Selections from my Franciscan essays (hover cursor over link for source or click for full article)
‘Serendipity X. The Rebel Writer Writes, ‘To X Or Not To X’’
Disorder out of disorder? Yes. That’s the way I know creative thinking begins, with something that is seemingly un-pregnant with the promise of a brainchild. Once you accept that, your days as an un-creative writer are over. Then you will be the father of a brainchild one after another. Prolific. Terrific!
Welcome Serendipity X, the Serendipity Muse on call. Let x equals the unknown equals chaos equals creativity. I write this time about creativity 24/7, x’ing unlimited. Unknown becoming quantity first, then quietly transforming into quality. Structure giving birth to substance. X’ing is creative thinking like you’ve never known before. Serendipity eXtreme. To x or not to x, that is the (creative) question!
***
We begin with chaos. I am the Author of Chaos. In creating the universe as we know it, didn’t God the Great Creative start with chaos?
And the waters of chaos were upon the face of the depth, and God hovered upon the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light, and the waters were illuminated. And God saw that it was good.
***
God didn’t like chaos, but to be creative He had to start with it. We mere creatures must go do likewise. So we have to create chaos. The thieves create chaos in order to steal, the politicians in order to divide and conquer, the mathematicians in order to be able to plot order, and our enemies in order to weaken our defenses. So why not writers and thinkers to create chaos and master it for their own purposes?
***
According to Englishman Horace Walpole, who invented the word in 1754, Serendipity is ‘accidental sagacity’ (Richard Boyle, 2000, livingheritage.org), that is, making a discovery when you’re not out making any discovery. So I say Serendipity is unconscious creativity, accidental genius, finding something wonderful when you’re not out looking for something wonderful. Great! Serendipitously, I have come up with my own; I say Serendipity X is conscious creativity, deliberate genius, actively searching for bright ideas by way of controlled chaos. As I shall show you in this essay, chaos is the raw material for creativity. With Serendipity X, bits and pieces of the confusion become the sparks of genius.
***
In fact, ‘Serendipity X’ is merely a new name for what I have been doing for the last 20 years or so, fooling around with ideas in what I happen to be writing, editing or reviewing (see my ‘PC Fools,’ frankahilario.com). So I know that Serendipity X is more creative than Edward De Bono’s Lateral Thinking, that which I have studied myself, and more promising than Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping, that which I have seen at work. Indeed, it is more exciting than Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and less exhausting, as there is no daily journaling required at the self-appointed time, and any time you’re at it, Serendipity X gives you creative, quality time.
***
In Serendipity X, handled with an impossible mix of credulity and incredulity, chaos becomes creative chaos. You don’t have to be crazy, but it works!
***
Yes, it just so happens that Serendipity X is born on the same day People Power was born, both events major and minor reflecting a coming to terms, liberation from the shackles of thinking like slaves, thinking inside the box. People Power liberated a country from a dictatorship of the elite with the formula of government; Serendipity X liberates the writer from a dictatorship of any formula of writing.
And yes, my coming up with its name shows that Serendipity X works like a charm. My previous drafts of this essay had the brief titles of first, ‘Creator Of Chaos,’ then ‘Author Of Chaos,’ and nothing mentioned about Serendipity.
***
Why do I use my own hands to type my own notes? They go to my head. And when they do, I can digest them. That’s using my head using my hands, two necessary steps toward creativity, using the memory of the eyes and the memory of the mind. If you want to be a good writer, you have to be a good typist; if you want to be a better writer, you have to learn word processing (worping). With worping, the software becomes your second mind, with which you can graduate to creative chaos.
***
Since about 20 years ago, outlining using software has been the open secret to my productivity for other people and my creativity for myself. I have been using Word in all its incarnations – except Word 2007, by which Bill Gates’ Microsoft unfortunately has turned me into a total dummy, what with all its strangely new, Out-Of-This-Word command module. Well, nobody’s perfect, including Bill Gates. That’s why I’m not on speaking terms with this strange species (see my ‘Call Me User,’ frankahilario.com).
***
Notwithstanding, I have found that Word 2003 is the perfect word processor (worp) for the writer in me, so now I am more than willing to freely share with you a few little Word commands for outline-organizing your own way to a higher level of creativity.
***
Now, can you be creative without learning Word’s outline-organize feature? Of course. But with Word as your worp, you can be x times more creative. With Serendipity X, outline-organizing is actually fooling around with ideas, and I have already written that you have to become one of my ‘PC Fools’ to become really creative (frankahilario.com).
***
Now all you see is this:
(1) The Quick Brown Fox
(2) Five Puzzled Boys
(3) Donuts
(4) Mascot.
So, can you be a creative writer and combine all 4 topics and write 1 charming little essay? Probably not.
Now, for the magic of outline-organizing: Select the whole line (3) and drag it up so that it follows (1); so now it reads like this:
(1) The Quick Brown Fox
(3) Donuts
(2) Five Puzzled Boys
(4) Mascot.
Click View, Outline again. Just looking at those 4 lines should now give you ideas. My ideas are these: You can feed donuts to the quick brown fox and the lazy dog. And actually, the mascot (teddy bear) was called ‘Frank’ and that was the one the six quiet girls were kissing. Creativity, Sir, is the name of the game.
***
Be sure to include in your search indirectly related topics, as merely scanning them will surely increase your understanding of your topic at hand.
Tagging your little notes will give you more ideas. The title you assign Heading 1; the tags you assign Heading 2. And then to create a great deal more disorder: you gather some more notes, jot down some more thoughts. Try assigning Heading 3 to some tags. Click View, Outline, then hide the texts and see if you can move around some of the headings together with the texts underneath them. Surely ideas will come to you how to organize what you’re writing.
***
As my book The Rebel Writer’s Guide For Non-Dummies will show, if you can’t create great disorder, you can’t create great order. (In sequential order, you have been reading from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3. If you want to be a creative writer, I recommend that you start with Chapter 3, which is this one.)
***
Remember this: You are your own creative god. Creator of Chaos – that’s what you should first become, what each writer should first become if he wants to be creative, or to be more so.
***
You must cultivate that chaos habit. When being the author of chaos becomes second-nature, Creativity becomes second-nature to you. You’ve grown accustomed to her face, to her wiles, to her blessings.
***
To mix metaphors: When you’re creative, wherever you go, sometimes you bring a closed flash drive and always an open mind; you have perhaps 4 gigabytes in your hands but certainly infinite, enigmatic bytes in your head.
***
If you’re a writer and you don’t know outline-organize as according to the Word 2003 paradigm, you don’t know what you’re missing. Try it sometime! Drag your headings and subheadings every which way – along with the corresponding text of course – and see instantly if this sequence makes better sense or that sequence makes much better sense, or this tag & text will have to go, or this text will have to be the beginning or that text will have to be the ending, or this statement is the first thing to say to attract attention or that statement is the last thing to say that leaves a better aftertaste.
***
Now then, you might say Serendipity X is outline-organizing (OO) plus the unknown (X) equals OOX, license to thrill. With Serendipity X, outline-organizing becomes one of the most powerful tools for creativity that I have ever seen, and I thank Microsoft Word for that.
***
In Serendipity X, or creative chaos, the journey itself is many journeys; you are always making a new first step, never the last, until you’re happy with the end results. Going the way of Serendipity X is an adventure into the unknown, creating chaos in mind as a foundation for creating essay on paper. Sounds crazy it just might work!
***
To x is for me to take notes and add more and tag and retag them and create and recreate my outline using my favorite worp. With Serendipity X, Word’s outline-organize is the best thing that ever happened to my writing. With this feature not found in any other word processing software that I know of, it’s a Wonderful Word out there for creative writers who want to be the best they can be. I wish them only the best.
“Let There Be Light”
“In The Beginning” The Creator(Our Father) said,
“Let There Be Light, and There Was Light”
“The Beginning of The Creation of GOD”
“Let There Be Light”
And the revelation that The Messiah gave unto the
apostle John bore witness to The Truth that The
Messiah, was “The Beginning of the Creation of
GOD(Our Father, Creator of ALL)”! (Rev 3:14)
And The Messiah bore witness to His Brethren
when He testified, “My GOD is your GOD and My
Father(Creator) is your Father(Creator).”(Jn 20:17)
The Messiah testified “I have sent My angel to
you with this testimony for the assemblies. I am the
root and the offspring of David, and the bright and
Morning Star(Light)”! (Rev 22:16) ) “We have the
more sure word of prophecy; and you do well to
take heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns, and The Morning Star(Light)
arises in your hearts.”(2Pt 1:19) “But you are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, HIS own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of HIM who called you out
of darkness into His marvelous Light.”(1Pt2:9)
And the evening(darkness) and The Morning
(Light) was the First Day).” (Gen 1:5)
“The Beginning of The Creation of GOD”!
It is very important to both know and experience
The Messiah as He Is, Was and always Will Be,
and also to know the “glory He had with Our
Father” before He was born in “the likeness of
sinful flesh”. (John 17:5, Rom 8:3) For what The
Messiah Was and Is, Is that which He will always
Will Be.”The Only Begotten Son” of “Our Father”!
First, let me simply state that I do not believe the
“catholic” and “christian” theo’ry’logical doctrines
concerning “The Only True GOD, Father ALL”. For
they “image”ine a three-headed “god” they call
their “trinity”, or they declare their “christ” to be
their “god and father”, or they believe that The
Messiah was but an exalted messenger(angel)
or prophet.
John The Baptist testified, “And I saw, and bare
record that The Messiah is the Son of GOD(Our
Father).”(John 1:34) Peter testified, “You are The
Messiah, The Son of The Living GOD(Father of
ALL)”!(Matt 16:16) And the Ethiopian eunuch
testified, “I believe that The Messiah is The Son
of GOD(Our Father)”. (Acts 8:37) “Seeing then
that we have a great high priest, that is passed
into the Heavens, The Messiah, The Son of
GOD(Our Father), let us hold fast our profession.”
(Heb 4:14) “These things are written so that you
might believe that The Messiah is The Son of GOD
(Our Father)”. (John 20:31) The Messiah testified
that He was “The Son of GOD”, and that His GOD
was “The Only True GOD(Father of ALL)”.
(John 10:36,17:3)
And The Messiah also testified that He was the
“Son of man” and “The Light of the world”.
(Matt 26:64, John 8:12)
It is needful to believe that The Messiah Was, Is
and always Will Be “The Son of The Living GOD”,
and that there is but “One GOD, HE WHO is
Father of ALL”. (Mat 16:16, Eph 4:6) The Messiah
bore witness to His Brethren when He testified
after being “raised from among the dead”, “My GOD
is your GOD and My Father(Creator) is your Father
(Creator)” (John 20:17)
Is The Messiah’s GOD and Father your GOD
and Father?
Who are The Brethren of The Messiah?
“Let There Be Light”
Once again, It is very important to both know and
experience The Messiah as He Was, Is and always
Will Be. The Messiah simply testified in John 17:5
“And now O Father, glorify Me with YOUR own self
with the glory that I had with YOU before the world
began”.
Prior to that testimony The Messiah had testified,
“Yet a little while is The Light with you. Walk while
you have The Light, lest darkness comes upon
you: for he that walks in darkness does not know
where he goes. While you have Light, believe in
The Light, that you may be the children of Light.”
(John 12:35-36)
And the apostle John testified: “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and
The Word was GOD. (John did not testify that
The Word is GOD)The same was in the beginning
with GOD. All things were made by Him, and
without Him was not any thing made that was
made. In Him was Life; and The Life was The
Light of men. And The Light shined in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not. There
was a man sent from GOD, whose name was
John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of The Light, that all men through Him
might believe. He(John the baptist) was not that
Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the True Light, which enlightens every
man that comes into the world. He(The Messiah)
was in the world, and the world was made by
Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not. But as
many as received Him, to them He gave power
to become the sons of GOD, even to them that
believe on His name: Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of “The Only True GOD, Father of
ALL”.” (John 1:1-13)
It is needful to realize that The Messiah testified
of “The Only True GOD” in John 17:3, and so it is
that The GOD and Father of The Messiah IS,
WAS and always WILL BE “The Only True GOD”.
“The Only True GOD” is “Father of ALL”.
And “The Father of ALL” is “Our Father”, HE WHO
IS “The Only True GOD” and Father of The Messiah
and His Brethren.
And the apostle John testified in John 3:17-21:
“For Our Father sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world through
Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is
not condemned: but he that believes not is
condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of GOD(Our
Father). And this is the condemnation, that Light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that does evil hates The Light,
neither comes to The Light, lest his deeds should
be reproved. But he that does Truth comes to The
Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that
they are wrought in GOD(Our Father).”
In John 12:34 the people asked, “Who is this Son
of man? Then in John 12:35-36, “The Messiah said
unto them, yet a little while is The Light with you.
Walk while you have The Light, lest darkness come
upon you: for he that walks in darkness does not
know where he goes. While you have Light, believe
in The Light, that you may be the children of Light.
The Messiah spoke these things, and departed,
and hid Himself from them.”
Simply, “In The Beginning” The Only True GOD
spoke The Word, “Let There Be Light”, “And there
was Light”! “And there was evening(darkness) and
there was morning (Light), The First Day”. (Gen 1:5)
Certainly such “Light” was not “natural” light, for
“natural” light, the sun, moon, and stars were not
created until the “fourth day”. (Gen 1:14-19)
“In the beginning”, “The First Day”, The Father of
All created “The Light”, without which Creation and
Life, as we now know and experience it, could not
have been.
The First Day, “The Light”, The Messiah, “The
beginning of the Creation of GOD(HE WHO is
The Only True GOD and Father of ALL)”!
(Gen 1:3, Rev 3:14, John 17:3, Eph 4:6)
And “The Only True GOD” created all “things” by,
through, and for “The Light”, The Messiah, “The
Son of The Living GOD” and “Son of man”.
(Col 1:15, Eph 3:9, Mat 16:16, Mat 12:32)
And “The True Light which enlightens every man
coming into the world”, was born as a child
destined to be The Messiah. (John 1:9, Mat 1:21)
The Messiah, “The Light of the world”.
(John 8:12, 9:5)
The Messiah, “The firstborn of every creature
(all creation)”. (Col 1:15)
The Messiah, “Begotten of Our Father”,
“The firstborn among many Brethren”.
(Heb 1:5) (Ps 2:7) (Rom 8:29)
The Messiah, “A servant of The Only True GOD
(Father of ALL)”. (Isa 42:1-7)
The Messiah, “The Lamb of GOD”.
(John 1:29,36)
The Messiah, “The firstborn from among the dead”.
(Col 1:18)
Once again: “In The Beginning” Our Father, “The
Only True GOD” spoke: “Let there be Light, and
there was Light”! The Messiah, “The Beginning of
the Creation of GOD”, “the firstborn of every
creature(all creation)”. (Gen 1:3, John 17:3,
Rev 3:14, Col 1:15)
Thanks Be To “Our Father”!
The Messiah, The Creation of “The Only True
GOD, Father of ALL”! (Rev 3:14)
The Messiah, “made so much better than the
angels”! (Heb 1:4)
The Messiah, “The Light of the world”!
(John 8:12, 9:5)
“The Lamb of GOD”, “The Light of The New
Heavenly Jerusalem”! (Rev 21:22-23)
Paul experienced “The Light ” on the road to
Damascus. “And it came to pass, that, as I
made my journey, and came near unto
Damascus about noontime, suddenly a great
Light from Heaven shone round about me.
And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice
saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute Me? And I answered, “Who are
You, Master”? And He said unto me, I am
Yehowshuwa’ (Yahshua,Joshua)of Nazareth,
Whom you persecute. And they that were
with me saw The Light, and were afraid; but
they did not hear the voice of Him that spoke
to me. And I said, “What shall I do, Master”?
And He said unto me, arise and go into
Damascus, and there you shall be told all
things which are appointed for you to do.
And when I could not see for the glory of
that Light, I was led by the hand into
Damascus.” (Acts 22:6-11)
Paul also testified, “At midday I saw in the
way a Light from Heaven, ABOVE THE
BRIGHTNESS OF THE SUN, shining round
about me and those who journeyed with me.
And when we were all fallen to the earth, I
heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying
in the HEBREW tongue, Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick
against the pricks.” (The Messiah could not
have told Paul, “I am jesus” for He spoke in
the “HEBREW tongue”) (Acts 26:13-14)
Paul saw “The Light” that was The Messiah
and he was blinded(naturally, not Spiritually)
for a time. Now when The Messiah was in
the “likeness of sinful flesh”, born as “the
Son of man”, He could only reflect “The
Light”, liken unto the moon which but reflects
the light of the natural sun.
“Let There Be Light”
The Messiah, “The Light of the world”!
And consider the natural light provided by
the sun, which was Created on the fourth
day. Does not the natural light of the sun
reveal outwardly, all the earthly, natural
things? Consider what happens when
that which you thought was clean is
exposed to the light of the sun? Is not
the least outward particle of uncleanness
readily seen in the light of the sun? And
so it is with “The Light” that is The Messiah.
For His Life, “The Life”, exposes all the
uncleanness in the life that is of The “I” in
all of us! The “I” is the creation of mankind’s
“imag”ination! And “The Light” penetrates
deeply, cleansing even the innermost
recesses of the heart, “rightly dividing the
soul and spirit”!
Yet for such a cleansing to begin one must
“experience The Messiah(The Light) and
The Power that raised Him from among the
dead”!(Php 3:10) Oh, there are many who
know of a “messiah”, yet who has
experienced “The Light”? For “The Light”
was “The Beginning of Creation” both the
old, which was natural and earthly and The
New, which is of The Spirit and Heavenly.
Those who “love this world and it’s things”
yet desire that which “decayed, waxed
old and vanished away” (Heb 8:13) They
are of those “whose ‘god’ is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame, for
they mind earthly things”. (Phlp 3:19)
Sadly, those who “love this world and it’s
things” yet love darkness more than The
Light and they will abide in the darkness
they loved forever ;-( (1Jn2:15,Jn3:19-20)
Sadder yet, systems of religion that are of
this world, such as “catholicism”, “christianity”,
“judaism”, “islam”, etc., have so perverted
The Testimonies, that today, as in the two
thousand or so, years gone by, “The Way
of Truth is evil spoken of”! All because of
the theo’ry’logical, heretical doctrines that
are of men! And especially those
theo’ry’logical doctrines which seek to
define “The Only True GOD, Father of All”.
(2Peter 2:1-2)
All such doctrines are but the product of
mankind’s “imag”ination and mankind’s
“imag”ination is destroying and perverting
Creation(land, air, water, creatures, Light,
Truth, Love, Peace, Joy, Hope, .etc.)
Yes, sadly ;-( Creation is being destroyed
by self-willed men who could care less
about that which is of The Truth(What Is,
Was, and always Will Be), and care even
less about those things which they can
not comprehend apart from their
“natural” senses and mental processes ;-(
And The Truth testifies, The Creator “will
destroy those who destroy the earth(HIS
Creation)”(Rev 11:18).
Sadly, in this wicked world, those who
seek profit will naturally overcome those
who do not ;-(
Yet, There Is Hope!
For The Life is of The Spirit!
And Miracles do happen!
And Faith rejoices against profit(greed)
and theo’ry’logy(logic)!
Hope is there would be those who experience
The Miracle that is receiving “a love of The
Truth” for they will “see” “The Light”.
(2Thes 2:10, John 8:12, 9:5)
And they will receive peace, in spite of the
dis-ease(no-peace) that is of this world, for
they will clearly “see” that “The WHOLE
world is under the control of the evil one”.
(1John 5:19) And they will clearly “see”
things as they are and not as “imag”inative,
world-loving humans would have others
believe them to be, for they will “see” The
Light that is The Messiah……. francisco
you say you do not believe in the teachings of the roman catholic church. many say they do and yet they do not live like roman catholics should. the same with the non-catholics. it is not in labels or arguments that we show that we are truly christians – it is in living the life of one.