...and the point of all that was...

Many thanks to those of you who gave feedback to my brief A-Z of science fiction. Some wondered why I did it. Here's some of the reasons why:

1. I wanted to commit myself to a regular series of blog posts, even if I was away with the family camping (thank heavens for posting options). After some negative comments lately from those supposedly close to me I needed to prove to myself I could set my own deadlines and complete the task. I've always enjoyed writing - even wanted to do it professionally once - so there's still that part of me that hankers for that lifestyle.
2. I needed to try and find some use for the SF trivia that fills my brain and dominates much of my non-christian history. During my time as an SF fan I've met many who embrace the genre because it's the closest they have found to real friendship and love. So many fans are dismissed as being 'geeks' but I've met many different types - including those who experiment with drugs, sex and even the occult. Although a fan of the genre since my pre-teens, I only started attending fan conventions in the late Eighties and thankfully by then I had - and still have - Christ in my life to steer me right. Although science fiction is still my preferred style of entertainment it is while I was an SF fan that Christ called me, and despite the views of some of my Christian peers I don't feel challenged by Christ to give this up - yet. One Salvation Army officer once said it was possibly my mission field!
3. I needed to identify that SF is such a broad topic, embracing much of what is now regarded as popular culture. There is a difficulty in defining what science fiction is - just try and Google it and you'll see. Damon Knight once said that "science fiction is what we point to when we say it". Norman Spinrad said that "science fiction is anything published as science fiction". Society seems to think it's all stories about robots or rocket ships. It's not - it's about exploring possibilities, using an fantastic premise to tell a tale that will tell us something about our own lives today. Yes, it's about keeping an open mind, or perhaps having your mind opened...
4. It's sometimes that looking at these examples that you see yourself, or 'sides' to yourself. The optimistic side of Colin is like Michael Knight, the hero who knows that 'one man can make a difference'. Often I'm like Sam Beckett, feeling like he's been dropped by God into a situation and having to work out what to do. Most of the time I'm Phil from Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again until I can get it right!
5. Another reason for my slight change in the blog was that I needed to spend some time to explore things with God - to keep an open mind and search with Him for where He needs me to be right now. Over the last fortnight I've done quite a bit of 'wrestling with God' and have got a bit more to do. I expect I'll reveal more on this later. I'm now well aware of what I need to improve so I can beat the 90% rule and start to live for the 10%!