decision to come off social media entirely this year. I also gave away my TV. I felt that trying to live life at a slower pace would help me to feel more relaxed. I now read up on the news once a week via a magazine subscription and only occasionally check news websites.

I’m reminded of some lyrics by the musician Morrissey:

“Stop watching the News. Because the News conspires to frighten you. To make you feel sad and alone. To make you feel your mind isn’t your own.”

In the area where my TV used to be I now have three plants. Seeing them always cheers me up. I do miss watching those YouTube videos of cozy environments on stormy nights but I found lots of audio of nature sounds on Spotify and they are always relaxing.

It has been a strange year. So many people have been suffering and it seems that I keep hearing about people passing away. I think it would be fair to say we’re living through times of tribulation.

I was reading a blog article today about choosing to remain positive and this is surely wise. We must always count our blessings. But if you are struggling to stay on top of things, know that you’re not alone.

I will take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and to thank you for reading and interacting with my posts this year. Thanks also to those of you who have signed up to receive my eMagazine at StevenColborne.com.

Peace be with you.

Steven

Introducing Puppet Mail 💌

I previously wrote to you explaining some changes to my online activities and I mentioned an eMagazine I would be launching in conjunction with my new website at StevenColborne.com.

I would have felt guilty importing all of your email addresses into the list for the eMagazine without your permission, so I’m instead writing to you today to offer you the chance to sign up if you’d like to.

Puppet Mail will explore matters of divine sovereignty (and related questions surrounding free will) and is intended to provoke us to consider, or reconsider, how God’s sovereignty should be considered in respect of different religious doctrines and contexts.

I would be honoured if you would consider joining the list, which will mean you’ll receive the first issue of the eMagazine right away (tech permitting!) and you can then decide whether you’d like to stay subscribed or unsubscribe.

Click the image above or the link below to view the sign-up form.

eMagazine – Steven Colborne

Thank you, as ever, for being interested in what I do. Your support is truly appreciated.

Steven

P.S. If you feel uncomfortable clicking links just head over to StevenColborne.com and you’ll see the sign-up form there!

Moving Forward: A Website, a Blog, and an eMagazine

Hello friends,

In a previous post I mentioned that I had been prayerfully evaluating my online presence and activities. I’m writing to you today to explain my plans.

The focus of my online activities moving forward will be StevenColborne.com, which has just launched. This website is both a platform to share all of my creative work and a shop selling my products.
I will be publishing a new monthly eMagazine, linked to StevenColborne.com. This will contain theological reflections as well as news related to my writing, musical and other work, updates and special offers.
Perfect Chaos will remain online, but I won’t be posting here often. This blog will be more like an archive of articles I have written related to philosophy and theology.

The next email you receive from me will serve as an introduction to the eMagazine. There will be an opportunity to unsubscribe if this doesn’t interest you, but I sincerely hope you will stay and see whether you enjoy the content I’ll be publishing.

Wishing you a peaceful day! Do contact me if you have any questions.

Steven

Spiritual Seasons

Hello friends,

Christians talk a lot about the seasons we go through in life. There are times (or seasons) when we feel grounded and optimistic and other times when we feel vulnerable and desperate. It’s all part of the journey of faith and God is with us through it all.

I have shared a little here on Perfect Chaos about the time I spent in hospital last year. Three admissions to hospital in just a few months made for an unusually turbulent year in 2023. There has been a lot to process and I suppose the season I’ve been in this year is one of regrouping and recovering.

I must have phoned more than a dozen counsellors trying to find the right person to help me process the experiences of last year, but I’m very discerning about these things and didn’t find anyone who I felt had the experience or expertise to help in the way I felt I needed.

I haven’t given up. I have an appointment with a psychologist at the end of the month which could be helpful, and if not, it doesn’t matter too much because the best counsellor in the world is Lord of my life and I fully trust in His ability to help me to continue to heal and move forward in life.

There has been a lot to be thankful for this year, including getting out of several seemingly impossible situations in miraculous ways. It’s true that God hears every prayer and is abundantly merciful, patient and kind.

My main reason for writing this post is to let you know that I’m going to be making some changes to my online endeavours. Over the last few weeks I’ve been brainstorming and praying a lot about my use of the internet and I now have a clear vision for what I’m hoping to do online moving forward.

I will say no more at this stage but I plan to write again soon with all the details. Thank you for bearing with me through my recent prolonged absences! And I haven’t forgotten about your contributions to my Divine Justice project, so stay tuned.

Wishing you all a joyful day and remember, if He brought you to it, He will bring you through it!

With love,

Steven

Louise Stigell ~ The Calm Creative

Louise Stigell is a fine artist from Sweden who goes by the name of The Calm Creative on YouTube. Her creative work involves colourful paintings of bugs and other animals, but as a solopreneur Louise has another string to her bow which is selling her services as a ‘calm marketing’ expert.

What is calm marketing? The best way to understand is to view this video Louise made which walks viewers through her method for running a creative business without social media. I found the video refreshing and inspiring and perhaps you will too.

Divine Justice: Your Contributions

Dear all,

I recently posed this question to readers of this blog:

What Does Divine Justice Mean to You?

I was originally planning to weave all of your responses into a single article, but decided that a better idea would be to share your responses one by one over a period of a couple of weeks with some comments on each response. To make this more of a discussion, I warmly invite you to comment on any of the posts.

We’ll begin tomorrow with the thoughts of one contributor who views divine justice as balance and guidance.

Steven

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