Monday, September 26, 2011

Blah, blah, blah - personal stuff

When you see "blah, blah" in the title of one of my posts, there's not much point in reading it. I'm just going to be rambling, probably for the purpose of complaining, or blowing the dust off my own mental shelves. So if you've a busy day today, move along, nothing to see here, these droids are not the ones you're looking for.

Got a bad case of writer's block. Decided I better post just so you'll know I haven't fallen off the edge of the world.

Next up is supposed to be a post in the Source of Authority series on the fallacy of neutrality. Perhaps later today, maybe this evening. Or, perhaps not, but soon. I've been resisting spending the time required to write coherently on it. I'm a slow-poke to begin with, but even slower with this little series. Folks who throw a literal Adam and Eve overboard in the name of "science" are generally unaware of how many blunders they are committing in multiple areas of interpretation and theology. That's why I've already sketched out about twelve posts on the topic. But now I've got to put up or shut up, and I'm a little slow getting to the "put-up" part.

I'm blocked on my Outlander re-write, too. I'm working on chapter 26. The original version has 35 chapters; the re-written edition will have about 33, the remaining chapters will become the opening of the sequel. I want to keep Outlander in the general market (as opposed to the "Christian" market), and I am wrestling over whether or not to add a sequence where Hakim explains the origins of the Christmas tradition. Obviously it would center around not only the birth of Christ but the gospel itself. Outlander already has the gospel in a different part of the story, but chapter 26 is set near the end of December, and I can't let Hakim simply remain silent.

So I'm faced with the question of how much seed do I sow, and how much is too much? I'm not convinced that one should go for the homerun every time he comes to the plate. When it comes to a witness for Christ, the analogy I would draw is that of hooking an eight-pound bass on four-pound-test line. You play the fish gently, or he breaks the line and gets away. I'm a firm believer in God's sovereignty in salvation: I don't need to try to horse the fish to the net. To put it a different way,  if I shake the tree, the fruit that's ready will fall out of it. As Paul said, "God gives the increase." So my witness in Outlander resembles something more of a rapier than a meat cleaver, I hope.

Monday gets too busy. It's the day for mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, catching up with finances, and doing innumerable other household chores, as well as my main day for bike-riding with Doris and writing. Oh, and Monday Night Football (I can usually stay awake for the first quarter)! Can't forget that! It's also my day for spending on restful and relaxing, but otherwise worthless, pursuits.

Okay, enough already. It's Monday, and it's time for chores. . . .

No comments:

Post a Comment