25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NIV). Dealing Gently with Opponents.

He became like us so we could become like Him.

Charles Morris, Haven Today, December 1, 2010

¹ Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

³ For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

⁴ But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

⁵ For each one shall bear his own load.

Galatians 6:1-5, NKJV. Carrying One Another’s Burdens.

(See you later, blog!)

Time and time again, I have read books, listened to audio preachings, taken power naps, organized my cellphone contacts and inbox, and lastly, taken down notes. These notes are either typed to the phone, which is unsatisfying to me, or written, which is very hard.

Proof? Here’s an experiment I did after eating with Gem at Jollibee (hence the napkin brand), ~8am, December 23, inside a moving jeepney:

Details:

• The exceptions (marked with a smiley) are drawn while the jeepney is not moving.
• The title is also written while the jeepney is not moving.
• The lines from the second smiley onwards are drawn much faster than the ones before it.

In conclusion, unless the purpose is to do abstract line art, I will just type notes on the phone whenever I’m in transit.

If I’m going to present tomorrow, and my research app is not complete yet, what should I prioritize now: fixing basic functions, enhancing completed functions, or trying the promised new features?

As you know, masquerade balls are parties where all people wear masks.

Also, Charlie was standing in front of the doors, and he had no mask. He had a very kind face, but he had no mask. He knocked on the grand doors, and they opened a bit, showing two guards staring at the boy. Charlie smiled at them and they let him enter.

Charlie walked around inside the party, watching people dance, talk and eat. Some people noticed him and mirrored the smile in his face. He wobbled on the red carpet as he approached a long dining table in the foot of a grand staircase. He began to pick a small platter and stuffed it with cake. He ate all the cake in the platter in one spoonful, dirtied his face with icing, and wiped the dirt on the table cloth. After eating, he placed the platter on a side and picked another one for the pasta.

Platters of chicken fillet, grilled fish, ice cream and more cake later, he reached the drinks at the end of the table. He bumped to a fat woman, who grabbed him by his hand and dragged him outside. The two guards saw them when they reached the doors, and the conversation went like this:

“Please take this boy outside,” the woman wailed. “This boy does not belong here!”

“But this one hasn’t done anything wrong,” a guard reasoned.

“He has defiled the buffet table!”

“Where is your proof?”

“And is there anything wrong with eating?” the other guard interrupted.

“Whatever! This boy does not belong here at all!” the woman declared.

The conversation continued on, until Charlie ended up sitting on the steps outside, on the charges of not wearing a mask at a masquerade ball. He was about to cry, when someone tapped his shoulder.

“Any problems?” a man with a mask of an angel inquired.

“I, I was just looking for my dad!” the boy replied. “They said he was at the end of the red road. And then I found food at the end, so I ate some. And then they threw me out for not wearing a mask.”

“Your dad?” the man asked, while taking off his mask. “Very well. Take my mask and go find him.”

Charlie returned to the ball with his mask on, and got an A-OK from the guards. He asked around for his father (“His hair is brown and curly; he’s wearing a white suit and brown shoes;  I don’t know what mask he wore?”), but no one knows where he is, or if he even was in the party.

Once again, he bumped into that woman in the center of the ball. The woman ripped off the mask from his face, and screamed at him.

“YOU AGAIN? Everyone, this child here is not with us. He has defiled the buffet table, and stolen this mask from one of us.”

The crowd was silent, but they stared at the situation in front of them.

“As the Queen of this country and Queen over you all, I order that this child be arrested and thrown into the dungeons of my castle! Anyone who disobeys will suffer the same fate!”

The crowd burst forth with noise, noise of debates of whether to take Charlie away or to defend him against the Queen. Then suddenly, the people were silenced with a resounding clap from the top of the marble staircase.

“I am the host here, and because this problem is crucial to this celebration, I will take care of this matter personally.” He walked down the stairs, around the table, and to the two in the center. With his two hands, he carried the child with him away from the center, around the table, and up the stairs. He turned to the people below, raised Charlie and said:

“Behold! This child here is my beloved son, and we are celebrating his birthday. Hear him!”

This is an experiment with Gem. Comments are very much welcome. Also posted on Facebook.