Can You Imagine Clogged Pipes?

Imagine this---your toilet floor drain back flows so that all the fetid excrements comes out of it and floods your bathroom floor. I suspect it's a clog in the pipe or probably the septic tank is full. You can't do anything about it for the moment because you don't have the money. And anyway, there's a pandemic, so I have doubts about calling a plumber and letting him (or them) in the house. Photo by Daniel Fazio on Unsplash.

So when it happens, we wait about 15 to 30 minutes to make the flooding subside and then clean the floor of everything. It sucks! I hate it! But what can I do? So we just learn to live with it. You can't enjoy your bathroom and toilet like ordinary people do theirs. We have to suffer.

Then my wife, for whatever reason, has cervix infection that needs Colposcopy and which costs P40K. That includes all the fees plus the swab test. She's just underwent a medical procedure last August involving her uterus that cost some P80K. 

And add to all this our dilapidated house, my acne on the nose (and acne has also infested my sons. I'm just thankful to God that they are still good-looking despite the stupid acnes), my tummy bloating and the heart palpitation it sometimes triggers (which is very annoying), the pestering clog in my right ear, my skin allergies, unending runny nose and sneezes due to the same allergies, GERD and the nasty feeling that you need another round with the toilet even right after you just had one---and then this small cyst on my butt.

I mean, imagine spending hours on the toilet and nothing seems to come out anymore more so you start washing and bathing and preparing to leave your house. But when your in a public vehicle and away from home, you start feeling like you need to go to the toilet again.

Nope, I don't have constipation (again, thank God!). I have productive bowel movements and twice a day at that. But there's this odd feeling you need to go to the toilet once you're out of the house. But when you do that---go back to your house to use the toilet---nothing happens. The same when I sometimes go to sleep. Yeah, I know. It's probably stress.

But I am often very relaxed and cool. I don't care much about things and I have a "so what?" mentality about life. Jesus said do not worry about anything. I believe that. But anyway, there it is. You have problems with bowel movement. 

I don't know why these things are happening. I never prayed for them to happen. I don't need them to happen. But there they are. Like the stupid rats that are always there even if you have killed a lot of them. And the ants that get inside your clothes and on your towel---for whatever reason. Your clothes and towels are newly washed and after you fold and keep the in your cabinet, stupid ants start going in them. You don't prayed for these things and yet you get them automatically.

Why wouldn't that happen to the things I DO PRAY FOR? I've been praying for a lot of things I badly need but they're not granted. Like having my blogs and e-books make enough big profits for me so I can pay all my debts then have a profitable business so I'd stop relying on men (and not be controlled by them) and start really receiving directly from God through my online business. 

I often see dog or pet owners immediately attending to the needs of their animals. They can't bear to see their pets suffering so they make a way to make them comfortable pronto. I know God can do that to me as well. I'm not his pet---I'm his servant and son through Christ---but why do I seem neglected? My wife served the Lord from her teenage years in church, and so did I, and yet we now live like this.

I'm not saying our service deserves reward from God because rewards and blessings are purely by his grace and mercy. But if those who never served him get good things and comforts in life, why not us? Are we so undeserving compared to them?

Nonetheless, I still believe God is good and merciful and he always blesses us and provides our needs. Though often I don't see how. I'll stick to what the bible tells me than to what I'm experiencing in life.

Picture from this site.

Hi! The floor drain in the bathroom is still clogged despite the hundred and one remedies we tried (with prayers, of course) and my wife almost had another body chilling side effect from her slightly elevated blood pressure at dawn this morning. Turned out she was just feeling the cool air coming from the window due to the typhoon rains. THANK GOD!

I thought we'd have to rush her again to the ER as we did some 2 months ago. It's doubly difficult to rush someone to the hospital in a heightened Covid 19 crisis. Thank God it was a false alarm. She actually had a bit of a good sleep due to cooler weather. Thank God it wasn't another boil on the butt.

Since then she's taken my advice to workout daily. I'd been telling her that but this lockdown season is the only time she has free time to actually start it. So each afternoon we workout at the garage.

Anyway, I always wonder why God doesn't answer a request on the spot? I believe with all my heart there is nothing impossible to him. I myself have been instrumental to a lot of on-the-spot or instant healing and miracle done by God. It's amazing being used in this way. It builds up faith tremendously. Yet, I often still wonder why God doesn't answer some things as quickly.

Like the bathroom floor drain.

Or like my periodic heart palpitation, tummy bloating, or silly acne on the nose that makes me look like that Christmas reindeer. Probably my "thorn in the flesh"? To prevent me from boasting about the super spiritual revelations I get from God? And which makes God's power in me perfect in weakness? Beats me. I don't know.

And I don't get it why God would use me to heal people and yet allow my illnesses to go on? I praise God that I don't need any maintenance medicine and that my heart palpitations are purely due to gas pressure in my tummy that sometimes affects my vagus nerve. That's all. Other than that, my heart doc says my heart is healthy. And I'm able to workout and enjoy life. Praise God for all that!

But sometimes I get affected when I see my bathroom floor drain clogged and flooding and my small, tiny house full of holes and rotten parts due to termites. I'm not asking for a mansion or great riches or to become a millionaire. I'm just asking for a decent house, bathroom and finances for other needs.

We own a small house in a small lot, and we thank God for it. I'm content with that. All I ask is to be able to improve it so it becomes livable and comfortable enough to stay in. I'm not asking for large estates or properties or anything like that. I'm a simple guy with simple needs. I don't need luxuries which will only prove a boil on the butt later.

ML Vlogger Makes Millions for His Stupid Boils

My kid recently marveled about a vlogger who makes millions from his game videos. Now he offers free out-of-town training or booth camps at his posh place to young people who want to be trained well in Mobile Legends (ML). On top of that, he gives them P30,000 allowance each. Photo by Fredrick Tendong on Unsplash. 

Wow! And the guy loves to curse and say bad words online. Talking boil on the butt.

I have somewhat the same dream (I don't mean the cursing and bad words online), but its a totally different thing. I want to offer free, out-of-town evangelistic camps to young people to introduce them to Jesus and his Gospel. I want it to be a 5-day thing with all expense paid--probably at the Rizal Recreation Center in Laguna, among the best campsites. The same way with discipleship.

But I want it all to have NO strings attached. We won't require them to attend our church or bible studies or get their names and contact numbers for follow up. I hate those things. I just want them to know Jesus personally. I want it exactly like how Jesus did it. He didn't do any of the above--usual "ministry" stuff today. He gave freely and left the decision to follow him to the people.

I will need lots of money for this, perhaps the kind that this vlogger makes per month. Umm, well, not that much really--probably I'd need just a small fraction of what he makes. About P50K a month or so would do, if God allows my vlogs to make that much a month.

I don't want money from donations, solicitations or gifts from friends or anybody else. I want the Lord to favor me with earnings from my blogs, ebooks and vlog. This way, I owe no one anything. My accountability and loyalty is to God alone. No one can pressure or influence me.

I've been praying for this for years, yet God does nothing. But this guy plays ML and just like that he makes millions that enable him to "train" young people in ML. I mean, what's ML compared to sharing the Gospel and discipling believers to Christ? ML and others like it is just stupid boil on the butt to spend much money and time on.

How Can You Not Complain?

Picture by Nik Shuliahin, Unsplash.

Imagine---your face is peppered with acnes, you have allergies, you have chronic heart palpitations, you're jobless, you have GERD, your old badly dilapidated house is infested with termites and other pests, your bathroom floor drain is clogged, your PC is old and begging for retirement and your internet connection is super slow. Besides all that, you have boil on the butt.

What more can you ask for?

How can you not complain with that? That's besides being looked down by most people, belittled because you're poor, disrespected and shamed in public, treated like stray dog and given no rights. Yup, that's how my life has been. And yet, I go on being tolerant, patient and quiet about it all--except in my time alone with God and when blogging here. I bring these things to God and ask him why.

Some preach against complaining. The bible does say not to do anything with complaining [Philippians 2:14-16] but Godly men did complain. Just read the life of Moses, Job and Jeremiah, for starters, and how about Jesus when he cried in public, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" I never cry in public about my boil in the butt, but of course being nailed to the cross for no fault of yours is completely different. Complaining with a rebellious spirit is a definite no-no, but complaining to let grief out and seek refuge in God is not.

I read lots of news about terrorists and mad killers on the loose perpetrating evil. Their plans succeed. Well, they died later, but they managed to have a lot of their plans carried out smoothly. Why does  God let that happen? And here you are, praying for ministry breakthroughs with signs and wonders and miracles and you get so little break.

Why doesn't heart palpitations just given to terrorists and heinous criminals to stop them from doing what they do? Boil on the butt, these crimes are! I heard some say, why not just let the Abu Sayyaf and communist rebels get all the Covid 19 infection? Sounds good to me, but I'm not really after the punishment of the wicked. I'm after the reward of those who seek God, not just in the hereafter but right NOW. Like, no more boil on the butt, to start with.

I've been asking God for finances to support my ministry (I plan a lot of evangelistic outdoor and out-of-town camps offered for free to young people so they'd hear the Gospel while "quarantined" (or incubated) somewhere in the mountains---not force any of them to receive Jesus but allow the Holy Spirit to convict them. That sort of thing). Yet, I've been getting no answer for decades. But some guy plans on doing something stupid and harmful and he's given everything he needs to do it. No sweat. I can't understand why.

How can I not complain?

Pain in the Neck

Picture by Tsvetoslav Hristov, Unsplash.

Last night I had this pestering, sharp pain in my lower throat whenever I inhaled or drank water. It started in the morning after I did some flexing with my bending bar and drank cold infused water. The pain started and went on bothering me up to bed time. And it was a piss-off.

Excruciating pain that is somewhat captured by that picture I used above. It's an awesome picture of some underground crevice--quite beautiful, in fact--but eerily I imagine something like that when I inhale or swallow. Like a throat with a narrowed passage. And it's the last thing I need.

I mean, I have a silly acne on my nose, tummy bloating, heart palpitations when I move the wrong way, some kind of echo in my ear, skin allergies, this stupid boil near my anus and now this pain in the neck (literal). All these I feel I don't deserve because I've been so careful with my healthy lifestyle.

Like boil on the butt.

Why is it that people with vices don't have them? I never wish that they'd suffer the same things. I keep telling God that if they enjoy good health despite their wasteful lifestyles, why can't I have better health than they have? I shouldn't be having any of this.

But what can you do? You don't fully understand any of them but you quietly suffer them anyway. They help you develop patience and humility--perhaps--but why doesn't God give them to the arrogant people that I know? There are a lot of them around. They need lots of lessons on humility.

But then who am I to tell God what he should do? I'm just a nothing--like a boil on the butt. He is God and he will do what pleases him. All creations can do is watch him do it. But by faith, we have a hope that he does them kindly and for a real good reason. That's what makes me holding on to him despite my life and stupid boils and untiringly meditating his Word.

Thank GOD it has become mildly painful today and a bit manageable. I can breathe more deeply without problems and swallow good. Thank you GOD! I love you!

Why Can't I Be Allowed those Abs?

Pic by Damir Spanic

What do you do with a protruding belly after you've done everything to make it shrink? It's amazing--I mean, you do everything in your power to contain the size increase of you tummy--even pray for it--but it just stays there bulging uglily.

Even more confusing is how your other body parts sag, especially your chest and shoulders, as you diet and workout. But your tummy stays intact. Funny how things are reversed. Shouldn't muscles bulk and form well when you exercise them? But it's not the case with mine. They sag. And my belly? It bulks.

Life perhaps is designed like that--well, at least sometimes. The opposite of what you want and work hard for happens. It's probably to make you see that you are not in control. But I see that perfectly well. In fact, I've been seeing that since decades ago. I've learned my lessons well (you'd see it if you keep checking my new blog articles here). And yet, I'm given the same old lessons.

Like how they say Covid 19 is a reminder to man that he is NOT in control. God is. This, I understand, because man in general keeps forgetting. I'm not just a man like that. I am a deep learner. I see things and remember them. So, why do I need to get the same reminder-lessons? Because sometimes, you get fed up with them, too. They're like boil on the butt.

Probably, that's why I still keep getting them. Unless you get the right antibiotic, they'd keep popping up, boil experts say.

So, what meds should I take? Any suggestions?