The Interconnectedness of All Things

No, I’m not going to refer to the Universe, or advocate mindfulness, or other trendy lexical terms that carry a scent, a whiff, of often ill thought through new age spirituality...

...but...

...the Bible does make profound and fundamental statements that would keep a spiritual philosopher busy for more than a lifetime. For example, ‘In Him all things hold together’ Col 1v17 

In my former life as a Chemistry teacher (please note, now I’m a writer. At least, if I keep saying it, it might one day feel real!) I taught the Law of Entropy, which proposes that, bit by bit, everything is tending to a state of maximum disorder, i.e. all things are falling apart. 

Whilst the law of entropy occupies my rational mind, my spirit knows that Christ holds all things together, that ‘by Him all things were made in heaven and earth, whether visible or invisible’ Col 1v16.

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Since freezing atop Crook Peak in North Somerset at midnight on New Year’s Eve with a few other equally misguided but joyful revellers, I’ve been having various ‘looking ahead into 2026’ conversations…but with a twist. Try asking ‘What lies ahead in terms of spirit, soul, and body?’ and I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the answers. 

The last two such conversations were significant. One said ‘Hope’. Not in a vague sense but a hope that permeates attitudes, longings, visions, dreams, and out to the world around. Another, this morning, said ‘Love’. When I asked ‘What form of love?’ the answer was love for neighbour; a genuine cry of the heart.

As writers, we are spiritual scribes. As believers, we have been given a new spirit and the Holy Spirit as free gifts, grace (Ezk 36v26,27). Our spirit in communion with the Holy Spirit is at the heart of all we do. Paul wrote, 'the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God’ as an example of this communion.

In 2026, may our writing be infused with and inspired by our communion with the Holy Spirit, the insights gained, the nudges and clarity, over plots and characters - and when the write and when to stop - and may our faith be in Christ who holds all things together…even our writing, and ourselves as writers when, sometimes, all the evidence seems to suggest we’re more in the grip of the law of entropy rather than the truth of our eternal cohesion in Christ.

Happy New Year!