How are You Living Life Loving Christ When You Talk Movies and Toys?

It's a fair question but one that nobody has actually asked, which I take as a compliment. The lack of such a direct inquiry implies trust, and I hope that below I prove that trust is well placed.

Yes, of late I've been blogging/linking about toys, conventions, films, and updates; but where are the Scripture Memory posts, the sermonesque thoughts, and the reflections on pressing current events? 

Well, the truth is that the last of these three has taken a toll on me emotionally, and the only post I started--particularly gauging the events in Ferguson, MO, felt late and needless given everything else that's been written (the most telling to me have been here, here, and here---but especially here).

As far as anything Sermonesque, well, I am prepping for my first speaking engagement this Saturday, and that's taken a lot of my "pulpit energies"; my hope is that I can provide the content here in some shape or form after the fact. 

And with Scripture memory, my last focused passage was back in July, and this month my Bible reading is reviewing the passages I've already memorized as well as diving into 1 Timothy, thanks to the admonition of my local pastor.

So what's with the pop culture stuff? How in the world does outlining a movie list from this past summer show me living life loving Christ? 

Well, when it comes to films specifically, I still hope to be involved in making one again at some point, and every viewing experience is like a class for me--I feel that a focused effort on a film is a study session for my storytelling, writing, and possible later film endeavors--endeavors that I hope will have "kingdom impact". 

As to the toys, well, the truth is that I committed to Figures.com to give them a monthly article, and I honor God by making good on that promise. 

Further, I am working through the "purpose" of my collection. Why am I even bothering with owning all these trinkets? Do they have any spiritual worth? Any kingdom value? In and of themselves, certianly not, they are plastic, but I often wonder, "Can they have kingdom value? Is that even a possibility?" These are real questions with which I wrestle, not to cling to what I own as treasure but rather to see if it is dross in life that can be God-honoring and useful. Time will tell.

Needless to say, I am wholly aware that the blog has looked a lot less Christ-focused, and I own that failure. In truth, I hope to get to a point wherein all of these posts are more intentional in that regard. In fact, I am making plans for 2015 with that end in mind, each day. Again, time will tell. 

And in the interim, I will try to do better; the very fact that this post exists is a testament to my failure to do so. Here's to correcting that as we close out 2014 together in the coming months.

As always, thanks for reading!