My brother informed me that the reason he wasn't much of a "reader" for most of his life was because he was reading the wrong things. Unlike his wife, who probably has a copy of the Sorcerers Stone signed by Dumbledore himself, my brother seeks out non-fiction. When I look back, I see that my brother and I are similar in this way [also the baldness]. When it comes to story-telling, I enjoy the medium of film, theatre, or even video games. I'm a visual person with a leg that falls asleep quickly, making books sometimes difficult for me. So when it comes to reading, I prefer books about people and ideas.
Recently, I have been reading a lot of David Sedaris. Most of his writings are short, which means its easier to read a story without important body parts being deprived of bloodflow. More importantly his stories are funny: The "ha-ha" funny, not the "wearing a belt and suspenders at the same time" kind. The majority of the books I read fall into two categories: 'Faith' and 'Humour'. I'd like to think that these topics need each other in order to survive. Writers on the topic of Faith such as Muller, Piper, Chandler, Lewis, McManus, and Tozer present powerful and probing ideas on God and the universe, but don't always speak my language. These authors are theologians, teachers, scholars, or perhaps they just loved hunting and playing paintball [I would like to think C.S. Lewis could liken his medieval "discarded image" of the cosmos to a paintball in a hopper]. It was authors like Terry Pratchett, David Sedaris, Dave Barry, Douglas Adam, Tina Fey, and Bill Watterson who were able to look at life and the world and say "Huh. Isn't that a funny thing?". Though they usually scratch the surface of deeper meaning, their use of humour seems to speak to a deeper truth that I feel theologians might have otherwise missed.
It was Oscar Wilde who said that "we should treat all trivial things in life very seriously, and all serious things with a sincere and studied triviality". A younger me would have clung fast to this notion. Heck, I may have made it my mantra for the time being. During those earlier years, my favourite band to listen to was a 90s Post-Ska Christian Rock band by the name of Five Iron Frenzy. While they certainly weren't the most talented musicians, I thought they were hilarious. To this day, Five Iron Frenzy remains my favourite band of all time, but the reasons aged along with me. Five Iron Frenzy is serious about their faith, and absolutely nothing else, which creates a sort of emphasis.
Though told through the character of Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde seems to clarify his earlier quote by writing "one must be serious about something if one is to have any amusement in life". I would like to think this rings truer for me. My faith is very dear and serious to me, but also allows me to find the humour in it, and everything else in life.
My hope is to continue writing, even past this season, in a way that speaks to my experience. This is to say, with a seriousness that allows me to appreciate the amusements in life.
So, here's to the serious things and the sincere and studied trivialities.
-Patrick
Recently, I have been reading a lot of David Sedaris. Most of his writings are short, which means its easier to read a story without important body parts being deprived of bloodflow. More importantly his stories are funny: The "ha-ha" funny, not the "wearing a belt and suspenders at the same time" kind. The majority of the books I read fall into two categories: 'Faith' and 'Humour'. I'd like to think that these topics need each other in order to survive. Writers on the topic of Faith such as Muller, Piper, Chandler, Lewis, McManus, and Tozer present powerful and probing ideas on God and the universe, but don't always speak my language. These authors are theologians, teachers, scholars, or perhaps they just loved hunting and playing paintball [I would like to think C.S. Lewis could liken his medieval "discarded image" of the cosmos to a paintball in a hopper]. It was authors like Terry Pratchett, David Sedaris, Dave Barry, Douglas Adam, Tina Fey, and Bill Watterson who were able to look at life and the world and say "Huh. Isn't that a funny thing?". Though they usually scratch the surface of deeper meaning, their use of humour seems to speak to a deeper truth that I feel theologians might have otherwise missed.
It was Oscar Wilde who said that "we should treat all trivial things in life very seriously, and all serious things with a sincere and studied triviality". A younger me would have clung fast to this notion. Heck, I may have made it my mantra for the time being. During those earlier years, my favourite band to listen to was a 90s Post-Ska Christian Rock band by the name of Five Iron Frenzy. While they certainly weren't the most talented musicians, I thought they were hilarious. To this day, Five Iron Frenzy remains my favourite band of all time, but the reasons aged along with me. Five Iron Frenzy is serious about their faith, and absolutely nothing else, which creates a sort of emphasis.
Though told through the character of Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde seems to clarify his earlier quote by writing "one must be serious about something if one is to have any amusement in life". I would like to think this rings truer for me. My faith is very dear and serious to me, but also allows me to find the humour in it, and everything else in life.
My hope is to continue writing, even past this season, in a way that speaks to my experience. This is to say, with a seriousness that allows me to appreciate the amusements in life.
So, here's to the serious things and the sincere and studied trivialities.
-Patrick
PHOTO DUMP FROM PAST WEEKS!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
A picture drawn by one of the campers on the day I was running arts and crafts. By her description, the unicorn farts glitter. With all the campers position, I took pictures of everyone's work so they felt appreciated, but I really just wanted this one for my archives.
Thought you might like it. I know I did.
Thought you might like it. I know I did.
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