As you can tell from the other sections of the site, my list of interests is rather extensive. However, they all come together to further define who I am as a person, just as anyone else's interests would do the same for them. Below, you will find a list of the things that interest me. You can either scroll down the page manually, or you can click on the subject that interests you.
Pretty much all of the acting that I have done has been for stage, and come to think of it, in ways I have been acting since I was a small child. However, the first "official" time was in Grade 3 for a school play as one of the Billy Goats Gruff. After that point, I have been in numerous productions with parts ranging from minor chorus "Farmer 1" roles to larger roles, like the lion in Missoula Children's Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz. My roles have been in a variety of venues, from community theatre to school plays, and finally to church drama.
Currently, the majority of the acting that I have been doing is that of dramatic monologue in church settings. I write the monologue to a biblical character that suits the required topic nature of the sermon (or the theme of the service) then I perform it at the time appointed for me. I have also written some shorter scripts with more than one character in them, as well as one or two longer monologues that are not based on biblical characters, but on more contemporary personalities that are made up in my own head... or are they? I do not have them on the internet, but if you are interested in my writing of a monologue/skit, then contact me. My email address is rodenac@yahoo.com.
If you would like to see the productions and my parts in them, go to my acting experience page. You will also find my preaching experience, as I also preach as well as act.
As you may have guessed by now by talking to me or writing me via email, I have quite ecclectic tastes in the books that I read. However, if I may say, my preferred type of books are those that are fantasy fiction, historical literature, classics (like "The Odyssey", Shakespeare's plays, "Pilgrims Progress", etc.), Inspirational non-fiction (I have just finished John Eldridge's series, of which I am definitely a fan of his work and ministry), Christian non-fiction, cultural and missional works, and Historical Documentaries and commentaries. ((However, after taking courses on them, I will not touch Cyber-punk Science Fiction or cheap romance novels.))
As you've probably guessed by now, I have pretty ecclectic interests that range beyond the schooling that I am receiving. So, as may not surprise you, I am the type who is prone to go into my own studies and pursue my own interests.
Although this is a relatively new area of interest for me, I find the human experience to be rather fascinating, especially in the context of cultures that are radically different than my own, and in some cases those that may not be as different, but diverse nevertheless. I think that, by coming to Toronto, which is a highly metropolitan area, I have opened the doors to experiencing these things. So, it will not be as strange as one might think to find me frequenting multi-ethnic restaurants, sampling the food and learning some rudiments of the language.
Of course, my experience in Peru during the summer of 2003 for a short term mission has only further whetted my appetite. At the present time, I don't have any specific plans for missions, as I am still in school, but I do look forward to my next great adventure. If you want, I could tell you about my trip to Peru.
I realize that it may seem an juxtaposition for me, a young man who is pursuing a pastoral vocational path AND who is a Christian to be a fan of Fantasy Roleplaying games, both on the computer, and the classic pencil-paper-dice games like D&D, but that's part of who I am. I realize that there are critics against this, but since this is the background that I came from before becoming a Christian, I feel that it is important to keep to one's roots, as it were.
If anything, these games teach teamwork and are a great way to have fellowship with the other guys around me. Not only this, but in arguing for them from the perspective of a follower of Christ, I see it in a way as a responsibility to be a light to those who are trapped in darkness, and the "gamer" sub-culture is one that is very much in the darkness, is misunderstood by the world, and so turn to the games both as an escape and an illusion of feeling important, accepted and loved... which, unfortunately, is something that they do not find anywhere else. And as a Christian from a gamer background, I feel that is my responsibility to be one who shows the love and acceptance to those who I am able to influence.
If you still find my reasoning odd, what would you say to the idolatry of our common culture that we accept as "normal" and "acceptable", and that we applaud? Is this not just as evil? Also, was it Jesus or the Pharisees who preached to stay away from the sinful, lest we become dirty ourselves?
((As an additional note, it's not just the fantasy RPG's that I am a fan of. I also enjoy other games, such as the Age of Empires series, The SIMS, Warcraft 2, the Heroes of Might and Magic series, Civilization 3, and vintage Sierra games...))
Although this is further down on the list, I personally place the importance of this item above the others here on the list, and I must say that if it were to come down to a showdown between my life with God and faith in Jesus Christ versus anything else, Jesus would always win, hands down, no questions asked. My life longing is that I be a faithful representative of God to those around me, both those in the church, and those outside of the church, for wherever you go, God knows what you are doing and who you truly are inside. My first and greatest desire in my life is to be faithful to God, no matter what the cost. It is also for this reason that my chosen career is that of preacher/pastor/missionary/writer.
I don't care what anyone says. The place where I feel closer to God is when I am alone out in the wilderness. Granted, there is a lot that can be said about community life, but I find that sometimes, the best thing that a person can do is to get out and away from people in general, and experience God's creation. This is why I appreciate the outdoor activities of hiking, camping, canoeing, and going on walks through nature. Since coming to the big city of Toronto, I have not had many chances to go camping, hiking or canoeing, which is too bad. However, there is a wonderful trail near the school where I live that I go on walks through as much as I can. (provided, of course that the weather and time permit me to do this...)
There are many great advantages to being in the great out doors. First, it gives you some space so you can actually think without having to worry about hectic schedules or high expectations from other people. Second, because you have the time and peace to think and rest, there is much that can be said about the clarity that this can bring you. Third, if there are any companions with you, it helps each of you to get to know one another better. And finally, the last reason that I can think of (though I'm sure there's more), it proves once and for all time that you can survive without the countless electric appliances and material wealth that the world keeps insisting we need.
Everyone enjoys a good discussion, am I right? I am no exception to this rule. However, I must confess that there are only a few subjects that I have interest in (other than the things listed on this page so far). These interests include history, culture, the Bible, people's stories, some philosophy, personality type theory, prophecy, theology, pun games and allegory/parabolic stories that are open to interpretation. Basically, subjects that are thought provoking... That's not to say that small talk isn't good in its place... it's just that I find that there is no meat to it, and these are the subjects that I PREFER.
I've been writing and creating stories for just about as long as I can remember, though I didn't learn to sit down and start writing them until Grade 2. From that point, there was nearly no stopping me from being creative. I knew that creativity would be one of my strong points all of my life, and so I tried concentrating on that. Of course, that worked only until about Grade 3, where I was forced to choose something else, other than Writer for "What do you want to be when you grow up?" This put a damper on my confidence, but not for long. I was already in the gifted program, and so I used that for my creative expression. I didn't start writing on my own again until about Grade 5, when we moved to 100 Mile House. That's when I started writing, though mainly because I didn't have many friends and I needed some mode of putting forth my feelings before they built up into a potential explosion.
In the past several years, however, the focus of my writings have shifted from an exclusive introspection and world-hatred to one that is more encouraging. The goal that I currently have with my writing is that hopefully at least one person will read it and have their lives affected in such a way that they are uplifted, encouraged, and challenged to live their lives to be more complete. Like many dreamers before me, I, too, have a dream. My dream is that there would be no more suffering or hatred, that all people will see the light of hope that shines from the throne of God, that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied, that there will no longer be walls who divide us, whether of gender, race, age, or denomination. I have a dream that the people will know that they have a purpose, that they are special and loved. It is because of this dream that I now continue my writing, and that I will not be afraid to proclaim these things.
As far as the genre of my writing, it is difficult to pin that down, for I have a variety of genres that I write. I like to consider myself a poet, an essayist, a novelist, and monologue/scriptwriter for small stage use. I guess this site would be another form of writing and creative expression as well, so include that in as well.
If you would like to sample a few of my writings, I have some of them on my site... Writings of G.S.Whyte
