Author: Chris Jefferies

I live in the west of England, worked in IT, and previously in biological science.

Time for a new paradigm

Times change and businesses and organisations have to change too. You see the same situation in ecosystems: weather patterns change, or a new species of plant or animal moves in, and the balance shifts.

Wikipedia’s entry on Patreon

Thinking out loud – 4

Patreon on Wikipedia

Times change and businesses and organisations have to change too. You see the same situation in ecosystems: weather patterns change, or a new species of plant or animal moves in, and the balance shifts. Plants and animals that used to thrive begin to struggle or even die out, others prosper.

Internet conditions have been changing, and continue to do so. YouTube, pressured by the popularity of Tik-Tok style short video clips is bringing YouTube ‘shorts’ front and centre, and longer, more serious videos are both more expensive to host (because they are longer, slower to upload, and need more storage), and less popular with younger audiences (a recently growing sector.) Blogs have become less popular for the same reasons. Print media have been suffering too, everyone wants video reports on current events. Even TV channels are suffering, seen as boring and not for the current generation.

So what to do when the old models fail? That was the issue Fraser Cain faced.

Here’s a story of frustration and hard work when a website failed, revenues had been trending downwards for some time and the YouTube part of the operation proved problematic for a different reason. The solution? Patreon, and a new (old) approach to funding. Watch Fraser Cain’s video below where he shares the full story of the website failure and reconstruction, the problem with YouTube, and the new emphasis on Patreon going forward.

Patreon

The answer, as you have seen, was to find a new model; or perhaps it’s just an even older model come back in disguise! Provide material, perhaps in large part for free, but then charge a weekly or monthly subscription for extras. These might be coverage in greater depth, providing additional topics, giving an opportunity to provide feedback, or win prizes, or sell ‘merch’, or whatever other benefits you might think of.

Patreon is becoming more and more popular with creators, and for very good reason – the model is extremely successful. It works well for creators, and it works well for viewers who can enjoy an ad-free experience. Not everyone will be willing to pay for the extras, but that doesn’t matter. As long as the income exceeds the costs of production it’s a success. so the more people a creator can sign up, the lower the fee can become. It’s a great idea, it works for everyone.

See also:

Here are some further links to Fraser’s material, as well as a few other content creators using Patreon very effectively:

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!

Trump, Vance and fruit

Did Jesus discuss politics with his followers? Most certainly he did! ‘Whose head is on this coin’, he asked. ‘Well then, pay Caesar his due, but make sure to pay the Almighty his due as well.’ And that’s just one example of many.

That meeting with Zelenskyy (Wikimedia)

Thinking out loud – 3

Oval Office
(Wikimedia)

There is a view out there that religion and politics shouldn’t be mixed. We don’t want to offend one another and politics is likely to be a topic that people feel strongly about – so let’s avoid unnecessary divisions.

I’m all in favour of unity, but I have two issues with that thinking.

The first issue is the word ‘religion’. Do I follow a religion? I sincerely hope not! I do my best to follow Jesus, he’s the best example of living well that I have. He taught his followers by example, by argument and by his loving heart. That’s not religion, it’s simply the practice of following the best example!

The second issue is the word ‘politics’. Following Jesus, if it means anything, means following him in every aspect of life. So unless we define politics as somehow not being an aspect of life, it follows that we should include it as just another part of life in which we can follow Jesus. Did Jesus discuss politics with his followers? Most certainly he did! ‘Whose head is on this coin’, he asked. ‘Well then, pay Caesar his due, but make sure to pay the Almighty his due as well.’ And that’s just one example of many.

So with those two points cleared up, what about Trump, Vance and fruit?

Trump and Vance

Whatever you think of the politics, and whatever you make of their words, I’d like you to look deeper than that – please consider their actions as well, and particularly consider the motives and intentions that led to the words and actions. We’ll come back to those in a moment, but first let’s look at fruit.

Fruit?

Yes. Fruit.

Paul wrote 2000 years ago about the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus working in the hearts and minds of people following Jesus. Here’s how that works. When something grows (a young plant, a young animal, a child) there is always some kind of fruit. An apple tree will always produce apples, more and more in maturity as it reaches full size. A young animal will develop attitudes to prey and predators that will enable it to survive and produce offspring. A child will develop attitudes and actions based on those of parents, siblings, teachers and so on.

The fruit of Jesus’ Spirit working in his followers is described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-25. It’s fruit, it develops as you grow. It ripens with maturity, it has fragrance and flavour. Here are Paul’s words:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Back to Trump and Vance

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. How much of those attributes have you noticed in the words and actions of the USA’s President and Vice-President?

If you want a specific example, think of the way they treated Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office recently.

Here are the opposites of the fruit in Paul’s list – hatred, gloom, impatience, unkindness, unfaithfulness, harshness, out-of-control. If the first list is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, where does the opposite fruit come from?

See also:

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!

Yara’s letter

Yaroslava Antipina lives in Kyiv, she writes often about Ukrainian culture and art, about the war, and always illustrates her letters with some great photography.

One of Yara’s photos

Verbatim – 1

A short introduction from me first, and then the text and images from Yara’s letter. I rarely post other people’s material verbatim, but this is an exception as Yara writes that it can be shared freely. If I can bring her even one more regular follower it will be worth sharing her letter here.

One of Yara’s photos

Yaroslava Antipina lives in Kyiv, she writes often about Ukrainian culture and art, about the war, and always illustrates her letters with some great photography. Her writing style is engaging and her objective is to help her readers understand what’s happening, how beautiful her country is, and give them some idea of how it feels to live through these events. She has a lot of loyal readers and followers.

Yara is the short form of her name; the name you’d use if you joined her for a coffee in Kyiv. Find her on Patreon, and see another recent letter with some photos of amazing dresses.

The full letter…

Friday Letter from Ukraine. Peace without security guarantees

Hi!

I didn’t plan to write today, but yesterday, while reading a magazine, I came across an article about the Kellogg–Briand Pact. Perhaps you know about it, but let me quickly summarise it, and then I will explain why I mentioned it. I promise this letter will be short.

On August 27, 1928, fifteen nations signed the Kellogg–Briand Pact at Paris; later, forty-seven more joined. France and the United States, represented by the Foreign Minister of France, Aristide Briand, and the Secretary of State of the United States, Frank Kellogg, were the leading initiators of the development and adoption of this document.

The signatories renounced war as a means of national policy towards other countries and pledged to settle disputes peacefully.

Frank Kellogg earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929 for his work on the Peace Pact.

In practice, the Pact was ineffective. In 1931, Japan began its occupation of Manchuria. Although Japan had signed the Pact, the combination of the global depression and a limited willingness to engage in war to protect China hindered the League of Nations and the United States from taking any action to enforce it. Later, Italy invaded Ethiopia, and the Soviet Union and Germany started to divide Eastern Europe. The Kellogg–Briand Pact was an example of how wars cannot be prevented by simply prohibiting them and signing a document. 

Ukraine is now forced to make a peace deal with russia. Ukraine demands security guarantees. Without them, I see this peace agreement as a piece of paper where something like, ‘Okay, let’s end this war; enough is enough’ will be written.

Perhaps someone may even be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for it (and you know who I mean).

Meanwhile, russia will take some time to rearm, revive its economy and become even stronger before it invades again. It may be only Ukraine or other neighbouring countries. That piece of paper with ‘enough is enough’ will greatly help russia as there will be no consequences for the new invasion. A big nothing except for worrying nods: ‘It is so bad’.

I know I am telling you very obvious things, and Ukraine constantly repeats and demands it.

I know I don’t decide anything.

I know that these guys in suits can do everything they want.

I know.

But we need to talk. We need to think critically. We need to reflect on the past and learn from history. We need to do even little something to avoid big nothing. Or this ⬇️

Serhii Kichay, Unchildlike Grief, 1943

Thank you for reading. This letter is public so that you can share it with anyone if you want. Commenting is reserved for my supporters as my gratitude for helping my words reach as many people as possible and my intention to keep at least this place safe (I had issues before).

The art of persuasion

We need to be noticed for our goodness. If we are filled with the spirit of Jesus we will bear the fruit of his spirit; and here’s that fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Working at a food bank (Wikimedia)

Thinking out loud – 2

My previous post was an image of the day. I wrote about evening mist, and how our lives have a beginning, a middle, and an end, just like a day there’s a certain mistiness about growing old. I ended by writing:

The teaching of Jesus is very logically sound, not testable but also, as far as I can see, internally coherent and free of self contradiction. That quality amazes me, I believe his claims to be true, testable or not. He has convinced me. Maybe he has convinced you too, or maybe not. We have that freedom, and we cannot persuade one another using the scientific approach, good as that is for studying more measurable and therefore testable matters.

Food bank
(Wikimedia)

If we can’t persuade others using the scientific method of testable hypotheses, how then can we reach those around us? There is a way, of course, so lets take it step by step.

How I live

The first thing to realise is that if we are following Jesus, we are his ambassadors in this world. An ambassador represents one nation by being present in another. Jesus came as an ambassador (and much more than that, of course). He came to represent his Father and his Kingdom here on Earth. He demonstrated Kingdom values and ways as well as talking about them.

I’m an ambassador too, I’m here to represent Jesus and his Kingdom to others. If I’m to represent Jesus I need to be like him as much as possible. So let’s dig into his character for a moment. Why did people 2000 years ago in Israel listen to Jesus? He did speak to individuals and even to crowds, but he also did things that surprised people. He met people’s needs (that will always get attention). He fed hungry people, he listened to lonely people. He healed sick people (that definitely got attention) He told stories (something else that people will listen to). But primarily (and what lay behind everything else) – he loved people and cared about them. So that’s what I aspire to: love people and care about them, meet their needs, feed the hungry, listen to the lonely, heal the sick, and tell good stories. Those are things I try to do as an ambassador for Jesus.

There’s a lot of love but also a good deal of uncaring in this human world of ours. People usually love their close family and their best friends and it’s love that drives us to help, to go the extra mile, to put up with those times when we feel let down or disappointed. But with people we don’t know we may be cautious at first. Some people seem not to care at all about others, appearing to be driven by selfishness alone. But the fact is that almost all of us are a mix, we display love sometimes, at other times or with other people we just don’t care very much.

We need to be noticed for our goodness. If we are filled with the spirit of Jesus we will bear the fruit of his spirit; and here’s that fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – this list was written down in Greek by Paul, an early follower of Jesus. Read what he wrote in context.

It’s not so much about what I say, it’s about what I do. Helping in a food-bank, for example, picking up litter, planting snowdrops on grass verges, listening, learning to be more like Jesus.

Talking about Jesus

If I walk up to a stranger in the street and start telling them about Jesus, what will happen? Will they listen? I think we all know the answer!

If people notice how I behave and what I do and are surprised about that in some way, they might sometimes ask me about it. And I’ll explain that it’s simply because I’m trying to become more like Jesus. They might ask about that as well.

If I claim to be following Jesus, people will assume that Jesus is like me. That is a huge responsibility. If I fail in how I live, what I say will not be believed. Answering questions is always better than telling people things they may not be eager to hear. Reaching people is a matter of my behaviour being interesting enough to spark the why question and then providing good answers.

See also:

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!

Mist arising

The faded warm colour of the sky, the stark blackness of the skeletal trees, and rising mist make a scene I just had to capture. I had only my phone with me, but for wide-field, distant views that’s good enough.

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Image of the day – 141

What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye. I’m posting an image every day or so.

Click to enlarge

This photo was taken from the Gloucester Road, between Cirencester and the village of Stratton a mile to the north. It was the 15th of January 2025, at nearly five in the evening. The sun had already set so the air was cooling after a mild day with good sunshine and the moist air above the grass in the fields was condensing as mist.

The faded warm colour of the sky, the stark blackness of the skeletal trees, and rising mist make a scene I just had to capture. I had only my phone with me, but for wide-field, distant views that’s good enough. There’s a hint of mystery here too, we can only guess what might be hidden in the most misty areas.

And I couldn’t help thinking about the parallels with people. Before birth we are hidden, like the darkness before the dawn (you need to imagine a country dawn, not a city dawn, no streetlights, no artificial light). After birth we are visible to all and we change, growing in size, growing in knowledge, growing too in wisdom – hopefully. Most of our life is lived in the full light of day. We have a job, we raise a family, we interact with others as friends, or family, or perhaps sometimes even as enemies.

Lives, like days, begin, run their course, and then become evening. In the evening of life, the pace slows, there are memories that may be well-defined, or sometimes, like the mist, our memories hide things from us. The light fades, and when we die we enter darkness like the night.

Or do we? People have discussed what happens after death, every generation that has lived has wondered about this. Some people are certain that the darkness of death is the end of all sensation. And they are right, of course. But might there be other possibilities? Every generation has also held untestable ideas. Is there a God? If so, what is he/she like? Answers to untestable questions are not wrong, they are just not capable of being tested.

It has always seemed quite sensible to me to live my life as if what I do matters during the night of my life as well as during its day. But also, the teaching of Jesus is very logically sound, not testable but also, as far as I can see, internally coherent and free of self contradiction. That quality amazes me, I believe his claims to be true, testable or not. He has convinced me. Maybe he has convinced you too, or maybe not. We have that freedom, and we cannot persuade one another using the scientific approach, good as that is for studying more measurable and therefore testable matters.

See also:

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Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!