I’ve noticed that I’ve been doing gargantuan 2000+ word articles – well, 2000 still seems to be a lot for me for now, anyway. And since I’m aware that I’m ahead of my daily quota, this has led me to slack. It’s like instead of hitting the 1000 word a day requirement per day for 7 days a week, I’m writing 2-4 times a week… sure, the quota is being met but the whole idea of getting myself to write even when I don’t feel like writing – that’s not being implemented. So I’m just putting this out there so you know I’m aware of what I’m doing, I’m sorry, and I will be doing better…
…but for now, considering that I haven’t been writing for, what 2-3 days, I think I’ll hit more than 1000 words. Also, fair warning, I have our video call with Pastor Joedy later, so I’m counting that into my quota.
I do think it’s good to have some extra days on top of the 365, considering all that’ll be coming up in these last few months of 2022. There’s the training I’ll be undergoing next week – I’ll be focused on that from Monday to Friday next week, from 8-5. Training for what, you ask? I’ll not say for now… because I think I’ll be trying to hit my daily requirement on those days by way of sharing – not literally what I’ve learned (I’m paying for this stuff but I don’t know, maybe I’ll share a couple general things here and there), but really more on my insights.
Actually, on this upcoming training, let me share a little bit. I’m not sure but I did mention in an article or two that though I’m pretty set with what I have built to ensure that I get some passive income, my being is still looking for means to trade my time for money – if I haven’t been convicted as I’ve been playing Fallout 4 and binge-watching The Office hours on end, I was reminded of what it feels to get a good day’s work done – that is, when I helped the church and the school out with providing wireless internet connectivity in certain areas of the building, now that the latter entity has started face-to-face classes as of yesterday.
By the way, I checked on the teachers yesterday, and they told me they were able to surf the internet when they needed it. Now, what’s left to do is to clean up the whole tangle of wires, and to make sure that they aren’t just organized, but also protected as much as possible from being cut by kids or whoever.
On top of the training, my Mom and I have been praying for a fortuitous opportunity to travel to see my brothers, flying out this coming December at the latest. The way I see it now, we’d have to check with the policies of the airports we’d be travelling in and out of, we’d have to check with the airline we’d be buying our tickets from, and then we’d also need to see if the areas we’re headed to have strict quarantine/travel requirements. Thank God, because we appreciate how inter-city travel here in the Philippines (or in Luzon, at least) has eased up, so much that we haven’t been seeing checkpoints to check for vaccinations, or other test documents. I’m pretty sure I’ll have more time to write when we get there, but it always helps to have the quota met so I wouldn’t be thinking about it, and we would be more present with my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and my nephews and nieces.
And ultimately, it just feels good to have a surplus of words, just in case something comes up.
And just now, something did come up. The same principal who needed help with internet in the building just talked to me, asking for my help to set up five computers in what’s apparently going to be the school’s computer ‘laboratory’ of sorts. I told her that we’d probably need a switch and a whole bunch of ethernet cords to ensure they’re all connected. Off the bat I also told her I’m going to go through each desktop to make sure that they don’t have pirated software installed. Now that I think about it, maybe when I do set it all up I’ll do what I can to organize all the cables I’ve installed.
That’s quite the litany to explain why I haven’t been consistent… but I felt it quite necessarily, considering that I’ve been noticing an uptrend concerning the number of people who bother to read all that I’m blabbering about – and on top of that, I’m getting notifications of people actually liking what I have to share.
To all you guys, and to you guys who’ve been reading this so far, I just want to say that I appreciate the small amount of time you guys put, just so I get an additional email from WordPress telling me that someone else appreciated what I shared – enough for me to get a click. I thank God for you guys; it does encourage me, but it also makes me aware that people are actually reading – and while this doesn’t mean that I hold off on being real with my words, I do want to raise the quality of what I share, just as much as I want to be consistent. It isn’t just about me hitting a quota anymore. Nor is it about me writing to organize my own thoughts, to refine the ideas I have in mind – but it’s also about ensuring that I don’t waste the time of the rest of the world who’s actually reading… and in the process of writing for others, I’m also actually writing, again, for myself.
And with me saying I’m actually getting readers, I’d also like to point out that in our service – that is, the Sunday afternoon worship service slot assigned to us by the main church I serve in – I’ve been blessed: Not only with people in the congregation who have stuck with me for at least a year now, but I’ve also been seeing more and more new faces coming in, in just these recent Sundays. That leads me and my team to think that we’re actually doing something right, but for me personally, my response is just like how I respond to the increased readership – I’m not only encouraged, but I’m also holistically challenged. Now that more people are getting involved I’m having to step up by way of quality, and consistency.
To be honest I already see how I could be selling out – that is, I could only be saying what people want to hear, writing only what people want to read, at the same time deviating from what I just want to say and write – but I guess this is a good time as any for me to remind myself that quality and being genuine will always come together.
With this I pray that the Lord just continues to teach and tutor me, just so that people would keep on coming back, not because of the overall quality, but because they want to see Christ as shared through me and only me – if, perhaps to encourage and challenge each and every other person who pays attention to project Christ in his (or her) life, as shared through him and only him.
Sure, there’s huge potential in seeing how Christ can be shared through groups of two or more. For example, I am excited to keep seeing how Christ is projected and praised, as done through my team and only my team – but the root focus shall always be Christ and His finished work… and, in my opinion, any overflowing, any sharing that will happen shall happen in the individual level first.
It’s funny, because there was a time that I wanted to be a lot more subtle in my presentation of the Gospel, or the Good News of who Christ is and what He did and does for us. I guess with an imposed daily quota of words, I couldn’t help but be open about my beliefs.
I’m not sure I made any sense there, but let me explain further – I want, and I still do want to follow the mindset of writing without words, and sharing without speaking – that is, to see and eventually project exactly how Christ and His finished work are seen and manifested in my entire being, WITHOUT making any sort of allusion to religion.
I still believe that Christ will be seen in the believer – even without any conscious or intentional effort on his or her part to share it. In fact, I believe that while lamps are not meant to be hidden, the indescribable power of our Savior and the infinite, limitless and eternal implications and effects of what He has done CANNOT be hidden. In our silence, our Love, our Grace, our Truth is literally ALIVE, for our Savior lives forever! The only way, then, to silence the Gospel of Christ is not merely to kill or destroy every believer, but to erase the existence of each and every one of us in the body of Christ fully and completely – past, present, and future.. and even then, there is NO guarantee that the Light would be fully overtaken by darkness.
This is why the enemy is doing all that is possible – he couldn’t kill Christ, so he tries as much as possible to steal the glory belonging to Him, he tries to kill everyone who believes in Him… and he tries, more than anything else, to destroy any and all proclamations of the Truth – that the Son of God was born as one of us, and He died and rose again.
But, friends, I guess that’s where I’m led to share today. It’s Christ who did say, in what’s probably one of my personal favorite verses of the Bible (John 10:10) that the enemy, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy… He’s the One who gave us this stark warning of how the enemy operates; but immediately following this Christ shares to His disciples, and to all of us, where we ought to place our hope, our confidence, our trust, and our focus – That is, He came not only to give us LIFE, but LIFE, ETERNAL.
He proved this by rising from the dead, and not merely for Himself to prove! For, see, as I always like to say, those of us who believe would eventually come to the Truth that we died with Him, and so when He rose from the dead, so we also rose with Him, as New Creations! What does it mean to be a New Creation? It means for us to understand and naturally appreciate that He didn’t merely change us, improve us, or extend us – No, friends, He recreated us – to be saved by Christ is to be made NEW!
We were made new – that is, we were made new wineskins to be filled with new wine. We had to be re-made to contain the Holy Spirit poured out upon each and every one of us, so that whether we are by ourselves or with our fellow believers, or even in the presence of death and danger, at any moment and in any situation we are (1) never separated from the love of God, and (2) as close as we could ever be to Christ!
We were made new – Christ tore down His temple, and in His resurrection, He rebuilt His temple as promised – after 3 days. But was He the only one who rose, was He the only one rebuilt? Friends, I believe that when we placed our trust in Him and when we considered the moving of the Holy Spirit into our own lives so we believed in Christ, I would also have us to consider that we would also be led to believe in what He did – and on top of all the wonderful things we enjoy from His finished work, one of these benefits is being – yes, literally BEING Temples of the Holy Spirit.
What does that mean? Friends, as the temple was where God’s presence was known, so we bring His presence with us wherever we go, whatever we’re going, whoever we’re with. It means that just as celebrations of God’s deliverance were done in the temple, so we are literal, living celebrations of Christ’s finished work. Finally, just as sacrifices of temporary forgiveness were done at the temple, so we are literal, living celebrations of Christ’s finished work, which not only have brought us forgiveness, but full and complete, absolute reconciliation to the Creator of the Universe, much so that we not only call Him God, we not only call Him Lord, but by the Spirit living in us, we call Him FATHER.
So you see, the enemy who has an end, and is therefore finite, simply cannot steal the glory of an infinite God alive in us. This thief cannot kill whom Christ has given eternal life to. This deceiver cannot destroy the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Friends, I know that I should be sharing Bible verses, but I do thank you for keeping all of this into consideration, without the references to Scripture.
I read a Tweet some days ago which encouraged men everywhere to write and to enjoy its benefits. Two prompts this account suggested were as follows:
- What are your values?
- People tend to suggest writing to-do lists, but why don’t you try writing a not-to-do list?
To the former, I believe I ought to share what I just did regarding Christ and His finished work.. and I guess that’s where I’ll be putting all my Biblical references. That’s coming very soon. And, obviously, that not-to-do list is just begging to be written as well.
I’ll stop here for now. Until I post my notes on our discussion with Pastor Joedy later, may our Good Lord bless and keep you. Thank you.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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