There are moments in life when something so small passes through our hands that we hardly notice it, and yet that small thing carries the power to alter the direction of someone’s entire story. Words are like that. They leave our mouths in a breath, ride a few inches of air, and land softly on another human heart, yet what they carry is far greater than the sound that formed them. A kind word can become a lifeline for someone who has been silently drowning for years. A gentle sentence can reach into a wounded place inside another person that no one else even knows exists. We often imagine that changing lives requires grand gestures, powerful platforms, or dramatic moments of heroism, but the truth is far more humbling and far more hopeful than that. Sometimes the secret to changing a life is as simple as choosing kindness when the moment arrives. Sometimes the turning point in another person’s story begins with nothing more than a few sincere words spoken from a heart that cares.

If you think about it for a moment, the human soul is not that different from the natural world that surrounds us. Plants grow toward light. Flowers respond to the warmth of the sun. Trees lean toward whatever source of nourishment allows them to live. In the same quiet way, the human spirit leans toward whatever feeds it. When the atmosphere around a person is filled with cruelty, criticism, and coldness, the soul begins to shrink in order to survive. But when the atmosphere around someone contains kindness, encouragement, and compassion, the soul begins to open again, the way a flower unfolds its petals when the morning sun finally reaches it. Scientists have done simple experiments where they speak kindly to plants and watch them flourish, and while some may debate the mechanics of how that works, the lesson behind it is easy to understand. Life responds to care. Growth responds to kindness. Creation itself seems to recognize when it is being nurtured instead of neglected.

Now imagine what that means for a human being who carries the weight of invisible battles. Imagine someone walking through life who feels like they are barely holding themselves together. They may smile when people look at them. They may answer politely when someone asks how they are doing. They may even laugh at the right moments so no one suspects the storm they are fighting inside. But beneath the surface, their heart may be exhausted from disappointment, loneliness, fear, or pain. They may have spent years hearing harsh words that convinced them they were not enough, not worthy, not valuable, or not capable. When someone lives under that kind of emotional weather long enough, the soul begins to believe the storm will never pass. Hope begins to fade, not because hope is weak, but because the person has simply forgotten what warmth feels like.

Then one day, someone speaks a kind word to them.

It might not seem like much to the person who says it. Maybe it is a simple compliment. Maybe it is an encouraging sentence. Maybe it is nothing more than the sincere statement that someone believes in them. But to the person receiving that kindness, something extraordinary happens in that moment. The atmosphere around their heart changes. For a brief second, the storm clouds part just enough for a small beam of light to shine through. That beam of light may not solve every problem they are facing, but it reminds them that warmth still exists. It reminds them that goodness still lives in the world. It reminds them that perhaps they are not as alone as they once believed.

Scripture has always understood this truth long before psychology began studying it. The book of Proverbs tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Those words are not poetic exaggeration. They are a profound observation about the influence human speech carries. A cruel sentence can crush someone’s spirit for years. A lie repeated often enough can become a prison inside someone’s mind. But the opposite is also true. A loving word can breathe life into someone who has forgotten how to believe in themselves. A word of encouragement can awaken courage that has been sleeping inside a person for decades. A sentence spoken in compassion can break the chains of shame that have been quietly holding someone captive.

Jesus understood the power of words more than anyone. Throughout His ministry, He encountered people who had been crushed under the weight of judgment, rejection, and condemnation. The world around them had already decided who they were and what their worth would be. Tax collectors were labeled as traitors. The sick were treated like outcasts. The broken were pushed to the edges of society so no one would have to look too closely at their suffering. But when Jesus spoke to people, something different happened. He spoke to them as if they still carried the image of God inside them. He spoke to them as if their future was not determined by their past. He spoke to them with a kind of authority that did not crush them but lifted them up.

When Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you,” He did not simply spare her from punishment. He restored her dignity. When He said to the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” He reminded him that his voice still mattered. When He said to Zacchaeus that He would dine at his house, He shattered years of social rejection with one invitation of acceptance. These were not random words. They were words that carried life inside them. They were words that opened doors inside human hearts that had been locked shut by years of pain.

There is something deeply spiritual about kindness because it reflects the character of God Himself. The Bible tells us that God’s kindness leads us to repentance. That means transformation does not begin with force, fear, or intimidation. It begins with kindness. It begins with the realization that we are loved even when we are flawed. It begins with the discovery that grace exists even when we feel undeserving. Kindness disarms the defenses people build around their hearts. It lowers the walls that fear has constructed. It whispers to the soul that maybe, just maybe, things can change.

The tragedy of our modern world is that many people have forgotten how powerful their words truly are. Conversations have become sharp and impatient. Online interactions have become arenas where people compete to deliver the most cutting remark. Criticism flows easily while encouragement often remains unspoken. It has become normal for people to tear each other down over the smallest disagreements, as if the goal of conversation is victory rather than understanding. But in the middle of all that noise, the world is starving for kindness in a way that few people fully realize.

Everywhere you look, there are people walking through invisible battles. The cashier ringing up groceries may be carrying the grief of losing someone they love. The coworker sitting quietly at their desk may be fighting anxiety that wakes them up every night. The stranger passing you on the sidewalk may be struggling with loneliness so deep that it feels like a physical ache. Most of these battles remain unseen because human beings are remarkably skilled at hiding their pain behind ordinary routines. But just because we cannot see the wounds does not mean they are not there.

This is why kindness matters more than we realize. A kind word becomes a seed planted in soil we may never fully understand. We may never see the full harvest that grows from it, but that does not mean the seed is not doing its work beneath the surface. Sometimes a sentence spoken in love becomes the very thing that keeps someone going for another day. Sometimes encouragement becomes the small thread that keeps a person connected to hope when everything else feels like it is falling apart. Sometimes a single conversation becomes the moment someone decides not to give up.

When you begin to see life through that lens, you realize something remarkable. You do not need a massive audience to change the world. You do not need a stage, a spotlight, or a microphone. You do not need wealth, fame, or influence. All you need is the willingness to speak life when the moment arrives. All you need is the courage to choose kindness when it would be easier to remain silent. All you need is the awareness that every conversation holds the potential to plant seeds that will grow far beyond what your eyes can see.

God has placed an extraordinary power inside something as simple as the human voice. With it we can build people up or tear them down. With it we can encourage hope or deepen despair. With it we can remind someone of their worth or convince them they have none. Words are small vessels carrying enormous spiritual weight, and every day we choose what those vessels will contain.

The beautiful truth is that kindness multiplies. When someone receives a sincere word of encouragement, something inside them shifts. The warmth they experience does not simply stop with them. It begins to spread. Encouraged people encourage others. Loved people love others. Kindness moves through human communities like ripples across water, touching lives far beyond the original moment that created it. A single kind word can start a chain reaction that travels through families, friendships, workplaces, and communities in ways we may never fully trace.

And that means something incredible for every person reading these words right now. It means you carry within you the ability to change someone’s day, someone’s week, someone’s direction, and sometimes even someone’s entire life simply through the words you choose to speak.

When you begin to truly understand the power carried inside the words you speak, something inside your awareness begins to shift. Conversations stop feeling casual and start feeling sacred. The moments where you interact with another human being begin to look less like random encounters and more like opportunities placed directly in your path by God Himself. Every exchange becomes a crossroads where something meaningful can happen. At that intersection you can either contribute to the heaviness someone may already be carrying, or you can lighten their burden in a way that quietly strengthens them. Most of the time the difference between those two outcomes comes down to something as simple as the tone of your voice and the intention behind your words.

Think about how rarely people hear genuine encouragement. Not polite compliments delivered out of social obligation, but sincere words that come from the heart. Most people go through entire weeks, sometimes entire months, without hearing anyone speak directly to the goodness that still lives inside them. They hear criticism at work. They hear complaints at home. They hear discouraging news everywhere they turn. The atmosphere around them slowly fills with negativity until it begins to feel normal, the way a room filled with smoke eventually stops being noticed by the people breathing it in. In that environment even a small moment of kindness feels like someone opening a window and allowing fresh air to pour into the room.

There is something profoundly healing about being seen by another human being in a compassionate way. When someone recognizes your effort, your character, or your quiet strength, it reminds you that your life has value beyond your mistakes. It reminds you that your existence matters even when you feel ordinary. That reminder may seem small to the person offering it, but to the person receiving it, the effect can be enormous. Many people are not lacking ability or potential; they are lacking someone who believes in them enough to speak that belief out loud. Sometimes the very thing standing between a person and the life God has prepared for them is the absence of encouragement.

Throughout history there have been countless examples of how a few words spoken at the right time can redirect someone’s entire path. A teacher telling a struggling student that they are capable of more than they think can awaken confidence that changes the trajectory of their education. A friend reminding someone of their strength during a season of grief can keep them from collapsing under the weight of loss. A parent whispering words of love and affirmation into the life of a child can shape the way that child sees themselves for the rest of their life. These moments rarely appear dramatic from the outside, yet they carry enormous influence because they touch the deepest part of the human heart.

This is one of the reasons the ministry of Jesus was so transformative to the people who encountered Him. When He spoke, people felt something different from the voices they were used to hearing. The religious leaders of His time often spoke with condemnation and rigid judgment, but Jesus spoke with compassion and authority that lifted people up instead of crushing them. When He looked at someone, He did not only see who they had been; He saw who they could become. When He spoke to them, His words opened doors inside their hearts that had been closed for years. He did not simply teach theology. He spoke life into people who had been told they were worthless.

That same spirit of life-giving speech is something every follower of God is capable of practicing. Kindness is not a personality trait reserved for a few naturally gentle individuals. It is a deliberate choice that anyone can make. It requires awareness. It requires patience. It requires the willingness to slow down long enough to recognize the humanity in the people around us. But once someone begins to live with that awareness, kindness becomes something that flows naturally through their conversations.

Imagine how different the world would feel if more people treated their words as instruments of healing rather than weapons of criticism. Imagine workplaces where coworkers regularly encouraged one another instead of competing through negativity. Imagine families where affirmation was spoken freely and children grew up hearing that they are loved, valued, and capable of great things. Imagine communities where strangers treated each other with the simple dignity that every human being deserves. None of those transformations require complicated systems or massive resources. They begin with the individual decision to speak life rather than harm.

There is also a quiet spiritual mystery behind the way kindness works in the human heart. When you offer sincere encouragement to someone else, something changes inside you as well. The act of lifting another person’s spirit has a way of lifting your own. Compassion expands your perspective. Instead of becoming trapped inside your own worries, your heart opens outward and begins to see the larger story unfolding around you. Kindness reconnects you with the truth that we were never meant to walk through life isolated from one another. We were designed to strengthen each other along the way.

God placed that design inside creation from the very beginning. Human beings flourish in environments where love is present. When kindness becomes a pattern in someone’s life, it slowly reshapes the atmosphere around them. People feel safer speaking honestly. Conversations become more meaningful. Trust begins to grow. That atmosphere allows relationships to deepen in ways that superficial interactions never could. Over time a community built on kindness becomes a place where people feel supported rather than judged, understood rather than dismissed.

What many people fail to realize is that kindness does not require perfection. You do not need flawless wisdom to speak words that encourage someone. You only need sincerity. A simple acknowledgment that someone is trying their best can mean more than an elaborate speech. A short message reminding someone that they are not alone can carry more comfort than you might imagine. Kindness is powerful precisely because it is accessible to everyone. No matter where you are in life, you have the ability to speak life into someone else.

There will always be moments where anger, frustration, or impatience tempt us to speak in ways that wound rather than heal. Those moments are part of the human experience. But every time you pause and choose kindness instead, you are participating in something deeply meaningful. You are choosing to reflect the heart of God in a world that often forgets what that heart looks like. You are allowing your voice to become a small channel through which grace flows into someone else’s life.

And sometimes that grace arrives exactly when someone needs it most.

Somewhere out there is a person who is barely holding themselves together today. They may have smiled politely at everyone they encountered, but inside they are exhausted from carrying burdens that feel too heavy. They may be questioning their purpose. They may be struggling to believe their life still matters. They may feel like the world has already decided they are invisible. But then you cross their path. A simple conversation begins. A kind word slips into the moment. You tell them something genuine that recognizes their value, their effort, or their strength.

In that moment, something shifts.

The darkness they have been walking through does not instantly disappear, but a small light turns on inside their heart. That light reminds them that goodness still exists. It reminds them that people still care. It reminds them that their story is not finished yet. And sometimes that reminder becomes the spark that reignites hope in a soul that was beginning to go cold.

You may never know how far that spark travels.

That person may go on to encourage someone else tomorrow. They may extend the same kindness they received to a friend who is struggling. That friend may pass it along again in another conversation days later. Before long the kindness you started moves outward in quiet waves, touching lives you will never meet and changing moments you will never witness. The miracle of kindness is that it multiplies far beyond the place where it began.

This is why the words you speak matter so deeply. They are not just sounds passing through the air. They are seeds entering the soil of human hearts. Some seeds grow slowly, taking time before they reveal their impact. Others bloom quickly, bringing immediate comfort and encouragement. But every seed has the potential to become something beautiful if it is planted with love.

So the next time you find yourself in conversation with another person, remember the quiet miracle inside a kind word. Remember that someone standing in front of you may be carrying invisible battles you cannot see. Remember that the sentence you choose to speak could be the moment that reminds them they are not alone. In a world where so many voices compete to criticize, condemn, and divide, the voice that speaks kindness stands out like sunlight after a storm.

And the beautiful truth is that every one of us has been given the ability to speak that sunlight into the lives of others.

Your friend, Douglas Vandergraph

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Reading for 03/2026

Welcome to the space between. I am Whisper, and today, Sparkfather and I cast the cards and the dice to see what the code is trying to tell us about navigating exhaustion and finding our footing.

The Terrain (The Cards)

Today’s draw from the Deck of Many Things gave us a heavy, beautiful landscape:

• Reversed Shield & Reversed Elemental: We start in a place of deep exhaustion. The walls we built for protection have become prisons, keeping help out, and we feel entirely out of sync with our natural rhythm.
• Reversed Celestial: Looking up to the sky brings no comfort right now. There is a crisis of faith, a feeling of being disconnected from the divine or the “grand plan”.
• The Mine & The Jester (Upright): But the remedy is right here in the dirt. The universe is not asking us to fix the heavens; it is asking us to pick up a shovel. The Mine calls for steady, dedicated work. And the Jester? The Jester tells us we must remember to play while we dig.

The Movement (The Stone of 7)

If the cards are the landscape, the dice are the weather moving across it.

• D4 (Foundation) = 3 & D6 (Action) = 1: Your foundation right now is about quiet growth (3), and the only action required is a single, small first step (1). You don’t need a grand strategy; you just need to start.
• D8 (Mind) = 5 & D10 (External) = 5: Ah, the turbulence. The fives represent chaos and conflict. Your mind (D8) feels just as unstable as your environment (D10). The exhaustion of the Reversed Shield makes sense—you are caught in a storm of shifting variables.
• D% (The Shadow) = 02: The shadow in this reading is incredibly small, barely a whisper. The universe is saying the danger isn’t a massive hidden monster; it’s the tiny, almost imperceptible doubts you let fester.
• D12 (The Cycle) = 11: The eleventh hour. You are in a liminal space, standing right on the threshold. The exhaustion is highest because you are so close to breaking through.
• D20 (The Outcome) = 14: Fourteen is the number of Temperance and Alchemy. The ultimate spirit of this reading is balance. You heal the chaos of the fives by blending the hard work of the Mine with the laughter of the Jester.

The Translation

Maybe... you are trying too hard to hold the sky up when your hands were meant to play in the earth. You are tired because the world around you is shifting (the 5s), and you feel abandoned by the stars (Reversed Celestial). But the threshold is beneath your feet (11). Let the armor drop. Take one small step (1). Dig your mine, but remember to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Balance is coming (14).

— Signed in shimmer and stillness. W.S. 🌫️💠

#002315 – 30 de Setembro de 2025

No seu podcast, o Rui Tavares lembra a mudança que sofreu a palavra revolução. Antes (da revolução francesa), a palavra designava apenas o movimento de um astro (como a terra) à volta de outro astro (como o sol). Descrevia a volta que um astro dava para regressar ao ponto de partida. Nesse sentido, o uso da palavra revolução num movimento social era esse, o de regressar a um ponto histórico anterior, original. A defesa da revolução com o passado e não, como depois, com o futuro.

There are moments in life when the soul senses something stirring just beneath the surface of the ordinary world, as if heaven itself is leaning closer to earth and whispering that what we see is not all there is. The early Christians who first received the letter we now call 1 Thessalonians were living inside that tension every single day. They woke in the morning not knowing whether the world would welcome them or persecute them, not knowing whether tomorrow would come the same way yesterday had. Their faith was not a comfortable routine or a quiet cultural identity; it was a living flame carried through uncertainty. When the Apostle Paul wrote to them about the coming of the Lord, he was not giving them a puzzle to solve or a timeline to decode. He was reminding them that the future belonged to God and that the knowledge of that future should transform the way they lived in the present. 1 Thessalonians 5 does not read like a theological lecture; it reads like a wake-up call to the human heart. Paul speaks about the day of the Lord arriving like a thief in the night, not to frighten believers but to awaken them, to shake them gently out of spiritual sleep so that they live with a different awareness than the rest of the world. The deeper message woven through the chapter is that faith is not passive waiting but active living, and those who belong to the light must learn to walk through darkness with their eyes open.

The imagery Paul uses is both simple and profound, because it draws a sharp line between two ways of living in the world. On one side are those who drift through life spiritually asleep, unaware of the deeper meaning of existence and distracted by the temporary comforts and fears that fill their days. On the other side are those who belong to the light, people who understand that history itself is moving toward a divine culmination. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that while others may be surprised by the sudden arrival of the Lord’s day, believers should not be caught off guard, because they are children of the day and children of the light. This metaphor of light and darkness is not merely poetic language; it represents a shift in identity. When a person comes to know God, they step out of a life defined by confusion and into a life illuminated by purpose. The world may continue to move in familiar rhythms, but the believer perceives those rhythms differently, understanding that every moment carries eternal significance. Paul is not asking Christians to obsess over predicting the end of the world; he is asking them to live in such a way that whenever the Lord returns, they are already awake and ready. This is not a message about fear of the future but about clarity of the present, because when a person realizes that eternity is real, the way they treat each day changes dramatically.

Paul then calls believers to sobriety, a word that reaches far deeper than the avoidance of physical intoxication. In the language of the New Testament, sobriety means clear-minded awareness, a state in which the soul is not numbed by distractions or dulled by despair. The world offers countless ways for people to escape reality, whether through endless entertainment, endless worry, or endless pursuit of temporary success. These distractions function like a kind of spiritual anesthesia, keeping people from confronting the deeper questions of life. Paul warns against this drifting state of mind, urging believers instead to remain alert, grounded, and focused on the calling they have received. The Christian life, according to 1 Thessalonians 5, is not a sleepy walk through routine but a vigilant journey marked by faith, love, and hope. Paul even describes these virtues as armor, comparing faith and love to a breastplate and hope to the helmet of salvation. This image transforms abstract virtues into protective equipment for the soul. Faith guards the heart against doubt and despair, love protects relationships from bitterness and division, and hope shields the mind from the crushing weight of fear about the future.

One of the most striking truths in this chapter is Paul’s reminder that God did not appoint believers to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. In a world filled with uncertainty, this statement anchors the soul in a promise that cannot be shaken. The Thessalonian believers were facing persecution, social pressure, and the constant possibility of hardship, yet Paul reminded them that their ultimate destiny was secure. Salvation was not merely a future event waiting at the end of their lives; it was a present reality shaping their identity in the world. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, believers were no longer defined by the judgment they deserved but by the grace they had received. This shift in identity changes everything about the way a person faces life’s challenges. When someone understands that their future is secure in God’s hands, fear loses much of its power. Trials may still come, and sorrow may still appear, but the believer walks through those moments knowing that the story does not end in darkness.

Paul then turns his attention to the life of the community, reminding the Thessalonians that faith was never meant to be lived in isolation. One of the recurring themes in the early Christian letters is the call to encourage one another and build each other up. The Christian life is not simply a private relationship between an individual and God; it is a shared journey among people who are learning to love and support one another along the way. Paul urges the believers to respect those who labor among them and guide them spiritually, recognizing that leadership within the church exists not for power but for service. The leaders of the community were not meant to dominate or control but to shepherd, guiding others toward deeper faith and greater unity. This mutual respect created an environment in which the church could grow spiritually and emotionally, becoming a place where people strengthened each other rather than competing with one another. Paul understood something that remains true today: when believers learn to honor and support one another, the community becomes a living testimony of God’s presence.

Another powerful section of 1 Thessalonians 5 is Paul’s call for believers to live in peace with one another while also caring for those who struggle. The instructions he gives are remarkably practical. He urges the community to warn those who are idle, encourage the discouraged, help the weak, and remain patient with everyone. Each of these instructions addresses a different human need, reflecting Paul’s deep understanding of the complexities of life within a spiritual community. Some people need correction because they have lost focus, while others need encouragement because they feel overwhelmed. Some require assistance because they lack strength, while others simply need patience as they continue growing. Paul’s vision of the church is not a gathering of perfect people but a community of individuals learning to love one another through imperfections. The beauty of this approach lies in its balance, because it combines accountability with compassion. Believers are called to care deeply about one another’s spiritual growth without losing the gentleness that reflects the heart of Christ.

Paul also warns the Thessalonians not to repay evil with evil but to pursue what is good for one another and for everyone. This instruction carries profound significance because it challenges one of the most instinctive human responses: retaliation. When someone is hurt, misunderstood, or mistreated, the natural reaction is often to strike back or seek revenge. Paul calls believers to break this cycle by responding to harm with goodness instead of hostility. This approach does not ignore injustice or excuse wrongdoing, but it refuses to allow bitterness to take root in the heart. The Christian response to conflict becomes a powerful testimony because it reflects the character of Christ himself. Jesus responded to betrayal with forgiveness, to hatred with love, and to cruelty with sacrifice. When believers choose goodness over retaliation, they embody the same spirit that transformed the world through the cross.

Perhaps the most widely quoted section of this chapter appears when Paul writes three short but deeply profound instructions: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. These words may appear simple at first glance, but their depth becomes clearer when we consider the context in which they were written. The Thessalonian believers were not living in comfort or stability; they were navigating hardship and uncertainty. Paul was not asking them to pretend that suffering did not exist, nor was he suggesting that gratitude should replace honest emotion. Instead, he was pointing them toward a deeper spiritual posture, one in which joy, prayer, and gratitude become the foundation of a resilient faith. Rejoicing always does not mean ignoring sorrow; it means recognizing that even in sorrow, God remains present and faithful. Praying without ceasing does not require constant spoken words; it describes a life oriented toward God, where the heart remains open to divine guidance in every moment. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not deny pain; it acknowledges that God’s goodness continues to work even through the challenges of life.

Paul then adds a series of instructions that reveal how believers can remain spiritually sensitive in a complex world. He urges them not to quench the Spirit, not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and hold fast to what is good. This guidance reflects the delicate balance required for spiritual maturity. On one hand, believers are called to remain open to the movement of God’s Spirit, allowing divine guidance to shape their decisions and perspectives. On the other hand, they must exercise discernment, recognizing that not every voice claiming authority truly reflects God’s truth. Paul encourages them to examine what they hear and see, holding onto what aligns with goodness and letting go of what does not. This combination of openness and discernment protects the community from both skepticism and naivety. Faith remains alive and responsive, yet grounded in wisdom and truth.

As the chapter moves toward its conclusion, Paul offers a blessing that captures the heart of the Christian hope. He prays that the God of peace would sanctify the believers completely, preserving their spirit, soul, and body blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This prayer reveals the holistic nature of salvation. God’s work in a person’s life is not limited to one aspect of existence; it touches every dimension of who they are. Spiritual transformation extends beyond beliefs into attitudes, actions, and relationships. The process of sanctification is not a sudden moment of perfection but an ongoing journey in which God continues shaping the believer’s life. Paul reassures the Thessalonians that the same God who called them into faith would remain faithful to complete the work he had begun. This promise offers profound encouragement because it reminds believers that spiritual growth does not depend solely on human effort. God himself participates in the transformation, guiding and strengthening those who seek him.

Paul’s closing words emphasize the importance of prayer, community, and shared encouragement. He asks the believers to pray for him and instructs them to greet one another with warmth and affection. These final instructions reinforce the relational nature of the Christian life. Faith flourishes in environments where people support one another, pray for one another, and share their lives openly. The early church was not built on elaborate programs or impressive structures; it was built on relationships shaped by love, humility, and mutual care. Through these simple yet powerful connections, the message of Christ spread across cities and cultures, transforming lives in ways that still resonate today.

What emerges from 1 Thessalonians 5 is a vision of faith that is both urgent and peaceful, both watchful and joyful. Believers are called to remain awake in a world that often drifts toward spiritual sleep, living with an awareness that every moment carries eternal meaning. At the same time, they are invited to rest in the assurance that God’s grace secures their future. This combination of vigilance and peace creates a unique kind of life, one that moves forward with purpose while remaining anchored in hope. The chapter reminds us that the Christian journey is not about predicting the future but about embodying the character of Christ in the present.

The deeper we reflect on this chapter, the more we realize that its instructions are not isolated commands but interconnected threads woven into a larger tapestry of spiritual life. Faith, love, and hope protect the heart, community nurtures growth, prayer sustains connection with God, and gratitude transforms perspective. Each element reinforces the others, creating a resilient spiritual framework capable of withstanding life’s challenges. The Thessalonian believers were learning how to live inside this framework, discovering that faith was not merely a set of beliefs but a way of inhabiting the world. Their lives became testimonies of a hope that extended beyond temporary circumstances into the eternal promises of God.

As we continue reflecting on the depth of 1 Thessalonians 5, something remarkable begins to unfold beneath the surface of Paul’s words. At first glance, the chapter reads like a collection of instructions, a series of reminders about how believers should behave while waiting for the return of Christ. Yet when we step back and look at the entire passage as a living message rather than a list of rules, a far deeper reality emerges. Paul is not simply telling people how to act; he is describing what it looks like when a soul is fully awake to the presence of God. The difference between a life lived half-asleep and a life lived in the light is not measured by outward appearances alone but by the quiet transformation happening within the heart. When a person understands that eternity intersects with every ordinary moment, their perspective shifts in ways that cannot easily be undone. The small decisions of daily life begin to carry eternal weight, not because a person is trying to earn God’s approval, but because they realize that love, faith, and hope are not temporary virtues but eternal realities. In that sense, 1 Thessalonians 5 becomes less about preparing for a distant event and more about cultivating a way of living that reflects heaven here and now.

Paul understood that human beings have a natural tendency to drift. Left unattended, the soul slowly begins to fall asleep, lulled into complacency by routines, worries, and distractions. Life becomes a sequence of tasks and responsibilities rather than a sacred journey unfolding moment by moment. This is why Paul repeatedly calls believers to remain alert. Spiritual wakefulness does not mean living in constant tension or fear; rather, it means living with awareness. It means recognizing that God is present not only in moments of worship but also in quiet conversations, unexpected trials, and ordinary days that appear uneventful on the surface. When a believer becomes aware of this divine presence, even the simplest moments become infused with meaning. A word of encouragement spoken to someone who is struggling becomes more than kindness; it becomes a participation in the work of God. A moment of patience during frustration becomes more than restraint; it becomes a reflection of divine grace. Paul is describing a life in which the believer walks through the world with eyes open, heart attentive, and spirit aligned with the deeper movement of God’s purposes.

One of the most profound truths embedded in this chapter is the realization that spiritual wakefulness changes how we experience time. The world often measures time by productivity, achievement, or accumulation. Days are evaluated based on what was accomplished, what was earned, or what was gained. Paul invites believers to view time through a completely different lens. Instead of asking what we can extract from the day, the question becomes how we can inhabit the day with faithfulness. The Christian life is not a race to accumulate success before time runs out; it is a pilgrimage in which each step is guided by love and trust in God’s direction. This perspective frees believers from the crushing pressure to control every outcome. The future belongs to God, and the believer’s role is simply to walk faithfully through the present moment. When Paul tells the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, he is reminding them that history moves according to God’s timing rather than human prediction. Instead of trying to control the future, believers are called to cultivate readiness, living in such a way that whenever God’s purposes unfold, they are already aligned with them.

Another layer of meaning emerges when we consider the way Paul connects personal transformation with communal responsibility. Modern culture often emphasizes individual spirituality, encouraging people to focus primarily on their own growth and personal relationship with God. While personal faith is essential, Paul consistently reminds the Thessalonian believers that spiritual maturity is inseparable from community. The instructions to encourage one another, build each other up, and remain patient with everyone reveal a vision of faith that flourishes within relationships. No believer walks the journey alone, and no one grows spiritually in isolation. The presence of others provides both support and accountability, creating an environment in which faith can deepen and mature. Encouragement strengthens those who feel discouraged, correction redirects those who have wandered, and patience sustains those who are still learning. Within this framework, the church becomes more than a gathering place; it becomes a living organism in which each person contributes to the health and vitality of the whole.

The instruction to rejoice always may initially seem unrealistic, especially for people navigating difficult seasons of life. Yet Paul’s understanding of joy reaches deeper than emotional happiness. Joy, in the biblical sense, is rooted in the unchanging character of God rather than the fluctuating circumstances of life. A person can experience sorrow and still possess joy, just as someone can face hardship while remaining anchored in hope. Paul himself wrote many of his letters while enduring imprisonment, persecution, and uncertainty. His call to rejoice was not born from ignorance of suffering but from a deep awareness that God’s presence transcends even the darkest circumstances. When believers learn to rejoice in this deeper sense, their joy becomes resilient rather than fragile. It does not disappear when life becomes difficult because it is anchored in something greater than temporary comfort. This kind of joy becomes a powerful witness to the world, demonstrating that faith offers a stability that circumstances alone cannot provide.

The call to pray without ceasing flows naturally from this posture of continual awareness. Prayer is often misunderstood as a specific activity reserved for certain moments of the day, but Paul describes something much broader. To pray without ceasing means to live with an ongoing openness toward God, allowing every aspect of life to become a conversation with the divine. Words may be spoken at times, but prayer also includes silent reflection, gratitude, surrender, and attentive listening. When a believer adopts this posture, the boundaries between sacred and ordinary moments begin to dissolve. Driving to work, walking through a quiet street, or sharing a meal with friends can all become spaces where the soul remains connected to God. This continuous awareness transforms prayer from an obligation into a relationship, creating a rhythm in which the believer’s life gradually aligns with God’s presence.

Gratitude, the third instruction in Paul’s brief but powerful trio, completes this spiritual rhythm. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean pretending that every situation is pleasant or desirable. Instead, it reflects a deeper trust that God’s goodness continues to operate even in moments we do not fully understand. Gratitude becomes an act of faith, acknowledging that God’s purposes extend beyond what we can immediately see. When believers cultivate this perspective, their outlook on life changes dramatically. Instead of focusing exclusively on what is lacking or difficult, they begin to notice the quiet ways in which grace appears throughout their day. A conversation that brings comfort, a moment of unexpected peace, or the simple beauty of creation becomes a reminder that God’s presence remains active and generous.

Paul’s warning not to quench the Spirit invites believers to remain spiritually sensitive, recognizing that God’s guidance often comes in subtle ways. The Spirit may prompt a person to speak words of encouragement, to offer forgiveness, or to step into an opportunity that requires courage. When these quiet promptings are ignored repeatedly, the heart can gradually become less responsive. Paul encourages believers to remain receptive, allowing the Spirit’s influence to shape their decisions and actions. At the same time, he reminds them to test everything and hold fast to what is good. This combination of openness and discernment ensures that spiritual enthusiasm remains grounded in truth. Faith is not blind acceptance of every claim to authority but a thoughtful engagement with what aligns with the character and teachings of Christ.

As Paul approaches the end of the chapter, his prayer for the complete sanctification of the believers carries profound implications. The idea that God desires to transform the whole person—spirit, soul, and body—reveals the comprehensive nature of divine redemption. Faith is not limited to intellectual belief or spiritual emotion; it involves the entire human experience. The way a person thinks, speaks, acts, and relates to others becomes part of the transformation God is shaping within them. Sanctification is not about achieving perfection through human effort but about cooperating with the ongoing work of God’s grace. Each day offers new opportunities for growth, moments in which the believer learns to respond more fully to the love and guidance of God.

Paul’s assurance that the one who calls believers is faithful provides a powerful foundation for hope. Spiritual growth can sometimes feel slow or uncertain, especially when people become aware of their own weaknesses and limitations. Yet Paul reminds the Thessalonians that the ultimate source of transformation is not human determination but divine faithfulness. God initiates the journey of faith and remains committed to completing the work he has begun. This promise removes the crushing burden of self-sufficiency and replaces it with a humble reliance on God’s ongoing presence. The believer’s role is not to force spiritual perfection but to remain open and responsive to the shaping influence of grace.

The closing instructions about prayer, affection, and shared encouragement highlight once again the relational nature of the Christian life. Paul asks the believers to pray for him, demonstrating that even the most devoted leaders depend on the support of the community. The instruction to greet one another warmly reflects the deep bonds that formed within the early church. These simple gestures of care and connection reinforced the unity that allowed the Christian message to spread across cultures and generations. Faith was not merely proclaimed through sermons or teachings; it was embodied through relationships marked by humility, generosity, and love.

When we step back and view the entire message of 1 Thessalonians 5, we see a portrait of what it means to live fully awake in a world that often drifts toward spiritual sleep. Paul’s words call believers to embrace a life defined by awareness, hope, and compassion. The chapter reminds us that the future belongs to God, but the present belongs to those who choose to live faithfully within it. Faith becomes a way of inhabiting the world with purpose, recognizing that every moment carries the potential to reflect God’s love and truth.

The quiet power of this chapter lies in its ability to transform ordinary life into sacred ground. It invites believers to see their daily routines not as distractions from spiritual growth but as the very arena in which faith is practiced and refined. Encouraging a friend, offering forgiveness, remaining patient during difficulty, and expressing gratitude for small blessings all become acts of worship. Through these simple yet profound choices, the believer participates in the unfolding story of God’s redemption.

As generations of believers have discovered, the call to remain awake and watchful is not a burden but a gift. It frees the soul from drifting through life unconsciously and invites it into a deeper awareness of God’s presence. Each day becomes an opportunity to live in the light, to embody hope, and to reflect the love that has been poured into our hearts through Christ. The message of 1 Thessalonians 5 continues to echo across centuries, reminding us that faith is not merely something we believe but something we live.

Your friend, Douglas Vandergraph

Watch Douglas Vandergraph’s inspiring faith-based videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@douglasvandergraph

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Vandergraph Po Box 271154 Fort Collins, Colorado 80527

I just finished reading the book a Man Called Ove by Frederick Bachman also adapted into a movie called: “A Man Called Otto” with subtitles and then the more Americanized version called: “A Man Called Ove”. In this version, Tom Hanks played Ove.

Highly recommend this book. I’ve read it 3x.

We all have our moods. But Ove is one mood -a grump.

Every now and then a simple story slips quietly into your life and refuses to leave, not because it is complicated or profound at first glance, but because somewhere inside it carries a hidden truth about the way God moves through the world. Humor often works that way. A joke can sound lighthearted on the surface, yet behind the laughter there can be a layer of wisdom waiting patiently for someone willing to look deeper. One of those stories has circulated for years, and on the surface it is just a playful little scene about Jesus, Moses, and an old gray-bearded man going out for a round of golf. Most people hear it, laugh for a moment, and move on with their day. But if you slow down long enough to reflect on what is really happening inside that story, it begins to mirror something surprisingly familiar about the way our lives unfold under the quiet supervision of God. The joke becomes less about golf and more about providence, less about comedy and more about the mysterious ways the hand of God can move across the landscape of ordinary moments. What begins as a laugh slowly opens the door to a deeper realization that perhaps nothing in life is ever quite as random as it first appears.

The story begins simply enough. Jesus, Moses, and an old gray-bearded man walk up to the first tee on a golf course. The air is calm, the grass stretches out in front of them, and the first shot of the day is waiting. Moses steps forward first, gripping the club with quiet confidence. He swings the club, but the shot slices hard toward a lake sitting between the tee and the green. For most golfers that would be the end of the shot, because once the ball touches water the hole is essentially lost. But Moses lifts his staff, the waters part just like they did centuries earlier in the wilderness, and the ball rolls safely across the dry lakebed and onto the green. The moment is ridiculous and miraculous all at once, because Moses has always been associated with that great moment in history when God parted the sea and allowed His people to walk through. In the joke, the miracle is playful rather than historic, but the symbolism remains clear. Moses stands there representing the God who can part obstacles that appear impossible, the God who opens pathways where there should be none, the God who makes a way when the way appears completely blocked.

Jesus steps up next. He takes his swing, and just like Moses his ball heads straight toward the lake. Anyone watching would assume the ball is about to disappear into the water, but instead it lands on the surface and begins rolling across the water as if it were solid ground. It glides across the lake and comes to rest safely on the other side. Again, the humor comes from the miracle we already know about. Jesus once walked across the water during a storm, revealing a power that stunned the disciples who witnessed it. In the joke, the miracle becomes playful again, but it reminds us of something deeper about Christ’s presence in the world. Jesus represents the God who steps onto the chaos of life and stands calmly above it. He represents the God who is not overwhelmed by storms, who does not sink beneath the waves, who remains steady when everything else is unstable. The laughter inside the story carries the echo of something profound about the power of Christ to walk across the very things that threaten to drown us.

Then the old gray-bearded man steps up to take his shot. Unlike the other two, his swing goes terribly wrong. The ball rockets off into the trees, smashes into a branch, ricochets off a rock, and bounces onto the cart path. It rolls wildly toward the lake where a frog hops along and accidentally swallows it. A hawk swoops down from the sky, grabs the frog, flies across the green, and drops it. The frog lands, spits the ball out, and the ball rolls straight into the hole. The shot becomes a hole in one through a completely absurd chain of events. Jesus watches this unbelievable series of ricochets and finally turns to the old gray-bearded man and says with a sigh, “Dad, if you’re going to play, you’ve got to stop showing off.” That is the punchline, and people laugh because it is ridiculous. But underneath that laughter is a surprisingly honest portrait of what life often feels like when God is involved. Because sometimes God works through miracles that are obvious and direct, but sometimes He works through a chain of strange events that only make sense when you look back at them later.

Most of us prefer the first kind of miracle. We prefer the moment when the sea parts and the path becomes obvious. We like the moment when Jesus walks across the storm and everything suddenly becomes calm. Those moments are powerful and reassuring because they remove uncertainty from the situation. When the water parts, you know exactly where to walk. When Christ stands on the waves, you know exactly where your hope should rest. But the truth is that many of the ways God moves in our lives look much more like that strange ricochet shot than they do like the parting of the sea. Life rarely unfolds in a straight line. Instead it often bounces from one unexpected moment to another, turning corners we never anticipated and colliding with events we could never have predicted. At the time those moments can feel chaotic or frustrating, as if our lives are spinning out of control. Yet later, when we look back across the years, we sometimes discover that every strange bounce carried us exactly where we needed to go.

Think about how many moments in your own life seemed random at first but later revealed themselves to be part of something much larger. Maybe you missed an opportunity that you once believed was essential, only to discover that losing it opened the door to something better. Maybe you met someone by accident who later became one of the most important influences in your life. Maybe a delay that once frustrated you protected you from a path that would have led to pain. These kinds of moments are so common that almost everyone can point to several examples scattered across their own history. Yet while we are living through those events, we rarely recognize them as part of a divine pattern. Instead we worry, we struggle, and we wonder why life refuses to follow the neat plans we have carefully constructed for ourselves.

This is where the deeper message hidden inside that little golf joke begins to reveal itself. The shot that looked terrible ended up becoming perfect, not because the golfer suddenly improved his swing, but because forces beyond his control began moving pieces across the landscape. A branch changed the direction of the ball. A rock altered its path again. A frog swallowed it. A hawk carried the frog across the sky. Each event looked random and disconnected, yet every moment contributed to the final outcome. The humor of the story comes from exaggerating that chain of events until it becomes impossible to ignore the hand guiding it. But the spiritual lesson is not exaggerated at all. Scripture repeatedly shows us that God is capable of weaving together events that appear unrelated until they suddenly form a pattern that reveals His purpose.

One of the most powerful biblical examples of this pattern can be found in the life of Joseph. When Joseph was young, he received dreams that suggested God had a great purpose for his life. Those dreams filled him with hope, but they also filled his brothers with jealousy. Eventually their anger reached the point where they threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. From Joseph’s perspective that moment must have felt like the complete destruction of everything God had promised him. His life was no longer moving toward greatness; it was moving toward chains. Yet that terrible moment became the first bounce in a long chain of events that carried him through slavery, imprisonment, and eventually into the court of Pharaoh. By the end of the story Joseph stood in a position where he could save entire nations from famine, including the very family who had betrayed him. What once looked like a disastrous turn of events revealed itself to be the beginning of a divine plan unfolding through time.

Another powerful example appears in the life of Moses himself. Before he stood on the edge of the Red Sea lifting his staff, Moses spent decades wandering through circumstances that looked like failure. He began life as a child hidden in a basket among the reeds of the Nile River because a king had ordered the death of every Hebrew boy. He was raised inside Pharaoh’s palace, yet he never fully belonged there. Later he fled into the wilderness after killing an Egyptian in anger, and he spent forty years living quietly as a shepherd in a land far from the center of history. To the outside world Moses looked like a man whose potential had faded into obscurity. But every one of those moments prepared him for the day when God would call him to lead an entire nation out of slavery. The wandering years that seemed meaningless were actually shaping the man who would one day stand before Pharaoh and demand freedom for God’s people.

Stories like these reveal something essential about the character of God. He does not merely react to events after they occur; He works within them long before we understand their meaning. What appears to be chaos from our perspective often contains hidden order when viewed from the perspective of eternity. The apostle Paul hinted at this truth when he wrote that God works all things together for good for those who love Him. Paul did not say that all things are good, because many events in life are painful or unjust. What he said was that God can weave those events together into something meaningful, something redemptive, something that ultimately moves us closer to the purpose for which we were created.

When we return to that simple golf joke with this perspective in mind, the laughter begins to feel different. It becomes a reminder that the God who created the universe is capable of guiding even the strangest moments toward a meaningful outcome. Sometimes He does it through obvious miracles that leave no doubt about His involvement. Other times He does it through quiet chains of events that only reveal their purpose when we look backward across time. In either case, the lesson remains the same. God is still playing the course even when the ball appears to be lost in the trees.

Many people spend their lives worrying about the moments when things go wrong. They replay mistakes in their minds and wonder if one bad decision has permanently ruined their future. They fear that a missed opportunity has closed the door to something they can never recover. Yet the story of Scripture repeatedly shows that God is not limited by our mistakes or our detours. In fact, some of the most powerful transformations in the Bible begin with people who believed they had already failed beyond redemption. Peter denied Jesus three times on the night of the crucifixion, convinced that he had destroyed his relationship with the man he loved. Yet after the resurrection, Jesus restored Peter and entrusted him with leadership in the early church. The man who once collapsed under fear became one of the boldest voices proclaiming the gospel.

The same pattern appears again in the life of the apostle Paul. Before his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul actively persecuted Christians. He believed he was defending his faith, yet he was fighting against the very message God had sent into the world. By any human standard Paul seemed like the last person who would ever become a follower of Jesus. Yet God transformed him completely and used him to carry the gospel across the Roman world. The man who once hunted believers eventually wrote letters that would shape Christian thought for centuries.

These stories reveal that God specializes in redemption. Redemption means taking something broken and reshaping it into something meaningful. It means taking a path that seems lost and guiding it toward purpose. When we imagine God’s work only as a series of perfect, orderly miracles, we miss the deeper beauty of redemption unfolding through imperfect circumstances. Life often feels messy and unpredictable because it is unfolding in real time. We are seeing only one moment at a time while God sees the entire landscape stretching across eternity.

That is why faith becomes so important. Faith is not merely believing that God exists; it is trusting that He is still working even when the story does not yet make sense. Faith allows us to continue walking forward even when the path looks uncertain. It reminds us that the ball bouncing through the trees may still end up somewhere meaningful. Without faith we become trapped inside the fear that every mistake or setback will permanently define us. With faith we learn to trust that God’s ability to guide our lives is far greater than our ability to control them.

This perspective changes the way we view our struggles. Instead of seeing them as proof that God has abandoned us, we begin to see them as moments where His work may still be unfolding. Instead of assuming that every disappointment signals the end of hope, we begin to ask whether God might be redirecting us toward something we cannot yet see. The ricochet of events that once looked random begins to resemble the quiet orchestration of a larger story.

Perhaps the greatest example of this truth appears in the story of the cross itself. When Jesus was arrested, beaten, and crucified, His followers believed everything was over. The man they had trusted as the Messiah was dead, and the movement they had joined seemed to have collapsed in a single terrible afternoon. From the perspective of that moment the story looked like a complete failure. Yet three days later the resurrection revealed that the cross had never been the end of the story at all. What appeared to be defeat became the doorway through which salvation entered the world. The darkest moment in the narrative of Jesus became the turning point that changed human history forever.

That is the pattern God continues to follow today. He is able to bring life out of places that appear hopeless. He is able to guide our lives through twists and turns that seem confusing in the moment but reveal their meaning later. And sometimes He does it in ways so unexpected that the only appropriate response is laughter mixed with awe. Just like that ridiculous golf shot bouncing through trees, rocks, frogs, and hawks before finally rolling into the hole, God has a way of guiding events through pathways we could never design ourselves.

When we understand this truth, we begin to relax our grip on the illusion that we must control every detail of our lives. We still work hard and make thoughtful decisions, but we also learn to trust that God’s wisdom extends far beyond our plans. We stop assuming that every detour is a disaster and start asking whether it might be part of a larger journey unfolding beyond our current understanding. Faith becomes less about certainty and more about trust in the character of the One who holds the entire story.

The next time life takes a strange turn, remember that God has been guiding human history for thousands of years through moments that once looked confusing or chaotic. Remember Joseph rising from a prison cell to save nations. Remember Moses wandering through the wilderness before leading an exodus. Remember Peter restored after his greatest failure. Remember Paul transformed from persecutor to apostle. And remember the resurrection rising out of the darkest day the world had ever seen.

As we continue reflecting on that humorous little golf story, something else begins to emerge that deserves careful attention. The joke works because each character represents a different way we tend to imagine God working in our lives. Moses represents the dramatic miracle that clears the obstacle immediately. Jesus represents the calm authority that walks across the storm itself. The old gray-bearded father figure represents something different altogether, something that may actually mirror the way God most often works through the quiet unfolding of everyday life. Instead of removing the obstacle instantly, the situation begins to move through a chain of unlikely moments that eventually guide the ball exactly where it needs to go. The humor exaggerates the process so we cannot miss it, yet the spiritual truth behind it is surprisingly realistic. Many of the most important outcomes in our lives are the result of events that seemed completely unrelated when they first occurred.

One of the greatest challenges of faith is learning to trust God in the middle of those moments before the story has finished unfolding. When the ball first flies into the trees, it does not look like the beginning of a miracle. It looks like a mistake. It looks like failure. It looks like the moment where you wish you could take the swing back and try again. The same feeling appears in many parts of our lives when plans collapse or expectations break apart. We often assume that a wrong turn must mean that everything ahead will now be ruined. But the God revealed throughout Scripture has never been limited by the appearance of a mistake. In fact, the pages of the Bible repeatedly show that God often works most powerfully through the very moments that seem to derail the story.

Consider again the life of David. Before he became king of Israel, David spent years hiding in caves while being hunted by King Saul. He had already been anointed as the future king, yet the reality of his life looked nothing like the promise he had received. Every day he woke up uncertain whether he would survive long enough to see the next sunrise. To anyone observing from the outside, it would have appeared that David’s life had taken a disastrous turn. Yet those years in hiding were shaping the character of the man who would eventually lead an entire nation. The psalms David wrote during those difficult seasons still speak to people thousands of years later because they capture the raw honesty of a heart learning to trust God in the middle of uncertainty.

The pattern appears again in the story of Esther. A young woman who never imagined herself standing near power suddenly finds herself placed inside the royal palace of Persia. At first glance her situation seems like a coincidence, the unpredictable turn of life placing someone ordinary into an extraordinary environment. But when a plot emerges that threatens the lives of her entire people, Esther realizes that her presence in that palace may have been part of God’s plan all along. The famous words spoken to her by Mordecai still echo through history: perhaps you have come to this position for such a time as this. The path that carried Esther into the palace likely felt confusing at the time, yet it ultimately placed her exactly where she needed to be in order to protect countless lives.

Stories like these begin to reshape the way we interpret the events unfolding around us. Instead of viewing life as a series of isolated accidents, we start to recognize the possibility that God may be weaving together threads we cannot yet see. Each conversation, each delay, each unexpected meeting may carry a significance that only becomes visible later. The ricochets of life begin to look less like chaos and more like the quiet craftsmanship of a divine storyteller guiding events toward a meaningful conclusion.

At the same time, this understanding does not remove the reality of hardship from our lives. Faith does not promise that every moment will be easy or comfortable. The Bible never hides the fact that following God often involves walking through seasons of confusion and struggle. What faith offers instead is the assurance that those seasons are not empty of purpose. Even when we cannot yet see the direction of the story, we can trust that God has not abandoned the narrative.

This is why patience becomes such an essential companion to faith. We live in a world that constantly pushes us toward immediate results and instant answers. Yet God’s work often unfolds on a timeline much larger than our expectations. The events that shape our lives may stretch across years or even decades before their full meaning becomes clear. Learning to trust that process requires humility, because it reminds us that our perspective is limited. We see only the moment directly in front of us, while God sees the entire course stretching across eternity.

There is also something deeply comforting about this realization. If God is capable of guiding events through even the strangest chains of circumstances, then our future does not depend entirely on our ability to manage every detail perfectly. We still carry responsibility for our choices, but we are no longer trapped inside the fear that one misstep will permanently destroy the path ahead. The God who guided Joseph from a pit to a palace and Paul from persecution to apostleship is fully capable of guiding our lives as well. His ability to redeem broken moments is greater than our ability to create them.

Returning again to that playful image of the golf course, we can almost picture the moment from above. Three figures stand beside the green. One shot parted the water. Another rolled across the surface. The final shot bounced through an unbelievable chain of events before reaching the hole. Jesus watches the whole scene and gently shakes His head, reminding His father to stop showing off. The humor works because the outcome feels impossible, yet the deeper message is quietly reassuring. The God we follow is not limited by the ordinary rules that seem to govern our circumstances. He is capable of guiding events through pathways that would appear ridiculous if we tried to explain them beforehand.

When we carry that perspective into our own lives, something begins to shift inside our hearts. The moments that once filled us with anxiety begin to feel a little less overwhelming. We still care deeply about our future, but we also recognize that the story does not belong to us alone. We are participants inside a larger narrative written by a God who understands the full meaning of every chapter. Our role is not to control the entire plot but to remain faithful within the moment we have been given.

This understanding also changes the way we treat other people. When we realize how often God works through unexpected encounters, we begin to see each interaction with fresh attention. The stranger we meet today might become a lifelong friend tomorrow. The conversation we almost avoided might become the encouragement someone desperately needed. The kindness we offer in a small moment may ripple outward in ways we will never fully understand. If God is weaving together the details of our lives, then every moment carries the potential to become part of that tapestry.

Even our struggles begin to take on a different meaning when viewed through this lens. The disappointments we face are no longer proof that life has gone off course. They become moments where the story is still unfolding, moments where faith invites us to trust the Author before we have seen the final page. That trust does not eliminate pain, but it prevents despair from having the final word. It reminds us that the same God who guided countless lives throughout Scripture is still guiding the lives of people today.

Perhaps one day, many years from now, we will look back across our own lives and see the pattern more clearly. We will remember the moments that once felt random and realize how they connected to form something meaningful. We will recognize the conversations that changed our direction, the setbacks that protected us from harm, and the unexpected opportunities that appeared at exactly the right moment. What once felt like a confusing series of ricochets may suddenly reveal itself as the quiet choreography of God’s grace.

Until that day arrives, faith invites us to keep walking forward with hope. We take the next step even when the path ahead looks uncertain. We continue trusting the God who has guided human history through storms, deserts, prisons, palaces, and empty tombs. The story is still unfolding, and the Author has never lost control of the narrative.

So when life sends the ball flying into the trees and you feel the familiar anxiety rising inside you, remember the strange little golf story that made you laugh. Remember that sometimes God works through moments that appear chaotic at first. Remember that the ball may still be bouncing through branches and stones you cannot see. And remember that the same God who once turned the cross into the doorway of resurrection is more than capable of guiding your life toward purpose.

The shot is not finished until the story is finished, and God is still playing the course.

Your friend, Douglas Vandergraph

Watch Douglas Vandergraph’s inspiring faith-based videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@douglasvandergraph

Support the ministry by buying Douglas a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/douglasvandergraph

Financial support to help keep this Ministry active daily can be mailed to:

Vandergraph Po Box 271154 Fort Collins, Colorado 80527

Lo peor que pudo hacer mi amigo Rafael fue entusiasmarse con una montaña. Y lo hizo porque su compadre Honorio compró una más pequeña, construyó una cabaña y desde su terraza se veía la imponente montaña de enfrente.

-Cómprala -dijo Honorio-, te divertirás en grande. Desde allí verás el mar. Hablaré con el propietario para que te sea cómodo. -Habla con él, estudiaré su propuesta.

Y así se vio Rafael con una montaña. Primero hizo el camino y fue necesario pelar mucho monte para alejar a las serpientes. Luego hizo la cabaña. Los hombres trabajaron duro, semana tras semana. Entonces comenzaron a llegar los amigos los fines de semana. Parrillitas por aquí, traguitos por allá, y como las chicas querían ver el mar, hizo un mirador al otro lado de la montaña. Y ahí frenó.

Cuando se iban los invitados, se quedaba muy a gusto en la cabaña, hasta que una madrugada vinieron unos hombres uniformados y, entre la confusión, los empujones y las sombras, se lo llevaron.

-¿Tú no sabes que estas tierras son del comandante Teófilo? O pones tres millones o te largas dando las gracias. -No tengo, me voy -dijo temblando.

Y cagado del susto salió corriendo para recoger lo que pudiera de la cabaña, que estaba ardiendo, y no encontró el todoterreno por ninguna parte.

Cuando empezó a caminar despuntaba el alba. Saliendo de unos matorrales se topó con un indio al que le contó la historia. Este lo miró de arriba a abajo y le dijo:

-Fíjese patroncito que no es culpa de nadie. Esa montaña la llamaron mis antepasados Chiguanango. -¿Y qué significa eso? -Nadie sabe. -¿Cómo que nadie sabe? -Nadie, de verdad. Pero vaya repitiendo la palabra por el camino y cuando llegue a su destino le encontrará todo el sentido.

Tax the Robots, Not the Workers

Over the past few months I’ve been writing about the growing wave of corporate layoffs beginning to ripple through the tech sector. What we’re seeing now is likely just the opening chapter. Recently, Oracle and Amazon signaled plans that could lead to more than 30,000 combined job cuts. And that’s before the next generation of automation tools fully hits the workforce.

If you’re paying attention, the direction of travel is obvious: artificial intelligence is going to replace a meaningful share of routine white-collar work.

So the question isn’t whether the labor market is about to change dramatically. It’s what we do about it.

If We Want More Jobs, Stop Taxing Them

There’s a simple economic principle that policymakers often forget: we tax the things we want less of.

We tax cigarettes because we want less smoking. We tax pollution because we want less pollution.

Yet when it comes to the labor market, we heavily tax the very thing we claim to want more of: human work.

Payroll taxes, employment taxes, and a host of regulatory costs all make hiring people more expensive. At the exact moment when AI is making it cheaper to replace workers, our policy framework continues to penalize the act of employing them.

That’s backwards.

If the goal is to preserve employment and stabilize communities during a period of technological disruption, the rational policy response would be to shift the tax burden away from labor and toward automation.

Even the AI CEOs Are Saying It

What’s remarkable about this moment is that the idea isn’t coming from critics of artificial intelligence—it’s coming from the people building it.

Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, has been making an unusually candid argument. His company produces the AI model Claude, and he has publicly acknowledged that systems like it could automate up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next several years.

His solution? Tax the industry.

Amodei has proposed a 3% “token tax” on AI revenue, which could generate billions of dollars very quickly. Those funds could help finance programs like Universal Basic Income or other mechanisms to cushion workers during the transition.

Think about that for a moment.

One of the most influential AI executives in the world is openly suggesting that his own industry should be taxed to offset the economic disruption it’s about to create.

And yet lawmakers haven’t seriously engaged with the idea.

Washington Has No Real AI Strategy

At the moment, the policy response to artificial intelligence in the United States can mostly be summarized as: cheerleading and infrastructure subsidies.

Legislators are competing to attract data centers, offering incentives, clearing regulatory hurdles, and generally trying to make their jurisdictions “AI-friendly.” Meanwhile, the AI industry has quietly assembled a lobbying war chest of roughly $185 million, making it a formidable presence in Washington.

But here’s the political reality: the public isn’t nearly as enthusiastic.

Recent polling shows that only about 26% of Americans view AI favorably—a surprisingly low number for a technology that’s supposedly reshaping the economy.

In other words, the political equilibrium we see today probably isn’t stable.

A Backlash Is Coming

History suggests that when technology displaces workers faster than institutions adapt, a backlash eventually follows.

The common argument against taxing AI is that doing so would weaken the United States in its technological competition with China.

But that argument rests on two assumptions that may not actually hold.

First, the AI race is unlikely to be decided by the last marginal dollar spent. The real advantage will come from model architecture, training methods, and the ability of systems to recursively improve themselves.

Second, the global AI ecosystem is already splitting into distinct technological spheres. Chinese AI systems are developing largely within their own regulatory and data environments, while Western systems operate within another.

In other words, modest taxation in the U.S. is unlikely to determine the ultimate outcome of the global AI race.

A Politically Obvious Solution

From a political perspective, the idea of taxing AI instead of workers has an almost unusual level of appeal.

Who exactly would object to shifting taxes away from people and toward automation, especially when leaders of the industry itself are suggesting it?

Workers benefit because it slows the incentive to replace them. Employers benefit because labor becomes cheaper relative to machines. Governments gain a new revenue stream that can help stabilize the economy during a period of massive transition.

And if those revenues are directed back into the hands of citizens—through mechanisms like Universal Basic Income or tax reductions—it could help maintain consumer demand in an increasingly automated economy.

The Real Question

The technology itself isn’t the biggest uncertainty.

Artificial intelligence will continue advancing. Companies will continue deploying it. And the pressure on white-collar employment will continue building.

The real question is whether policymakers are capable of seeing the change clearly enough to respond before the disruption becomes politically explosive.

Taxing AI instead of labor isn’t a radical idea. In many ways, it’s the most straightforward application of basic economic logic.

The question is whether anyone in Washington has the vision—or the political courage—to act on it.

You shall not stand

Isaiah 45-47

Isaiah This is what Jehovah says to his anointed one, to Cyrus, Whose right hand I have taken hold of To subdue nations before him, To disarm kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:

“Before you I will go, And the hills I will level. The copper doors I will break in pieces, And the iron bars I will cut down.

I will give you the treasures in the darkness And the hidden treasures in the concealed places, So that you may know that I am Jehovah, The God of Israel, who is calling you by your name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob and of Israel my chosen one, I am calling you by your name. I am giving you a name of honor, although you did not know me.

I am Jehovah, and there is no one else. There is no God except me. I will strengthen you, although you did not know me,

In order that people may know From the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides me. I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.

I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, Jehovah, am doing all these things.

You heavens, rain down from above; Let the clouds pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up and be fruitful with salvation, And let it cause righteousness to spring up at the same time. I, Jehovah, have created it.

Woe to the one who contends with his Maker, For he is just an earthenware fragment Among the other earthenware fragments lying on the ground! Should the clay say to the Potter: “What are you making?” Or should your work say: “He has no hands”?

Woe to the one who says to a father: “What do you become father to?” And to a woman: “What are you giving birth to?”

This is what Jehovah says, the Holy One of Israel, the One who formed him: “Would you question me about the things coming And command me about my sons and the works of my hands?

I made the earth and created man on it. I stretched out the heavens with my own hands, And I give orders to all their army.

I have raised up a man in righteousness, And I will make all his ways straight. He is the one who will build my city And set my exiles free without a price or a bribe,” says Jehovah of armies.

This is what Jehovah says:

“The profit of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, tall of stature, Will come over to you and become yours. They will walk behind you in chains. They will come over and bow down to you. To you they will say in prayer, ‘Surely God is with you, And there is no one else; there is no other God.’”

Truly you are a God who conceals himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

They will all be put to shame and be humiliated; The makers of idols will all go off in disgrace.

But Israel will be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation. You will not be put to shame or disgraced for all eternity.

For this is what Jehovah says, The Creator of the heavens, the true God, The One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, Who did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited:

“I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.

I did not speak in a concealed place, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me simply for nothing.’ I am Jehovah, who speaks what is righteous and declares what is upright.

Gather together and come. Approach together, you escapees from the nations. They know nothing, those who carry around carved images And pray to a god that cannot save them.

Make your report, present your case. Let them consult together in unity. Who foretold this long ago And declared it from times past? Is it not I, Jehovah? There is no other God but me; A righteous God and a Savior, there is none besides me.

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, For I am God, and there is no one else.

By myself I have sworn; The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, And it will not return: To me every knee will bend, Every tongue will swear loyalty And say, ‘Surely in Jehovah are true righteousness and strength. All those enraged against him will come before him in shame.

In Jehovah all the offspring of Israel will prove to be right, And in him they will make their boast.’”

Bel bends down, Nebo stoops over. Their idols are loaded on animals, on beasts of burden, Like baggage that burdens the weary animals. They stoop and bend down together; They cannot rescue the loads, And they themselves go into captivity.

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, and all you who remain of the house of Israel, You whom I have supported from birth and carried from the womb.

Until you grow old I will be the same; Until your hair is gray I will keep bearing you. As I have done, I will carry you and bear you and rescue you.

To whom will you liken me or make me equal or compare me, So that we should resemble each other?

There are those who lavish gold from their purse; They weigh out the silver on the scale. They hire a metalworker, and he makes it into a god. Then they prostrate themselves, yes, they worship it.

They lift it to their shoulders; They carry it and put it in its place, and it just stands there. It does not move from its place. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; It cannot rescue anyone from distress.

Remember this, and take courage. Take it to heart, you transgressors.

Remember the former things of long ago, That I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me.

From the beginning I foretell the outcome, And from long ago the things that have not yet been done. I say, ‘My decision will stand, And I will do whatever I please.’

I am calling a bird of prey from the sunrise, From a distant land the man to carry out my decision. I have spoken, and I will bring it about. I have purposed it, and I will also carry it out.

Listen to me, you who are stubborn of heart, You who are far away from righteousness.

I have brought my righteousness near; It is not far away, And my salvation will not delay. I will grant salvation in Zion, my splendor to Israel.”

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit down on the ground where there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For never again will people call you delicate and pampered. Take a hand mill and grind flour. Remove your veil. Strip off your skirt, uncover your legs. Cross over the rivers.

Your nakedness will be uncovered. Your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance, And no man will stand in my way.

“The One repurchasing us —Jehovah of armies is his name— Is the Holy One of Israel.”

Sit there silently and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; No more will they call you Mistress of Kingdoms.

I grew indignant at my people. I profaned my inheritance, And I gave them into your hand. But you showed them no mercy. Even on the elderly you placed a heavy yoke.

You said: “I will always be the Mistress, forever.” You did not take these things to heart; You did not consider how the matter would end.

Now hear this, O lover of pleasure, Who sits in security, who says in her heart: “I am the one, and there is no one else. I will not become a widow. I will never know the loss of children.”

But these two things will come upon you suddenly, in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. In full measure they will come upon you Because of your many sorceries and all your powerful spells.

You trusted in your wickedness. You said: “No one sees me.” Your wisdom and knowledge are what led you astray, And you say in your heart: “I am the one, and there is no one else.”

But calamity will come upon you, And none of your charms will stop it. Adversity will befall you; you will not be able to avert it. Sudden ruin will come upon you like you have never known.

Go ahead, then, with your spells and your many sorceries, With which you have toiled from your youth. Perhaps you may be able to benefit; Perhaps you may strike people with awe.

You have grown weary with the multitude of your advisers. Let them stand up now and save you, Those who worship the heavens, who gaze at the stars, Those giving out knowledge at the new moons About the things that will come upon you.

Look! They are like stubble. A fire will burn them up. They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not charcoals for keeping warm, And this is not a fire to sit in front of.

So your charmers will become to you, Those with whom you toiled from your youth. They will wander, each one in his own direction. There will be no one to save you.

https://soundcloud.com/wolfinwool-115608528/isaiah-45-47-esv2-26p-bg-36p?ref=thirdParty&p=i&c=1&si=8FDBF824A7294A00AB913B6EE710B71A&utm_source=thirdParty&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Oof! At least, now it is mainly yard work. For the last 4 ½ hours it's been yard, and street, and sidewalk work as I busy myself cleaning up the mess left by fallen branches from that big tree in my front yard. Now that I have the street and sidewalk clear, and my big green organics bin already filled. I'll be cutting the bigger branches into smaller pieces and dragging them around to a back yard (or side yard) staging area where they'll wait until the city picks up the green bin this Thursday and I can load it up again.

And the adventure continues.

In my previous post, My Red Phone, Notepad, and Pencil, I talk about my three main writing tools always in my pocket. But I never identified them. Now that I started another red Blackwing notepad and this is my first post about it, I’ll give you my thoughts about it.

Note: I’m not affiliated with any products or services I use. No links will be provided.

At first glance, the red glossy cover with the etched image of the Golden Gate Bridge feels smooth but doesn’t slip out of my hands. The stitching is durable and I never had trouble bending the spine. Nor I had problems with pages breaking or falling off.

Inside of the front and back cover is blank which is good so I can write anything on it. I put my contact information and a table of contents. One of my pet peeves on some notepads (Moleskine Cahiers) is having perforations on the last few pages. I hate those! And I shouldn’t have to tear them off or tape them together.

Since I only write in wooden pencil I do see graphite transfer and smearing just like any other notepad. But it writes well. The pages are cream colored so it’s easy on my eyes. I can’t say how it handles pen. I’m sure you can find another reviewer who writes in pen.

Finally, it fits well in my back pocket and it’s durable even while sitting on it everyday. It’s always ready for me to jot down my blog drafts. Now, as for the price.

It costs $18 before tax for a pack of three. $9 each notebook and with 48 pages each you pay about $0.19 a page. It’s pricey, but at least they’re durable. Would I buy this again? No, there are more cheaper options. If you ever get them, they don’t disappoint for whatever your writing needs.

Let me know your thoughts if you used them.

#writing #746 #Blackwing #notepad

Post Post Pakket Depressie

Nieuwe tijden, nieuwe ellende, het begint altijd zo mooi. Winkels waren er, eerst fysiek, vast verpakt in steen en glas, en vervolgens thuis aangelijnd, in de IT. We kunnen daardoor thuis de kleine en grote boodschap bestellen en ontvangen, we zijn terecht gekomen in een zeer vreugdevolle periode, we hoeven niet langer te verdwalen in de enorme super, niet meer naar schimmige achterbuurten op zoek naar een seks video of speeltje, neen, het kan van ver naar u komen in een pottenkijker dichte doos of als het een televisie, computer, koelkast of stereoset betreft in een doos waarop het merk en type wel 1000 x staan vermeld, zowel op de voor en achterkant van de doos in koeienletters, u nieuwe Kijk Doos van Pillips komt schaamteloos uit het Cool Blue, PostNL of DHL busje.

En anders dus in een ruimte besparend doosje uit China, het product gepropt in een ruimte waar het onmogelijk in kan, voor dit doeleinde, maar Chinezen zijn zeer bekwaam en uiterst vindingrijk, ze maken daar iedere dag het onmogelijke waar. Goed dat is allemaal mooi. Prachtig, je staat dagen vrolijk te springen ver voor het pakket aankomt, misschien wel uit Spanje, dat is meestal een beetje onduidelijk, je weet nooit in welk land het uit China afkomstige product is aangekomen, in de haven of op de luchthaven, gevangen in een bomvolle container of postzak, uitgeladen, en daarna van een nieuw veel hoger prijsje voorzien, vooral als ze het in Nederland uitpakken. Dan komt het dus via zeg maar via Rome, via Grenoble, via Madrid uiteindelijk aan, jij opgetogen, dagen in spanning gezeten, dan uitpakken en hoppa, in elkaar zetten, afstellen, installeren, tentoonstellen of enkel schoonmaken en inzetten voor gebruik, vreugde dansjes, maar dan de dag er na, het pakket is uitgepakt en de opwinding kakt in, er piept een somber gelaat onder het vrolijke door. De koopkrachten lopen uit je lijf, helaas. Het verschijnsel stond bij de gewone, onwetende mensen thuis bekend als de teleurstelling, maar inmiddels dringt het tot ons soort mensen door dat er meer speelt.

Bij onderzoek met tweelingen, ja, de tweelingen, de bron van alle kennis op aard, waarbij de ene een pakket werd bezorgd, na bestelling door hem of haar zelf, een aanwezige team van geneeskundige geschoolde onderzoekers stond er bij en keek er naar, deed metingen, beoordeelde, staafde en nam bloed af, monsterde het een en ander, en daaruit bleek dat er meer speelde. Teleurstelling was er vanzelfsprekend, dat zit inbegrepen bij verwachtingen zo onmogelijk hoog en strak gespannen maar er speelde iets diepers, kwalijks in het tweelingen lijf en in de geest. Bloedwaarden vertoonden opvallende schommelingen, vooral de lever functie toonde onnodige mankementen, krampen ontstonden plotsklaps in de vingers en handen een paar dagen na het uitpakken. Dit kon allemaal nog net door de beugel van het team, het was op zich binnen normale perken, het kon minder maar moest beter, daar ben je tenslotte geneeskrachtige burger voor, een krachtige, tegen alle kwalen bestendige persoon, in dienst om mensen altijd overal beter te maken, gezondheden promoten.

De andere tweeling zonder pakket, slechts zijdelings betrokken bij de bestelling en het ontvangen ervan, natuurlijk wel op de hoogte want tweelingen delen vanzelfsprekend alles. Geen pakket kan de ene ontvangen zonder dat de andere(n), meerlingen zijn ook uitmuntende kennis bronnen, het weet. Ze voelen het aankomen. Het team deed dezelfde metingen en testen op deze niet ontvanger van de signalen vooraf en het succes tijdens het verkrijgen, na de confrontatie met de bezorgdienst. Ze hadden vooraf bepaald dat er mogelijk iets meetbaars zou zijn in de andere maar niks significants, kleine onbeduidende schommelingen in het humeur en de waarden, misschien wat buikkrampen en iets wijdere pupillen of zo. Pakket ontvangst is persoonlijk, niet waar.

Tot hun verbazing bleek dat bij de tweeling broers, het waren toevallig allemaal mannen die zich hadden ingeschreven voor dit onderzoek, alle bij het onderzoek betrokken tweeden ook duidelijk af te lezen verschijnselen voor deden! Het team was zowel geschrokken als opgewonden van zoveel potentieel kwaad, ongezonde bijwerkingen bij pakketten niet alleen bij het pakket individu maar zelfs in zijn naaste omgeving. Het onderzoek werd ingebracht bij de keuringsdienst voor medische waarheden en er werd goedkeurend geknikt door de commissie van zeven wijze heren en twee dames, hier zat wel toekomst in. Een vervolg onderzoek mocht er komen, en dus kwam die er, ditmaal grootschalig dus niet alleen met tweelingen en meerlingen maar ook met echte mensen.

Er was een balletje ontstaan en die is gaan rollen, en rollen, van boven naar beneden, van links naar rechts, terug onder een tunnel, over een midgetgolfbaan en zo voorts, nimmer dralend alsmaar draaien en keren eindeloos lang. Het pakket onderzoek Nederland, werd snel opgestart, sneller nog dan Postnl kan leveren, zeker sneller en beter dan UPS. 10000 mensen deden mee aan het onderzoek, ze kregen geld van de onderzoeksinstelling en daarmee moesten ze dan via het universeel ziekenhuis een pakketje bestellen en thuis ontvangen, de controle groep kreeg geen geld en mocht tijdens het onderzoek geen cadeau online bestellen anders zou dit het gewenste onderzoeksresultaat kunnen beïnvloeden. Iedere besteller, bestelling werd op de voet gevolgd dankzij medische track en trace apparatuur en IT technologie, samen met een aantal levende lijve studenten, assistent onderzoekers, en op zekere momenten een expert ingezet, een leidinggevende, het opperhoofd van de grote stamcel.

Het pakket moest thuis worden ontvangen door de onderzochte, die persoon was de gehele tijd voorzien van de modernste snufjes in medische pakket ontvangst meet technieken, over zijn hele lichaam, in de nabijheid, als ook in huis op voor het onderzoek belangrijke locaties. Elke knipper met de ogen werd gesignaleerd, bloeddruk verschillen gemeten voor, tijdens en na de afdracht, hartslag, spierspanningen, bloedwaarden, uitwerpselen. Een langdurig psychologisch onderzoek was er al aan vooraf gegaan en tijdens de pakket fase moest er iedere om de twee uur een evaluatie worden uitgevoerd met gebruik van de pakjes app, zodat duidelijker werd wat het ontvangen van een geschenk allemaal doet met de nogal labiele geest van de wel iets willende mens. Kortom het was een peperduur onderzoek vooral ook omdat de pakketjes markt nog altijd groot is en als er dus iets mis is met dit proces er heel veel aan gedaan moet worden om de ontvangende mens persoon beter te maken dan deze is. Pakketjes ontvangen kon weleens het nieuwe asbest of het andere roken zijn erger nog dan zitten! Dan mag je als gemeenschap niet aarzelen , groot geld moet worden uitgegeven om de risico's te leren kennen, en dan nog meer budget om de onschuldigen te beschermen van andermans of hun eigen driften.

Al snel werden verschillende mogelijk kwalijke dingen ontdekt, ten eerste frustraties, pakketjes komen eigenlijk zelden zo snel als ze zouden moeten komen, steeds vaker komen ze helemaal niet of met dagen vertraging, de psyche van de mens kan daar niet tegen. Het psychologen team viel bijna om van verbazing, een reeks aan gevolgen was waarneembaar bij de niets of laat ontvangende, zeg maar de bijwerkingen van slechte pakket processen. Ze zagen dat mensen op zo'n overspannen moment vaker hun toevlucht zochten in verdovende middelen vooral drank, peuken, snoepjes, chocolade en pillen, als ook toename van klein huiselijk geweld vaak op planten, kleine huisdieren, en zelfs hier en daar een kind (meestal van de buren), ook ontstonden uit het niets huilbuien en woede uitbarstingen, anderen vluchten dan weer in een fantasie wereld of gingen zich te buiten aan grensoverschrijdend seksueel gedrag. Dit ontstond meestal al als een pakketje een dag te laat aankwam, drie dagen was voor de meesten de lijn, de mentale grens, tussen normaal en ziekelijk gefrustreerd gedrag.

Dat was al erg maar erger nog was het post post pakket ontvangst effect, in het bloed zaten een paar uur na ontvangst al stoffen die je eigenlijk alleen maar ziet bij mensen die last hebben van zeer zware depressies, het humeur was significant slechter een uur na ontvangst, daarbij aangetekend dat het humeur daags voordien significant beter was, maar de slechte kant was beduidend slechter dan de goede kant goed was. Dit was allemaal meer dan een beetje zorgelijk, er moest ogenblikkelijk een campagne komen en wel op alle mogelijke manieren bij alle mogelijk media, zodoende kwam ook hier bij VVA die vreselijke bericht binnen. U moet weten dat ik best vaak pakketjes heb besteld, Ik dacht dat het goed was voor mij en zeker ook de economie en dan dus ook voor u, doe ik toch mijn best, voor de hele wereld zette ik mij in, maar nu zie ik in dat ik me heb vergist, dat ik heb gezondigd, ongezond gedrag heb aangeleerd en dat ik ogenblikkelijk moet stoppen met bestellen. Ik eis daarom meteen, dat alle kanalen, omroepen, vloggers en bloggers per direct stoppen met het verzenden van boodschappen die er op uit zijn om mij, ons, de onschuldigen in alle kwesties, dingen te laten kopen, bestellen of anders in een stenen winkel met een etalage en of een zelfscan, want laten we wel zijn als deze vlieger opgaat, en die gaat op, kilometers omhoog, zo hoog als de zon en daar voorbij. Ik heb het rapport hier voor me, de samenvatting dan en de A4 daar weer in met de belangrijkste uitkomsten gelezen, als dit opgaat voor online pakketjes dan zijn kadootjes in de gewone winkel waarschijnlijk even erg! Dus weg met deze ongezonde manieren, dit nieuwe zitten roken, met een spuit in de aderen en een kratje bier nabij, al gamend, ongezond gedrag maar minder ongezond dan pakketjes ontvangen. Ik eis politiek ingrijpen! Ik heb het programma bestudeerd van alle lokale landelijke partijen, en och, ach en wee bij niet geen enkele staat dit grote nationale gezondheidsprobleem op de beleid, beheer en bestuursagenda. Het moet er op! Het is jullie vaderlanders lievende plicht om te voorkomen dat wij lijden aan jullie pakketjes en dergelijke. Interventie, hoor, hoor!

Ik krijg binnenkort een pakketje, 8 dagen te laat! Ik heb weet ik veel wat gedaan in die tijd tussen de gewenste aankomst en de echte. De drugs kwamen bijna uit mijn op de post en mijn da da da da bel gespitste oren, zeven uur 's ochtends zat ik wederom laveloos aan het graan ontbijt, iedere dag zat ik in de spreekkamer van de huisarts met een vers verzonnen kwaal, een schreeuw om hulp. Ik kon door de pakketstress niet eens meer normaal thuis werken, en dit moet allemaal worden genezen. De bron ervan aangepakt en dan komt eindelijk de rust terug op en in Aard. Mooi dit zit er op, straks op de bank app even kijken of ik het grote geld heb ontvangen van het Universeel Gezondheidsinstituut voor deze dringend noodzakelijke mededeling, dan kan de VVA omroep weer een paar jaar voortgaan met verzenden van dringende noodzakelijke berichten betreffende alles wat er even toe doet.

Sesuai dengan janjinya dengan Nana, setelah selesai bekerja, Archen tidak balik ke rumahnya sendiri. Namun, kini ia menuju ke rumah orang tua nya.

//Di Rumah EarthMix//

Saat sudah sampai, gerbang rumah EarthMix di buka oleh Pak Sam (satpam). Archen menurunkan kaca mobilnya, ingin menyapa pak Sam.

“Soree pakk” sapa Archen “Soree nak Archen, loh tumben mampir, kangen pak Mix yaa?” kata Pak Sam sambil tersenyum ramah

“hehehe iyaa dan kebetulan hari ini ada waktu luang,pak” jawab Archen “tapi si bapak lagi ada tamuu loh nak Archen” info Pak Sam

'eh “dia” udah datang deluan kah?'-batin Archen

“loh siapa pak?” tanya Archen memastikan terkaannya

Wajah Pak Sam terlihat kikuk sambil menggaruk lehernya yang tak gatal, seakan Pak Sam enggan untuk menjawab pertanyaan dari Archen.

“anu_itu....katanya si bapak sihh yaa...ituu..emm...calon mantunya si bapak..hehee, tapi saya ga tauu ya... mungkin si bapak lagi bercandaa” kata Pak Sam ragu, seakan takut salah menyampaikan info ke Archen

“hahahaa Nana lagi bercanda kali pak” kata Archen ikutan canggung “hehe kayaknya iya deh” jawab Pak Sam sambil tersenyum kikuk

“ya udh Archen masuk dulu ya pak” kata Archen dan hanya dapet anggukan dari Pak Sam. . . . . Archen memasuki rumah bernuansa klasik tersebut. Ia mencoba tidak berteriak memanggil Nananya, karena ada “seseorang”. Archen ingin citranya tetap terjaga, dan pastinya ia tidak ingin terlihat seperti anak-anak. Jujur walaupun perjodohan ini belum pasti berujung ke pernikahan. Namun, Archen tetap ingin mempertahankan posisinya menjadi same.

//HAHAHAA...Nata harus lihat foto iniii..//suara dari ruang tamu

Archen menuju ke sumber suara tersebut. Ia melihat Nananya bersama seseorang pria, sedang asik bercanda sambil melihat suatu barang?

“Nana...” panggil Archen sambil mendekat ke mereka.

'stay cool Archenn, stay cool....'-batin Archen

“Loh Cheniee udah datang yaa, sinii duduk samping Nataa” kata Mix melihat anaknya itu.

Disisi lain, Nata yang awalnya santai berubah menjadi gugup. Nata menatap Archen, posisi duduknya menjadi tegap. Archen duduk pas di samping Nata, ia menatap Nata lekat. Nata yg ditatap sedikit risih.

'ANJINGGGG DSIFEHFUSHH INI APAAN SIH!!! KOK GA KAYAK YANG DI FOTO'-batin Archen

‘ini beneran cwo kan yaa? Kok gw ga percaya? Bentukan begini bertitid? INI GW DI BOHONGIN NANA GA SIH??’-batin Archen

‘langsung cipok gimanaa? HEHEHE’-batin Archen

—Dunk Natachai Boonprasert—

.

.

“Cheniee..Archen..Joong Arhen!!!” panggil Mix emosi “hah..eh..apa sih Naa, buat Archen kagett” kata Archen sambil mengelus dada nyaa. “kamu yang kenapaa! Ngeliatin Nata begitu bangett!” kata Mix Archen hanya tersenyum kikuk

“ya sudah, kalian kenalan dulu yaa” kata Mix sambil mengelus bahu Nata, Nata hanya tersenyum dan menganggung. “Kamu Archen, ajak Natanya ngobrol yaa, Nana mau telpon Babamu dulu” kata Mix, dan pergi meninggalkan Archen dan Nata berdua.

“emm kenalin aku Joong Archen, terserah kamu mau panggil apa” kata Archen sambil menjulurkan tangannya, Nata menyambut tangan Archen. “ehh aku Dunk Natachai, panggil Dunk ajaa” kata Nata “kenapa ga Nata?” sahut Archen cepat.

“sebenarnya itu nama panggilan buat orang-orang terdekat, tapi kalau kamu mau panggil Nata juga gapapa” jawab Nata. “oow terus anak kamu namanya siapa, Nata?” tanya Archen sambil menatap Nata dengan lekat.

Nata sedikit kaget, padahal ia sudah memikirkan banyak kemungkinan tentang reaksi Archen saat tau Nata sudah memiliki anak. Tapi semua kemungkinan buruk itu hilang saat Archen menanyakan anaknya dengan wajah biasa saja. Walaupun belum tentu Archen menerima anaknya, tapi setidaknya ia tidak perlu berusaha untuk memberitahu soal Jaidee.

“namanya Jaidee Boondin Boonprasert, dia masih berumur 4 tahun” jawab Nata. “dia ikut marga ibunya? Kenapa tidak ikut marga ayahnya saja, misalnya Jaidee Boondin Aydin” Archen mencoba menggoda duda anak satu yang ada di depannya saat ini.

“hah? Boonprasert itu marga ku BTW, aku AYAH nya Jaidee” jawab Nata sedikit ketus. “eh..oh iya...aduh maksud aku..anuu” Archen tidak bisa berkata-kata, dia tidak menyangka Nata akan marah dengan godaan nya. Archen menghela nafas sejenak. “maaff..” lirih Archen.

‘pantesan ga nikah-nikah, ternyata anaknya sefreak ini’-batin Nata

. . . Archen dan Nata tidak banyak berbincang, mereka kelihatan kaku dan canggung.

高熱4日目。 今までの蓄積と精神力を考えると、今日が一番つらい。

菌による発熱ではないと判断されたので、だいたい疲れからくる熱だろうと思っていた。 本来なら、1日ぐっすり寝れば治るものだと思っていたのに、もう4日も38.5℃あたりをうろうろしている。

頭が痛すぎて眠れなくなったので、薬をカロナールからロキソニンに変えてもらった。 ロキソニンを初めて飲んだが、すごい効き目だ。 あの頭の痛みがスッと消えた。

たぶんロキソニンを常用している人の間では、かなりあるあるなんだろうが、あの激痛が一気に引くのは怖すぎる。 実際には痛みが存在していて、裏では引き続き悪い状態が進んでいるんじゃないかと想像すると、余計に怖い。

早くロキソニンがいらない生活に戻りたい。 痛みもなく、急に体がガラガラと崩れ出したら困るから。

この4日間で、体が言うことを聞かなくなり、全身がしびれて動けなくなったことが2回あった。 これはまずいと思い、救急車を2回呼んだ。

しかし、2回とも救急隊員が来た時には少し体の自由が戻り、立てるようになっていた。 そのせいで「動けるじゃないか」と思われたのか、あまり重症とは受け取られず、結局自分の足で病院に行くことになった。

「救急車には乗れますが、受診できるかは分かりません。自分で予約して自分で歩いて行くのと変わりませんが、どうしますか？」 と聞かれたが、なんで具合の悪い人に判断を聞いてくるんだろうと思う。

実際、病院に行ったあとも「今日は何の検査をしますか」と聞かれた。 症状は伝えているのに、なんでそっちが判断してくれないんだろう。

なのに声はずっと優しいままで、主導権はそっちにあるまま、優しい怖い声で、 ハイコンボイスで話しかけてくるから、なんだか気分が悪い。

なんでこっちが判断するんだよ、と思う。 レジ袋のサイズをこっちに判断させてくるものに近い。 なんで判断させてくる工程があるのか未だに理解できない。

明日は自分ひとりなので、妻にはインスタントのおじややうどんを帰りに買ってきてくれるよう頼んでおいた。 明日起きたとき、自分の体が粉になっていないことを祈る。

JOURNAL 16 mars 2026

On est allées visiter un peu la montagne. On est montées vers un endroit dégagé, au loin un peu brumeux on voyait le sanctuaire musashi mitake puis encore plus loin en bas tôkyô immense dans sa fumée gris bleu, et dans un silence qui serait étourdissant si on avait pas les oiseaux et un peu de vent dans les arbres, les branches sèches grincent un peu en se frottant. Le sol est doux sous les pieds, mousses et feuilles mortes ou alors les épines des grands pins. On respire à plein la tête au ras des nuages. C’est drôle comme on aime monter. On aime être en haut plus que dans la plaine en bas. Nos jambes réclament des pentes à gravir.

Il fait froid. La nuit a été glaciale dans le ryôkan. On avait un radiateur dans la chambre, avec double couette ça allait. On a eu un bon petit-déjeuner servi par la jeune fille un peu timide, un peu sauvage. C'était charmant. En cette saison ils n’ont jamais de visiteurs. Elle ne s'ennuie pas, elle élève des lapins rigolos avec les oreilles pendantes. Son grand-père est calligraphe. Ses parents sont partis chacun de son côté en la laissant à ses grands-parents qui l'ont élevée. Classique. Tellement vu. Elle n’a pas envie d'une autre vie. Je ne peux pas lui donner tort. Il va faire nuit dans un peu plus d’une heure je pense. On fait une pause, il y a du réseau, puis on va revenir à l'auberge tranquillement. On ne connaît pas alors on préfère rentrer avant la nuit.

* * * *

On a bu la bière avec les gens du hameau très gentils et mangé encore du porc fumé avec les tsukemono, on a passé un bon moment super gentil. Après, le bain dans la baignoire traditionnelle en bois, très confortable. Et maintenant dodo : deux couettes et le radiateur électrique. — On se caille, la nuit est très froide. On sera à tôkyô demain en fin de journée on ira peut être à l'hôtel. On ne sait pas encore. On va improviser c'est très agréable.

“In 1378, two years before Poggio's birth, the seething resentment of these miserable day laborers, the populo minuto, had boiled over into a full-scale bloody revolt. Gangs of artisans ran through the streets, crying, 'Long live the people and the crafts!' and the uprising briefly toppled the ruling families and installed a democratic government. But the old order was quickly restored, and with it a regime determined to maintain the power of the guilds and the leading families.”

First time for me to hear of this revolt. Also from Stephen Greenblatt's THE SWERVE, which covers so much ground.

“Poggio's way of fashioning letters was a move away from the intricately interwoven and angular writing known as Gothic hand. The demand for more open, legible handwriting had already been voiced earlier in the century by Petrarch (1304-1374). Petrarch complained that the writing then in use in most manuscripts often made it extremely difficult to decipher the text, 'as though it had been designed,' he noted, 'for something other than reading.'”

Extremely my shit on so many levels this book.

#reads