Steven Colborne's Blog, page 44

Writing the Perfect Book

In today’s post, I’d like to reflect briefly on the process of writing, editing, and publishing a book, and how difficult that process is — especially for authors who are inclined towards perfectionism.

The athlete who is to participate in a world championship will have spent a great deal of time in training, and perhaps a great deal of time being focused on a single race. When the time for their race comes around, they will focus all their energy on putting in the best performance they possibly can, and they hope they will win the race, perhaps achieving a ‘personal best’ or even a world record. When they have crossed the finish line, and the race is over, and once the momentary euphoria fades, they will almost immediately begin thinking about their areas of weakness and how they can be improved, and about the next championship on their calendar that they hope to participate in.

Authors are similar to athletes in respect of some of these things (only with more tea and cake, perhaps, and less well-defined sets of abs…). Sport can be addictive, and so can writing and publishing books. As a book nears completion, the author will be focused entirely on the publication date (which is, in a sense, their ‘race day’), and how they can strengthen their chance of success by reading through and editing the manuscript many times, getting the best editor in the world to help them improve their content (their equivalent of ‘training’), and finalise the best possible artwork (their equivalent of getting the best sports clothing and equipment, perhaps).

It is a facet of being human that there always seems to be a goal we are striving towards. God places a vision on our heart and in our mind, and that vision stays with us in the background as we go about our daily activities, like a kind of anchor, or ‘life focus’, which gives our life meaning. We are always striving after the next ‘personal best’; the next promotion in our job, the move to a bigger house, etc. As soon as one goal is achieved, the next one comes to the forefront of our mind, and so we are always striving and never satisfied. Such is the human predicament.

All of these discussions are relatable to the processes involved with being an author. When an author is consumed with working on a book project, the book can seem like the most important thing in the world, but following publication, we start thinking about what we might have done better, and the next book which we feel inspired to write and which we hope will be even better; another step forward; a rung higher up the ladder; better use of language; better formatting; better artwork; more profound subject matter; more correct use of semi-colons; etc.

In light of these considerations, I think it would be fair to say that an author’s work is never done. When I look back at the first two books I ever wrote, I appreciate that they are well produced, but while at the time of writing they were the best I could do, looking back there are so many areas where they fall short. Thank God for second and third editions!

An author will never produce a perfect work. It is impossible for anyone to do so. At some point in their career, an author must just ‘let go’, appreciating the fact that a piece of creative work is never finished, only abandoned. There are minor things that I regret about every book, article, blurb, book cover, etc, that I have ever worked on. There will always be imperfections in my work, and I have learned that I must live with this truth while always striving to be the best writer I can possibly be.

Reader, whenever you read a book by an author, especially in the domains of philosophy and theology, please be sensitive to the fact they are on a journey, and the book you are reading represents only a snapshot of a moment in time. I hope readers will always appreciate this in reference to my own work, as perhaps more than some other authors my thinking has shifted around a lot, partly due to my schizoaffective disorder, which means I can go through seasons of high mood, and seasons of depression, for instance.

I always try to produce written work that is unaffected by emotions, of course, but the thoughts I have had during different phases in my life have at times produced stark contrast in my written work — some books and articles were written during times when I’ve felt I wholeheartedly embrace the Christian faith, and others were written during periods of doubt and questioning, or times when my reality has undergone a significant shift due to psychosis, for instance.

The way I would like people to regard my body of work is as a tool to assist them in their own spiritual journey — that my immersive explorations of different spiritual paths, and my wrestling with life’s big questions from different viewpoints, can serve them as they grapple with all of the big problems and questions of philosophy and theology for themselves.

If you’d like to see all of the books I have written to date, with all of their glorious imperfections, you can do so on the books page. Thanks be to God for the blessing of writing, and thank you for reading.

The Futility of Human Toil

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.

Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just as the fool! So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

From the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.

I think I may have shared the above passage on the blog before, but it doesn’t matter. It is timeless in its message and in its beauty. I find it comforting to reflect on the futility, or ‘vanity’ (also sometimes translated ‘meaninglessness’) of everything we do during our lives as human beings.

Consider the matter yourself — in three billion years time, what will be the legacy of everything that you currently strive to achieve? When looked at in its broader context, is anything you do really meaningful?

One message that comes out of the book of Ecclesiastes is that we should take pleasure in our toil, and simply enjoy our food and drink, because in light of the big picture concerning who we are and the ultimate meaninglessness of all things, this is perhaps the best way to approach life.

Perhaps those who celebrate the idea of ‘living in the now’ have caught onto the same kind of truth that Solomon is expressing in the book of Ecclesiastes. Though, having said this, it’s important to place the book of Ecclesiastes in the wider context of the Bible in which it appears; a context which says that the purpose of human life is to serve and glorify God through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I find it interesting to consider whether any earthly service to Jesus Christ will matter in billions of years. It’s certainly true that the Christian Gospel gives believers the hope of ‘eternal life’, but this is an idea which is difficult for the finite mind to grasp. As I have commented elsewhere, eternity is a very, very, very long time. Jesus apparently walked the Earth two thousand years ago, but isn’t two millennia like a mere blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things? What of all the civilizations and universes that God may have created billions of years in the past, or may create billions of years in the future?

Pascal’s Wager makes a compelling case for accepting the Christian Gospel — perhaps it is too dangerous not to do so. But do we really have any choice in the matter anyway? The New Testament describes how salvation only ever comes due to the electing grace of God, and if this is the case, salvation is entirely within God’s control, and entirely outside of our control.

I hope that anyone who finds these thoughts that I am sharing interesting will consider reading my book entitled The Only Question You Ever Need Ask. The book, which is an essay in book form, focuses on a single question which I believe gets to the heart of the matter of whether or not to embrace Christianity. The book may not provide you with a conclusive answer on the matter, but it will certainly cause you to think through many of the central issues related to the Christian Gospel; including salvation, eternity, predestination, and the afterlife. To pick up a copy of the book, click here. Thank you for reading!

Deep Thoughts About God (video series)

In March 2019, I released a book entitled God’s Grand Game, which contains a comprehensive exposition of my philosophical perspective. The book explores the divine sovereignty versus human free will predicament with reference to the doctrines of Christianity and other religions (as well as the scientific worldview), and is the result of more than 10 years of study and reflection.

As I wrote the book, I had in mind that I would like to produce a series of videos to accompany it. I intentionally made the chapters short and punchy, imagining as I wrote them that they would be converted into scripts for short and punchy videos in due course. My intention was always to create a book that works well as a book, and a video series that works well as a video series.

After the release of the book, I focused on filming the video series, which I am delighted to introduce to you here and which I very much hope that you will watch and enjoy. There are twenty videos in the series tackling subjects related to divine sovereignty and free will, as well as intro and outro videos. To get you started, the intro video is embedded below, and you are welcome to watch the entire playlist over on YouTube if you feel the subject matter is of interest.

Finally, to pick up a copy of God’s Grand Game, simply click here and select your preferred retailer.

Ingrascoth

The One True God is self-existing; he always has been and always will be. How old, therefore, can we realistically say God is? The very question is incomprehensible. Whatever span of time we ascribe to God’s existence, he has existed for infinitely longer than that. Actually, it might make more sense to say we cannot meaningfully attribute the characteristic of age to God, although in Christianity he is described as the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. In reality, there was no beginning and there will be no ending to God’s existence.

It would be great if there was a way that we could capture the essence of the above paragraph in a word that we can use in day to day conversation. For example, a person might be talking to their friend about their job which they have been doing for 25 years, and they might feel that 25 years is an incredibly long time to be working in a role. But then, they might feel they want to make the point that while 25 years is a long time, the amount of time God has been ‘working’ is infinitely longer.

My suggestion is that we coin a new phrase, ‘ingrascoth’, which we can define as, “indicating that God is infinitely greater in his attributes than we can express”. The phrase is short for the expression, ‘in the grand scheme of things’. So, for instance, a person may comment, “You know what, Martha? I realised today I’ve just surpassed the anniversary of my 25th year in this wretched job. What do you think about that, Hank?” And Hank might reply, “Martha, you made a big commitment, but, well, ‘ingrascoth’, as they say!” Ingrascoth indeed.

As well as applying to time, the phrase could also be used when referring to anything that needs to be put in its proper perspective or context, taking into account the infinite nature of God. So, I may have to go to the dentist, and comment, “It’s going to hurt, but ingrascoth!”, reflecting the truth that God could make me suffer for an infinite amount of time with agonising severity if he willed to do so.

This post is the latest installment in my Praise and Prose series, which examines the way we use language in light of certain truths concerning God’s nature and his absolute sovereignty over the unfolding of all events, which is a key principle of my philosophical perspective. If you felt angry or judgmental while reading this post, get over yourself! It’s just a bit of fun. Don’t take yourself so seriously.

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Until next time!

Thoughts After Reading the Qur’an

On several occasions in the past I have owned copies of the Qur’an, but read very little of it. This is because the translation from Arabic into English was very poor. Actually, I should note that to use the word “translation” when referring to an English version of the Qur’an is often considered incorrect by Muslims, because Muslims believe God revealed the Qur’an in Arabic and that it cannot be accurately translated. Certain stylistic nuances of the text are necessarily lost in any English translation. Muslims prefer to refer to English translations as “transliterations”, a term intended to reflect the idea that English translations will never be wholly sufficient.

Over the Christmas holidays, I was browsing online and I noticed there was a relatively new translation of the Qur’an that I hadn’t seen before. The translation was published as part of an Oxford World Classics series, and the text was translated by a person named M. A. S. Abdel Haleem. I decided to buy the Kindle version of this translation and see how I got on.

After reading the very interesting and informative introduction to the book, I began to read the text of Haleem’s translation of the Qur’an, and I was immediately struck by the clarity and power of the text. This translation, I immediately felt, is in a whole other league to the translations I had attempted to read previously. Reading the text was a joyful experience, and I felt none of the resistance I had felt when attempting to read the other translations many years ago.

The Qur’an is said to have been revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel over a period of many years. The Qur’an testifies within itself to its own authority in a very interesting way — on various occasions it challenges the reader to “produce a verse like this yourself” (I am paraphrasing) if you believe these words are not divine revelation. I have to be honest and say that the words I read were indeed very powerful, and I felt no doubt — much to my surprise — that the text is indeed of divine origin.

A few years ago I read James White’s book, What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an, in which White intends to discredit the text of the Qur’an. White focuses his book on what he believes to be problems with the supposed authority and inerrancy of the Qur’an. However, as I was reading Abdel Haleem’s translation, I began to feel a kind of disdain towards James White’s project because, to me, the text seemed to be so obviously divinely revealed.

I would describe the content of the Qur’an as a message about the fact that there is one true God. This message was given to the Arab people via the prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an mentions Christianity and Judaism a great deal, and in the text there are many passages referring to stories found in the Bible. It was really interesting, for instance, to read the story of Joseph and his technicolour dream coat, and many other stories from the Judeo-Christian Scriptures that were seemingly revealed to Muhammad without him actually having encountered these stories in his own life prior to receiving the revelation from the Angel Gabriel. Muslim readers can correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems the divine nature of the Qur’an is believed by Muslims to be evidenced in the fact that Muhammad could not have had knowledge of these Bible stories aside from divine revelation.

There are certainly things contained within the Qur’an that cannot be easily reconciled with Biblical Christianity. One example is, of course, that Jesus is described as a prophet, rather than having a divine nature as most Christians believe. The Qur’an does, however, refer to Jesus’ miraculous powers. The doctrine of the Trinity is also questioned in the text, in that the Qur’an teaches one should not refer to God as ‘three’, because God is One. I made many notes as I was reading the text and I have a great many questions that I would like to discuss with a Muslim scholar, if God ever provides me with an opportunity to do so.

It seems to me that the Qur’an is a revelation given to the Arabs which is supposed to be a light to their people, in the same way at the Jews received a light in the form of the Mosaic law, and Christians received divine revelation in the teaching of Jesus. The Qur’an is intended to be a corrective text; there are repeated warnings in its pages that people must not ‘overstep the mark’ in their beliefs — for instance, by saying God has a Son, when in reality, God does not beget children. The Qur’an attempts to put right supposed mistakes made by the ‘people of the book’ (the Jews and Christians) who it alleges have strayed from the reality of who God is.

I didn’t read the whole of the Qur’an. I read about two thirds of it. The reason why I didn’t read the whole Qur’an is that I believe the revelation is not for me personally, taking into account my Christian heritage and also the role that God has given me in life — that I am to respect religious differences and help people to overcome obstacles to interfaith understanding. My decision not to read the whole Qur’an should be perceived as indicating my respect for the Muslim people; the Qur’an is their revelation and should be respected as such. I do not need to know everything about the Qur’an for the life purpose God has given me. If there are things I do need to learn about the Qur’an, I trust that God will reveal these things to me through my future interactions with Muslims.

At the centre of the teaching contained in the Qur’an is the idea that we will all face judgment from God one day. It is strongly emphasised in the text that Muslims must be charitable. I love the fact that the text is repetitive in very many places for the sake of emphasis; for instance, the phrase ‘God does whatever He pleases’ is repeated at the end of many passages throughout the Qur’an. As someone who has a very high view of God’s sovereignty, this was a delight to me.

For many people reading this article, it will perhaps seem unexpected and surprising that I should give such respect and reverence to the Qur’an. However, please do not pass judgment upon me or the Qur’an until you have at least read a portion of Abdel Haleem’s translation / transliteration for yourself. I feel that reading the Qur’an has helped cement my own passion for interfaith dialogue and understanding, as there are clearly so many opportunities for fascinating debate when comparing the Qur’an to the teaching found in the Bible and Torah.

Please note that there may well be errors and imperfections in what I have written. This post was written to share some thoughts and is not intended to be all-encompassing. I apologise if anyone of any faith is offended by anything I have written, or if I have made mistakes. I have tried to write sincerely and truthfully. Please email me via the contact page if you feel I have made any factual errors. Thank you for reading.

Re-imagining Everyday Language in Light of God’s Sovereignty

Last year, I began a blog series called Praise and Prose in which my aim was to do exactly what the title of this blog post expresses. It was an interesting exercise, and definitely worthwhile. I actually planned to publish more posts as part of that series than I did, potentially turning the series into a short book if I had enough material, but I got carried away with other things and left the series hanging somewhat.

I think I’m going to try and progress that series in 2021. I have plenty more ideas for the series in the notes app I use to brainstorm ideas for blog posts. Also, this year I’d like to start posting blog posts less often but more regularly. This feeling is partly inspired by fellow blogger Retrospective Lily, who consistently publishes every Friday at 7pm (UK time, she’s in the States). I always feel it demonstrates commitment and consideration for followers when bloggers keep to a set schedule. Of course, life is unpredictable, and we all have different demands on our time — blogging to a schedule is not a ‘one size fits all’ thing, but a good goal for me personally to aspire towards.

You can catch up on my Praise and Prose series thus far by clicking this category link.

Let me know in the comments whether you have a vision for what you would like to do with your blog in 2021. Also, let me know whether you have any ideas that would make good subject matter for the Praise and Prose series, and also if there’s a specific time you feel works best for publishing weekly blog posts, and why.

Thank you for following Perfect Chaos and Happy New Year!

Keeping Hope Alive

I can’t bring myself to check the news websites. I stopped doing that months ago. I rely on the chatter in local shops, the occasional conversation with a friend, or a blog post or tweet that I catch sight of, to inform me about the latest stories that are being put out in relation to all things Covid. And, of course, I pray — prayer is the great comforter that has carried me along thus far, and which will hopefully get me through whatever God (in his infinite wisdom) has in store for me and for the world in the coming weeks.

As I started to write this post, I heard these lyrics in a song I’d not heard before but which came on in a playlist I was listening to in the background:

Right now I’m choosing to believe,
Someday soon I’ll look back and see,
All the pain had a purpose,
Your plan was perfect all along,
This is the truth I’m standing on.

I couldn’t describe my own feelings right now any better than that. What I would say — and I say this to encourage anyone reading this who is struggling — is that the thing that I’ve found helps me the most during these lockdowns is intentionality. It’s really good to keep busy. This is easier for people who live with others (although maintaining healthy relationships during a time of lockdown is a huge challenge in itself).

For those who live alone, as I do, we have to find meaningful things to do. Maybe some cleaning or household repairs; maybe having a clear-out and/or making an inventory of everything we own; maybe phoning an old friend who we’re anxious to speak with; maybe learning to play a new instrument or taking up some other new hobby; maybe just writing a blog post and emailing the link to a few friends. We must do things that force us to keep negative thought-patterns at bay and put us in a positive frame of mind.

If all else fails, remember that the wisdom of God is far greater than anything our finite minds can comprehend. However big the challenges that we face may be, there is a sovereign God who is in control and who always has infinite possibilities at his disposal. Just because you can’t see a way through, doesn’t mean there isn’t a way through. There is a way through. God will make a way.

Lean Not on Your Own Understanding

Good morning, friends. Today I simply want to remind you of the truth that God is in control of everything that happens in creation. If you’re feeling anxious or troubled, remember that God knows the whereabouts of every speck of dust in the Universe, and even the hairs on your heads are all numbered.

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

(James 4:13-16)

As we go about our lives today, let us not think ahead too much, but remain focused on the good that we can do today. Let us try to treat others the way that we would like them to treat us. Remember that your responsibility is not to man, but to God; so aim to live in a way that pleases God.

When things aren’t going so well, let us be comforted by the thought that God is not far from those who call upon him, and that he is merciful to those who seek him earnestly with a humble heart.

Compulsory Counselling Before Marriage and Civil Partnerships

I come from a family which was broken in many ways. My parents had a turbulent relationship and separated, and there were many undercurrents of fear and anger in their relationship which were not openly discussed and dealt with properly. Ever since I attended psychotherapy in my 20s, I have become much more aware of the interpersonal issues that affect families and relationships.

Society in the UK is badly broken. I am concerned for the children who will grow up in our country, seeing as there are so many societal problems stemming from children growing up in unhealthy environments. I wouldn’t want any child to have to go through what I have been through in my family; but I know there are probably people who have had an even more troubled upbringing than me. What can we do about this?

I have been thinking a lot about marriage, sex, relationships, and children recently. There is part of me that feels I would love to enter into a deep relationship with a girl, but there is also an undercurrent of fear that I might enter into the kind of relationship my parents had, which led to a great deal of physical, mental, and emotional sickness for both my parents and my sister and myself. In my understanding, this kind of fear is commonplace in British society, and perhaps in other societies around the world.

I believe that the key to any successful relationship is open communication. Suffering is nearly always the result of fear; we suffer because we fear expressing the truth that is in our hearts. Psychotherapy taught me personally to express myself openly, and has led to a great improvement in all my relationships, and coupled with the moral teaching of Jesus Christ and others, I feel I have learned a great deal about how to manage my emotions and have better relationships (although I am far from perfect of course).

You may be familiar with the old saying ‘men are from Mars and women are from Venus’; an expression designed to encapsulate the idea that men and women are very different. However, I believe this is an incorrect way of thinking, and is the kind of thinking expressed by people who have not had the opportunity to heal emotionally through counselling or psychotherapy.

I believe that a lot of the time, men and women enter into same-sex relationships because they come from families where they have felt unloved. They might have embraced a kind of rebellious attitude due the fact that they haven’t witnessed a solid and stable male / female relationship in their own family. Of course, I understand that relationships are multi-faceted, and there may be many reasons why people enter into same-sex relationships.

I do believe that there is a really significant problem in society as regards mental health in the area of relationships and sex and sexuality. People are having sex-change operations which must be so incredibly painful for them both emotionally and physically, and in many cases it’s because they don’t feel loved and accepted as who they are. All any human being wants is to feel loved and at peace. In this sense, women are not from Venus and men are not from Mars; we are all from Planet Earth.

Part of the reason why I have embarked on establishing a multifaith church of the future is because I want there to be a forum in the UK for discussing issues to do with the development of society from a philosophical and spiritual viewpoint. Part of the vision for the charity I am setting up is to run a counselling service, Tealight Counselling, which aims to address some of the issues highlighted in this article.

I believe it would benefit society enormously for couples to engage in compulsory counselling before marriage or civil partnerships; this could even be a legal obligation in their best interests.

Allow me to end with a few personal reflections. I have been thinking a lot about what drives men to enter into relationships, and what drives women. I feel that we all want happiness, so before getting married we should talk openly and candidly about the things that make us happy. Understanding what makes a fellow human being happy is always a beautiful thing, because we all want each other to be happy. The happiness of others is what makes us happy ourselves.

I think there is a common misconception that guys don’t like commitment and responsibility. The truth is we LOVE commitment and responsibility; we actually just want to make our spouse happy so that we can feel like we are a capable, good, and mature man/husband. I think that perhaps in many relationships, women don’t necessarily discuss their needs and desires openly with men, perhaps because they fear we won’t understand. But if I were to meet a woman who said to me, “my dream is to have lots of children with you because I adore children and want to experience their love and cuteness and beauty with you as their father”, I would really love this and it would make me feel very special and loved and want to be very devoted to my wife.

Rather than being afraid of commitment, I believe men are only scared of relationships failing. We just want to understand how women honestly feel about things. If we know our spouse is going to be open and transparent about their motivations, feelings, loves, ambitions, drives, and desires, then we will feel confident committing to them and supporting them in any way we can.

Counselling can potentially be the key to solving pornography addiction, sex addiction, physical and emotional abuse, and many other relationship issues.

I’m not denying that marriage will always be a challenge. All kinds of relationships into which humans enter are challenging. And we are always growing and learning. But the experience of counselling allows us to become emotional experts before we enter into marriage, and what kind of person wouldn’t want that for themself, and for their marriage?

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the official views of Tealight Counselling or The Universal Church of Almighty God; they are just some imperfect personal thoughts.

Take a Leap of Faith in 2021

Greetings, friends. I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas holidays. We are very close to a new year, and I expect many of us will soon be focusing on our goals and ambitions for 2021.

I feel that part of my own spiritual calling is to work with others on the integration of different faith groups within communities in the UK that are currently fragmented for a number of reasons. With this in mind, I recently launched the Tealight Ministries project, which you can read about here.

There are a number of volunteer positions currently open and they would suit anyone who believes there is a single God over the entirety of creation — a God who has created every religion and even every non-religious belief system. The vacancies offer a chance for people interested in peace and interfaith dialogue to try out something new and ambitious in 2021.

Perhaps you, or someone you know of, would like to get involved? Feel free to reblog this post, or forward it on to any friends, family members, or contacts, who you think might be interested. You can read about the opportunities and application process via the above links, and you can email me with any questions via the Contact page.