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 Charlie Knox26, m, resident of spa, northern ireland, a thinker, who tries to be real, enjoys the company of nala(left), indebted to jesus for his grace and instruction in life and whose, amongst other things, studying sports science at UUJ. enjoy rugby a whole lot! |
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Wednesday, November 27, 2002 Went to see Bond's latest escapades last night. I guess i was looking forward to it prior to going. Theres definitely something different about going to a Bond movie. Bond has been around for a while, he is a cultural icon and you kinda feel that when you head to watch his latest adventures that you are buying into a piece of history - a sense of being part of something bigger even if that is only as a passive observer. Whether you get all that or not it is a reality that if any of us even want to play any part in lunchtime discussions at school or work at the moment, it is crucial that we have seen the movie! However last night, as much as I wanted to buy into this Bond movement I just found myself unable to. It was tempting to pretend that I enjoyed it just because 'it's Bond' but deep down it just failed to do it for me. To go a wee bit further, the more I think about the movie the more it kinda annoys me. I know the movie is just for fun and isn't real - its only entertainment - therefore some will say i need to lighten up some - its only make believe - just entertainment. You know if all the stuff thrown up by the movie was just make believe then I think I could have enjoyed it. So it wasn't the stunts or the far fetched plot that didn't do it for me. It was some of the stuff central to the storyline that was idealised, particuarly the casual sex and the materialism, that wound me up a bit. To be honest these wouldn't bother me if they were only a movie thing, only make believe issues. You see as I look at my world, my real world, I can't fail but notice that casual sex and materialism are two of the biggest problems that are speedily sucking the life out of creation - I could give countless examples of situations where abuse of sex and material possessions are ruining lives (both around NI and in the whole world). And even without looking outside to the world around, i see that the some of my own personal and most real struggles and temptations lie very close to these issues. Therefore i know it is entertainment and all that but i just personally found it hard to sit and enjoy the movie when i know that its feeding all sorts of unhealthy stuff into real lives who leave the virtual world of the cinema and enter into real life at the end of the show. Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick here?? posted by charlie | 1:10 AM | Thursday, November 21, 2002 Beware of Sparkle and her sketch pad!!! Folks beware if Sparkle asks you if she can draw you, it appears she and emma are developing an unhealthy interest, a practice involving not so much clothing!!! posted by charlie | 9:41 PM | Matt Owen told me today about a friend of his, Alastair Humphreys, who is cycling around the world - over 70,000 miles, covering 50 different countries in three years. Check out www.roundtheworldbybike.com to read all about him, why he's doing this, where he's been and what he's got up to as he goes on his way! I have a feeling i might revisit this site a time or two. I was impressed by Weeksy travelling everyday from Saintfield to Bangor but this is just another ball game altogether (sorry Weeksy!). Anyway check out this site and be inspired or put off or whatever response is conjured up within you when you witness such goings on!!! posted by charlie | 9:23 PM | Best Inventions 2002 If the little invention mentioned in the post below didn't do it for you, then perhaps you can visit Time magazine's 'Best inventions 2002' list posted by charlie | 9:08 PM | A relevant invention! In Northern Ireland at present, the waters seem to be incessantly flowing from above and leaving themselves all over the earth below our feet. The result is that many of us our finding that the back of trousers soon become soaked following many little flicks of mositure coming off our shoes as we walk. if it so happens that the water was carrying muck, then our trousers are stained. Well folks I do believe I have come across a solution to this common problem - check out this totally absurd invention that i found which may leave us dryer and cleaner in the lower regions! posted by charlie | 12:47 AM | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Sparkle goes public @ http://rebeccakells.blogspot.com! posted by charlie | 11:40 PM | Any smart ideas for Christmas presents? I'd love if you could leave some of them on the 'comment' section below! (maybe this is cheating?) posted by charlie | 11:31 PM | Down time I had a pretty busy time last week, speaking here and there plus the other things i get up to, so i decided (and needed) to take some down time this week. Yesterday i headed out early to a rather wet and windy Bright Golf course with Paul Coles and Stanley kelly - the craic was great (especially when paul got mad - that makes me laugh!), the view was great and the golf was ****!!!!!!! i did manage to par one hole which is always a good thing in my books but otherwise there wasn't anything to write home about! In the afternoon I sat down to read and fell asleep! Last night I headed with the family to my uncle's 50th birthday up in the motherland - ballymena - hey! Today I had my school engagements at Spa Primary and the High school. In between i chatted with a few folks, read some and then tried to apply some of my reading. I've been reading Ruthless trust by Brennan Manning, as any of you who have talked to me recently will know. He was talking today about listening to the music of what is happening. He ws just talking about how we so often spend time replaying the past and worrying about the future and that in doing so we miss the grace stacked up in the present moment. So instead of replaying all the events of last weekend over in my head or worrying about all the stuff that needs to happen in the week ahead i headed out for a walk to pray and also just to take in the present world that God had given me. I headed down to the riverwalk in the Hinch. First of all i encountered a pile of rubbish and was tempted to be very negative at the expense of noticing the overwhelming beauty that drowned out the litter when it was observed! Anyway without the gory details i was able to witness creation in action - the brown leaves that littered the path and that were fun to kick my feet through, a little flock of Blue Tits playing around on the branches and to top off my morning a little squirrel chomping on some nut whilst he watched my every move! I guess i tasted some of God's glory at the riverwalk today and it led me to pray that God would turn up in the rest of the town in his majestical (is that a word?) power, that he would create something beautfiul out of our town, something that makes people look to Him and praise - i think it might take a miracle, but then again why settle for anything less?? I did recieve one other inspiration at the river - it was flowing pretty fast and i'm pretty sure it was inviting me to bring the canoe to see it next time - i think i will!!! So a good day today. Feeling restored and ready to take on the week ahead - well at least tomorrow morning!! Only one bummer however, i did pull a muscle at rugby which will probably put me out for a few weeks - i'm pretty peeved about that right now - but i guess it will be alright - maybe i can coach some more with the younger ones. Well folks a few hours ahead of me this week, i think, who knows where it will take me or whom i shall meet but having experienced the grace of God in the present this day, i have a strange peace about the tomorrows that will become my present! God bless you this week - i mean that - i hope He turns up in your life this week in ways you never expected! posted by charlie | 11:15 PM | Saturday, November 16, 2002 ...promised link... alrighty folks - for any of you who were at snr youth tonight i said i would post a link to a cool article about evangelism for ordinary people. do have a wee read through it and let me know what you think! by the way if you know any other cool quotes about listening or you have some stories or you just have some thoughts, do leave some of them by hitting the comments button below! posted by charlie | 1:01 AM | Friday, November 15, 2002 Paul Coles hops on too @ http://paulcoles.blogspot.com posted by charlie | 3:01 PM | Weeksy joins the crew @ http://thebirm.blogspot.com I swear, its the beginning of a revolution! ps. for any of you that were wondering, dan comes back to NI on the 5th of December! posted by charlie | 2:38 PM | Thursday, November 14, 2002 Found this info whilst planning for HSB SU: CHARLES m English, French Pronounced: CHAR-ulz, SHARL From the Germanic name Karl, which was derived from a Germanic word which meant "man". The most noteworthy bearer of this name was Charles the Great, commonly known as Charlemagne, a king of the Franks who came to rule over most of Europe. Several Holy Roman Emperors bore this name, as well as kings of England, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Hungary. Other famous bearers include naturalist Charles Darwin who revolutionized biology with his theory of evolution, and novelist Charles Dickens who wrote such works as 'Great Expectations' and 'A Tale of Two Cities'. KNOX (origin: Local) Gaelic, Cnoc, a little hill; figuratively, a stout man. Check out the meaning and history of your name at the 'Behind the Name' and 'Last Name Meaning' websites! posted by charlie | 2:04 PM | Stu Neill* has joined the BBC blogging team!! I may be fooled but it appears this thing is infectious!! Go on, you know you want to!!! Get bloggin!!! posted by charlie | 12:34 AM | Thursday, November 07, 2002 A few weeks ago i said i would try and get some 'baby in the womb' info on here - i just found an amazing site for this - it has interesting stuff, to read, to look at and to watch - So check out TIME magazine current issue. I promise you that if you don't you will miss out! posted by charlie | 11:45 AM | Tonite is Wednesday - tomorrow evening i head to London with Paul C for a conference about evangelism and worship - can't wait - hopefully we will learn lots and be challenged loads. Before i go to London though, i have one big scary thing - i am speaking in an all girls school at an SU - this scares the pants of me, hopefully this is not literally speaking - it's alright for that to happen at the rugby club but not at an all girls school! I'm talking about giving time to God which is kinda interesting as i've been thinking about this (see below). If you have any musings or thoughts, quotes, experiences reagrding time for God, do leave some of them by hitting the comments button. posted by charlie | 1:10 AM | I've learnt a lesson this week about relationships - i've learnt it in the prayer room, i've learnt it over lunch and then also in some of the 'bumping into people' times. The lesson is this - give intentional, agendaless time to our relationships. I say intentional because we need to set the tim aside on purpose, by choice and I say agendaless time because so often we come to God and to other people on our terms - we come to talk about a particular thing that often is only about us. I think i've been learning that sometimes it is just good to come to people and to God with no laid out pattern of events - no set discussion or topic - to leave room for surprises and the unexpected - to pray beforehand that God would reveal himself in ways that lie beyond our planning and capabilities of manufacture! So maybe this week take some time with God - not just to tell him stuff but time to listen, time to let him surprise you and speak you - its dang hard to do but very much worth it - you'll see. And try the same with people - try just meeting up (think of one person and arrange it) with someone and seeing what happens - again take some time to listen to their story and whats happening with them - and like the time with God - pray for surprises - that you might meet God in the worship that takes place when we get together. Maybe it just me but i've found it valuable just to let go of self and to let go of an hour or two - Give it away! - Get together with God - get together with people - just for the sake of it! posted by charlie | 1:02 AM | Wednesday, November 06, 2002 Just tried to add a commenting feature again posted by charlie | 12:01 AM | Monday, November 04, 2002 I heard a lady interviewed last night and when asked what piece of advice she would give to people who want to grow spiritually she gave an interesting answer - usually people say, read your bible more or go to the prayer meeting more or something liek that but she said 'always ask plenty of questions', this is the first time i have heard such advice from the front of a church. She said that often people jump of a wordly conveyor belt (education, work, death) and simply jump onto a religious conveyor belt that is often not much different. She encouraged us not to settle for whats handed to us but rather to go for more all the time! The fact is there is always more, so lets go for it! Lets explore the unique world and life that God has given each of us! posted by charlie | 7:52 PM | How many church functions have you been to where an army of little old ladies have prepared a huge variety of sandwiches and traybakes? Have you ever noticed that the sandwiches that are always on offer, contain the most disgusting and weirdest conconctions ever?eg.Cheese and pickle, Apple and salmon, mustard and egg, and have you noticed that because the sandwiches are never eaten they always end up getting circulated around the room with the phrase 'eat up', leaving you to make up some lame excuse about not really being that hungry when in actual fact you are just pining for a good old plain ham and butter sandwich or cheese or chicken or something normal? Well yesterday i think i encountered a solution to this problem! I was at Knock Presbyterian and when i heard there was sandwiches for tea i was tempted to pop out to the local chippy, however, knock are clued in to the problem mentioned above and what lay before me in the Kitchen impressed me. They had simply left bread out, with a selection of different fillings beside it. The deal was that everyone made their own sandwich to their own liking meaning that no sandwiches had to be wrapped up in tinfoil and taken home!! So next time you have a church function - don't get the squadrons in to surprise you with their latest sandwich filling invention - just let everyone make their own and everyone will leave happy and satisfied! posted by charlie | 7:36 PM | We won the rugby again on Saturday beating Queens II's 40-0. The weather was pants - lots of rain and lots of wind, equalling a cold little winger ie. me!! Usually the ultimate fear at a match is of recieving a broken neck, however on saturday the biggest fear was probably of drowning - scuba gear will soon be an essential item to the average kit bag if conditions like saturday past continue! I did get a try down which was a little (very little!) consolation! posted by charlie | 7:17 PM | I watched yet another movie that requires a little (or more) thought, last night - K-PAX starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. I quite enjoyed the show and particuarly liked the way you never knew what was going on until very near the end. Not really a movie with much depth but it was quite an enjoyable and entertaining little watch which in my book is an end in itself. posted by charlie | 7:11 PM | |
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