10,000 people!?!

Credits: Rob Curran at unsplash.com

Hello guys.

I was just going through some stats today and found that the blog has had more than 10,000 visitors! I can’t believe it. When I started out as a high school student trying to find friends online, I had no idea this blog would reach so many people. Of course, there are so many blogs out there that hit higher numbers but that’s no the point. I can’t imagine 10,000 people inside a stadium and I definitely can’t imagine all of them wanting to read what I write. I don’t post as often as I used to and I’m sorry about that. Hopefully that will change soon. If you’re reading this and you’ve been reading my stuff, please say hi in the comments or shoot me a mail. I love meeting people. I’d love to say hi. Lots of love to all of you. Have a great day!

Mystery Blogger Award

To my dear blogging family,

Let me just start this post by apologizing for being away for so long. I’ve been taking a lot of classes and I’ve not had time to come here and just type away. But this post I knew I had to write because I owed it to my dear friend, Stu. He has been a constant source of pure inspiration and encouragement and I really admire what he’s doing over at his amazing blog, https://stubaby777.wordpress.com/

His blog is about how he overcame his porn addiction and how porn is destroying lives today. Thank you, brother for this nomination and for being such a great friend. Guys, do me a favor and go check out his amazing blog.

So, for those of you guys who don’t know about the Mystery Blogger Award, here’s some info from the creator Okoto herself.

“This is an award for amazing bloggers with indigenous posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging and they do it with so much love and passion.” – Award Creator, Okoto Enigma

Here are the rules:
1) Thank whoever nominated you and include link to their blog
2) Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
3) Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
4) Answer the questions from the person who nominated you
5) Nominate 5 -10 bloggers you feel deserve the award
6) Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice with one weird or funny one
7) Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.

Okay here goes three things you might not know about me:

1. I don’t like horror movies
2. I absolutely love travel
3. I want to do a concert by the Niagara Falls ( Yeah, I’m a bit crazy that way) 🙂

Here are the answers to Stu’s questions:

1. What topic would you like me to address here on my blog?

There’s no topic that comes to my mind on first thoughts but I do think it would make a great post if you shared the quotes and Bible verses that helped you on your way out of your porn addiction.

2. Would you accept the challenge to step out of your comfort zone and write a post about pornography and how it is affecting our youth and/or marriages? And if so, would you share the link in the comment section so my readers can see it?

Yes, Stu! I’d love to.

3. What is your favorite book in the Bible to read?

I love reading the first books of the old testament. 🙂

4. How do you study when reading said book?

I try to link it with what I read in the New Testament and I’ve come across some really fantastic stuff doing this. The amazing thing about the Bible is that it talks about Jesus from the first verse to the last verse.

5. Now for the funny/goofy question. This one I have been asked in the past because I grew up reading comic books and even now I watch The Arrow and The Flash. If you could have any super power in the world what would it be and how would you use it?

Humility and Forgiveness. One of the things I am working on right now in my life is to not get offended easily. I am trusting God to give me the strength to love everyone whatever they say or do to me.

My nominees:

1. Teen, Meet God:- A place for teens to learn about living for God. https://teenmeetgod.wordpress.com/
2. Jessy over at https://faithandbooks.com/
3. Brad over at https://totalbradnessblog.wordpress.com/
4. Joni over at https://grieftolife.com/
5. Warren over at https://wcr281.com/

Here are my questions to you guys:

1. What do you think we need most in our world today?
2. What is the most recent new thing you learnt?
3. What character of God do you like most?
4. What is your favorite book/ movie?
5. Now for my funny question. What do you think would be a great name for a perfume?

Accepting this award is completely up to you and it’s all about just having fun.

Thank you guys, once again, for being a part of my life. It’s been a great experience so far and I am sure we have a bright and beautiful road ahead of us.

God bless you all!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

 

 

Trophies

‘Talent is plants that sprout from seeds of passion.’ 🙂

 

Hey guys!

Yesterday, was an important day for me. You could say it was an emotional one, but it’s a special kind of emotion. The kind of emotion you have when you move to a different house. That feeling of wanting to stay, when you shut that door for the last time.

Am I moving to a new place?

Nope.

I mean, yeah. Kind of.

When I was about 6 years old, I prayed a very heartfelt prayer, sitting in an old auditorium in my school. It was a beautiful evening, but it was an evening I would remember not because it was beautiful, but because of the emotion that passed through me as I sat there.

I sat there, my head down, as all my friends went to collect their trophies. Their feet on the floor echoed in the auditorium, putting me into a sleep, sedating me. I was stuck in time, as everything around me moved. I was happy for my friends, I really was. But I was sad because I did not have a trophy to carry back home.

And on that day, I prayed a heartfelt prayer,

‘God, please help me achieve at least one prize, one trophy, before I leave this school.’

I’ve always thought I was made for something special. It’s not like I’m prideful or anything. I think every person should live like that. My parents always made me feel special and encouraged me and told me I was meant for something great. So from a very young age, I started thinking about my future.

I’ve always dreamed of being great, just like every person on this planet. But I don’t want to be known for just one thing. I want to be an all-rounder. A man of many talents. And I’ve always tried to work towards that. Every two to three years, I add something to my life and I try to see how far I can go. I’ve always loved the change, colour and satisfaction it brought into my life. This blog, is a great example for that. 🙂

As time passed by, I learned to draw, play instruments, speak, write and create. I proved to myself that I could study well too. I didn’t take part in many competitions until high school. When I got into high school, I decided to challenge myself. We have an arts festival every year at school. 3 days filled with competition, excitement and challenge. Those who come up top in the competitions qualify for the regionals. I decided to do something crazy. I went up there and gave my name for nearly everything up on the board that day. If I could scrape through it, I believed I should try it. Those three days, I was running from venue to venue, doing stuff that I’d never done before. But I felt good.

Everything I learnt, I learnt on my own. So they were never professional or perfect. They were the result of the many hobbies I had taken up along the years.

The day the results came, I saw everyone looking at me. Overnight, my name had appeared in a lot of places. I went down there and I saw them and my heart started beating fast. My dreams were coming true.

In the years that came, I achieved things that I never thought I could achieve. I always tried my best to make sure it never went to my head. God had heard my prayer. That was how I looked at it. Giving everything up to him, helped me to focus on the future and not base it on the past. I would enjoy the moments of glory on stage and leave it at that.

My grades really suffered because of the many hobbies I had. Added to that was my dislike of the subjects I had to learn. But I scraped through somehow.

I kept some of my trophies by my bed. They reminded me that I was worth it and also reminded me to thank God for everything good in my life. They always inspired me and helped me to push myself harder.

Now I am out of school. And I know there is something great for me out there. I believe there are many more things to achieve. And I should make room for them. I have to prepare the fields for the rain.

So, yesterday, I did something to signify a new page in my life. I took around thirty trophies and packed them in an Amazon box and sealed it. It somehow felt like moving into a new house. But it was exciting. For me it was a sign of accepting new challenges.

 

Guys, I believe talent is plants that sprout from seeds of passion. And I want you to remember that you are special. And when you believe that your eyes will be opened to a whole new world of possibilities. You start really believing in your dreams when you realise and accept that. For you to have passion for something, you have to believe you can do it.

You can have a talent for anything in the world. It can be anything. Anything from making a good coffee to being an amazing singer. That is why it can change your life. People will see passion in your eyes every time they talk to you. But for that to happen you have to believe you are meant for something great.

Believing that you are special and that you can create a difference is like that moment of inspiration in movies where the hero is knocked out and the villain is laughing. But suddenly the hero rises again, inspired, by something. Sometimes it’s a person, sometimes it’s a memory and sometimes it’s a voice in their head of someone they love, telling them, ‘you are special’. That one moment of inspiration, wakes up the muscles that were sleeping, it floods the entire body like a wave of energy.

That wave of energy in your life, will recruit parts of your brain and your mind that were fast asleep. That’s when talent is born.

God made you to be great. It is a fact. Believe it. It will change your life.

God bless! 🙂

 

What do you think about this? Comment. Share. Be a part of the movement! 🙂

 

 

 

Liebster Award! + 200 followers

 

Hi guys.

It’s me. Again. 🙂

This post is about my…no….our… second Liebster Award nomination this year. Even though this post is about the award, this post is also a heartfelt thank you from me to you. A thank you for being a part of this 4D family, where we dare each other to go beyond what we see. I thank God every time I open my laptop and see this blog. I am blessed to be a part of your lives, to be able to influence people I’ve never even met. This is exciting. This is extraordinary.

God bless you guys! You’ve been wonderful to me and to my work and so I thank you.

Here’s to our second Liebster award and 202 followers!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Stuart L. Tutt, my dear friend, for nominating me for this award. He’s a great blogger and an inspiration to me. You can visit his blog at https://stubaby777.wordpress.com/  Make sure you check it out!

Okay, now let’s get right into it!

 

Here are the rules:

If you’ve been nominated and you choose to accept the nomination, write a post about the Liebster award in which you:

1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
6. create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. list these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.

Here are 11 random facts about myself ( I will try my best not to include any from my last Liebster Award 🙂 )

1. I am a Christian
2. I love old music.
3. I  love planes. I’ve been a fan since I was a small kid. I used to play the Microsoft Flight Simulator a lot. I mean a LOT. They are so beautiful, so free you just want to be a part of them.
4. I collect the packets my guitar strings come in and hang them all over my room :). It’s a bit weird but I like it. It inspires me.
5. When I was a kid, I tried to make my own submarine ( in case there was a tsunami, though that would never probably happen with us being a good way away from the ocean. lol. ) 🙂
6. I hope to do a concert on the Niagara falls someday. ( I’ve never been to Niagara Falls though ) 🙂
7. I like vintage cars
8. I love to sing in the bathroom
9. I play the a few instruments ( the guitar, the piano, the mouth organ, and a little this and a little that of some other instruments)
10. I don’t like video games that much. ( as of now) 🙂
11. I want to do a TED talk one day

My answers to Stuart’s questions:

1. What would be the one thing you would tell your younger self, if you could go back in time?

Ans: God’s in control.
2. What is your favorite verse in the Bible and why?

Ans: Wow. That’s a hard one. I believe the Christian life is not about our love for God but God’s love for us. So, I am going to go with the famous John 3:16. 🙂
3. What is your reason for starting your blog?

I’ve always worked towards being an all rounder instead of working towards being anyone in particular. If I can’t do something, it’s ok. But I try. Blogging was something like that. But I loved writing and I thought I should use it show people how I saw the world. And it was pretty cool to introduce yourself as a blogger to new people.
4. Which actor/actress did you have a crush on growing up?

It’s a secret. 🙂
5. Do you prefer board games or a game of cards?

Board games! I used to play chess and I really enjoy it.
6. What is you favorite breakfast food?

I love eating fruits. So a bowl of some great fruits is an awesome start to the day for me.
7. Do you prefer mustard or mayo?

Mustard!
8. Which TV series can you not go a week without watching?

I don’t watch TV series’ that much but I do watch movies. One of my favorites is ‘Facing the Giants’. I rewatch it from time to time.
9. Have you wanted to do something but chose not to because of circumstances?

I wanted to be a lead guitar player for a band. But I had to study and get a job first. 🙂
10. When was the last time you went out to eat?

About 2 weeks ago, I think.
11. How hard is it to forgive yourself?

It’s hard sometimes. But I remind myself, if God can forgive me, I should forgive myself too.

My nominees:

Teen, Meet God :- https://teenmeetgod.wordpress.com/

Alethea’s mind :- https://aletheasmind.wordpress.com/

I write…..my love story :- https://wcr281.com/

Grief to Life :- http://grieftolife.com/

Life is short, I believe in making the most of it :- https://totalbradnessblog.wordpress.com/

Belle’s Nook :- https://bellesnook.wordpress.com/

Maritime Mac :- https://maritimemac.com/

 

My questions: ( You can also answer these questions in the comments) 🙂

1. Which is your favourite song?
2. What would you name your car?
3. If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, where would you live? ( I wanted to say 1 day, but then that would be silly)
4. If you had your own company what would you name it?
5. Which is your favorite band?
6. Which do you like more: rain or snow?
7. What is your superpower?
8. If you could invent anything, what would you invent?
9. Which is the best book you’ve ever read?
10. Which part of blogging do you like most?
11. What do you want to pray about, today?

 

Thank you guys, once again. You’ve all been amazing. God bless!

 

Liebster Award!

 

Oh, my God! This is amazing! I’ve been nominated for my first blogger award- the Liebster Award. I just want to thank all of you guys for sharing the ride with me. This is also your success. I especially want to thank Rageshree, who you can find at https://fantasies55215920.wordpress.com/ for nominating me for this award. I am very humbled and grateful. Please make sure you check out her blog. Her blog is a mix of amazing posts about a vast array of topics. I’m sure you guys will like it.

 

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Share 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer 11 questions the blogger gave you.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers, who deserve the award.
5. Create 11 original questions for the nominees to answer.
6. Let them know they’ve been nominated.

 

11 facts about myself:

1. I am a Christian. 🙂

2. I am a very shy person

3. I don’t have a TV!

4. I like dogs.

5. I play 3 instruments- guitar, piano and the mouth organ. But I know a little this and a little that about some other instruments as well.

6. My favourite hobby is just staring out the window in the morning and thinking.

7. My favourite homemade food is Appams and Chicken stew, a dish well known to South India. But when I go out for food, I love getting my hands on a plate of American Chop Suey.

8. I’ve always loved to recycle stuff. For example, I use magazines and stick their pages together to make tablecloths. 🙂

9. I love to write, sitting in the open, in the shade of a tree to be specific, though I am not always able to. 🙂

10. Most days, the only time I am not listening to music is when I am sleeping.

11. I love the colour blue! 🙂

 

My answers to Rageshree’s questions:

1. Which is you favorite book/movie and why?

My favourite book is the Bible. It brings God into my everyday life and adds colour and meaning to my perspective. I love animated movies( all of them) 🙂

2. If there is no internet connection in the house, what do you do for fun? [Don’t say: Try to connect the internet again or watch offline videos]

Haha 🙂 ! I would most probably stare out the window and think. But I also love to read and do my workouts. ( I’ve been reading a lot lately! )

3. If you had the chance to fly to any one place in the entire world, where would it be and why?

Wow! That’s a hard question. Probably Venice. I love the art and architecture there, not to mention the beautiful canals. Passing under a bridge many times in a row is something I’ve always wanted to do! lol! 🙂

4.Which is your favorite food item? In which country did it originate?

If it’s at home with my family, I love palappams and chicken stew,  a food known to South India. If I’m eating outside I’d probably go for an American Chop Suey.

5. If you had the chance to interview only one celebrity/world leader in this world, who would it be?

That’s a good question, but the list is so long for me. Billy Graham, probably.

6. If you weren’t allowed to pet dogs, cats, birds or fishes, which animal would you pet?

Haha! An elephant or a monkey .

7. Who is your role model and why? [Apart from yourself]

As a Christian, I find my role model in Jesus. Apart from who he is and what he has done for me, what makes him a role model in my life is the way he loved everyone, especially those most people chose not to love.

8. If you had the chance to empower the LGBT community by saying just 2 sentences, what would you say?

As a Christian, I firmly believe the biblical view regarding this topic. I also believe God loves each and every one of us. Know that you are loved.

9. You are unique. What is that one thing that makes you different from others?

I believe what makes me unique is my many traits, most of which are usually regarded as that of an introvert, mixed with my really talkative, outgoing and straightforward character. I am often shy when you first meet me, but once we know each other, I can be the most talkative and crazy enthusiastic person you will ever meet in your life. 🙂

10. What is the first quality that you want/see in your boyfriend/girlfriend/life partner?

What I would like to see in a life partner would be loyalty, and a love for God and life, enthusiastic and optimistic about everything life throws her way.

11. If you could write a short letter to your younger-self, what would you write in particular?

Wow! Great question! It think it would go something like this:

Hey, bro! Calm down. It’s not as hard as you think. Life’s filled with a lot of turns for the better. God’s in control. And oh, spend a little time cleaning your cupboard. ( It’s a mess now. Would save me a lot of trouble) lol! :). Don’t worry, be happy!

 

My 11 questions:

1. If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or forward in time and why?

2. If you had a pet ant, what would you name it?

3. What inspires you to blog?

4. Who is God to you?

5. Do you have writer’s blocks now and then? Do you have any ideas to overcome it?

6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

7. How would you describe love?

8. If you became a millionaire tomorrow, what would you buy first?

9. Who is the person you are most close to?

10. Which is your favourite song?

11. Do you play an instrument? If you don’t which one would you like to play?

 

My nominees:

I have a lot more nominees in my mind. Most of the people I’ve come across in this beautiful community are great bloggers. As I have to nominate 11 blogs, I have listed here the blogs that came to my mind first.

1.Quotes, Blogs and a Whole lot :- https://daradgamer.wordpress.com/

2.Boots and Bag:- https://bootsandbag.blog/

3.Jessy:- https://faithandbooks.com/

4.Removing the veil :- https://damarministries1991.wordpress.com/

5.The World From My Eyes :- https://theworldfrommyeyes430.wordpress.com/

6.Easy like Sunday Morning :- https://easylikesundaymorninginfo.wordpress.com/

7.Grief to Life :- https://grieftolife.com/

8.Living what you love :- https://rominascorner.wordpress.com/

9.Sunshine :- https://kerri-elizabeth.com/

10.Splendor in Smoke :- https://splendor-in-smoke.com/

11.John-Eli & friends :- https://john-eli.com/

 

Thank you guys for believing in me and reading my posts. It’s been great to know each and everyone of you!

Love and hugs,

Stefan 🙂