Phil's Blog

I had a massive clear out today. Purge, catharsis, etc. And you know what? It feels great! There’s so much more physical space and I know where everything is.

The next step is to do the same in my ‘digital space’ but that’s another blog!

2010 was varied, 2011 is already looking interesting. My wife and I are planning our homeschooling and events schedule for the year, my eldest will be 10 this year, my youngest will be 1, and there are 5 other birthdays in the house!

There are a number of music releases planned, as well as some new business ideas rattling around in my head… I’m excited!

So until my next post, enjoy a short video quote from Eddie Murphy

Ever noticed how poor a photocopy of a photocopy looks?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Simulacrum (plural: -cra), from the Latin simulacrum which means “likeness, similarity”, used to describe a representation of another thing, such as a statue or a painting, especially of a god; by the late 19th century, it had gathered a secondary association of inferiority: an image without the substance or qualities of the original.

It’s a similar thing in music…”that reminds me of…”, “have you heard that new track by Cliche? It sounds just like Blah, Blah, Blah!”

Or in life in general, where we can often try to imitate or emulate those that inspire us, but fall short.

I’ve been listening to some really good ‘old’ music, and some really, really bad ‘new’ music and come to the conclusion that a lot of bad and/or boring stuff comes from trying to copy or keep up with the latest trends.

You can only get a decent copy from the original source,  so you have two options; go back to that source, or create an original yourself.  Better still, ask The Original Source to inspire you to create something unique!

Do you know anyone that can create something out of nothing?  Someone that can speak something and it happens?

I do…

You were born an original.  Don’t die a copy.  ~John Mason

I saw a quote on Twitter recently “Every caterpillar can become a butterfly, but not every one does”

It made me think about my current situation. I have just been made redundant (for the third time. That’s another blog in itself. Ever get the feeling God is trying to tell you something?)
Rather than a sense of panic, I feel a sense of freedom. I feel like I’ve been that caterpillar for too long, eating the leaves of the corporate world, working extra hard to make sure I eat plenty, yet trying to camouflage and make sure I merge into my chosen surroundings, a good little employee.

Yes, by God’s grace I have pretty much been in full-time employment since I left Uni (many, many years ago) but again like the caterpillar, metamorphosis must come.

You know, in that delicate time of preparation nothing is added to the cocoon, everything that it takes to make that massive change is already in there, it just takes a massive internal re-arrangement.

Watch out. A change is coming. I’m emerging from the cocoon and I’m ready to fly, baby!

Anyone wanna join me?

By the way, I wanted to capture a spectacular photo of a butterfly, but they just don’t keep still for long, do they? I’m going to have to visit the London Butterfly House one day 🙂

A butterfly is an example of transformation in God’s time. It takes a while but once it has changed, there’s no going back!

TRANSFORMATION or METAMORPHOSIS – Can life imitate nature?

Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal’s body structure through cell growth and differentiation. It is usually (but not always) accompanied by a change of habitat or behaviour.

Hmmm, changes of habitat or behaviour…sounds like what might happen after some kind of renewal, re-birth or crossroads in our life…anyway

The word “metamorphosis” derives from the Greek meta (change) and morphe (form).

So the humble caterpillar. Not much to look at, spends its life eating and avoiding predators, until God says it’s ready to undergo a massive change – a time away from everyone, hidden away from everything else. No-one else to hold your hand, you go through this alone…anybody been there?

During this time the insect is very vulnerable because it cannot run away, and this is why insects try to choose somewhere safe to hide away when they are going through this incredible change.

Look at that. God makes a safe place for us to hide while we are at our most vulnerable, to wait safely under His protection as the changes take place.

But what’s happening during this change? Because from outside it doesn’t look like anything is happening at all!

In the pupa, there is little movement and no feeding as its body is liquified and the materials in the cells are broken down and then completely reorganised.

Oh my. So while it looks like nothing is happening, inside I’m being completely broken down, liquified, and reorganised! I don’t like the sound of that! Lord, is there an easier way for these changes to take place?

Well yes there is, but there comes a time when turning over new leaves just won’t do anymore. Ask anyone who’s ever tried dieting. Is it better to crash diet, or change your lifestyle over the long haul? New Years Resolutions anybody? Or maybe that same struggle with sin that you’ve prayed about hundreds of times already…

I guess sometimes we all need to be broken down and re-built from scratch. Ouch.

The good news is the Master Craftsman who is putting us back together knows exactly what He is doing, so while we are perhaps imagining a mosaic of broken fragments, He has a masterpiece in mind.

Part 2 is coming soon, but feel free to comment below!