Month: May 2026

Fantasy and Truth

When I was a kid, by the time I was in second grade I had become a full-fledged book worm. I read for entertainment, escape, and as a way to understand the world around me. Nowadays, as an adult, I go through different seasons of what I am reading and why. Escapism. A deep need to understand how different types of relationships work. A deep dive into how cultures and societies work. Exploring the ideas of what happens if humankind really messes everything up. 

Lately, I’ve really been into fantasy books and it has kind of been an exploration of what is God like and what do really good human relationships look like? 

Fantasy covers a large spectrum of writing. I’m choosy about which fantasy I read. The fantasy that I enjoy are the ones who simply use a fantasy world as a backdrop for their very human characters who have very human characteristics, weaknesses and strengths. The fantasy world allows those characters to have many wide and varied adventures, but in the end, the lessons they are learning, the personal growth they are going through, the conclusion they come to, they are all very human and normal. 

In the last year or so, I’ve found myself drawn to these books where usually one character has some kind of super-power. Magical, genetic mutation, gift given by the gods etc. Usually, these powers are on par with what I would expect my own God to be able to do. But, these powers are encased in a very human person. 

One example I’m thinking of is the character Aras in Rachel Neumeier’s “Tuyo” series. He is a sorcerer with many powers and abilities, but he is a good person. He wants good for people and he uses his powers to help, not hurt. One of his powers is that he can hear everyone’s thoughts. It’s not something he can turn off, and he actually finds it distracting and uncomfortable. But what is interesting is that this ability to invade everyone’s privacy leads him to compassion, not judgement. 

Whenever I run into a character that has god-like powers, I can’t help thinking about the real God and whether the insights from these characters could reveal anything about the One True God. I have to admit that knowing that God can hear every thought I think and that he knows my brain and emotions better than I do, sometimes I find that a little nervewracking. Oh shoot, You just heard that rather mean and horrible thought I just had. But, seeing this character in the book with the same powers and seeing how it leads him to compassion helps me to step back and think about God and then think about how many bible verses talk about his compassion and perhaps that’s how it works for God as well.  

There’s another character in Victoria Goddard’s “Hands of the Emperor” series, the Emperor, who also has a lot of different magical powers and he rules many worlds and he desires goodness and justice and good for each of his subjects. He is another character who is very human, but has god-like powers. But his journey is about seeking intimate friendships. And it makes me wonder what heaven will be like. Will we truly have a chance to intimately know Jesus, up close and personal, and what is that going to be like?? 

Not only do these books get my imagination going about what Jesus is like, but they also showcase all the possibilities of human relationships. In the Tuyo series we see a relationship between a father and his son that brings me to tears. Can family relationships really look like this? We see friends who step over the polite boundaries of social etiquette, and become truly irreplaceable in each other’s lives. We see employers and employees who somehow find the perfect balance of respect and camaraderie. And it sparks my imagination. Could the relationships in my life look like this? Does a path from here to there really exist? It makes me feel hopeful and gives me vision for what I want to achieve. 

Reading can be dangerous. There are books out there that expose you to just how evil humans are capable of being, that showcase just how dysfunctional you can let your relationships get. I think some exposure to that is good, because those books are also based in reality. But, I find life so much more hopeful when I read the books that focus on, what if we did things better? What if there is a way to help those around us? What if our relationships could be not only good but awesome? And then of course those characters that give you little glimpses of what all-powerful goodness and compassion can look like, and make you wonder, is this what Jesus is like? 

I will add that while you can learn a lot from all types of books, having the foundation of the Bible is kind of imperative. The Bible says Here is Truth. Fantasy novels have the ability to take some of that truth and say, ok, here’s how that would play out in this scenario. 

Reading, like any kind of activity, can go as deep as you take it. You can consume a comic book and just count it a quick distraction. Or you can think deeply about the story the comic book told you and think about what it teaches you about human nature and how does that line up with what the Bible tells us about human nature? And then you make conclusions and come away with a little more insight about the world around you, and maybe even a little more insight on how to live out your daily life. You can do the same with a tv show, a popular song on the radio, an interesting piece of art. God’s design and truth appear everywhere in the world around us, and if we’re looking for it, we’ll see it. I just especially love looking for it in a good book. And right now, a good fantasy book. 

What if?

My brain is an interesting place. Generally, I am quite content with the brain I have, the thoughts I enjoy, the random places it takes me. But my brain can also tie me up in knots. It will suddenly decide that certain chores and jobs are impossible, insurmountable tasks. Laundry? Who cares that we have faithfully folded the laundry once a week for the past several years. Now, today, it is impossible. Folding clothes is equivalent to climbing Mt Everest. Not happening. This happenes with other things too, like making an important phone call, going to the post office to buy stamps, filling out that important paperwork. It always feels random. It always seems to come out of nowhere. But suddenly there is a task that needs to be done and it feels impossible. 

Over the years I’ve learned to trick my brain. I can’t clean my room. Ok, but we’re just going to put three things away. That’s all. We are definitely not cleaning the room, just putting away three things. And then, once three things are put away, maybe we’ll just put away one more… ok maybe we can do one more thing… and then, something tips, and cleaning the room suddenly doesn’t feel impossible and it’s actually something we want to get done, right now. 

Or maybe I’ll start singing the “Just keep swimming” song from Dory, and make myself move, and once I start moving, the momentum gets going and I’m able to side step the road block and get the task done. 

There’s other tricks I have to do. I can’t remember anything so I have to leave big visual cues. Need to pay a bill? Put the bill on my pillow so I will see it. Need to take those grocery bags with me to the store? Set them in front of the door so I have to either trip on them or move them. (Though even then, I may  be so distracted that I will just move the grocery bags out the way, continue out the door, and get to the store and wish I had those grocery bags that I conveniently left by the front door.) 

It’s my brain. It’s how it works. That’s fine. 

There are other parts of my brain that I am not at peace with. One is my brain’s tendency to fall into deep depression and then start coloring all my thoughts gray and black. No positivity going on here. As I have been grimly dragging myself out of the latest pit of despair I have employed a new trick. I’m calling it “What if..” Every time a negative thought has reared its head, I’ve been countering it with, “What if..” What if I am not a failure? What if people actually like you? What if no one cares that you made a mistake? What if you are actually beautiful? What if you are going to succeed in this task? What if you are loved? What if you are accepted? 

RIght now I can’t handle blunt positive affirmations. But, the gentler, more roundabout approach, seems to be working. Oh, wait, what if there is a different way of seeing this? What if your first gut response is actually wrong? What if you are not going to be stuck in this place forever and there is joy waiting, just a couple steps away? 

This morning I feel hopeful. Joyful. And the thought is there, What if this is reality, and those dark gray moments are the lie? 

Adults can still Celebrate, Right?

My piano students just played in their final recital of the school year. All of my choir duties are finished at school. I got to help the kids with their school musical as well, and that is done and over with. The school year is just about wrapped up, musically. A couple graduations and chapels to play at then moving on to summer music. 

It has been a really great music year. 

I was thinking about my piano students today. How proud I am of them, and how happy they were to show their family and loved ones what they’ve accomplished. I love how kids are unbashful to show off what they’ve achieved. Look what I did! And all the adults in their lives are equally happy to delight in those deeds. Great job! You were awesome! That was amazing! Because they did do a great job and it was amazing and they are awesome. 

When we get older we learn this thing called modesty. Lets not draw attention to how great we are, that would be boasting. We shouldn’t brag. Let somebody else praise us. And all this is true. We don’t like to hear adults talk about all their accomplishments. We don’t like people who brag. Boasting is not attractive. 

But, somewhere in there, I think we might have lost our ability to just celebrate every-day accomplishments. We know how to celebrate the big, giant deeds, but the smaller ones tend to get ignored. 

Today, as I had my last day of lessons with my kids and helped them get ready for their recital, I felt like a little kid, looking for a grownup that I could just tug on their sleeve and say, LOOK WHAT I DID! ISN’T THIS AMAZING! Somehow I managed to communicate well enough that these kids were able to take all their talent and potential, add in a bunch of their own hard work and all grow musically. Noticeable growth. WOW!! I worked hard, they worked hard, and together we did something amazing! 

I’m pretty excited about this past year teaching choir at my kids school too. I got thrown in the deep end and I didn’t drown. I had a crash course in teaching kids’ choirs and I learned a lot. I don’t know if we are making serious progress yet, but I know that all those kids know at least a little more about music than they did at the beginning of the school year. And I am really excited about next year and figuring out how I can become better at the job. 

Not big giant accomplishments. But, something worth celebrating. 

I know you all have things worth celebrating too, and maybe you’re too modest to bring it up. 

I’ll see if I can hit on some of them.

All you parents of school age children out there, guess what! You did it!! You’ve just about got your kids through another school year! You’ve got them to school every day, you’ve fed them, you’ve clothed them, you’ve made sure they did their homework. YOU ARE AMAZING!!! GOOD JOB!!

All you teachers out there.. YOU DID IT!!! YOU’VE JUST ABOUT MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR!!! You are amazing. Miracle workers. And all you school administrators, Wow, I am in awe of what you have accomplished this year.

My brain is focused on school related peoples, but hey, all you adults out there. Adulting every day. Wow. Once again, you have pulled yourself out of bed, paid the bills, done the responsible thing yet again. Way to go! 

I’m proud of you all. Good job.