The Principle of Giving

I would like to briefly discuss about the principle of giving. How does giving relates to money, which is the main topic of this blog? Well, you'll soon find out. However, I need to warn you, I will be using the bible as my reference. I understand that some, if not many, people don't see the bible as a relevant source of information. If that's the case, I'm encouraging you not to read on unless you want to know.

I am a bible-believer Christian. I believe that the bible is a source not only of good doctrine that is being used in the church but as a source of instruction in life. It helps us understand God and his attitude towards His children and other people. God as a being has feelings. If you are a bible reader, you will understand what I am saying.

One of the things that is being taught in the bible is giving. And a lot of Christians, I believe, fail on this. I have to admit, I also faltered. Let us bear in mind that even if the bible teaches us all of these things, the Church may choose not to impose it because God wants us to be a cheerful giver. He wants us to obey to show our love and obedience to Him as a father and as a Lord. He wants us to be spontaneous in giving and not to be tied with our money, which we couldn't bring when we die. While the principle of giving in the bible is quite a burden to some Christian and see it as bondage, looking at it, it is the same with other bible instructions like modesty in our apparel or having sex within marriage.

There are couple of reasons why a Christian should give. One, is to return what is for God. This refers to tithes, which is the 10 percent of our fruits, our earnings and profits. Some people thought that this practice is no longer applicable to this age. Second, is the belief that when we give, we shall also receive. This refers to offering to the church in addition to the tithes and showing our charity or generosity to other people.

If a Christian don't tithe and offer, what then is God's measurement of plenty or generosity? If you don't tithe and offer, who then is your God--is it the money because you fear of losing it or is it the God in Heaven whom you should trust? I see giving as a test of our obedience, love and faith.

So, what's in it for a Christian who tithes and offer? The Christian will be able to provide meat to God's house (the Church that Jesus Christ built--Please be wary on where you give your tithes. You might be giving it to the false preachers who are just getting richer because of what you give).  Second, the bible says that God will pour the windows of heaven for his blessings,  which could be materially, financially or other aspects of our lives, until you have no room to hold it. Third, the measurement of what we give, will be the measurement of blessings that we receive. Simply put, the principle of giving is similar to the reap-what-you-sow belief or the more-you-give-the-more-you-receive saying.

It is all up to us on what to believe and what to do. We live in this world with our free will. But let us not forget that even though some of us may not be spiritually inclined, there is an unknown force that we couldn't explain. Force that make things happen in our lives, whether it be good or bad. For a Christian, that force could be God who has hands over things, who can either bless us continually or hold His blessing away from us.

This Blog Is Not Dead

I'm sorry folks for not updating this blog regularly. Well, it's been over 6 months since my last update. But, no! This blog isn't dead!

I've been pretty busy the past several months. I have several clients to provide my virtual services to. In fact, I'm just taking an hour break from my research work I am doing right now. I'm also quite busy with my social media marketing--I'm still in the real estate industry and I'm also marketing for a local rattan manufacturer.

Though, I'm not actively posting here, I've been working hard to drive web traffic to Soliloquy, my primary blog. With all the changes and the effort I did with it, sort of an experiment for me, I am pretty happy seeing the traffic coming in. I've been seeing a decline of the bounce rate (the percentage of or visits in which the person left the site) and increase of the organic search. Hopefully, it's going to be the same here in Money Talks Over Coffee (MTOC).

I have a lot of catching up to do, really. I'll be working on a schedule and will try harder to stick to it. Part of my schedule is to deliver fresh weekly post in this blog and never leave it like it's dead.

Ciao for now! Feel free to drop me a line.

Money in Blogging and Writing

Back in my college days when I used to write for the university publication, I thought that there is no future in writing. I believed that there is no money in it, unless you have powerful connection in society where you are rubbing elbows with politicians, publishers, and among other influential people. That notion, however, changed through time. There is money in writing...and blogging. And that I realize since I embarked my freelance career.

Thanks to social media! Now, the internet is inundated with opportunities. I say it is opportunities because it doesn't automatically give you instant money. You need to explore and work hard for it.

I am not saying this because I have earned much. No! I am still learning the ropes. And I am still at the beginning of my race. Most of the times, I learn by myself through endless browsing and reading.

Here, I won't be  extensively discussing how to earn a living or how to make money from blogging and writing, but I am going to share common revenue-generating activities.

1. Getting online writing projects.    After leaving the corporate world, I decided to pursue a freelance career. I started getting projects from Odesk and Freelancer. It's been keeping me busy all the time.  Many of my projects include blogging, article writing, ghostwriting, web content and product reviews. Though I favored research and lead generation projects, but for some reason what I'm getting are writing projects.

Other websites that you can get writing assignments or projects include Donanza, Elance and People Per Hour.

2. Monetizing your blog.  I'm still working on this.  It is only recently that I was actively monetizing my blog through Google Adsense, advertising programs and affiliate programs. There are thousand out there that are willing to be your business partner. 

3. Sponsored reviews. Currently, I am affiliated with sponsoredreviews.com.  Some companies and organizations seek for bloggers who can discuss or create a review about their products or company. Some interesting sites that I still need to check include Blogging Ads, Link Post, Review Me, Shvoong, PayPerPost, and Smorty.

4. Writing Gigs. Many online magazines and websites accept submissions, contributions or feature articles. While many require you to apply to be a writer or contributor, some sites will pay you upfront for articles that meet their standards.  

5. More blogging opportunities.  Sites like Technorati, Helium, Hubpages and Bukisa welcome bloggers and let you earn passive income. They don't pay for your blogs upfront, but you will have the exposure and earn revenue from your blogs.  I'm interested in doing this, but because I am still kind of slow in writing, I can't manage it yet. I'm talking one step at a time. Though I have set accounts to a couple of those sites, I haven't posted anything as of this writing.