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TOOLS FOR BLOGGING AND WRITING AND AI TAKING OVER INTRODUCTION Technology is taking over! It had already been on an exponential rise, but now with the rise of AI the process has been accelerated even further. With its rise came forth a plenitude of questions. Is it safe? Is it sentient? What is lurking beneath? Should we use it? As a Christian, I have my reservations about AI. I believe it will play a sinister role in the end times and advise against its use. TECHNOLOGY HAS BECOME ESSENTIAL Technology. Technology. Technology. It has exponentially taken over the world in the last decades. When I was young, it was not common to own a mobile phone. Nowadays, we are not even able to function without one.  Yes, technology has ventured into every area of our lives and soon might even replace us at work, if you believe the prediction of man greater than me. It is no different in writing. There was already a wide variety of different tools that assisted us in writing, but now with AI even more are coming out.  They bring great value by saving us time and money. They are there to remind us of what we need to do or even drive and encourage us not to quit. Of course when in a block you can also use it for generating ideas, though I personally am not as big of a fan.  Their contribution has brought a flux of change. Though I sometimes still prefer pen and paper, I can not argue that it makes a world’s difference if you use technology.  Today I will give a short review of the different tools, then share my opinion of using AI-powered tools.  BEST WRITING TOOLS There is a wide variety of tools available. Some are intended purely for writing, others are organizational. Some boost productivity, and some provide editorial functions.  Here is a quick introduction to the best available tools out there. GOOGLE DOCS: Versatile and free tool for writing and storing documents in the cloud. Useful for collaborations with its easy editing, commenting, and reviewing. And it has a voice-typing feature too. (1) DRAFT: a tool similar to Google Docs that also allows you to set daily e-mail reminders to help you reach your writing goals. (2) LibreOffice: the free counterpart to Microsoft Office. (2) MELLEL: a word-processing tool designed as the ultimate writing tool for academics, technical writers, scholars, and students. (2) SCRIVENER: a platform that permits writing in a structured manner with their Binder feature. It also has a research storage feature to keep everything well organized and on hand. (1) THESAURUS: provides alternatives for your sentence-structuring and word usage by helping you find synonyms, antonyms, etc.  QUILLBOT:  a paraphrasing tool helping you in your quest to avoid plagiarism. (1) GRAMMARLY: an editor assisting by improving sentence structure, and overall writing and detecting grammatical errors. (1) ULYSSES: Apple-only writing tool similar to Scrivener. (1) MILANOTE: an easy-to-use creative writing app to organize your research, ideas, characters, and outline in one place. (2) SURFY: One of the many AI-powered editing tools that also creates original content. (1) ATTICUS: an app for book writing and formatting. (1) HUBSPOT’S AI CONTENT WRITER: helps bloggers streamline their content creation process (2) MARINARA TIMER: a time managing tool keeping you in line with the Pomodoro Technique time managing method. A method that implements 5-minute breaks between each 25-minute long period of writing. (2) REEDSY BOOK EDITOR: a book editing, formatting, and writing tool. It also allows for direct connection to designers, professional editors, and other features. (1) HEMINGWAY EDITOR: provides real-time insights that makes text more readable. (1) chatGPT: a content-creating, idea-generating, versatile AI-powered writing tool. (1) SURFER AI: AI-powered content writer for long-form SEO content (1) MICROSOFT COPILOT: AI-powered tool specializing in humanizing AI-generated content among its other uses. (1) JENNI AI: AI-powered content creator tool geared towards academic writing. (1) ProWritingAid: real-time improvements-providing online processor. (1) SUDOWRITE: a writing and editing tool for creative writers. Based on the existing story it writes out the next few hundred words considering the plot. Its rewrite feature also edits the already existing storyline. (1) SURFER AI HUMANIZER: AI-powered writing tool that specializes in converting AI-generated content into human-like writing. (1) CLICHÉ FINDER:  a writing tool assisting in identifying and eliminating overused phrases. (1) EVERNOTE: a note-taking platform useful for creating to-do lists and other documents (1) COLD TURKEY: a website and social media platform blocking tool providing distraction-free working time (1) STAY FOCUSED: a tool similar to Cold Turkey. It also blocks websites from distracting you while working. (1) OMMWRITER: a distraction-free providing writing tool. (1) FREEDOM: a tool that functions similarly to Cold Turkey, except it allows for syncing throughout all your devices. (2) TODOIST: a tool providing planning features to help you manage tasks, meet deadlines, etc. (1) BEAR: an Apple note-taking app. (1) NOISLI: a tool offering free online background noises that enable you to create your own soothing soundscapes for work, study, or sleep. (2) LIVESCRIBE PEN: a physical pen with a built-in microphone that records as you write. Perfect for journalists and interviewers. It also features a camera that captures snapshots. (1) REMARKABLE: a digital tablet designed to recreate the sensation of writing on paper. (1) FICTIONARY: creates intelligent visuals that help you improve your story's structure, characters, plot, and settings. (2) THE MOST DANGEROUS WRITING APP: a unique tool that challenges writers to practice continuous writing without interruptions or self-editing. (1) MARLOWE PRO: AI-powered manuscript assessment tool. (2) SURFER TOPIC EXPLORER: offers the automated process of finding keyword ideas. (1) ZOTERO: helps academics and researchers easily manage citations, references, and research materials in one place. (1) LINER: a helpful research and writing assistant. Helps people extract key information from documents. (1) COMPUTER GLASSES: assist us in preventing computer vision syndrome (CVS) development. (2) 1. https://surferseo.com/blog/writing-tools/   2. https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-tools/   AI AND ITS IMPACT WILL AI TAKE OVER? With AI taking over all aspects of life by storm, people have been wondering what it could mean for society. Are we going to be replaced at our workplaces? Is AI to be trusted? Is it truly sentient?  In my humble opinion, we will never be replaced. Technology will always need an overviewer. What if it malfunctions? Who shall fix it? Who shall make sure it works properly? Who shall make sure that it is working to its proper standard? It can not regulate itself in my opinion. Let’s be real. As one who worked in healthcare, more specifically in a laboratory setting, I have had the luxury of working manually with different laboratory tests, kits, and also big analyzers intended to take manual testing out of the game.  And though it has certainly made some things simpler, it did not necessarily translate into less work time. Someone still needed to pay attention to the proper functioning of the Analyzers. And when it malfunctioned, it would at times be reparable quickly, or it took almost forever.  Humans getting replaced by robots in itself leaves me with a bad aftertaste. We are called to serve in our unique way. It does not seem to be God’s divine plan. I believe He has another plan. Maybe it involves robots down the line, but I firmly believe we will never be cast away.  IS AI SENTIENT? IS IT TRUSTWORTHY? IS IT CHANELLING DEMONS? The whole concept of AI being sentient has caused an uproar. Per Merriam Webster Dictionary  the word sentient means, “capable of sensing or feeling : conscious of or responsive to the sensations of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling”  Humans are considered sentient. So are animals and even plants by some. So to be sentient, you would need to be a living being, or so it seems. Or as I have felt and wondered lately. You would need to have spirit in you.  So for AI to be sentient, would per my reasoning, mean it has spirit too. Or at the very least the thought of my conclusions is what stops me from working with AI. For if I am right, which spirit is communicating with us? In my books, it is not to be trusted. This topic is not new. It has been discussed before. But ever since I have ventured outside laboratory medicine into business, writing, blogging, and social media, did I become aware of how widespread it already is. Apparently, I have been living under a rock up until now. Why does that not surprise me? Melissa Fassbender in her article AI Is Summoning Demons  published on Oct 30, 2014 shares her sentiments on this subject. She dwells on Elon Musk’s expression of concern regarding AI. Can we summon the devil with AI? I guess it can be done but as Christians, we do not have to worry. We already know who won this war. Still, we should fight back. Paul Kingsnorth dwells deeper into the subject in his article AI Demonic: A Spiritual Exploration of AI , published in TOUCHSTONE MAGAZINE on March 13, 2024. He asked himself a series of questions that surely have plagued the minds of many. What is behind technology? What is behind AI? Some of the potential answers he offers seem quite chilling to me. They give me food for thought and a good amount of warning and correction. Many believe there might be something sinister behind technology as a whole. Self-learning Golem-class AIs might be a good sign pointing towards it. A god named Arihman potentially being behind it all sure makes me want to shut off my electronic devices. Actually, I just might. And perhaps you should too.  SHOULD WE USE AI? Considering what I just mentioned in the previous paragraphs, I consider AI a great concern. I advise against using it. And in general, call us all collectively to be wise when dealing with electronics. Let us not let them take over our minds or our lives.  I prefer working on my writing with my skills alone anyway, so AI isn’t something I like to gravitate toward. I like seeing what people created and came up with in the first place. I like that creativity in myself and others. And so I stand behind it respectfully.  IN SHORT Technology, more explicitly AI nowadays is taking over all aspects of life. It has contributed to us greatly in many areas, even writing, and made our lives easier. There is a wide variety of different writing tools out there, and quite a few are AI-powered. AI is of great concern in my opinion, and according to many others. What is behind that intelligence? Could it be a spirit? Multiple spirits? A demon? A false god? Either way, I advise against its use but understand if others disagree. At the end of the day I love celebrating man's creativity. I am awe-inspired as to what it all can do. And love seeing all the different designs humans come up with. Until next time!

Archie, our little Aussie, has many talents and good attributes. Besides being able to run for six miles a day, which comes in handy when performing his assignment, he is extremely intelligent and good at agility. He is a great protector and guide. He takes much pride in it. But it is his amazing sense of smell he is most proud of.  His “detective nose” as his people call it, is one of the best out there. That’s why Uncle George likes to take him on hunts. He is great at trekking after all. His stamina is nothing to scoff at either. His nose and stamina have also helped him immensely during his task. And what task are we talking about? Well, none other than guarding and guiding his little flock of sheep. The very task he was in the middle of performing right now.  He was just rounding up his sheep per his master’s orders and guiding them back into their stall. It was time to retire for the day. And Archie was looking forward to his dinner. When slowly trekking towards the house he caught a sniff of something unusual. A smell he had never encountered. Taking a couple of inquisitory sniffs resulted in his detective side taking over. The sent was unfamiliar and required further inspection. Archie took matters into his own hands. He turned towards the kitchen, from where the smell was coming from. There his “Mama” was cooking and preparing the table. The source of the smell was instantly identified. It was coming from his bowl, Archie shockingly discovered.  ‘What is this?’, Archie wondered. It did not smell bad or anything but still Archie was apprehensive. This was not his usual meal. He looked up at “Mama” with questioning eyes. When she registered his look she turned to him and encouraged him enthusiastically, “Well dig in Archie. I know it is different, but you will like it. I promise you. It’s a treat.”  Still slightly apprehensive, Archie decided to trust his owner and dug in. His tasting buds were overwhelmed with pleasure. ‘This is delicious! Even better than usual. When he finished he snuffled around for more. When he could not find any more he looked up lovingly towards his owners. Archie always knew he could trust them. They always made sure he was well-fed and taken care of. Even if asked to do unusual things it always turned out for the better. They made sure. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. Psalm 37:5, ESV

(1) Going downtown with his best buddies Charlie was Victor. They were headed towards the local ice cream shop near the firefighter station. Their ice cream may not be the best in New York City, but it is the best for the cheap price especially since they had Charlie's favorite Rocky Road flavor.  Eating their quickly deteriorating ice creams, Charlie mentions to Victor that his marigold was already fully grown and in need of only to bloom, which will probably, hopefully, happen by the end of summer.   The look of shock on Victor’s face made him realize his friend had forgotten about the biology assignment they were given over the summer break. “You forgot didn’t you?” he asked Big V as he sometimes liked to call him.  In response, Victor averted his eyes and looked down. “You still got some time left, but you have to start now. Remember what the teacher said?” Charlie added. At his friends mention, Victor’s mind flashbacked about a month or so.  The bell rang to signal to Victor and his classmates that their last period just officially started. Ms. Thatcher, their biology teacher was uncharacteristic of her running late. Everyone kept droning on soaking up every moment possible before the lesson would begin. Which didn't last long enough for Ms. Thatcher to arrive about five minutes into the lesson. She was holding in her hands the reason for her late arrival -  darkly orange and yellow colored flowers. “Settle down class, take your seats,” is how she began her lesson today. “What I hold here is your over-the-summer vacation assignment,” said Ms Thatcher, and elicited from her students groans of disapproval.  “Now, now settle down. What I have here are marigolds. Lovely summer flowers that are one of the easiest flowers to grow. And that will be your assignment. You shall grow a marigold over summer and try to bring it to bloom. Now these flowers don’t need much, but they love the sun. It takes from 4 to 14 days for them to germinate. They tend to bloom after 2 months or so, but it can take longer. And that is why I am bringing you your assignment instructions today. If you start immediately, there is a possibility you will see your flowers bloom by the start of your next school year. So this is going to be graded next year. Here are the seeds, each one of you gets a packet. On your way out today take also a pot and a packet of soil. They are over at the door.” ‘Right, she gave us that assignment in the middle of May. Then summer youth camp happened at the beginning of June. After that, I just messed around with my friends for two weeks and even did that treasure hunt. And here I am at the beginning of July. I need to start today, or it might happen my marigold doesn’t bloom,’ concluded Victor. “You're right I forgot, I still might have time to catch up though,” Victor told Charlie and then excused himself. It was time he began with his project.   Returning home Victor dug up all the supplies from his bag and closet where he put them. Flowers usually needed the soil to be prepared. But marigolds were a species on their own. You could plant them straight into the unprepared soil.  Put the seeds 5 mm deep into the soil and around 30 cm apart. And then water them well. The soil sucking up the water immediately was a good sign that drainage was good. The pot was placed on the outside part of the kitchen window seal where the sun shone brightly for most of the day. Each day for the next couple of days he watered the soil well.  On day four he came down full of expectation and was disappointed when he saw nothing. It continued so until day 10 when he became frustrated. He needed the seedling to come out as soon as possible or it might not bloom in time for the beginning of school. On day 11 he came down a bit dejectedly expecting to still see nothing but was positively surprised that the seedling started to appear. He was intrigued to see its daily progress. After a couple of days, the marigold was fully grown, now all that was left was for it to bloom. Victor made sure the plant was always well watered but otherwise forgot about the plant. With Charlie and his buddies, he went to the baseball field to play some catch. There they forgot all about their marigolds and instead talked about the upcoming Little League Baseball World Series. Victor and his buddies of course did not play ball this season, but they all wanted to play next year. They were discussing how they would all try out for next year's teams. While discussing so another group of 5 boys approached them and asked them if they would play ball. Since there were only ten of them they of course could not play the traditional way so instead they all just rotated around the infield, outfield, and batting. There was only one catcher though, and for a bit, it posed a problem until Charlie was convinced to lace them up.  They had a blast and Charlie found a new passion for playing catcher. That is how the beginning of a new star began.  That is how they spent the majority of their summer. They met up and played baseball together. It was by far the best summer Victor has ever spent. About ten days before the end of summer break, Victor realized his marigold had not bloomed yet. Time was running out. Realizing he might get a bad grade little Victor decided to search for how he could speed up the process. ‘Surely, it can be done’, Victor thought. Honey, ended up being the answer. So honey is what Victor used. He added it 9 days before the beginning of school. He added a little bit each day yet saw no results. Four days before the beginning of school he started to panic and decided to add even more honey. And so did he the next day. Two days before the beginning of school he finally started to see the buds were beginning to bloom. He hoped it would be right on time. He kept adding honey for the next days until on the second day of school the flower was in full bloom. He had biology two days later and he managed to finish his assignment. Victor felt such relief and a sense of accomplishment. He managed to get it done in even less time than suggested. He felt rather proud. And that feeling stayed with him until the morning they were to present their flowers. In the morning he got ready and went to pick up his flower feeling elated when he noticed it looked rather sullen. It wasn’t as vibrant as on the previous days. Victor’s elation left him. Left with no other option he went to school.  The whole day he looked sullen. And the closer he got to his biology period the more disappointed he looked. ‘Why did they all of a sudden become so sullen?’ Victor wondered. His biology lesson finally began and they all brought up their flowers. A B is what Victor got. Not too bad at the end of the day. Still, the scientist in him wanted to know where he went wrong. He was so sure, he succeeded after all. After the class, he lagged behind too caught up in his thinking. Ms. Thatcher noticed his saddened expression and approached him. Victor revealed to her what happened and asked if she knew where he had gone wrong. He had added too much honey was her conclusion. "Honey was good but if overused can become toxic to the flowers," she said.   “You know Vicor, it takes a lot of patience to grow flowers just as it takes to accomplish many things. Trying to cut lines by taking shortcuts can take us somewhere faster. But usually, it is short-lived and the results dwindle quickly.  Victor pondered on those thoughts all week until Shabbath. On Shabbath he read the Word of God and happened upon James 1: 4 (NIV) that said, “ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Patience God says we need, patience in all we do. All we do. Victor has learned another lesson. And many more will follow. SOURCES Image created via canva.com .

Flashback: As he walked off the field into the dugout, he thought ‘ Surely God is behind all of this.’ Whether it was God or not, the event left a stamp on Victor that marked the nature of his future path and adventures. Always eager to learn something new and experience God in unexpected and newfound ways was Victor’s new way of thinking. Victor is a vivid baseball fan. A Yankees fan to be more precise. He was not a player himself until not too long ago. His first real steps toward a baseball career were taken during Yankees Summer Youth Camp. The camp during which he also built new friendships with Robert and William. He was meeting with these newfound friends alongside Charlie at the local baseball field downtown.  Baseball cards were the topic. They compared, traded, and revered them. Amid their discussion about their favorite players, a young brown-haired boy approached them. He was wearing dark jeans with a blue shirt from the Toronto Blue Jays. If he was Canadian they all instantly wondered. Ethan was his name. As a baseball enthusiast himself and a major baseball card collector, he brought his very own collection. Some rather impressive cards he held, even older ones, neatly encased for added protection. Graded they were and could bring quite a buck or two.  While the 4 “newbies”, a name they were given at the New York Yankees Summer Youth Camp, marveled through his collection, Ethan told them of a story There was a legend he heard back in Toronto regarding a former New York Little League baseball team Foxes that played baseball in this city back in 1962. “What legend?” asked Victor intriguingly. “The Legend of the Hurtville Treasure. There is a rumor that the baseball team buried precious old baseball cards and collectibles in a time capsule on the old baseball field where they played. Victor wanting to know more about the treasure asked, “Is it known where they buried it?”  Ethan disclosed he had heard it was buried under the pitcher's mound, except none knew where the pitcher’s mound was. That is until now. The location of the borders were unknown so it was impossible to locate it. But someone disclosed that at the center field border, directly at the farthest part of the field stood a landmark - an oddly shaped stone. It looked almost like a little pyramid except it was off-center and jagged. Approximately 200 feet from the other part of the field. Around 155 feet away from the mound.  Ethan was eager to explore but wanted some partners to join him. While Will and Rob immediately rejected the idea, Victor was up for an adventure. Charlie though sceptical decided to join his buddy in this endeavor.  They went to the location where the old field stood. An old farm was erected there. All around the farm vegetation grew to enormous proportions. It was akin to a jungle. So overgrown everything was. Finding the right stone was going to be much harder to find than initially thought.  Still, they had another clue that helped them. The center field was opposite the farm’s front door. And so they began their meticulous search. They went slowly yet surely. Despite their best efforts though it seemed soon they would be left with no light. The day was steadily coming to an end. Just as they decided to retire for the day, they found it.  Noting where it was they decided to call it quits for the day. Since it was Friday, they opted to continue on Sunday. On Saturdays, Victor celebrated Sabbath with his family and was unlikely to be allowed to join them on this quest.  Come Sunday, Victor eagerly arose with excitement and delight brimming inside of him. At 7 o’clock he was already on the way. They were to meet up at the old farm. Arriving a little shy of 7: 30 AM as they agreed, Victor decided to eat breakfast while waiting for his fellow culprits to arrive.  He managed to snag a chocolate brownie and a banana. Not much but enough to fill him for the time being. Together they went in search of the landmark according to their memories. Soon they were standing by the stone. “It does look like a pyramid. Well, sort of.” commented Charlie and said further, “So,..., how are we going to do this?” All three stood there dumbfounded, even Victor despite his usually sharp mind. It was still early though to say in his defense. Silence permeated the atmosphere for the next 10 minutes. Then Victor remembered reading about the measurement of a stride in inches in comparison to the height of a person. Not quite sure why this thought passed through his head initially, he tried to push it away. It persisted until it finally downed on Victor. Enthusiastically he explained to the other two, “I read the other day that one stride of an average 9-year-old kid is around 23 inches. That approximately equates to 2 feet. The mound is 155 feet away from here, so we need to take around  78-80 steps to get there.” The other two were too awed to comment or object so that is how they began their march towards the mound.  Vegetation was in the way, but luckily no trees grew in their straight path towards the mound. What they were unaware of though was the hidden drain about halfway to the mound. The iron was extremely rusty, when Victor stepped on it it caved beneath him. He caught himself before falling in but received quite a bump on his ankle. Charlie and Ethan helped him get out of the newly made ditch. He sat there for a bit holding his ankle in complete silence. If one looked they would see a pained expression on his face.  Braving himself he got up after 5 minutes and took a short step. It pained him a bit but was not as painful as he expected. “Should we go back?” Ethan asked. Victor made some more skittish steps and then answered, “Nah, I will be okay. So, where were we?” Charlie with a concerned look on his face responded, “That was step 38. We have around 40 to go.”  Victor interceded any objections with a resolute, “Let’s go then.” They continued onwards a bit more carefully. With 20 steps left to go, they realized they would need to enter the barn. As it appears, the barn and farm were built right over the infield area of the old baseball field. ‘Well this might pose a problem’, Victor thought. “How are we going to dig?” Ethan voiced Victor’s internal struggle. ‘That’s a good question’, Victor concluded. Not sure what they would do, they still decided to continue inside the abandoned barn. They looked around after entering the old barn. The high ceiling as is usual for such barns allowed for a little light to seep through. Still, there was more than enough light inside the spacious barn. Made form medium grey wooden bars, the place smelled of old wood. Understandably, since it has been abandoned for years. It needed a bit of dusting and cleaning too. There were cobwebs everywhere. On the right side, there were steps leading to the open second floor, where some hay still lay. This barn looked old school.  Besides some ancient tractor parts though, there was nothing inside. While observing the barn the crew forgot all about the steps and hidden treasure. They began to wander around the barn. But as though it was faith, Charlie ended up in the middle of the barn staring up at the ceiling wondering if he saw a bat. Right at that moment the old molded wood beneath his feet decided to give up on him.  A loud crack warned Victor of the incoming danger. Close as he was he quickly launched himself towards his best friend and caught him just in time before he fell completely through the floor. Charlie’s weight and Victor’s launching momentum did not manage to stop the downward movement. They both ended up a story below on a big chunk of hay that softened their land. What could have broken some bones ended up being merely a soft fall.  Unhurt, yet a bit spooked they lay there in silence. A total outburst of hysteria by Victor interrupted the suspenseful air. Charlie soon joined in the laughter.  After their hysterical laughing fit, they finally sat up and surveyed the room they landed in. A small-looking storage is what their eyes saw. In the left corner, there was a bag full of baseball bats, while on the shelf there was a basket full of baseballs, helmets, and some shins. Old-looking was the equipment. In the center of the room was a small symbol of baseball. Odd Victor thought it to be, but felt it was of little importance. He took in the rest of the surroundings. On a shelf on the right, there were some beaten-down cleats and gloves. In the right corner, there was some catcher equipment.  On further inspection, everything struck Victor as odd. Charlie, who was just as puzzled, said “Someone cherished baseball quite a bit. It tools as though they took a lot of effort to hide it.” ‘Yes! That is what is bothering me about all of this. Why would they hide it though?’ wondered Victor.  The equipment looked to be fit for little leaguers. It appeared that the three musketeers found the hidden treasure. Or at the very least found the spot where it might be hidden. Once more Victor looked at the baseball symbol on the floor and this time noticed something was off. There was slight discoloration in the shape of a square around the symbol.  Victor took a step towards the symbol on the floor and further noticed a tiny opening on one side of the square. “Is this movable?’ he pondered. As it turned out it was. Victor, joined by Charlie and Ethan who managed to find the door and stairs, removed the movable piece. Lo and behold! Beneath the wooden panel lay a wooden chest. Inside were the old memorabilia and baseball cards. The majority was extremely well preserved, some even signed. They found the Hurtville Treasure.  With enthusiastic cheer, they celebrated their accomplishment, but shortlived it had to be once they noticed, the sun was already past noon position. “My mother will worry if I don’t come home for lunch,” said Charlie. The other two agreed. They decided they would look through their hidden treasure another day. In the meantime Charlie would take it home with him since that way it would be least likely to be found. On their way home, they halfheartedly discussed this wild adventure. It was fun and exciting. A sharp pang in his right ankle and a memory of Charlie and him falling through the floor reminded Victor it was also dangerous.  He took one look back at the barn, one look at Charlie safe and unhurt and another at the box he was holding and reflected on the real meaning of treasure, the real meaning of wealth.  Blessed are those who find wisdom,     those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver     and yields better returns than gold. Proverbs 3: 13-14 (NIV) Until next time!

Flashback: For his ninth birthday, Victor got treated to a ball game at Yankee Stadium. With His father, he sat on the upper decks behind home plate. Screaming and cheering he was at the top of his voice alongside the crowd. So invigorating it all was. Pulled was Victor into his dream world as he tended to be. There he stood on the mound. Behind the diamond was none other than Jose Trevino. Victor was waiting for the sign, ready to deliver some heat. Winding up, he snapped his arm and the ball erupted towards the diamond. There it met the catcher's mitt with a booming sound. “Strike three you’re out” Amid the cheers the announcers were heard saying, “This boy is destined for great things” Victor was so emersed in his vision he nearly missed the game-ending home run. As he watched the players celebrate, he heard a voice say, “That will be you one day.” Though perplexed, Victor dismissed the thought as his own. And let the dream fade away.  On the ride back home Victor was eerily quiet, too emersed in his thoughts. His father thought nothing of it. Victor had his moments and all learned not to be too bothered by them.  During dinner, he finally landed back on Earth. Interestingly enough though he had a rather peculiar question to ask. Out of the blue, he asked his father, “How did they get to play today?”  His Dad questioned him, “How did they get to play? You mean to ask, what it took for them to become professional baseball players?”. seeing Victor nod affirmatively he continued, “Well…., it took them many years of hard work and perseverance. Patience. Drills. Lots of games. Extreme grit and grind. Probably lots of success and failure too. Only the best out of millions make it to the big stage. Yeah, … it had to take lots of sacrifices.” he answered Victor with a thoughtful and wistful look on his face.  “I see.” was all Victor said in return. Both to caught up in their worlds resulted in the ending of the conversation.  His father's answer revealed to Victor the only thing his mind was able to comprehend at the time: it would take years. ‘It is impossible’, thought Victor. Impossible that he would ever pitch to Jose Trevino. By his father’s explanation, he would need years to get to the level where he could stand on that mound, if ever at all. He brushed the vision aside and went to his usual pastime - reading comics.  The dream though never faded away. Every once in a while he had a flashback of the vision yet didn’t give it much thought until his best friend Charlie showed him an interesting pamphlet. Big bold white letters on a swirly gray, and black background were inviting all youngsters to join the New York Yankees organization for a Baseball youth summer camp.  “ … All boys from the age of 6-12 are invited” it specified further. Not exactly sure why, Charlie, borrowed the pamphlet. At home, while his father was watching a replay of a Yankees game he fished it out of his backpack.   “You want to play ball?” His father asked him. The expression on his face was unreadable to Victor; he had never seen it. And before he could decipher it a scowl took its place instead. “You are 9 already.” his father commented. Victor remained silent. His young mind was oblivious to the problem. Soon after his father shed light on the situation, “Many of the other boys must have already started at 4. You would need to play catch-up.” His father's deduction flooded his mind with understanding. ‘I would have to play catch-up’ he repeated to himself. His self-reflection was cut short when his father continued, “Will they provide equipment?” Despite seeing no response from Victor he continued, “You are sure you want this?” This time Victor responded with an enthusiastic nod. His father concluded their discussion with a resolute decision, “You know what? Let me call them and we will see.” When Victor came home from school the next day, he did not expect his world would be swept into a whirlwind of training and sweat. His father had wasted no time and called the Yankees in the morning. They were given the green light so long as his father taught him the basics.  Bob Beckerman used to play ball himself back in his day. A former high school pitcher and left-fielder. A rather promising prospect he was.  Until he suffered a nasty elbow injury during camping. Alongside shattering his elbow, his dreams were also shattered. But here was an opportunity o leave a mark after all. He said to his son, “You can go. They will pair you guys with your peers but expressed the desire that you learn at least the basics. There is one other boy who will begin anew. Perhaps you could let him join you two. Be friendly.” Excitement was sported on Victor’s face. He was going to play ball. “Today we need to go to the store to buy you the proper equipment.” His father continued.  Later that day Victor began his new journey after receiving his glove, bat, spikes, and helmet. He was allowed to pick the not-too-extravagant things. His choice was a classical glove, helmet, and gray-colored aluminum bat. His spikes, the only more luxurious item, happened to be black with a tinge of red and gold on the sides. They looked cool.   His father went into instant coaching mode. The glove needed to be broken into, so simple playing catch is what they began with.  The sound of the ball hitting the mitt prevailed in the atmosphere for the next two weeks. It was all people could hear.  Once they were done with learning the basic stance, they headed to the nearby local baseball field. There the real training began. Victor was shown everything, from batting, and fielding, to even pitching. He was only shown the absolute basics of course. It would be impossible to teach him more advanced stuff in such a short time. He would learn that at the camp.  Victor appeared to be as natural as his father. He learned quickly. By summer camp he knew the basics enough to not fall behind. And so went the 4 weeks until summer camp started. It was only for 14 days, but it was sure to be exceptional. Or so the camp personnel told Charlie, Victor, and so many other boys. 14 days of getting to train with the best.  Not beating around the bush, they started off their summer camp with everyone's favorite task. You guessed it. The very first thing on the menu happened to be running. 10 laps they were instructed to take. Nothing too difficult Victor thought looking at the lap. Deceiving it all was though, by the fifth lap Victor started to wonder if this was for him. And they had 5 more laps to go.  Huffing and puffing pervaded the atmosphere. It was all people could hear from all the boys at the camp. A tactic probably, for soon the coach began to talk. They were going to be divided by skill. Alongside Victor and Charlie, there were two more complete newbies. There were enough of them that they were assigned a coach of their own. They would teach them everything. ‘What luck’, thought Victor. ‘This might not be so bad after all’, he further pondered.  It all began with the coach teaching them the basics. All the boys thought this would be easy, but soon they were in for a rude awakening. The coach was merely testing their basics to see, how quickly he could move forward with the training methods. Soon they were asked to do more complex fielding which turned out to be much harder than they looked at first.  They all struggled. It was taxing and exhausting, yet oddly bonding. The other two boys were William and Robert. Will and Rob in short. Turns out they lived near them. They became great friends and maintained their friendship even outside the camp.  By lunch, they were beaten. They devoured it in mere minutes, ready for seconds. Luckily there was plenty of food available so they could eat to their heart’s desire. It reminded Victor of the parable of the sparrows. He felt provided for. He only wished he also felt equipped. This sure seemed like facing a giant in a metaphorical sense.  After lunch, they switched to batting. They were all lined up, even the other boys, told to take their stance and swing. Up and down the line the coaches went and corrected their stance. Gave them tips and showed them tricks. There standing in line, Victor finally took a good look at all the other boys. Most were well dressed in the best possible equipment, probably provided for by their clubs. Their swings we powerful, and precise, and the look on their face determined. Some looked way ahead of the rest of them. It was impressive to see, especially when he got to see Peter Jobbs take a swing. This boy was exceptional. He played in Little League World Series last year. Ended up being one of the top players there, though their team didn't make it to the finals. He was almost a superstar. The other guys sure treated him that way. Then there was shortstop Javier Garcia. His team also made it to the World Series, they were in west region contrary to Peter who was in the east region though. One of the best shortstops at this level or so they say.  Hearing all this, Victor marveled and felt rather favored that he ended up in this camp at all. Here they were with pretty much no knowledge, yet learning with the best. They continued swinging the bats; their arms began to sting. It went onwards until 5 pm when they finally retired. A soak in the bathtub was what they were all dying for at the end of the day. When walking by some of the other more seasoned players they overheard them talking about this camp being much harsher than usual. “It has never been this brutal before. The other camps were pretty leisurely. What happened since last year?” Another boy with short blond hair named John Snow, spoke “I heard one of the coaches this year returned from Japan where he coached high school baseball. That’s where the brutality is probably from”. An 8-year-old boy with curled brown-colored hair named Tim, short for Timothy, added, “This camp is nothing compared to what I hear they do in Japan in preparation for Koshien. That is hell.” ‘A coach from Japan?’ Victor wondered. ‘A camp even worse than this? Guess they must be good.’ Dinner ended up being a much more calm occasion. It was obvious all were tired and in need of rest. But no one was yet about to retire. Now came the even more fun part about the camp - hanging out. This year the camp was in the countryside and near the woods. All were staying in cabins. There were four beds per cabin.  Victor and his crew decided to play some cards and looked through their baseball card collections. Though they planned to go to bed early, they stayed up until 11 pm.  Groggily they were awoken the next day by a camp siren. Victor annoyedly thought to himself, ‘They even have a siren. Isn’t this supposed to be fun?’  They got themselves out of bed and the pain began. All Victor felt for the rest of the day was pain. Pain in his thighs, his arms. How he managed to move was beyond him. He had never had this much exercise in his entire life. He was so glad he trained with his dad beforehand or he probably would be dead by now.   They continued with the same drills as the day before. There was a lot of fumbling, a lot of stumbling, failed passes, and so forth. And that is how it was until day 4. In their batting practice, they added batting cages with those automated pitching machines.  Despite the struggles to the skilled eyes of the coaches, they were swiftly improving especially the newbies. They were natural at baseball and learned quickly.  On day 7 they were all grouped together for a drill course. It was hard but fun. Interesting and exhilarating. They made it into a competition. It was during this drill course that Victor managed to build a couple of other friendships. Shortstop Manny Sanchez ended up gelling well with him and even showed him a move he had learned. He has been playing since he has been 4. Then he also managed to connect with catcher Jim Hendricks. Hopeful he would catch some of his pitches if he ever got to pitch. Meeting Jim reminded him of his vision. The next day Victor asked if he could learn pitching. He was told honestly he could not learn pitching in only a couple of days. When he told them his father already helped him find his stance, they agreed to teach him the drills to improve his current stance, windup, snap, and finish, and help establish his best physical conditioning.  Then they told him about the other drills: pitcher control drill, sit and throw drill, and the bullseye drill. Victor ended up training pitching for the whole day to get into the rhythm and truly become equipped. It was a different day. By the time he was done, he learned there were even more muscles that could end up hurting than he imagined. Every part of his body was aching. Even a bath did not alleviate the pain. Even pizza, the coaches treated them with didn’t take away the pain. It did raise up his spirit within, especially since everyone seemed more lively than ever.  It ended up being quite rowdy in the cafeteria that night. All were starting to get accustomed to the new training regime, and new friendships were formed and well established by now.  After dinner, Victor stopped Jim in his tracks. He was eager to pitch some pitches to an actual catcher. Jim was busy though. He had promised Johnny Vena, a curveball pitcher, that he would catch for him. After he was done with Johny though, he was willing to catch a ball or two for Victor. And that is how the newbie four, as they became dubbed, ended up on the field with Jim Crew, the 10-year-old catcher, 9-year-old pitcher Johnny Blant, and their buddies left-fielder Lucas Rudd and short-stop Manny Sanchez.  They silently observed Johnny pitching for 20 minutes or so, fascinated by Johnny’s curveball and even more his unorthodox stance. He had a wicked windup that looked almost otherworldly. Victor found it very helpful. He even got some tips when they let him throw some pitches.  All in all, it was an amazing evening that Victor was going to remember for sure.  For the rest of the days there, Victor trained fielding before lunch and batting plus pitching after. In the evening when he could he also connected with Jim. The day before the last day, he caught some of the pitches for him. The day before the last one, they had a group hang-out with an evening camp-like picnic. Sng were sang. Stories were told, and promises were made. Manny said to Victor he would love for them to join their little league team. And the boys said they would think about it. It was not that far away from them and was smaller than the other teams, but it had some amazing players this year.  And so the last day rolled around. A special day it was to be. A game was to be played. And a surprise was promised, a secret the coaches were not yet willing to reveal. Two team were formed: red vs. blue. Who would win? Victor and Charlie ended up on the blue team, Robert and William on the red. Each team had 14 members from which the initial 9 were picked They were promised all would get to play. None of the beginner four were picked among the initial 9. But excited they still were. All of them would for the first time get to play in a baseball game.  The game began on equal footing. Both teams were fumbling on defense, but batting exceptionally. Normal for newly formed teams. It was back and forth the whole game and tight. Everyone was so invested in the game that they forgot about the surprise until the coaches stopped the game and called for two coach changes. One on each team. They called forth for a catcher change on both teams.  In came for team blue Jose Trevino and team red Austin Wells to the shock of all players present. Every pitcher was to get an opportunity to pitch to them at least once. ‘Every pitcher gets to pitch to them? Does that mean me too?’ wondered Victor. In that moment he remembered the vision. ‘No way!’ further pondered Victor. ‘No way!’ resonated once more in his mind. ‘No way!’ continued pervading his thoughts when his eyes took in the sight of Johnny pitching to Jose Trevino. ‘This can’t be!’ his thoughts kept on going as he continued marveling at the amazing sight before him. Snapped he was out of his thoughts when Coach Rudy called out his name, “Victor, you're up next. Go throw some pitches in the bullpen in preparation” Before he even knew it Victor, still a bit in a daze, found himself standing on the mound facing Jose Trevino, his catcher. So surreal it all felt. Here he was pitching as he had envisioned in his dream only a month or so ago. The dream had come true. And he barely had to lift a finger. Two pitches he managed to get in. Two pitches that stayed with Victor for eternity. They were the pitches that assured him that nothing was impossible. No dream was impossible or too high to reach. As he walked off the field into the dugout, he thought to himself, ‘ Surely God is behind all of this.’ Whether it was God or not, the event left a stamp on Victor that marked the nature of his future path and adventures. Always eager to learn something new and experience God in unexpected and newfound ways was Victor’s new way of thinking. Until next time!

The smell of hotdogs, popcorn, and roasted peanuts invaded the nostrils of a young boy. The familiar clanking sound resonated throughout the air accompanied by the crowd's cheers. There amidst it all, Victor Beckerman sat in the upper decks behind home plate. Nine he turned today. This baseball game was his birthday gift. His father, an avid New York Yankees fan, passed the baton on to young Victor.  Despite this being his first visit to the ballpark, he already felt like he was home. Before the game began he was feeling such peace, serenity might be a better word, with a tinge of excitement. The roaring of the crowd with every hit of the ball rose in Victor his inner warrior and cheerleading side. The longer the game went the more his thoughts turned inward though.   Victor, always known for being a dreamer, started dreaming at the age of 3. After receiving a ride-on-car for his birthday, he dreamt of racing with cars. Then he entertained the thought of becoming an astronaut at 5. Being a firefighter was his thing at 7. So it was to no one’s surprise that his thoughts wandered into a dreamland state once more.  There he was standing on the mound staring at the catcher’s hands for a sign. Considering the pitch, he nodded his head and prepared for his windup. Setting his body in motion, he raised his hands into the air. Brought his right arm around and then came the snap. The ball was released. Whoosh! The ball hit the mitt with a booming sound! “Strike three, you're out!” set into motion a humongous emit of cheers and screaming. “Big V, Big V, Big V” the crowd shouted. “This boy is destined for big things” the announcers were heard saying. So caught up he was in this vision - for Victor would later say, this dream was unlike any other before - that he nearly missed the game-ending home run. As he watched the players celebrate, he heard a voice say, ‘That will be you one day’. Dismissing it as his own, he went on without even knowing that a good seed was sown. Until next time!

INTRODUCTION There are different styles of writing. Each is useful in its own way and has a specific purpose. Because of their nature and purpose, they cover different types of documents and publications. Biographies like Elon Musk’s are usually written in the narrative style. This style is also used in novels, poems, and memoirs.  ELON MUSK BIOGRAPHY AND WRITING STYLES To finish our Elon Musk journey, I wish to discuss the writing of Walter Isaacson.  Elon Musk’s biography is of course written in narrative style. Narrative writing as we will mention below is all about stories, connecting facts, and teaching without explaining. (1) Walter Isaacson masterfully weaved Elon’s stories and teachings, which he follows and believes in intricately. He did exceptionally with painting Elon Musk and his personality. And, though not entirely certain, I believe he kept true to Mr. Musk’s voice and character. It was also vey descriptive. At times it felt as though I was there. As though I knew him.  He made the message of Mr. Musk very clear. I found myself understanding his message, though not necessarily agreeing with it. It is an exceptional piece of written literature altogether.  DIFFERENT WRITING STYLES Depending on what you intend to write you should pick your writing style. There are at least 17 different types of writing styles:  1. Descriptive Writing is used to provide details about places, people or events. Its goal is to let the reader feel as though they are experiencing everything in the storyline themselves. (1) 2. Persuasive Writing is used to convince the readers to believe in a certain idea (and implement it). It is grounded in logical reasoning and appeals to the readers emotional side. Usually, we see this style in advertisements, reviews, recommendation letters, cover letters, company brochures, business proposals, and opinion columns. (1) 3. Narrative Writing is all about masterfully incorporating stories, facts, and teachings without using the art of explaining. It helps readers relate to the content. We can find it in novels, biographies, poems, memoirs, and more. (1) 4. Expository Writing , found in textbooks, newsletters, and educational articles, business/technical/scientific writing, recipes, and newsletters, give the readers important information and instructions about a topic. It is based solely on facts and in so does not include personal opinions on the subject. (1) 5. Review Writing helps readers decide if they should invest in a certain product, service, or experience. It involves both subjective and objective thoughts to relay the authors’ experience. It can include persuasive writing, but not always. (1) 6. Technical Writing makes highly scientific and technical writing and simplifies it for the average reader. It communicates knowledge and instructions in the simplest form.  It can also be used for teaching and educating employees about protocols and correct procedures regarding safety or in for breaking down research data. (1) 7. Objective Writing is all about stating and sticking to facts without forming any personal opinion. The author needs to remain neutral and unbiased and let the readers form their own opinions. (1) 8. Subjective Writing in opposition to objective writing is all about opinions. It expresses feelings, opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and judgments. It lacks factual statements and evidence. Hence, it can’t be verified. It stems from the author's personal experience. (1) 9. Analytical writing breaks down a topic or concept into its constituent parts and evaluates their relationships, significance, and implications. It is a systematic and critical style. (2) 10. Creative writing as an imaginative and expressive style embraces literary devices, such as metaphors, similes, and symbolism, to create depth and resonance. It explores fiction, poetry, and personal expression. (2) 11. Business writing is a practical and professional style that encompasses a wide range of written communications, emails, memos, reports, proposals, and presentations. (2) 12. Journalistic writing reports the news, and events, or provides analysis. It is informative and objective in style and prioritizes accuracy, fairness, and the timely dissemination of information. (2) 13. Academic writing is a formal and scholarly style that follows a specific set of conventions like precise language, adherence to citation and referencing style, and the presentation of well-supported arguments. It is prevalent in educational and research contexts. (2) 14. Scriptwriting is a specialized writing style involving crafting dialogue, actions, and stage directions to guide actors and directors. In other words, it is dedicated to creating scripts for various forms of media. (2)  15. Copywriting , involving crafting compelling headlines, taglines, and promotional texts, specializes in creating persuasive and engaging content for marketing and advertising purposes. (2) 16. Personal writing is an introspective self-expression of daily experiences, thoughts, emotions, and observations in a private diary or journal. It can be therapeutic and promotes self-awareness, stress relief, and emotional processing. (2) 17. Travel writing combines the art of storytelling with a deep appreciation for exploration and adventure. It transports readers to distant lands, cultures, and experiences. (2) CONCLUSION There are different writing styles. Each has its own purpose. Based on their purposes they are used in different types of documents and publications. Mr. Walter Isaacson did an amazing job with Elon Musk’s biography. A great descriptive narrative piece of writing. It has a way of drawing you inside and also explains Mr. Musk’s message well. SOURCES BIT. AI Blog: 8 Different Types of Writing Styles (And How to Improve Your Own). Available on https://blog.bit.ai/types-of-writing-styles/ Christopher Ortiz: 15 Writing Styles – Explained and Explored. Available on https://self-publishingschool.com/different-writing-styles/

INTRODUCTION Authors have authority over what they write. They are usually an expert in their field of expertise. Or at the very least they are more knowledgeable than the reader. Christian books hold great authority too. We can even impart spiritual gifts or anointing to someone through books and break heavy yokes off them. And at the end of the day, they convey knowledge, and revelation on a certain subject that can save lives.  AUTHORITY  Elon Musk has been known to question regulations and instructions when building His rockets and cars. His goal has been to simplify every step of the manufacturing process and lower the cost of production. His methods of work have been known to be chaotic and explosive. And they got things done.  While reading the book I had a sense that Mr. Elon Musk sometimes likes to be a bit of a rebel at least when it comes to regulations he deems unnecessary. As we all are probably tempted. Nonetheless, he honors authority and obeys the laws when necessary.  Authority is here to bring order to society. It is a function, not a person. It is meant to bring good to all. (1) Per Max Weber, there are three types of authority out there: traditional authority: people honor someone because it has been a tradition for a long time. An example is the Royal family in Britain. Legal-Rational Authority: someone is being followed and honored because the laws and rules claim they have to be. Like the President of any country. Charismatic Authority: people are drawn to someone because of their special qualities or abilities. Like Elon Musk himself. (2) KINGDOM AUTHORITY For us believers, there is one more type of authority we need to acknowledge - kingdom authority. The authority Yeshua has delegated to us over all powers of the kingdom of darkness.  For authority to be delegated, there needs to be testing and trial. James Goll does say that sometimes God gives someone an anointing they need to grow into. But for the most part, God tests us through human authority before He releases us into the new.  AUTHORITY, BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS Books and other pieces of writing hold authority over the area they speak about. Regulations and rules are all written down, charismatic authority is often spread through books, blogs, and social media. Even traditional authority usually has its influence spread through the media.  Kingdom authority can be spread through books and other publications too. We can impart spiritual gifts and anointing upon another through these books and writings. After all, even nowadays God uses the Bible to bring revelation, quicken our spirit with His hidden manna, and bring joy and revelation to us all.  And through reading His word or other by the Holy Spirit-inspired publications we get our minds renewed and our faith and spirits strengthened. And we in so become equipped with the necessary strength to overcome.  SUMMARIZING There are different types of authority: traditional, legal-rational, charismatic, and kingdom. Their influences can be spread through books and publications. That can especially be said about kingdom authority. We can impart spiritual gifts and anointing upon another through these books and writings and in general through the Bible we are inspired and strengthened daily.  SOURCES Craig Hill. Understanding Kingdom Authority: How to become a person of influence and impact. Lesson 3: The Purpose of Authority. Transcript. Page 1. Testbook. Types of Authority By Max Weber: Types and Characteristics. Available: https://testbook.com/ias-preparation/types-of-authority-by-max-weber

INTRODUCTION Yeshua came to break heavy yokes off of people. He also came to set us free. We can accomplish so through books too by sharing knowledge and revelation. The Word itself says that for the lack of knowledge, my people perish. By informing them and even imparting upon them spiritual gifts through books we can set people free.  FREE WILL - BREAKING HEAVY YOKES  Elon Musk is a big fan of freedom of speech, so long as it is not endangering others or breaking any laws. In general, he is a believer in free will. While I can not necessarily agree with all the ways he has conducted business and tried to provide this free will to others, I will say that God is all about honoring free will too.  He always gives us free will. The option to choose whether we follow His instructions or not. That free will is never to be violated. In places where free will is being suppressed and there are a lot of unnecessary rules and regulations, heavy yokes are placed upon people. Or even worse their free will is being violated. These heavy yokes are not of God. Yeshua came to deliver us from them. He came to give us easy yokes and to set us free from oppression.  BOOKS HOLD KNOWLEDGE, REVELATION God can speak, heal, and deliver us through different means. One of them is also books. Books in general hold much knowledge and revelation. It is through this revelation and knowledge that we can set people free. The word says that people perish for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4: 6). My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4: 6 (KJV) Even healing can take place through books and anointing and spiritual impartation can be passed from one to another.  Ultimately though it is the Word itself, the Bible, that holds the greatest keys to salvation, freedom, and prosperity. And it also happens to be the most-sold book ever.  CONCLUSION Yeshua came to set us free from heavy yokes. He honors the free will given to men. Books can help us break heavy yokes off of people. They hold knowledge and revelation that can deliver, heal, or through which we can impart anointing and a spiritual impartation upon others.  Until next time!

(1) INTRODUCTION Writing requires a lot of intimacy. We as authors often share our deepest and most intimate thoughts with the rest of the world. Sharing them may impact others. We as Christians can impact on an even greater scale if we become the message we are sharing. We can then transform and not only inform.  ARE YOU ALL IN? Elon Musk is all about the mission. His missions or heavenly mandates as he calls them are important to him perhaps even more than family. He demands no less from his workers. He is all about putting everything aside in pursuit of the future of humanity. Something not all necessarily agree with. This “be all in” attitude reminded me of our heavenly mandate as kingdom ambassadors in Christ Jesus. To walk with the Lord we have to be all in. We have to be willing to leave it all behind in pursuit of our destinies and pursuit of our Heavenly Father.  During our walk, we may be asked to go all in, even at the expense of having to sacrifice other things. It is a decision we have to make according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If the Lord asked you, would you go all in? BECOMING THE MESSAGE Writing is extremely intimate. Every single time we pour out a part of ourselves onto a sheet of paper. As my mentor David Sluka likes to say, “It is like taking your clothes off in front of everyone”. It can make us feel very bare and exposed. But by being vulnerable we can reach others and pull them from the darkness they are in.  Sharing our story, and our message with the world can achieve so much. But it is by becoming the message that we can do the greater things. Once we not only have an answer to a problem but have also become that answer, that solution, we will be walking miracle workers bringing the Kingdom to the weary, hungry, and thirsty people. We will hold the keys that will open doors.  THE PROCESS OF BECOMING THE MESSAGE During the writing process, we will feel perspiration and immense war to get the message out. And even more so to become the message. It will take honesty, readiness, and transparency. It will be a long journey of self-reflection, and healing.  There will come times when we will feel the desire to quit. In those moments we should pray and take a break. Recharge and we will once more feel inspired to continue. Especially if our why is strong enough.  As a Christian writer that is what I aspire to achieve every single day. I encourage you to focus on that too. Become the message you wish to share. Believe in the message that you wish to bear.  CONCLUSION We all carry a unique message inside of us. Sharing it with the world may change many lives. Becoming the message will not only impact but also transform. It will bring the kingdom of God to the weary, hungry, and thirsty.  Until next time! SOURCES Image by wix.com .

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NIV) (1) INTRODUCTION Nothing is impossible with God. Having that faith necessary to move the mountain is needed but so is action. We need to take action. Putting yourself out there can be frightening but also exciting. Only God knows what is in store for us.  WHEN THE IMPOSSIBLE IS MADE POSSIBLE The drive to make things impossible possible. That is what we all aspire to achieve. Yet only rare people personify it. Elon Musk is one of them. His motto “All can be fixed” saved Him a lot of money over the years, as further revealed in his biography.  His demeanor towards His subordinates regarding the building and testing of His rockets almost mirrors Yeshua and the twelve disciples. There were moments when Yeshua Himself too looked exasperated at the disciples for their lack of faith. He said in Matthew 17: 20-21 (NIV), “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” “Nothing will be impossible for you”, said Yeshua. Through Yeshua even the impossible is made possible.  Elon Musk and his company apparently tried to approach the building of the rockets in a similar manner.  FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD I used to believe only faith is needed. But Benji & and Alanna’s words about willpower needing to combine with faith to produce real results have made me ponder. (2) Now, if Elon Musk is known for something, it is His willpower and perseverance. No matter how delayed he has been in achieving his goals, he has pursued them until they were accomplished. It has reminded me of Habakkuk 2: 3 (NIV).  “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Habakkuk 2 3 (NIV) At the end of the day, faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26). It needs to lead to action for it to be true faith. Stepping out in faith can be the most frightening thing to do, but it can also become the most exhilarating. Just as it became exciting to the engineers at SpaceX.  AN EXCITING JOURNEY Writing a book or creating any piece of art and exhibiting it for all to see, can be frightening too. The thought of putting ourselves out there can make us quiver in fear. Are we good enough? Is our art good enough?  While there is a possibility of facing rejection, I have started to believe that putting ourselves out there is far better than never trying. If nothing else, we can say that we gave our best at the time. And that is what we should aspire towards each day. Especially when God is involved. Stepping out in faith starts an exciting journey that almost always ends up in something extraordinary.  And even if we fail, God will still use it to build us toward our future success.  CONCLUSION Nothing is impossible with God, yet it requires faith and action - willpower - to see the desired result. After all faith without works is dead. Yet taking that step out into the world is not always easy, but if done it can brig great satisfaction and reward. Until next time! SOURCES Image created via canva.com . Benji & Alanna Alexander. The 7 sacred pathways to great intimacy.

INTRODUCTION Ruling the seven spheres of influence means ruling the entire society, or so they say. We too are called to rule and reign. We are called to overcome and break through into abundance and prosperity in every area of our lives. SEVEN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE Elon Musk saw potential mostly in the following three areas:    Internet sustainable energy space travel When I read that in the book it reminded me of the seven spheres of influence. I will say in advance that I do not know Elon Musk and am not privy to his intentions. But perhaps he was - he most certainly has to be today - even back then aware of the revelation regarding the 7 spheres of influence. What are the seven spheres? They are family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government.  They say if you gain influence and rule in these areas, then you get to influence and rule over the whole society. It has been these 7 spheres that many have been trying to rule in for years. Rule and reign, right Elon Musk? THE SEVEN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND BOOKS There are different ways in which we can deliver a message. From all forms of printed publications to audio files such as audiobooks, podcasts, radio shows, music, and vinyl recordings. There are of course video products (shows, movies, hosting shows, cartoons, animations, e-courses, vlogs …) to name a few. Many scoff at books nowadays considering the majority of time is spent on the Internet. Yet as the experts at Non-fiction Summit, which was hosted this past weekend, say that the biggest retail seller Amazon still has books as their number one category. Books are still very much an active participant in the daily life of every individual.  And catch this - you can influence any sphere through them. You can influence family, government, finances, the education system, the entertainment industry, media, and of course religion. Books when masterfully crafted, well-designed, and well-researched can impact whole areas of life in positive ways. They can of course also impact negatively. So watch what you read people!  Either way, they are still very much alive. In my opinion, they are here to stay.  After all, are not the Bible and many ancient manuscripts still relevant even nowadays? The Bible is still the most-sold book in the world and continues to impact nations to this day.  CHRISTIAN BOOKS AND THE SEVEN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE We have determined the goal of this game - rule and reign. I wouldn’t be a Christian writer if i did not mention our aspects in all of this. Did you know that we too are called to rule and reign? We have a mandate from God to venture into these seven spheres of influence and bring the Kingdom of God into them.  You know in High school I read the phrase: “Come to the dark side, we have cookies”. Well, ever since I became Christian it stopped being funny. Sort of became taboo. Nowadays I like to flip it around and say, “Come to the light, we have cookies.” That is exactly what we are to do in every sphere of influence. After all, we serve an upside-down Kingdom as Pastor Jim Baker likes to say.  For instance, Craig Hill says that the way we bring the Kingdom of God into the world of money is by using it selflessly through giving. The exact opposite way the spirit of Mammon would like for us to use it.  We are destined to rule and reign alongside Him. We are Sons and Daughters of the Most High - we are royalty. As Craig Hill suggests we do with money, we should do with books too. Let us use them to bring God’s Kingdom to the people.  Books can help us heal. I have read many that touched me deeply and brought revelation and clarity. I am sure many others can testify of the same. On the other hand, books can also be a tool for delivering our story. Bring the storm to the bookshelves of all types. Let our voices be heard. It is our testimonies that can accomplish the most. People are hungry to see the Good, Good Father. The One who blesses and forgives. The One who saves and delivers. The One who forgives and redeems. Our stories matter. And they can and will touch the lives of those they need.  And ultimately pointing them to the Word itself is the end goal. CONCLUSION When one rules over the seven spheres of influence, they rule over the whole society. Books and other publications are a great tool through which we can accomplish such. We can write on any topic and deliver it in many different shapes and sizes to different audiences. The Bible to this day remains the most-selling book of all time.  We as Christians too are called to rule and reign. Books or rather our stories, our testimonies can be a great display of our Good, Good Father’s power, glory, and love. People are hungry for the God who does miracles.   SOURCES Image by wix.com .