My very first blog was born during my freshman year of high school. Several friends used Livejournal, which was more restricted at the time (you had to get a code from a current user to begin an account), and the thought of an online journal intrigued me. My chosen username was “jesusraver” – a combination of my faith and the ridiculous amount of bracelets that adorned my arms. Since then, I have gone through a variety of usernames, be it with Livejournal or Xanga:
- lady_j (my dad’s nickname for me when I was little)
- singwithboys (I sang tenor in high school)
- piercemyear (my favorite bible camp song)
- godpiercedmyear (when I had to move on from “piercemyear” for various reasons)
- thethirdwoman (most recent; a play on “The Third Man” – old radio show and movie starring Orson Welles)
And now, I move on to yet another username, another blog site. Yes, the speed at which I fly through blogs and names is a bit tiring. But I am quickly approaching a new phase in life, and it is time to grow up a bit. Sadly for me, this includes using capital letters like a grammatically-correct writer (not just when referencing the Creators of my faith, as has been the case). More importantly to me, however, is the chosen username of this latest blog attempt: fruity oaty bars.
If you are familiar with the (cancelled) television show “Firefly” (Joss Whedon’s finest work, in my mind), you will know the story of River Tam – a young girl with innumerable talents. You will also know what she suffered at the hands of the Alliance (central government in the series) and how she became a fugitive. And finally, you will know of “Serenity,” the film that followed the series’ end. (If you are not familiar with either of these works of the screen, please do yourself a favor and remedy that fact.)
During a particular scene in “Serenity,” the crew has docked for the captain to conduct business in a local bar. While in the bar, River notices the commercial playing on-screen above the bartender – an ad for Fruity Oaty Bars. In this ad, the Alliance has embedded a code that triggers a memory that River is unaware of possessing. It is this memory that directs the crew and, consequently, the rest of the film.
Perhaps I am nothing more than a pathetic fan. Perhaps I read too much into insignificant things. Be that as it may, this particular moment in the film speaks volumes to me.
I am a follower of Christ. I believe that all humans beings, at their core, are followers of Christ. I believe that each person has a very specific, significant trigger in their life that will direct them to follow that core instinct. For River, it was Fruity Oaty Bars that changed her life. For me, it was one Sunday at Otter Creek, the Sunday on which they taught a new song – “In Christ Alone” – which gave new meaning to the significance of being in a relationship with a living, dying, and again-living savior.
My writing here may be cluttered ramblings at times. But my hope is that my thoughts might find coherence through leaving my mind and entering a realm in which they can be shared, heard, critiqued. Also, that others might notice the everyday, the mundane, the simple… and allow those things to trigger something deeper and greater than themselves.
These tasks I leave in the hands of those who might stumble across this corner of the internet.
