REFLECTIONS FROM THE REARVIEW
  • Home
  • Hello and Welcome
  • Blog
  • Random Gatherings
  • My Book
  • FAQ

Influencer

3/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​I recently read about an influencer of this past year. He was one of the biggest net earners from his YouTube channel. Ryan is only six years old, but he has ten million subscribers, and he brought in eleven million dollars last year from unboxing toys. The revenue is raised through ads and sponsored content. It’s a vision of the future. It’s where even very young people go for amusement and practical information. 

I only heard about “influencers” last year. It’s a term my own grown up children apprised me of. It’s what all kids now aspire to, having a YouTube channel of their own with lots of subscribers. It’s a wonderful thing to be an influencer, very glamourous and potentially lucrative. Those who get in early can collect payment and proceed straight to GO. It’s early arrival on the gravy train of life. 

Still, I have an old-school influencer by me, and while it does not bring me any money, I still count it a personal treasure, not to be dismissed. It is not digital, it is very much physical and I like it that way. 

It’s my oldest book. I don’t know how, but through all the moving around and turmoil of a lifetime, it is somehow still here. It’s a diminutive copy of John Bunyan’s spiritual allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress. The price on the cover says 45 cents. I won it in a contest, for memorizing scripture. The portion I had to memorize was Ephesians chapter six, an appropriate segway from Pilgrim’s Progress, because it talks about spiritual battle and the weapons best at our disposal. Somehow it has come back to me at pivotal times in my life, like a voice in the night, telling me to go right or left. This is the way. Walk in it. 

I have not always walked in it, but I have been glad the times I did, and sorry the times I did not. It makes me understand though, how important the lessons are that we learn very young. There are things that we must be equipped with in life, and knowing how to think and where to go for guidance is a good life skill. Otherwise you can find yourself drinking from some very dark wells, ones which offer no ultimate hope. 

Memorization is also out of style it seems. When I was helping my kids with “new math” it made me scratch my head because there were so many avenues to tackle a problem that it was confusing. Me, I think back to those charts we had to memorize, like the times tables. Two times two is four, four times four is eight, eight times eight…. Rote learning certainly works. No critical thinking to find alternate solutions, just the right one. In that way it does not offer up any confusion as to the importance of the right answer. 

It also makes me think about all those many people thrown in jail who had to eke out some kind of hope in the darkness. Many of them memorized scripture, and it came to mind where it was necessary. There is a whole genre of jailhouse literature, all the way down from the Apostle Paul, to John Bunyan, and others who were imprisoned for their faith. 

John Bunyan was an interesting character because his literary masterpiece came to him in a lucid dream, and he transcribed it in the jail cell. It went on to become the next best selling book in the English language, surpassed only by the Bible itself. It is because the story speaks so much truth. It’s a play book for the everyman. John Bunyan was a Puritan by persuasion, and he committed vast portions of scripture to memory, which is evident when you read Pilgrim’s Progress. He lived a generation after the 1611 King James Version of the Bible, became widely available to the masses. He was imprisoned in 1670 and and again in 1677 after the restoration of Charles II when religious freedoms were revoked as a means of keeping matters of nominal faith officially channelled through the Church of England. No private professing or deviations allowed. 

I have a pretty good personal library. There are sections on world history, politics, economics, literature, and social issues. Despite the information I have gleaned that was valuable, I still like those books best which talked to the heart, not the head. They did me the favour of making me think of life, in a different way. They influenced me. If I were to be sent to a desert island with one book I would like to have with me and read again, it likely would be this book, battered and worn as it is. It has sentimental value if only for the fact that it has stuck with me in and out of hard times, speaking truth plainly as all good books should. 

Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of a man’s spiritual journey from cradle to grave, from first discernment of things worthy of contemplation beyond mere appearances, all the way through the practical battles life brings. Like Ephesians chapter six of the Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress lives the ins and outs of Christian’s mistakes, good and bad friendships, and where help best comes from in times of trouble. It is a book of hope, whereby Christian ultimately reaches the Celestial City and is welcomed by his saviour and master, the one he heard about, read about, and dreamed of seeing face to face. 

I have no doubt that John Bunyan received that welcome personally. His wonderful book is as true today as it was when first written. I have seen some translations into modern English, but like Shakespeare, John Bunyan’s story is best left alone in its original form. 

In the days when people are binge watching Netflix, when few happy stories appear in the daily news feed, when book reading has oft been reduced to what can be downloaded onto a tablet, I wonder how many people have derived happiness, and found hope, in a book. I have. 

A history of jailhouse literature shows us that the pen is truly mightier than the sword. It may also explain why rulers throughout history have so often feared and banned reading of the Bible. The strange and wonderful truths of Scripture permeate your life when you read them, mediate on them, and make them part of your life and decision making progress. If you have ever been in despair, and prayed the Psalms, you will understand that many have trod in your own footsteps and found hope for the troubled soul. It says in Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” In the maelstrom of life, it is a lamp to your feet, and a light for your path. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. 

Take note, kids. My influencer is portable, requires no upgrades, no Wifi, no plug-in and can be downloaded as effectively in part as in whole. Committed to memory, it is a powerful tool in any life arsenal. YouTube channels will come and go with the latest fad, but I wonder how many of them will last five hundred years? It is possible that my influencer has reached further parts of the globe, and has been profitiable to more who read it. Sometimes there really is no school quite like old school. 

Thank you, little book for your faithful message, and the path you have pointed me to, over the course of much time. I am happy to still find you on the shelf, a bit battered and used just like me but still kicking. Of all the available distractions in life, I am happy to have been influenced by something as ordinary and enduring as a book. Let’s do this journey together like old friends should. It’s what influencers do best.
0 Comments

    UNCOMMON
    ​THOUGHTS

    ...about common things. 
    ​

    Categories

    All
    Accidental Story
    Activist
    Adjusting The Recipe
    Adult Admission
    A Flannery O'Connor Moment
    After The Tiger
    A High Christology
    A Little Bit Redneck
    A Little Lower Than The Angels
    All About Widgets
    Allah Wallahi
    Al Low Vs The Man
    All Saints
    A Long List Of Thank Yous
    Amazing Grace
    A Month Of Sundays
    An Offer You Can’t Refuse
    Antique
    A Pile Of Wood And A Plan
    Are We There Yet?
    Artifact
    At Hand
    Attending To Beauty
    At War
    Bad-Ass Outlaw
    Bad Faith
    Badlands
    Baked Boiled Or Fried?
    Balcony Lady
    Beautiful By Design
    Beauty For Ashes
    Being Human
    Belial
    Beneficence
    Beware Of Men Who Cry
    Big Buts Of The Bible
    Blessed Are The Pew Warmers
    Bound For Beauty
    British Invasion
    Bronte Oak
    Bucket List
    But If Not
    But Is It Sandable
    But Is It True?
    Buyer Beware
    Camp Of The Unknown God
    Carlton The Delivery Man
    Chaos
    Cherry Top
    Class Monitors And Safety Patrols
    Clothing Optional
    Cloud Of Witnesses
    Contra Mundum
    Couldn't Not
    Counting The Cost
    Covid Cut
    Creed
    Crucified Man
    Dangerous
    Dangerous Chemicals Of My Youth
    Dieu Et Mon Droit
    Different Drum
    Distressed
    Doing The Lord's Work
    Do It Yourself
    Do-Over
    Do Something!
    Dreaming And Doing
    Edifice
    Egging Armour Hill
    Even As I Am Known
    Even Me
    Even Stranger Things
    Fallow Season
    Family Bible
    Family Business
    Fellowship Of The Brush
    Field Of Faith
    First World Chair
    Fit As You Go
    Fixing The Machine
    Flawed People
    Flock Of Angels
    Follow The Money
    For A Time Such As This
    Fortissimo!
    French Horn
    From A Distance
    Frozen Man
    Funny Words
    Genetic Lottery
    Gifting
    God Calling...
    Good Bones
    Good God Almighty
    Good Government
    Good Luck Skippy
    Gott Mit Uns
    Greatest Is Love
    Gross Anatomy
    Grunt
    Haka!
    Hammer And Tong
    Hands And Eyes
    Happy Rooster
    Hearing Voices
    Hello My Juan
    Helping God Show Off
    Hidden In The Secret Place
    High Dudgeon
    History Bites
    Hockey Tape And Rubber Bands
    Holy Disorder
    Home Economics
    I AM
    I Cannot Help You
    I Could Be Wrong
    I Dare You
    Idiots
    If You Build It
    If You Get There Before I Do
    Im Khalil
    Impossibly Cute
    In A Strange Land
    Incarnation
    Influencer
    In My Own Time
    Inner FIfteen Year Old
    In The Details
    In The Usual Manner
    Invader
    Judge Not
    Just A Few Words
    Justice
    Just In Our Own Time
    Just Like God
    Keep Calm And...
    Keeper
    Keeping House
    Keeping On Keeping On
    KJV
    Knock Yourself Out
    Kumbaya
    Kybo
    Lamentations
    Lemonade
    Less Is More
    Let Me Count The Ways
    Let's Go RIde A BIke
    Linked In
    Little Boxes
    Liturgy
    Lo And Behold
    Logos
    LOL
    Looking Back On The Forward Looking
    Looking For Some Real Good News
    Lord Jesus It’s A FIRE
    Lorem-ipsum-dolor
    Lost-and-found
    Luck Of The Stable
    Magical
    Make-a-baby-laugh
    Make It Nice
    Maker
    Maker’s Mark
    Ma-pitom
    Marbles-in-spring
    Measure Of A Man
    Memory Box
    Men In Loincloths
    Men's Barber Shop
    Middle Ground
    Middleman
    Mistakes All In
    Montreal Spice
    More
    Morse Code
    Mosh Pit
    My Neighbour
    Myth Of Sisyphus
    My Wife The Movie Star
    Name Calling
    Natural
    Neighbour
    New Day
    New Wine
    Next To Godliness
    Next Year Country
    No Fancy Diagram Needed
    No King But Caesar
    None Deserving
    North Of Ground Level
    Nothing Particularly Important
    Nothing Personal
    Not Waiting For Godot
    No Wonder
    Oak
    One Coffee At A Time
    One Smart Farmer
    One Thing
    On Richard Rohr
    On The Lam
    On Writing Clearly
    Ordinary Time
    Out Of Egypt
    Over And Again
    Paint Over That
    Paper Boy
    Particularity
    Particulate Matter
    Part Of The Tradition
    Pater Noster
    Patina
    Pelagian
    Perfect
    Perfect Crime
    Perfect Ride
    Philosemite
    Pilate's Dilemma
    Pinky Swear
    Place At The Table
    Playing Favourites
    Pop-a-corn!
    Potato War
    Preaching Parrot
    Predators
    Prince
    Print Shop
    Prisoner Of Jesus Christ
    Proof Text
    Psalm 1
    Psalm 19
    Put Away The Books
    Putting Up The Lights
    Reduce Reuse Recycle
    Restoration
    Rosemary And The Drug Dealers
    Sandwich
    Say My Name
    Scars
    Second Naiveté
    Seeing Red
    Seven Sixty-Five
    Shouting From The Areopagus
    Shrove-tuesday
    Silent-witness
    Small-c
    Small-graces
    Sore-afraid
    Squat
    Starting With What Is True
    Street Food
    Superstar
    Take-a-punch
    Takedown
    Talking-head
    Talking Your Parents Down From The Ledge
    Telling-the-story
    Thanksgiving
    The-best-for-last
    The Bliss Of Ignorance
    The Church Invisible
    Thecrossingking
    The Evil Day
    The-general
    The Great Mystery
    The-joys-of-hash
    Themysteryofthecheshirecat
    The-particularity-of-place
    The-quickening
    Therefore-choose-life
    The Table-ness Of A Table
    The Way
    Though One Be Raised From The Dead
    Thoughts On Sixty
    Three Jews And A Gentile
    Thrice Wise
    Throwing The Spaghetti Against The Wall
    Timeless
    Time Vs Time
    Tim Falladay
    Tims No More
    Tonto And Me
    Touching Stones
    Trevor’s Super Bad Day
    Trick Key
    Tubafore!
    Unbelievable
    Under A Bush? HELL NO!
    Uninvited
    Unspectacular
    Use Gently
    Watching Paint Dry
    Wayside Chapel
    Weaker Sex (?)
    We Stand On Guard For Thee
    We Were Waiting
    What Are You Prepared To DO?
    What Lazarus Knew
    When Cows Fly
    When Odd Becomes Interesting
    Why I Still Like Cowboys
    Witness
    Woke
    Wood Show
    Woodworking Lessons In Empathy
    Words
    Words... The Right Tool
    Worthy Adversary
    You And Me And Rob

    RSS Feed

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
Picture
  • Home
  • Hello and Welcome
  • Blog
  • Random Gatherings
  • My Book
  • FAQ