A Fantasy Letter

Encouragement, ,

Shalom!

I’m James! Many of you may know me as the brother of Jesus and the writer of the book of James in the Bible. I’m also one of the leaders at the Jerusalem Church. As I sit here listening to the cries of the lambs being taken to the temple for sacrifices, I’m reminded of my cousin’s (John the Baptist) words about Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.

People often ask me what it was like growing up with Jesus as my older brother. I suppose it was as ‘normal’ as it gets! We grew up in the city of Nazareth and our childhood was quite Continue reading A Fantasy Letter →

Rahab’s Unswerving Faith and God’s Unconditional Love

Encouragement, Walk with God, , , ,

We all carry labels. Labels that we sometimes give ourselves or given to us by family, friends, or our profession. But what does God have to say about all the things we are and we do? While some of us have learned the art of getting out of our messy places and shake off our labels, some continue in them.

In today’s society, people with low-level jobs, education, or a minimal range of skills are often overlooked. On the contrary, God looks beyond all this and sees our hearts and the potential of what one can become in the light of His Word. Continue reading Rahab’s Unswerving Faith and God’s Unconditional Love →

The Sagacity of Love

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Here is a great post by our guest blogger – Br. John Ashley

“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” -Winnie-the-Pooh

The Cambridge Dictionary defines Relationship as ‘the way in which two things are connected.’ Simple; right? Yet, there seems to be nothing more complicated than this aspect of life. It only takes a quick trip to your nearest library or bookstore to view the mammoth number of books written on this single topic.

You may have heard statements like: “In this era where relationships are formed on the basis of ‘what can I get out of it syndrome’, potential usefulness becomes the mandate for associations.” Well, with such generalized assertions, we can conveniently put the whole blame of social deterioration on new-age kids and dwell in the talks of ‘those good old days’. However, the truth is, no human generation is different! In the name of practicality, we have been using and exploiting each other until the milk runs out and cow starts to bleed.

However, Continue reading The Sagacity of Love →

The Glory of Humility

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I was about 8 years old when I first read Aladdin and the magic lamp. Since then, at different stages of my life I have attempted to answer this magical question –

If you would be granted one wish, what would that wish be?

I’m sure many of you have attempted to do this too and have come out with some really innovative ideas, including asking for a ‘million wishes’. With our ever-changing desires, you probably would ask for wealth, fame, travel, or even be the best athlete /singer/dancer, etc.

One man was asked the same question by God, and he found himself receiving more than what he asked for – Solomon, better known as King Solomon. He is known as the wisest man who ever lived on earth. Kings and queens from far-off nations would visit him to hear his words of wisdom. Yet, the more significant message is the reason behind this great wisdom of Solomon. Continue reading The Glory of Humility →

The Blessing of Mourning

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The Beatitudes – one of the most familiar portions in the Bible, eight precious teachings of Jesus that most Bible readers or church-goer can’t miss – they are mentioned in the book of Matthew Chapter 5. I remember memorizing these verses as a child without understanding the true treasure and beauty they carried. I always found the teachings quite controversial, as I saw it from the lens of what I had learned from people and things around me. Until recently, when I got the opportunity to study the Beatitudes.

The reason why so many of us do not understand these teachings is that Jesus is talking about an ‘up-side-down’ kingdom – a place that does not work on the principles of ‘happiness’ the world around us teaches. He teaches that we can remain blessed and happy always.

I want to share what I learned from one of my favorite Beatitudes – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Continue reading The Blessing of Mourning →

The Invincible Struggle

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If I were to ask you to describe someone for me, say people at work, college, church or within the family, I’m sure at first instance, we come up with a list of people whom we remember for all the nice things they have done to us or for the kind of person they are. Subconsciously, there also lies another hidden category of people that we definitely do not want to remember or associate with. By remembering them we invoke memories that caused pain – Judgment. Hate. Negativity. Arrogance.

The list could go on. We all live in a world where such things are bound to exist. Most of us at one point or the other are -Hurt. Betrayed. Manipulated. Misunderstood. Backstabbed. Continue reading The Invincible Struggle →

Understanding Temptations

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“Children, what do you know about temptations?”

No sooner had I asked this question in the Sunday School class than I saw shy looks and naughty grins. Some even put their heads down as if to completely avoid the question. The reason is obvious. There is a general conception that temptation is a sin. But is temptation a sin? Continue reading Understanding Temptations →

30 Scriptural Prayers for Your Children

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Don’t we all make it a point to pray for our children? As a mother, I do! I pray for my children every day without fail. While this seems like the ‘normal’ thing to do, the quality of our prayers often surrounds our concern for our children’s safety, studies, spiritual growth, health, exams, future, etc. And sometimes very generic such as ‘Lord, bless my children’.

While all this is good, it is equally important for us to pray the Word of God over our child’s life. Because Continue reading 30 Scriptural Prayers for Your Children →

I Am Cute Because My Daddy Says So

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Certain conversations leave a deep impact on our minds. Often, children are our biggest tutors of life. They teach us so much about life, faith and values through their innocent acts or talks. This is one such simple conversation with my 2-year-old, which made me pause and reflect on the words he spoke to me.

My husband had just given him a shower and I was getting him dressed. As I was buttoning up his shirt, he said: “Mummy, David is cute”. (Don’t you love it when kids refer to themselves in the third person!)

“Are you sure?” I asked. Continue reading I Am Cute Because My Daddy Says So →

How This Popular Sunday School Song Inspired Me!

Encouragement, ,

“My God is so big
So strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do”

You all remember this song? Yeah…?

Recently at Sunday school, Children sang this over and over again… I watched them sing with actions, from the youngest to the oldest, as loud as they could, as energetic as they could. The teens, as usual, were teasing each other and having fun as probably they felt they were made to sing nursery songs.

As I stood there watching them enjoy this good ol’ song, a few thoughts crossed my mind. Continue reading How This Popular Sunday School Song Inspired Me! →