Back pain . neck stiffness 7 DAYS!

 so....

i wrote a blog post on the 6th march (last thursday) in bed.

played badminton the night before and had lower right back pain

but wasn't feeling anything that night anymore.

all i remember was that the body was in a nice condition.

and i cranked my head downwards (i was lying flat in bed and holding my phone to read stuff)

and i KNEW that i will have neck pain the next day

which i did!

and it lasted all until today (started easing off yesterday) 15 march (Satruday)

so from 7-14 march, my neck was painnnnn, or well.. just uncomfortable.

I think it's the trapezius or rhomboid or something inside

not sure if it's the bone, nerve, or whatever...

so anyways.. ONE WHOLE week of neck pain...

i don't want to go through back aches and pain anymore

had to do so much stretching, massage, physio moves, etc.... research, foam rolling... placing a pillow behind my back bone in the car seat to press into that pain point, etc....

so for 2025 resolution: a stronger back

(2024 was stronger knees, i.e. the nordic)

i'm going to take on Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill

and Rebuilding Milo by Squat University guy

and hopefully i'll have a healthier, happier back for 2025

and also i don't want to bring my phone to the bedroom anymore

no phones: in the bedroom,

no phones: at the dining table

no phones: in the first hour waking up

malachi 1. defiled offerings

we don't offer up animal sacrifices anymore nowadays....

although it's still applicable today. it's the mindset and intention. "I HAVE to offer something to God, must as well be the lame lamb that has no value in the market. I'll get to kill two birds with one stone: fulfil my obligation as well as get rid of something unwanted "

so with that in mind, if it were in the modern era, what would a defiled offering be?

we give many things to church, not just tithes, but also time, effort, ourselves..

do I bring my best to God in church? or is the offering only what I can spare out of my pocket change after buying all the things I need/want for myself first. Is my time for God just the leftover from when I've got an empty slot in the weekly schedule... is my energy and passion just the trickle after it's all spent up on personal satisfactions...

is the money I'm offering to God.. clean? or was it ill gotten gains....

Jesus never looked at how much jewels or gold the rich could afford like a drop in their bucket of wealth... but he saw the heart of the woman that gave the two meager coins, which was all that she had..

Jesus... wants our all

If God made everything....

 

If God made everything…

did He make Evil and Hell too?

(please leave your point of view in the comments)

Growing up in a (neo) Baptist church, my childhood perspective of certain things in religion are shapped by what was thought in Sunday sermons. But as we grow older (in age and maturity), we learn more and more about what’s out there in the world…

So some would have the belief that God didn’t make evil, that it was a byproduct or something that came later on after Creation had finished its course in that first seven days. I.e. Satan as the Serpent tempting Adam and Eve to disobey God, and when they eventually ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Original Sin came about into the world… seperating us from God, and being the start of this eternal struggle to reconnect and have commune back with Him…

I remember having this discussion in a Cell Group in Sabah when I went as a University Student. Some ladies believed that Sin only started at Adam and Eve (so it never existed before that), but her husband on the other hand took my point that Sin existed before the creation of the world. As I gave the explanation that Lucifer rebelled against God with some of the (fallen) angels (Isaiah 14:12–14), whom were then cast out of Heaven (to Hell presumably)

So…. that event should have happened before the Universe was created with the first lines “Let there be light” .. right?

That was what my argument was based on, to give a timeline to sin exsisting before man.

But yeah. I never beleived that Sin or Evil was intentionaly MADE by God Himself. I’ve always beleived that Sin was the ABSENCE of God. Whatever that is apart from Him, or whatever seperates us from Him. i.e. the original Disobedience when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit. (I used to belief that there was nothing physically poisonous about the fruit itself, but it was the spoken command by God to not eat from it…. and it was the act of deliberately disobeying God’s command that was the actual sin itself)

So was the Tree of Knowledge just another tree, that it could have been any other tree.. and nothing inherently special about it physically?

Why did God even create such a tree in the middle of the garden of Eden in the first place? Maybe if He didn’t … there would be literally no chance of humans to disobey God. and with the lack of an alterantive option to choose, there would be no real freedom of choice in this world. And we couldn’t “choose” God, because there would be no other thing to choose from. i.e. one can’t choose A, if there was no B.

So yeah… this question.. then flows on to modern times. Alot of people use this argument to ‘disprove’ God. like… ‘if there was a God, why is there stil war, poverty, pain, suffering, cancer and diseases” . To this I remember the verse about the man being born blind, being no one’s fault, but so that the glory of God could be revealed through the miracle of healing of his eyes and sight (John 9).

God gives a a chance to partner with Him though the shortcomings of this world. That is how we get to know God and be known by Him.

That is how we learn to trust in Him. If the world was already perfect, there would be no need for a God. or for us to rely on God.

Some would say that, Christians are weak. That’s why we need to rely on Someone else above us. And they are proud that they have made it all in life by themselves, all the wealth and health and happiness. (i.e like the rich man with barns (Luke 12:16–21)) … but you could have all the money… climb up on the roof one day and fall to your death the next (which actually happened to the alpha boss!)

So yeah… no one can really save their own souls. by their own. they only way we can save it, is by losing it to Christ. and admitting our own weakness…. for that is when we are strong in Christ. I admit, I would still be in sin if not for Him.

i digress… so inclined to add that salvation part in stories all the time midway

back to the original topic and question.

Did God make evil?

I used to say no. I find it hard to wrap my head around the possiblity of saying “yes”. Did God make the criminals, the blind, the weak and the heathen, Judas? … God knows. God… makes a way out too

let me know your thoughts, so that I can expand mine.

social media

 Social MEdia is just a tool

it can be good or bad

depending on how it is used

Social media is bad when it distracts us away from the things that ought to be done (first)

nicely written

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/two-sides-quote-what-gets-measured-managed-dr-eng-esteban-marks-mfn3f/

good way to write post,

benefits on one hand,

pitfalls on the other..

four-four points

normally people always only write the good part,

but leave out the bad..

i like that this post highlights some shortcommings:
"

1. Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted: While metrics are important, not everything valuable can be boiled down to a number. Aspects like company culture, employee morale, and brand perception are challenging to measure accurately but are essential.
2. Overemphasis on What's Measurable: If an organization only focuses on measurable aspects, it might overlook other crucial elements. There's a risk of becoming too myopic, missing out on the bigger picture.
3. False Sense of Control: Just because something is being measured doesn’t mean it's under control. Relying too heavily on metrics might give a misleading sense of mastery over a situation.
4. Potential for Manipulation: When performance is tied to specific metrics, it can incentivize behaviors aimed at improving those numbers, sometimes at the cost of genuine progress or ethical considerations."

well written

regrets. CNY 2025

 what has this world to offer?

went back from CNY to malaysia.

just got back to dunedin...

stayed over at auckland for one night.

slept in an aiport hotel that had free shuttle bus.

didn't buy any specific presents for the siblings this time around....

wish i could have brought back the raspberryPi for taikor and jonah

and give each of the niece and nephews NZ coins

or even a single silver coin for their red packets...

it would have been so easyto get it in Auckland compared to dunedin

cause of NZ mint... unless i'll be okay with shipping it...

sigh.. i thought i would be using the Pi over here.... thats why i didn't dring it back..

thought i could make stuff with the free time i have.. who am i kidding......

thought i could just buy one in malaysia if i wanted to give it to jonah for his birthday...

who am i kidding..... 

there's no time....

the only time we have is the moment we think about something..

adn if we dont action it in that moment. it goes..

i wanted to bring back a reflex toy for the kids..

like the beep-it bop-it..

but you can get that in toy's r us.... just that.. i didn't have the time.

didn't even wrap presents..

horrible..

horrible horrible

don't celebrate brithdays..

or valentines..

or anniversaries

no more gifts.

spouse love langugae is acts of service...

what kind of service..

sigh..

horrible husband

horrible brother

horrible dad

horrible son

whis i spent more time with noah back during the holidays

watched terminator zero. time travel and fate

played cyberpunk 2077 on xiao jiu's ps4

only when boy went to sleep there aws time

other that that it's so busy and tiring

didn't post pictures on FB.. my 2025 resolution ins to not use FB

it's tough...

what outlet then?

maybe i should change it to... not use FB on the phone

still can post stuff?

i dunno

life is so..

conflicting

i regret what i said at the dinner table on the last night at charity's house

to yewmeng...

infornt of everyone

about the prayer beads

i said " i go for silent retreats" what kind of snobbish reply is that?

totally no humility at all!

i really like them.

i wish i used them more often

i find them useful

just that i don't have the time

i ronically

its supposed to help with focus and medidation practices

the goals i have

buy no.

i'm just..

snobbish

i havent changed yet

wont be going back for two years

but i guess i should still be able to buy gifts for them and shipp it using amazon

afterall the microbit and coding book did reach taikor

and it wasn't too pricy?

i regret

i wish i  could turn back time

manage to snap back bones into place

So I was just lying down on my left side 

Fully extended.

Left shoulder was slightly infront on the hip..

Did a stretch lengthening the body 

And heard a satisfying pop

Ah relief

Never take for granted a healthy body.

Thank you Lord Jesus.

Now juat please heal the sore throat

And boys fever and cough