Essays
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Is it better to be a good person, or religious?
Written by James SinclairA friend of mine asked this question the other day. “Is it better to be a good person, or religious?” The question turned out to be more thought-provoking than expected. Not because I was stumped. Rather, my first reaction was: “This question doesn’t make sense.” Those aren’t categories a Christian tends to think in.
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Remote teams and the half-life of social capital
Written by James SinclairRemote work is a mixed bag. Some aspects are wonderful. The lack of commute and extra flexibility is great. But there are drawbacks. Being remote comes with radical changes to how we communicate. Things that were effortless and unconscious in person become tiresome when we’re remote. And right now, so many of us are trying out this remote experiment together. But as time goes on, maybe the novelty is starting to wear off.
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How to write things people actually want to read
Written by James SinclairStaring at a blank screen can be scary. And writing is hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It takes extended periods of concentration to write anything significant. And that’s a rare commodity these days. And even if you manage to beat your attention into submission, the craft of writing is still complex. It can be tough to know where to start. What if my writing turns out to be boring? What if nobody reads it? What if people hate it? Or worse, they start reading and get so bored they quit?
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What’s the point of art?
Written by James SinclairWhat is art for? What is the point of it? It’s not like food, clothing and shelter. We don’t die without art. At least, not straight away. Take away air, or water, or food, and we die. But we seem to be able to last much longer without art. Art doesn’t appear to be essential for life. In fact, it even seems frivolous at times. Its utility is not obvious. Yet, we humans keep making it. And the better our physical needs are met, the more art we seem to make.
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Flavours of prayer
Written by James SinclairHave you ever visited different types of churches and listened to how they pray? Growing up, I had the privilege of visiting several churches. They were all different. And the people in them prayed with different styles.
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Why Christians should write Fantasy Stories
Written by James SinclairIs it OK for a Christian to write fantasy stories? The bible is pretty clear that people should not use magic. Why would it be OK to write about magic? And isn’t the whole idea of writing fantasy stories frivolous anyway? Wouldn’t our time be better spent serving the poor and telling people about Jesus, or even reading the bible? I would argue that not only is it OK, but if you are a Christian with the inclination to write fantasy stories, it’s helpful if you do.
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Motivation, Self-control and Good News
Written by James SinclairHow to you make yourself do things that you don’t feel like doing? When it’s a cold winter morning and you have to get up in the dark to go to work, how do you make yourself leave the warm bed? If you’ve just started a diet, how do you resist the doughnuts your work colleague decided to share? How do you make yourself strap on the running shoes and go jogging? Doing things you don’t feel like doing is hard work—it takes willpower. But where do you get the motivation?
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How to fight like a man
Written by James SinclairA friend of mine asked me for some advice before he got married. This was my response.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens—Philosophy, passion and Jesus
Written by James SinclairI really like Star Wars, and I enjoyed The Force Awakens. I think that when you dig below the surface, the ways in which it agrees and disagrees with Christianity are different from what you might expect. In the end, the Star Wars movies are just that: a bunch of movies. But, as I’ve said before, if we watch in the right way, movies can point us to something deeper and more meaningful—a new and better hope.
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Righteousness
Written by James SinclairOver Easter, our pastor challenged us to live like Jesus is actually risen. Someone I know (quite rightly) asked the question “but what does that look like?” My response is that part of the answer is righteousness, but that might need some explaining.