Friday, September 30, 2016
Earth's Crammed with Heaven
Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberriess.
And daub their natural faces unaware
More and more from the first similitude!
Love Abiding
...We abide
Not on this earth, but for a little space
We pass upon it; and while so we pass,
God through the dark hath set the Light of Life
With witness for Himself, the Word of God,
To be among us Man, with human heart,
And human language, thus interpreting
The One great Will incomprehensible
only so far as we in human life
And able to receive it.
(taken from The complete Works of Oswald Chambers)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Book Review: Why God Allows Us to Suffer by Kevin Tewes.
Many theologians and writers had tried to provide reasonable answer to satisfy our never ending question-How could a loving and all powerful God allows pain and evil to dwell on earth?
Some have claimed that suffering is used by God for character building purposes. Others have argued it to be the fair retribution of of wrongful acts or the free- willed decision making by the individual or society around.
Kevin Tewes delves deeper into the problem of pain with a different lens. In Part 1 of the book, he make us to focus on the main four characters of God-all powerful, loving, wise and just.
In Part 2, he freshen up our memory of the story of Creation and Fall and methodologically reason out why pain and evil still exist.
The Great Commandment requires us to love God whole heartedly, and to love our fellow beings with no selfish motives. When we violate the commandment to love, the problem of pain shows up,
God, who made us in His own image wants us to love-the central purpose of human existence. And humanity exists only because God prioritized love over justice when the first act of sin was committed.
Tewes explains it beautifully as follows:
Indeed the problem of pain is unsolvable when one approaches it unmindful of the fact that love cannot occur without the presence of certain prerequisites. When unawareness of this fact is combined with a dismissive attitude regarding the consequence of sin, or a superficial understanding of the nature and character of God, the result is always the same-the conclusion that God is either not powerful enough or loving enough to prevent pain.
A must read book for insightful concepts on the problem of pain and suffering.
I received a complimentary review copy of the book through Bookcrash in exchange for an honest review.
Many theologians and writers had tried to provide reasonable answer to satisfy our never ending question-How could a loving and all powerful God allows pain and evil to dwell on earth?
Some have claimed that suffering is used by God for character building purposes. Others have argued it to be the fair retribution of of wrongful acts or the free- willed decision making by the individual or society around.
Kevin Tewes delves deeper into the problem of pain with a different lens. In Part 1 of the book, he make us to focus on the main four characters of God-all powerful, loving, wise and just.
In Part 2, he freshen up our memory of the story of Creation and Fall and methodologically reason out why pain and evil still exist.
The Great Commandment requires us to love God whole heartedly, and to love our fellow beings with no selfish motives. When we violate the commandment to love, the problem of pain shows up,
God, who made us in His own image wants us to love-the central purpose of human existence. And humanity exists only because God prioritized love over justice when the first act of sin was committed.
Tewes explains it beautifully as follows:
Indeed the problem of pain is unsolvable when one approaches it unmindful of the fact that love cannot occur without the presence of certain prerequisites. When unawareness of this fact is combined with a dismissive attitude regarding the consequence of sin, or a superficial understanding of the nature and character of God, the result is always the same-the conclusion that God is either not powerful enough or loving enough to prevent pain.
A must read book for insightful concepts on the problem of pain and suffering.
I received a complimentary review copy of the book through Bookcrash in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Selected from Pilgrim's Progress
" I longed to walk along an easy road
And leave behind the dull routine of home
Thinking in other fields to serve my God
But Jesus said, "my time has not yet come."
I longed to sow the seed in other soil
To be unfettered in the work and free
To join with other laborers in their toil
But Jesus said, "Tis not My choice for thee."
I longed to leave the desert and be led
To work where souls were sunk in sin and shame
That I might win them; but the Master said,
" I have not called thee, publish here My name."
I longed to fight the battle of my King
Lift high His standards in the thickest strive.
But my great Captain bade me wait and sing
songs of His conquests in my quiet life.
I longed to leave the uncongenial sphere
where all alone I seemed to stand and wait
To feel I had some human helper near
But Jesus bade me guard one lonely gate.
I longed to leave the round of daily toil
where no one seemed to understand or care
But Jesus said, "I chose for thee this soil
That thou might raise for Me some blossoms rare.
And now I have no longing, but to do
At home or else afar, His blessed will
To work amid the many or the few
Thus "Choosing not to choose" my heart is still.
" I longed to walk along an easy road
And leave behind the dull routine of home
Thinking in other fields to serve my God
But Jesus said, "my time has not yet come."
I longed to sow the seed in other soil
To be unfettered in the work and free
To join with other laborers in their toil
But Jesus said, "Tis not My choice for thee."
I longed to leave the desert and be led
To work where souls were sunk in sin and shame
That I might win them; but the Master said,
" I have not called thee, publish here My name."
I longed to fight the battle of my King
Lift high His standards in the thickest strive.
But my great Captain bade me wait and sing
songs of His conquests in my quiet life.
I longed to leave the uncongenial sphere
where all alone I seemed to stand and wait
To feel I had some human helper near
But Jesus bade me guard one lonely gate.
I longed to leave the round of daily toil
where no one seemed to understand or care
But Jesus said, "I chose for thee this soil
That thou might raise for Me some blossoms rare.
And now I have no longing, but to do
At home or else afar, His blessed will
To work amid the many or the few
Thus "Choosing not to choose" my heart is still.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Book Review-Your Story Matters by Emra Smith
"God takes your story, which is composed of all you have experienced, wrapped in your personality, skills and the person you are, and molds you to become more than you can dream of."writes Emra Smith, the author of this 73 paged book Your Story Matters.
An easy to read paperback that can be slipped into your purse to be read at your lunch break or on travels.
In the first chapter, the author tells her personal story that is intertwined with pain caused by parental abandonment in childhood, her unfulfilled expectations in marriage leading to relationship outside marriage, divorce followed by loneliness and how God intervened and turned her life around.
In the next eight short chapters, which read more like a devotional, the author encourages the readers to see the importance of everyday life, and pay attention to the little stories, events and experiences they normally overlook.
The title of the book speaks for itself what the author strongly believes and what she wants to convey through this book. Her message can be summarized as follows;
However big or small, challenging or mundane our stories may be, every one's story does matter.. Mindful sharing of one's story during a dark time helps in the healing process,
Cease to be busy; rest in God and spend more time with Him.
Pause.Ponder.Leave all the unanswered questions behind.
Be more. Live more. Love more.
At the end of the book, helpful scriptures and books for reading are provided.
My thoughts:
A well written, inspirational book.
I liked the bold step Emra Smith took in revealing her part in the relationship outside her marriage and making herself vulnerable in order to help those who had made bad choices and living with guilt and regret.
If not watchful, even a Christian with strong faith could give into temptation and suffer the repercussions, her story reveals.
By telling about how God had filled her void and turned her life around for greater purpose, the author brings comfort and hope to such audience through this book.
I would have preferred if the author had added more anecdotes (small stories) and thereby added more pages to the book and weight to her story..
Definitely, it is a helpful book for personal growth and Christian living.
Emra Smith is an inspirational speaker, author of the book, Teatime Stories books and Life Coach.
Find her at EmraSmith.com
I received a complimentary review copy of this book through Bookcrash, in exchange for an honest review.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Short and Simple Prayers of Oswald Chambers that reflects His devotional life
1. O Lord, enchain me to Thyself with great bonds of adoring love; en-wheel me around with Thy Providence for Thy Purposes; enlarge me until I am more and more capable of being of use to Thee.
2. O Lord, grant that in sweet and gracious likeness to Thyself I
might delight Thy heart this day, perfect my own life, and be an unalloyed
blessing to all around me.
3 O Lord, how excellent it is to commune with Thee in the early morning hours. Enable me by patience to reproduce these exalted moments of calm into the activities of the day.
4. O Lord, this day put Thou Thy touch, great and ennobling and inspiring upon us all. Save completely our minds from panic and our spirits from undue haste.
5.
O Lord, in simple dependence on Thy Holy Spirit indwelling in me and uniting
me with Thy nature, I look to Thee; cause me to be all Thou wouldst have
me be.
6 Lord, breathe on me until my frame is knit to Thy thought. Lift me until I see Thy face and trust Thine Almightiness without fear or insidious unbelief.
7 O Lord, how I need infilling and invigorating by Thy presence. Give me that buoyant quiet confidence in Thee which is the witness of the Spirit.
8. O Lord, I would crave more and more to put on love like a garment, that in my contract with men that is what they will most lastingly recognize.
9 I praise Thee that all I am is Thine. Oh, that I could delight Thee as the lily does, or the tree, or even the sparrows, just living the life Thou has granted.
10 Lord, when I remember all Thy goodness, thy wonders and Thy grace, I alternate between praise and apprehension. O Lord, that all Thou seekest in me should be carried out in experimental life is my prayer.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Discerning the Fake
"Never allow anything to fuss your relationship to Jesus Christ,neither Christian work, nor Christian blessing, nor Christian anything. Jesus Christ first,second and third; and God Himself by the great indwelling power of the Spirit within will meet the strenuous effort on your part and slowly and surely you will form the mind of Christ and become one with Him as He was one with the Father. The practical test is- "Is Jesus Christ being manifested in my bodily life?"- Oswald Chambers
" My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,but with a demonstration of the Spiritual power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."-1 Corintians 2:4
"The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2: 14-15.
Today the pulpits and Christian television programs are bombarding with so many messages in the name of Christ, but mostly honed towards a self-promoting, prosperous and successful living. I don't know how many preachers of today can be counted to give such messages as Paul the apostle or Oswald Chambers. Surely there are now many who preach with power and energy to the extent they jump, shout and sweat. No doubt these preachers get auditoriums filled audience who are sincere in seeking God and hungry to be inspired and ministered .How do these people discern the ones who are preaching under the influence of indwelling Holy Spirit from the ones who are fake?
Recently I watched the 'Kumare' documentary on NetFlix where the man faking as the spiritual guru was able get mass followers so quickly because people are ever seeking for love, acceptance and guidance. When they see someone elevated as a spiritual leader providing what they seek, they fall prey to him. Strangely when Kumare revealed himself to his followerd who he really was- a young man from New Jersey donned in Jeans and T-shirt conning them in religious garb and wisdom for a while, his followers didn't run away. They were thankful that Kumare gave them something to hold onto and make them a better person. All human beings want to be loved and to live a decent life. No one wants to become a bad or wicked person.
Unfortunately, circumstances make them to do what they do and who they become. They don't like what they do nor they want to continue to live the mediocre and miserable life they do. So, they seek out remedy. They become vulnerable to false teachers and spiritual gurus who prey on them. We, Christians are in no way better. We smile, we hug, we pray and we counsel for gospel sake. But, when we are pushed to a corner, our masks tend to fall out. When we are called out to the challenge of being real, we hit the floor. We are found to be fake too if we don't manifest Christ in our daily lives. The world is watching us. Unless our relationship with Christ is like the Vine and the branches, we cannot demonstrate spiritual power to impact lives.
"The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion of personal relationship with God and has nothing to do with possessions. A sense of possessions is sufficient to render us spiritually dense because what we possess often possess us.....When we no longer seek God for His blessings,we have time to seek Him for Himself." Oswald Chambers.***
" My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,but with a demonstration of the Spiritual power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."-1 Corintians 2:4
"The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2: 14-15.
Today the pulpits and Christian television programs are bombarding with so many messages in the name of Christ, but mostly honed towards a self-promoting, prosperous and successful living. I don't know how many preachers of today can be counted to give such messages as Paul the apostle or Oswald Chambers. Surely there are now many who preach with power and energy to the extent they jump, shout and sweat. No doubt these preachers get auditoriums filled audience who are sincere in seeking God and hungry to be inspired and ministered .How do these people discern the ones who are preaching under the influence of indwelling Holy Spirit from the ones who are fake?
Recently I watched the 'Kumare' documentary on NetFlix where the man faking as the spiritual guru was able get mass followers so quickly because people are ever seeking for love, acceptance and guidance. When they see someone elevated as a spiritual leader providing what they seek, they fall prey to him. Strangely when Kumare revealed himself to his followerd who he really was- a young man from New Jersey donned in Jeans and T-shirt conning them in religious garb and wisdom for a while, his followers didn't run away. They were thankful that Kumare gave them something to hold onto and make them a better person. All human beings want to be loved and to live a decent life. No one wants to become a bad or wicked person.
Unfortunately, circumstances make them to do what they do and who they become. They don't like what they do nor they want to continue to live the mediocre and miserable life they do. So, they seek out remedy. They become vulnerable to false teachers and spiritual gurus who prey on them. We, Christians are in no way better. We smile, we hug, we pray and we counsel for gospel sake. But, when we are pushed to a corner, our masks tend to fall out. When we are called out to the challenge of being real, we hit the floor. We are found to be fake too if we don't manifest Christ in our daily lives. The world is watching us. Unless our relationship with Christ is like the Vine and the branches, we cannot demonstrate spiritual power to impact lives.
"The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion of personal relationship with God and has nothing to do with possessions. A sense of possessions is sufficient to render us spiritually dense because what we possess often possess us.....When we no longer seek God for His blessings,we have time to seek Him for Himself." Oswald Chambers.***
Sunday, May 10, 2015
It's Mother's Day!
It's Mother's Day
Yes, it's Mother's Day today and I thanked God this morning for blessing me to have a wonderful mother who displayed unconditional love and patience all through her life and for blessing me to be the mother of two lovely, intelligent and loving daughters who gave me no tears or heartaches by any misconduct or behaviour. That is truly a God given gift and I'm always indebted to my Lord for that.
History has proven that no one could outshine the unconditional love of a mother. It is her love, wisdom and patience that had nourished, molded and brought forth great men and women to make history. Her unshakable faith and tears have unbound children caught in rebellious nature and made them to leave great biographies. She cares for no awards or recognition for the mundane service she does within the four walls for the sake of her family. Most of the time, she works behind the scene, goes un-noticed. The sacrifices she makes cannot be numbered. Sadly, many children take no time to notice and show gratitude unless a day like this called Mother's Day.
Today, moms are expected to be super moms taking care of the family as a care giver, chaueffer, cheer leader, counselor etc as well as showing up at work with utter confidence and authority to work, manage and run another kind of duty. To manage the two well, she is on the run gasping for breath and downing coffee or spring water. Meanwhile, she needs to keep in shape physically and mentally to keep her job at work and keep her family proud and happy.
The passive,patient and submissive mother the world portrayed in the past is no more to be seen around except in some closed community of religious background. When the world woke up to liberate women from their defined role and gave them voice to air their opinion and allowed them to join the work force, it failed to calculate their immense potentials. Given opportunity and confidence, women, they themselves were surprised what they were capable of.
Playing different roles and wearing different hats to suit the climate surely takes a toll on anyone. A woman, however super she tries to be tends to break down somewhere. No sooner a crack seems to be visible, the finger is quick to point in her direction. As human she too makes mistakes, looses her temper, barks at her children, have no time to listen to their woes. But do we hear her cry out to God or see her wet pillows?
As a mother, she still loves her children and wants the best for them. She may have adapted a different style and mode to suit the expectation and climate of the world today. But, inside she's still the mom every child or teenager wants to cuddle with. Her unconditional love lingers to comfort us even after she passes away.
It is because God cannot be everywhere in reality, He must have made Mothers to to display his unconditional love,So, on this day, I salute all Mothers -present and the past for making this world a worthy and beautiful place to live by your love, patience and sacrifice.
" Happy Mother's Day to me and to all the Mother's out there!"
Yes, it's Mother's Day today and I thanked God this morning for blessing me to have a wonderful mother who displayed unconditional love and patience all through her life and for blessing me to be the mother of two lovely, intelligent and loving daughters who gave me no tears or heartaches by any misconduct or behaviour. That is truly a God given gift and I'm always indebted to my Lord for that.
History has proven that no one could outshine the unconditional love of a mother. It is her love, wisdom and patience that had nourished, molded and brought forth great men and women to make history. Her unshakable faith and tears have unbound children caught in rebellious nature and made them to leave great biographies. She cares for no awards or recognition for the mundane service she does within the four walls for the sake of her family. Most of the time, she works behind the scene, goes un-noticed. The sacrifices she makes cannot be numbered. Sadly, many children take no time to notice and show gratitude unless a day like this called Mother's Day.
Today, moms are expected to be super moms taking care of the family as a care giver, chaueffer, cheer leader, counselor etc as well as showing up at work with utter confidence and authority to work, manage and run another kind of duty. To manage the two well, she is on the run gasping for breath and downing coffee or spring water. Meanwhile, she needs to keep in shape physically and mentally to keep her job at work and keep her family proud and happy.
The passive,patient and submissive mother the world portrayed in the past is no more to be seen around except in some closed community of religious background. When the world woke up to liberate women from their defined role and gave them voice to air their opinion and allowed them to join the work force, it failed to calculate their immense potentials. Given opportunity and confidence, women, they themselves were surprised what they were capable of.
Playing different roles and wearing different hats to suit the climate surely takes a toll on anyone. A woman, however super she tries to be tends to break down somewhere. No sooner a crack seems to be visible, the finger is quick to point in her direction. As human she too makes mistakes, looses her temper, barks at her children, have no time to listen to their woes. But do we hear her cry out to God or see her wet pillows?
As a mother, she still loves her children and wants the best for them. She may have adapted a different style and mode to suit the expectation and climate of the world today. But, inside she's still the mom every child or teenager wants to cuddle with. Her unconditional love lingers to comfort us even after she passes away.
It is because God cannot be everywhere in reality, He must have made Mothers to to display his unconditional love,So, on this day, I salute all Mothers -present and the past for making this world a worthy and beautiful place to live by your love, patience and sacrifice.
" Happy Mother's Day to me and to all the Mother's out there!"
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