Note: This post is a reflection on the sermon delivered by Pastor R. Chan at Grace Gospel Church. This is Part 2 of 3.
This second topic is actually the core subject of Pastor R, but I had to do a little segue with my first post. Anyway, GGC had a mission conference (a really huge occasion for the church) during APEC week, and following that they also celebrated their 50th anniversary. So this Sunday was the first "normal" Sunday, and as Pastor R noted, it's only now that everyone's "high" - after attending such important occasions back to back - will be starting to fade.
Hence, his topic: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, WHAT NOW?
I think this is also applicable for us PH writers, especially those who have attended yesterday's 5th Filipino Reader Con. There were lots of great panels and talks, based on what I've read so far on social media, so I'm sure everyone's experiencing that so-called "conference high".
Personally, I had this same feeling, too. When I finally got books out - one after another, too, after suffering from such a long writing drought, I was IMMENSELY GIDDY. I felt so BLESSED. I avoid using that word these days, tbh, because I feel it's being abused, but right now I can't think of any other word that could properly define how I felt. I was blessed, beyond belief, beyond what I deserve. That's how I felt. And that's why I posted the quote below on IG.
Hence, his topic: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, WHAT NOW?
I think this is also applicable for us PH writers, especially those who have attended yesterday's 5th Filipino Reader Con. There were lots of great panels and talks, based on what I've read so far on social media, so I'm sure everyone's experiencing that so-called "conference high".
Personally, I had this same feeling, too. When I finally got books out - one after another, too, after suffering from such a long writing drought, I was IMMENSELY GIDDY. I felt so BLESSED. I avoid using that word these days, tbh, because I feel it's being abused, but right now I can't think of any other word that could properly define how I felt. I was blessed, beyond belief, beyond what I deserve. That's how I felt. And that's why I posted the quote below on IG.
Now here's where it gets interesting.
Before I could post it, our Internet connection suddenly stopped working. No reason at all, it just stopped working for a few minutes and I remember how AT and I looked at each other, wondering what happened.
But then it came back and so the image quote, which showed up as failed initially, went through. It popped up on my screen and I just absently scrolled down, intending to look only at a few photos before going back to work.
The first photo I saw on my newsfeed was the one below--
Before I could post it, our Internet connection suddenly stopped working. No reason at all, it just stopped working for a few minutes and I remember how AT and I looked at each other, wondering what happened.
But then it came back and so the image quote, which showed up as failed initially, went through. It popped up on my screen and I just absently scrolled down, intending to look only at a few photos before going back to work.
The first photo I saw on my newsfeed was the one below--
AMAZING, right?
This is from a fellow writer, btw, and I would NOT have seen her post if our Internet connection didn't stop working. That's why, when I headed over to her IG, I told her what happened and that she's the reason God made my Internet connection stop working. Because if it hadn't stopped, I would never have seen her post. I would have seen someone else's post and because I fully intended to work right after.
Honestly, when it happened, I had goosebumps all over and when I told my dad about this, I had goosebumps all over. I don't know if it helped the other writer (Hi, N! Just in case you ever get to read this), but I know IT HELPED ME. Because it's just like a bonus, to have THIS KIND OF PERSONAL MIRACLE and proof that God is really here with us all the time. I'm sure there are people who will think it's just coincidence, and that's also cool. To each his own. <3
So anyway, if you combine THAT and the feeling of awesomeness you get every time you release a book (and remember, I just released TWO ), well, yeah, I've got the same HIGH as others do, when they've just finished with a conference or seminar.
Now, Pastor R was saying how it's a phenomenal process, the way people can get so pumped up during a conference or right after it, then give it a couple of days or weeks, and it's business as usual, and people have completely lost the passion to act on their ideas.
He mentioned how, when you're at a particular event, you'd be excitedly jotting down notes, and as you write every word, you feel like God's talking to you.
BUT here's his question - when was the last time you went back on those notes?
After the mission conference, he went back to his notes, and as he went over it, he was actually overwhelmed by the amount of information in them, and the changes he needed to apply, that he felt it would take a month at least just to fully digest everything, and that's only to understand, mind you.
I think it's the same for us.
When we learn something new about our work, when we attend an event like FRC, when we read a particularly inspiring article---
Let's keep that high going.
Pastor R has several suggestions for this:
This is from a fellow writer, btw, and I would NOT have seen her post if our Internet connection didn't stop working. That's why, when I headed over to her IG, I told her what happened and that she's the reason God made my Internet connection stop working. Because if it hadn't stopped, I would never have seen her post. I would have seen someone else's post and because I fully intended to work right after.
Honestly, when it happened, I had goosebumps all over and when I told my dad about this, I had goosebumps all over. I don't know if it helped the other writer (Hi, N! Just in case you ever get to read this), but I know IT HELPED ME. Because it's just like a bonus, to have THIS KIND OF PERSONAL MIRACLE and proof that God is really here with us all the time. I'm sure there are people who will think it's just coincidence, and that's also cool. To each his own. <3
So anyway, if you combine THAT and the feeling of awesomeness you get every time you release a book (and remember, I just released TWO ), well, yeah, I've got the same HIGH as others do, when they've just finished with a conference or seminar.
Now, Pastor R was saying how it's a phenomenal process, the way people can get so pumped up during a conference or right after it, then give it a couple of days or weeks, and it's business as usual, and people have completely lost the passion to act on their ideas.
He mentioned how, when you're at a particular event, you'd be excitedly jotting down notes, and as you write every word, you feel like God's talking to you.
BUT here's his question - when was the last time you went back on those notes?
After the mission conference, he went back to his notes, and as he went over it, he was actually overwhelmed by the amount of information in them, and the changes he needed to apply, that he felt it would take a month at least just to fully digest everything, and that's only to understand, mind you.
I think it's the same for us.
When we learn something new about our work, when we attend an event like FRC, when we read a particularly inspiring article---
Let's keep that high going.
Pastor R has several suggestions for this:
- Go back on your notes. I promised myself I'll do this and go back on my notes.
- Pray for specific things.
- Discuss with your peers.
- Be mentored.
Another interesting thing he mentioned during his sermon was how we - and he includes himself in this - are at our most "pretentious" when we are at church. I'm guilty of this, too. And I think this also applies to industry events that we attend, or any other public occasion that we feel we may be judged. When we know eyes could be on us, we try to behave at a certain way and we make a conscious effort to say the right words.
But the thing is---
We are less able to help ourselves AND others if we can't be true to ourselves. If we're suffering, if we're struggling, we MUST admit this (and that's actually something I'll discuss in Part 3).
So in a nutshell: if we want to help ourselves, if we want to help other people, let's honestly reflect on what we've learned, too. <3
But the thing is---
We are less able to help ourselves AND others if we can't be true to ourselves. If we're suffering, if we're struggling, we MUST admit this (and that's actually something I'll discuss in Part 3).
So in a nutshell: if we want to help ourselves, if we want to help other people, let's honestly reflect on what we've learned, too. <3