A Terribly Blunt Fable
Once upon a time
. . . yea, that’s right, ‘once upon a time’ - not ‘twice upon a time’ or ‘once up on a time’ or anything trying to be adorable, but the standard, classic, old regular ‘once upon a time’ because this is a story where the hero isn’t busy trying to be something he thinks will bring him attention. Our hero is busy trying to know his true self and busy trying to genuinely know others. So, because he’s not preoccupied with form and fashion, because he’s not about appearances but is about substance and content with an appreciation of those things that have stood the test of time, the classics, we begin our almost brutishly blunt tale with the simple but evocative, ‘once upon a time’ ~
Once upon a time there was a small but very successful company that represented clients . . . talented people would hire this company to connect them with people who would recognize their talent and promote it. To do this work the company had four employees; Diva Jantanella, Fierce Roberto, DJ SampleAstic, and Michael (their real names were Jane, Bob, Sam, and of course, Michael). Their job was to find their singer clients a record producer, place their writer clients with a publishing house, hook-up their fine artist clients with galleries, etc. These four were the key to artists being able to create their art and the world being able to appreciate their art. They were the bridge, the voice, the face, of those gifted with a capacity to create beauty.
Now, to do their work, they needed to know their clients, they needed to know their passion, their expression, their art. And they needed to understand the business of production and distribution, which record labels were looking for what kind of music, what publishers were interested to publish what kind of books, etc. This was all very exciting work, just the kind of work Jane and Bob and Sam, I’m sorry, Diva Jantanella, Fierce Roberto, DJ SampleAstic, and Michael loved to be a part of. But, they loved their work for different reasons and they went about doing their work very differently.
Yea I should to be famous, that's what I ought to be,
Man I wish I was famous, that's what I needs to be;
Even though I'm just like you, and there ain't nothin' special about me.
Diva Jantanella knew she was to be noticed; she was always dressed in the most expensive clothes, she approved or disapproved of everything before her, in any room and whatever was going on it all had to respect that she was there – she was the most important thing happening wherever she was . . . and she had tattoos.
Fierce Roberto knew he was to be noticed; he was always wearing the craziest new thing, he always just said whatever he wanted and didn’t care, he was always the craziest one in the room – he was the most important thing happening wherever he was . . . and he had tattoos.
DJ SampleAstic knew he was to be noticed; he was always stylin’ wearing the most hippest bling, when he talked only the coolest homies knew what he was talking about, no one in the room was ever as cool as he was – he was the most important thing happening wherever he was . . . and he had tattoos.
Michael tried to do good work; he got to know his clients and sought to ‘get’ their passion and then did his best to connect them to who would best support their art . . . and he never quite saw the point of getting a tattoo, or sticking a metal pin through his eyebrow, or spending money to make his hair look disheveled.
And of course the moral of our story is; Diva Jantanella, Fierce Roberto, and DJ SampleAstic, all represented no one but themselves, thought that they were just as creative as the artists, failed miserably at their job, were fired, and lost everything they wanted so much and that they could have had if they hadn’t assumed that the world should just stop in it’s tracks and recognize how wonderful they are and shower them with all the attention they thought they deserved just by being them. It turned out that the only people who bought into what Diva Jantanella, Fierce Roberto, and DJ SampleAstic were trying to sell (even to themselves) were people who would not have any appreciation of the artists they represented, were themselves preoccupied with being famous, and twelve year old girls.
Meanwhile, boring old Michael who didn’t wear clothes to express his inner creativity but wore what was comfortable and whatever would not become the center of everyone’s attention, he went on to great success, providing the world with beautiful music, important literature, and compelling art . . . and he married the prettiest girl in town, actually enjoying all the music, books, and art he helped promote. And, just think of all the great art that the world will never delight in and be moved by because Jane and Bob and Sam were such divas, really fierce, and so cool – turns out they were empty, lame, punks even though they had tattoos and Michael, the guy who was indistinguishable from anyone around him, was a far more interesting man and lived a far more significant life.
So, while Diva Jantanella, Fierce Roberto, and DJ SampleAstic lived loud lives of screaming desperation because in trying to be so special they were making themselves just like everyone else, Michael, of course, lived happily ever after . . . because he owned a sincere heart and an independent mind.
. . . because that's the kind of mood I'm in - and, I don't ever experience 'moods' so I'm going to make the most of it.
- Regular, Normal Christianity
I believe many folks are turned off, not by authentic Christianity, but by the too often ugly, discordant, and silly religion some have concocted and falsely labeled "Christianity" - The Christian & Private Study - A 'How To' Guide
You don't have to be a scholar to study Scripture effectively and you don't have to be intimidated because of unfamiliar terms and references - there are essential things you can know and aids to use that will make your own private study fruitful.