I was in Wales over the weekend. We were there to visit a couple of old friends. In-between sharing stories and visiting Aberystwyth, I had plenty of time to drink coffee and reflect in the early hours of the day. I have been thinking about how I spend my days. It is so easy to let one day slide into another. And before you know it, a month has gone by. I feel like that is what has happened to April. So it was good to have this time away in Wales.
One of the things I reflected on was how much time I spend sitting in front of this computer. I’m not complaining about tech. I love tech; it’s an essential part of my life, but so is nature. And so is making time to meet strangers and do new things; something that I don’t do as much in person anymore. How can the force of serendipity work for you if you don’t give it the space to operate in your life?
Hence, today I decided to restart my practise of working from different locations when I have the opportunity to do so. I haven’t gone anywhere exotic or new, but the change of scenery from my office to the Habano Cafe in town is welcomed. Already, I have seen some familiar faces, including an old couple who used to come to the open mic poetry nights I used to perform at. Katalin, the barista, is as friendly as ever. She is a little stressed because she has a couple of exams coming up, and she was hoping to get time to study when the cafe is quiet. However, it has been anything but quiet here this morning. In between thoughts, I eavesdrop on the table of four diagonally facing me. They are having a conversation about AI. The young lady loves it; the older guy hasn’t heard of it and is excited to start using it; and the older lady says she hates it and that it is sad that young people are using it. I learned from their conversation that she is a teacher, which makes sense, I guess, given her stance on AI. The young girl and the guy ignore her and carry on getting him set up to use it. The old couple behind me are talking about going holiday.
Before leaving the house, I chose The Gospel of the Second Coming, by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, to share with you. I am a fan of off-beat books, so the bright orange cover and the subtle: Jesus is back... and this time he’s funny really caught my attention when I first came across it back in 2008.
The book falls under the genres of satire, spirituality, and alternative Christianity. It's a novel, really, that explores traditional Christian beliefs through a satirical and humorous lens. The book is presented as a “lost gospel” that reveals the true teachings of Jesus. Instead of portraying Jesus as the divine saviour, Freke and Gandy present him as a humble spiritual teacher of wisdom, love, and self-discovery. I like that they chose a satirical style to challenge conventional Christian beliefs. They also encourage readers to question their own beliefs while exploring a different interpretation of Christianity. The book is part of a larger body of work on gnosticism that includes The Jesus Mysteries, Jesus and the Lost Goddess, and The Laughing Jesus.
I think if you enjoy off-beat humour and satire, and don’t mind learning about spirituality in an irreverent way, then you’ll like this book. It will definitely make you raise an eyebrow or two and challenge your own perceptions of Jesus and the Gospels. If C&C Music Factory had room for another verse in their song, this would be one of those things that make you go, "Hmmm.
I want to give you a flavour of the book. This is the opening of Chapter 1:
And here is Timothy Freke talking about the book:
I am back at home. I lost connection to the Wi-Fi in mid-sentence. Plus, there were only 3 minutes left on the parking metre. I used a different style to share a book with you this issue. I am working on adding more details to my writing. My brain generally works in the realm of big ideas. I tend not to notice details. I take a big-picture impression of a scene and then bounce to the next idea like Tigger.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, and do consider sharing this issue with your social network.
Until next time.
Peace,
Clay