Thank you for 500

0:05 OK, OK, I need you to just stop whatever it is that you're

0:11 doing. Maybe you're in traffic, maybe

0:13 you're washing pleats, maybe you're lying down in your bed,

0:16 and maybe you're even about to sleep.

0:17 I need to just stop. I need your full attention for

0:21 this. 1500 streams. The Rooted Podcast has hits 500

0:28 streams and downloads on Spotify This little show that started a

0:33 few months ago with me a microphone and a lots of faith

0:37 in God. Hello get down.

0:42 I'm just very happy. But you know what's turning me

0:44 ahead of myself. Hi, welcome back or welcome.

0:49 This is your first time to rotate with me.

0:51 For me here, faith is talked about in a way that is clear,

0:56 that's heartfelt, that's relatable.

0:59 And hopefully it leaves you loving Jesus more than when you

1:02 came. Yeah.

1:04 And today's episode is different.

1:06 It's different. If it's your first time, welcome

1:09 again. If you've been here regularly,

1:11 it's different. I'm not doing a deep dive or

1:13 just not. I'm not talking much about

1:15 anything. Of course, we'll be back to that

1:18 soon. But this episode is really just

1:20 about me talking to you genuinely from me to you,

1:23 because 505 hundred is a moment and I refuse to let's just pass

1:27 by without marking it properly to myself.

1:29 I didn't say that I want to like document, you know, celebrate

1:33 the little, not little now, but like the steps of improvements.

1:37 I'm not going to wait till it's so, so big and everything like

1:40 right from now. Just celebrate those milestones.

1:43 And 500 is definitely, most assuredly one of those moments.

1:48 So I want to start by saying thank God.

1:51 Thank God because I mean, he's one who prompted me to start

1:54 this, use different people to prompt me to start this.

1:57 And then I'm scared or shy. Every now and then I still think

2:01 about it. Maybe I'm about to say something

2:02 that's a bit vulnerable. I think I'm better now.

2:05 Point is, thank God for making me start this or for leading me

2:09 to start this. And second of all, thank you.

2:11 And I mean, it's from the bottom of my heart.

2:14 Thank you for clicking, please. Thank you for giving your ears

2:18 to listen to me. Sometimes I think about it, I

2:21 recorded an audio and I was just speaking and someone tried to

2:25 play that audio and listen. I know that so many things are

2:27 fighting for your ears and I know The Apprentice Podcast

2:30 exist in the world and choose to listen to this one.

2:33 You choose to spend your time, time that you will not get back

2:36 because really like you can't steal your back.

2:38 You choose to spend that time sitting with me and whatever God

2:41 maybe laid on my heart. And it's not small.

2:44 It's it's such a big sacrifice on your part and it means so, so

2:48 much to me. Like I'm so, so grateful.

2:51 I'm so, so grateful. Like if I cook beans, well, I

2:55 like to cook beans, beans. I believe beans is awesome and I

2:58 cook it well. So I'm like, if, if I could see

3:01 you now, maybe I could send you beans.

3:04 I'm kidding, maybe. But really, if I say, I wish, I

3:08 wish I could hug you with your permission or, you know, give

3:10 you a handshake, just let you know that I'm really grateful

3:13 that you listen to this. Thank you.

3:16 Maybe times when you would, people would check in.

3:18 I remember when I went to camp and I wasn't posting for a

3:21 while, maybe checked, Oh, how are you doing?

3:24 There hasn't been a podcast or present.

3:25 And I'm like, oh, this happened, that happened.

3:27 Some people would, you know, maybe come tell me stuff I said

3:30 that was relatable. I'm really grateful to you all.

3:32 Like I'm very, very grateful. And in all seriousness, I mean

3:36 this and it's a lot to consume content.

3:38 I wonder if the person on that side actually cares about you.

3:41 Like, oh, maybe the person is just talking and it's not really

3:45 concerned about me that's listening, but I'm saying that

3:47 you you, I'm I'm I'm intentional about you.

3:51 Like I'm, I'm giving to making sure that every single person

3:55 that listens to me, that listens to the episodes I put up here is

4:00 blessed by them. So it's not a thing of all if

4:02 majority of people agree with this.

4:03 And if I, I want to do things such a way that everyone of you

4:08 who listens to me is left better.

4:12 Yeah. So.

4:13 And I want you to know that you are not in number to me.

4:15 You know, in number to me. I started this podcast because I

4:17 believe that the words that I speak as moved or based on the

4:23 bodies or things that God leaves on my heart.

4:25 I believe that those words have weight.

4:28 I believe that they can cause a change.

4:30 I believe that the right thing said at the right time can

4:33 genuinely change the direction of someone's day, someone's

4:36 week. Sometimes someone could

4:36 compliment me. It's just a compliment.

4:38 This is not even a word. It could compliment me and I can

4:41 run in the energy of that compliment for like 3 days,

4:44 maybe three days. A bit long, might have

4:45 forgotten, but you get the idea. So, yeah.

4:49 And so whenever I sit down to record an episode, what I'd say

4:51 theological question or something deeply personal, I'm

4:55 thinking about you. I'm thinking about how this

4:57 would actually help you. I'm thinking, oh, if my being

5:01 vulnerable would help this person understand the case

5:03 better, would help them release better, would help them feel

5:06 more seen, then maybe I should just be vulnerable.

5:09 I don't want to just be nice sounding or the audience client,

5:13 things like that. I genuinely want you to enjoy

5:16 listening to this. I want you to feel like, OK, I

5:18 didn't waste my time listening to this and promise you I'm

5:20 going to keep on putting efforts into doing that.

5:22 You have my word. I will keep on showing up with

5:24 intention. I will do everything that I can

5:26 to be someone who is worth listening to.

5:29 Alright, so yeah, that's a promise I'm making out loud.

5:32 Pull me to it. Yeah, so 500 streams means 500

5:37 moments where someone heard something, where words from my

5:40 mouth went into your ears. And I want to believe, I hope

5:44 that they had an effect. And I don't think that's

5:46 something I don't take it lightly anyway, because words

5:49 are powerful, genuinely powerful in a way we sometimes

5:55 underestimate. I don't think we're

5:56 underestimated, but in the moment when those words are

5:58 maybe having such a powerful effect, we might not even be

6:01 aware. I think about the time when

6:03 someone said something kind to you.

6:05 It was a compliment. I think about a time when

6:07 someone said something that you didn't like, maybe was a

6:10 careless coming, a dismissive word.

6:12 I've been on both ends. I've been the one who has made

6:15 the careless statements. Nothing I'm ever proud of.

6:17 Like when I found out I'm like, words can just basically have an

6:21 effect. I know of someone who I I told,

6:23 I told the person something. It wasn't a bad thing.

6:26 I told the person, right? It was something I felt like to

6:28 tell them. And I just found a person felt

6:30 bad. Of course the person they said

6:31 told me and everything I would talk about.

6:33 And I was like, oh, I'm so sorry.

6:34 I didn't know. And this was not even something

6:36 that was exactly hurtful or unkind to see.

6:40 So imagine a scenario where someone didn't say something

6:42 that is actually unkind. How devastating it can be.

6:45 There's this thing that happened with me at work random, but I

6:48 don't know this corporate workspace.

6:50 I didn't know we had so many meetings, like nobody.

6:53 He talked about some meetings, but the number of meetings that

6:57 I held, I'm like wow, wow. Anyway I digress.

7:02 So I was at work, I started a new role so I was just getting

7:07 to know the schedule and things like that.

7:08 So I was on my way home. I wasn't looking at my phone.

7:11 Later on, I checked my phone maybe like 5 minutes that I saw

7:14 that there was a meeting I was supposed to join.

7:15 This was by like 430. I was on my way home like it had

7:18 already passed closing time. So later on I tried to join the

7:22 meeting in like 5 or 6 minutes after I saw it.

7:25 Like after they had sent the notification that, oh, let's

7:28 quickly jump on the call for a brief meeting, but by then

7:31 someone else takes them that, Oh, we don't bother.

7:32 It has been scheduled since you could not jump on.

7:34 And the next day when we didn't have any meeting, which was also

7:37 impromptu, I had to scramble, you know, just to get into the

7:40 meeting because when I supposed to have a meeting, by that time,

7:42 it was well passed closing time and things like that.

7:44 But I was like, you know, I want to show up, especially because

7:47 it's a new role. I, I need you to know that I'm

7:49 really eager about the work that we're doing here.

7:51 And all of a sudden the boss is like, Are you sure you're really

7:54 a serious person who tried to get you on a call yesterday?

7:56 And I just felt too bad. I mean, he didn't, he didn't

7:59 have the full context of my situation.

8:01 He didn't know that, oh, on my own end, I had already closed.

8:04 Like it was actual closing time when I was in transit.

8:07 So I, I felt really bad. I felt really bad.

8:10 This was someone that was not trying to hurt me intentionally.

8:13 This was not someone who'd use any abusive words.

8:15 But I won't even like it got to me.

8:17 Like I won't point. I didn't cry, I didn't cry, but

8:20 I genuinely felt like crying. And I think if my mum had not

8:24 met me and just asked me what was wrong, I probably would have

8:27 just gone upstairs and just sat down and cried for a bit, you

8:29 know, wash my eyes and feel better.

8:32 So, And I just got me thinking about how words are so powerful.

8:36 That's a scenario. Like that's a scenario that is

8:38 not the most extreme and yet it had such an effect on me.

8:40 I'm thinking, OK, what then happens if someone says

8:43 something so negative? It could be disastrous.

8:45 But on the flip side, what happens when someone can say

8:49 something so encouraging? Like in Romans 12, Paul talked

8:52 about the gift of exhortation. Like when he's talking about

8:54 different gifts, he also mentions exhortation.

8:55 That's how some people are so gifted that they can speak to

8:58 people and you're, you're filled with life literally.

9:02 Like they literally use their words to bring you up.

9:05 If you're someone who has like it's please cherish it and it's

9:08 a gift to give it free. Like we have whatever

9:11 opportunity you have, wherever you find yourself used as a

9:14 means to exhort people, let them be filled a life and maybe maybe

9:17 consider that you don't have the gifts you can desire.

9:20 It's I believe that you can desire.

9:21 It's right. God is working into it and to

9:23 desire. So if you're desiring it, don't

9:25 think it's not a work of God. Don't think it's not a work of

9:28 God. Other times, God's working in

9:32 you might seem normal, might seem ordinary, but it's still

9:35 God's work nonetheless. Desire.

9:37 It's like desire to be a person who leaves people better, leaves

9:42 people energized after conversations.

9:46 Desire to be that kind of person and also be around people like

9:50 that. I think that goes without

9:51 saying. Have some friends that I just

9:53 talked to and even if I've had such a terrible, I can just go

9:55 and talk to them and I leave their better.

9:58 Yeah, but let your words have such a powerful effect on

10:02 people, a positive effect on people.

10:04 And that's why I think about this podcast a lot.

10:07 Every word I put out goes somewhere into someone's

10:09 morning, maybe your commutes, maybe your quiet time.

10:13 And I want the words that I see to be things that leave you in a

10:17 good place that sits with you and point you to somewhere

10:20 better. I know sometimes maybe if it's

10:23 correcting, you're calling out or something that you're not

10:25 doing right. I know it might not be the best

10:27 thing, but I hope that ultimately it's helps you

10:29 better. And I want you to know that I

10:31 genuinely have your best interests at heart.

10:34 So here's where I land. We are at 500.

10:37 I'm saying because it's not just me, it's me and you.

10:40 Exciting things are coming. Of course, you guys will be the

10:44 first to know. I will definitely keep you up to

10:46 date, like let's be on the lookouts.

10:49 Interesting stuff, but I want to ask you something.

10:53 I want to ask that you keep on showing up, that you keep on

10:56 listening, that you keep on giving me feedback, that you

10:58 keep on sharing the episodes, that you keep on being a

11:01 listener who encourages me to do this.

11:04 I'm going to be real with you. As much as I'm happy, I also

11:07 have to be real and tell you that there are sometimes when

11:09 I'm scared, sometimes when I'm like, do I know whether this

11:12 will actually do well? Do I know whether this will

11:14 actually resonate with people? But of course, seeing 500, I

11:17 was, I was in the kitchen today when I saw it.

11:19 I was cooking, you know, running around the kitchen.

11:21 My sister was baking. So it was like everyone was

11:23 topsy turvy. But all of a sudden I started

11:25 and I just shouldn't. It just brightened our moods.

11:28 Like it really did a lot of work.

11:30 So this really helped me. So please help me to do this

11:34 more, offer me the encouragement that I need to keep on going.

11:39 And in turn, of course, I'm going to do my best to not just

11:43 have you listen to this ball for you to actually enjoy listening

11:45 to this, for you to actually benefit from this.

11:47 Like I want to live your life better after you've listened to

11:50 this, right? And if you know someone, one

11:53 person, two people, three people, I don't know who you

11:57 think would benefit from this, who you think might probably

11:59 just be able to do or might need a rooted with any podcast in

12:03 their life. I'd love you to share this with

12:06 them. I really would love that you do

12:08 that. I definitely want more people to

12:12 listen to what is being said here also because as time goes

12:16 on and like bringing some of my friends to say some things, some

12:19 people I know I will verse in some certain topics as well.

12:22 And I think those people are pregnant with such wisdom and

12:26 such knowledge and I want as many people to benefit from it.

12:29 And sometimes I just want to, like, give you an insights joke

12:33 into my life or my friends, like the different things that have

12:36 happened to us and how God has been able to walk through those

12:39 challenges. But yeah, so please, every time

12:42 you share this show, you're actually helping with this.

12:45 So yeah, thank you, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart.

12:49 Here's to 500. Here's to 1000 more.

12:53 Here's to wherever God takes this thing.

12:56 And just know that we're just getting warmed up.

12:58 And that's it for today's episode.

13:01 If you haven't already, please leave.

13:03 A rating takes 30 seconds. Top.

13:06 Until next time, stay rooted. Bye.