All posts by Phebe Stephen

Oh! What peace we often forfeit!

Encouragement, ,

I’m excited to be back to the world of blogging after a break of more than a month! It has been one great month of vacation to India, meeting relatives and friends, encouraging others and being encouraged, lots of commitments and decisions being made, altogether a blessed moment. Well here is something right from my heart.

One of my favorite hymn that I often love to sing is “All to Jesus I surrender”.

But every time I sing or hear the song, I am challenged by the Holy Spirit of how much of me do I really surrender? Continue reading Oh! What peace we often forfeit! →

What do YOU want?

Encouragement, Walk with God, ,

As a child, one of my favorite cartoons was Aladdin and the genie lamp. I’ve often wondered – if I found the lamp and were given 3 wishes, what would I ask for? Like most kids of my age, greed would kick in and I’d have the obvious answer, “I’d ask for a zillion more wishes”.  This may bring a smile to your face, and you may have thought of the same!

 

Asking the right questions and giving the right answers gets you to the right places. More importantly, what I learnt recently is that asking the right thing from the right person makes a better impact and can lead to a life changing experience! Continue reading What do YOU want? →

Thank You Lord!

Encouragement, Walk with God,

Today’s newspaper front page read ‘UN: 100,000 Syrian refugees stranded’. The civil war in Syria has forced people to flee from the nation to neighboring countries. Thousands have been stranded at crossing points, and many innocents have been killed, orphaned, widowed and left homeless. Several humanitarian organizations are reaching out to this cry for help and working towards providing the refugees with food, medicine and shelter. Another headline read ‘42 dead as Morocco bus plunges into ravine’.

 

We often think we are safe and secure in our countries, homes, offices etc., but these headlines are just a reminder that Continue reading Thank You Lord! →

Ouch! That hurts!

Encouragement, ,

 

Having grown up with 2 brothers, I had the privilege of playing cricket and badminton during my childhood with my neighborhood friends. Sometimes the ball or the shuttlecock would get stuck in some thick bushes. We would usually end up with scratches all over, when trying to retrieve the ball because of the thorns in the bush. Tiny thorns would get stuck in our fingers and cause a lot of pain. Even after removing the thorn, the pain would still remain for days.  It’s strange how a small thorn can cause so much pain!

 

At times, Words are like thorns- one word or statement is enough to cause pain or even leave a permanent scar in their hearts. A thorn is known to be a weed which interferes with the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating harvests. No matter how good the soil or the seed is, if we sow the seed among thorns then it’s more likely to Continue reading Ouch! That hurts! →

‘What IF……?’

Encouragement, Spiritual

Nathan was just eight months old when I started my driving classes in Dubai. Someone had to look after him while I was away. My mother in law had to work hard on adjusting her shift timings according to my classes. After 2 months of struggle, I gave my first driving test and I failed it! It was quite disappointing! This meant there would be extra classes, more fees and more adjusting of schedules. I wished and prayed I would clear it the second test, but there was a sense of fear of failing inside me. What if I don’t do well this time? What if I make a mistake? What if….What if?? Ofcourse, I prayed about the test, but the doubt and fear kept haunting me. I finally got my results to know that I passed!

 

Time and again, we come across situations Continue reading ‘What IF……?’ →

Shake it Off!!

Encouragement,



Life is often compared to a river – life goes on and we move with the flow wherever it leads. In this journey, we meet so many people who will impress our hearts, some positively and some negatively. We do not want to think of the bad times we’ve faced but sometimes memories just gush in. We do not want to think of mistakes that we have committed deliberately or in our ignorance, yet few of them keep haunting us. We also cherish the good times we had with our friends and loved ones. Sometimes even good memories bring sorrow to us as they cannot be re-lived again. For instance, our innocent school days, fun-filled college days, challenging work pressure along with supportive friends at our previous workplace. Few incidents are deeply impressed upon our hearts that when we think of them we begin to feel sorrowful. Continue reading Shake it Off!! →

Hold on…. It’s coming!

Encouragement, Relationships, , ,

Some of the biggest lessons of life are learnt from the most unexpected places and people. Nathan (my 1 and half year old son) taught me yet another lesson which I would like to share with you.

Have you ever prayed for something for a long time, but nothing seems to happen or change. Aren’t there prayers you whispered to yourself, thinking ‘God is not hearing this…what’s the point?’.’ Things just don’t seem to work the way you planned…doesn’t God know that I need this and it’s going to make my life easier?’

I have had such trialing times too, but here’s the good news Continue reading Hold on…. It’s coming! →

Do you KNOW HIM?

Walk with God,

One of the most exciting days I remember from my childhood was when daddy bought our first film camera. We were so anxious to hold it and my mom was very careful NOT to give it to us as we were still quite young. We were very cautious while using the camera and made sure everyone stood properly, smiled and focused so that none of the photographic film rolls were wasted. With time and technology advancement came the digital age with the popular DSLR/HD still & 3D cameras, which offered even sharper, crisp pictures and made things simpler. We could preview our pictures instantly, delete, view, edit using photo manipulation software, upload pictures and there was no need to buy film rolls or even visit a photo lab. We prefer the latest technology cameras, because Continue reading Do you KNOW HIM? →

Spiritual Heart Attack!

Spiritual, Walk with God, , , ,

Recently I received an advice from a friend in regards to Nathan (my son) which taught me a great spiritual lesson. I was told not to let Nathan watch certain types of cartoons which promote violence, revenge or too much ‘dishum-dishums’. Ironically, this included one of my favorite cartoon in my childhood- Tom & Jerry. The explanation was quite simple. Kids tend to relate to the cartoon characters as real people and all the chasing, hitting, behavior etc as natural things and tend to ‘pick them up’ or copy them. Very often, it’s too late by the time parents realize the source of such violent outbursts. This is not their mistake as Continue reading Spiritual Heart Attack! →

Impossible is Nothing!

Encouragement, , , , ,

I recall the days when I was pregnant with Nathan as though it were yesterday. As two sides to a coin, there are good and bad memories, and one of them is the mood swings. The crankiness kicked ever so often that it became quite difficult for my partner to predict or deal with, and yet, the kindness and tolerance my husband showed towards me is worth a Nobel prize in my eyes. I would like to share with you one such incident that taught me a valuable lesson, and I’m hopeful it will help some of you too.

I was in one of my moods Continue reading Impossible is Nothing! →