To wait with praise and thanksgiving

Uncertainty is my worst foe. Over the past months I have had to battle increasingly with this foe. At times it overpowers me and I grow all weary and tired--as though sucked out of energy. At other times I go on overdrive on a high octane fuel and am supercreative for a few days.Both the overdrive and the uncertainty have been taking its toll on me.
I sometimes literally feel the very tangible need to get plugged into the mains for charging. This mains is none other than My father in heaven--a few moments of quietness spent in His presence, communicating in language that needs no words to express, helps me refocus and recharge.

But man being the self destructing creature that he is--often fills his life up with rubbish and seldom finds the time to recharge.The result is world weariness and eventually illness. I am no exception.

Four days ago I was in one of my lowest ebb. Separation from my children, uncertainty of when I can meet them again,uncertainty of when and where to travel and uncertainty as to when we may next be able to work. In these situations the negatives overwhelm and drag you down. I was no different. But I should've known better.  I went to church and received my Lord and unburdened myself. I asked My father to speak with me.  He calmly told me that my future was taken care of, then why do I worry. One thing He asked me was to spend my time in thanksgiving and in praise. What I understood out of this exchange was that my eyes were focussed on the wrong things--they were too engrossed in the seeming uncertainties in my life rather than on the face of the Father. When we look to Him for all things our burden becomes lighter and  yoke easier.
Last night he spoke through His word--asking--is not the lilies in the fields clothed and beautiful, are not the birds of the sky cared for? How much more is His care and concern for me.
Above all there is this call we are answering--we are leaving our past and moving onto the land that He has pointed out to us--in faith let the journey continue.

Why is Jesus crowned King

Yesterday whilst at Sehion, Birmingham, my heart opened enough to see. 

The kingship of Jesus was bestowed upon him by His father and Our father, The Almighty God! He was the first man to say the perfect yes and the first man to make the perfect union of wills. Before his crucifixion when Our lord anguished in the garden of Gethsemene at the mount of Olives, his final submission of will took place when he said-- "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 

The prize of the battle fought and won, the prize of the victorious triumph over natural worldly humanness --this prize was bestowed for he won where the earlier Adam succumbed to the world.

 He was to become for generations the true light to follow, the whole truth to emulate and the true path to trod that would lead to victory over the darkness of the world. The man that said the perfect yes and submitted most perfectly his will to that of the Father. So all righteousness and glory shall be upon this King of Kings for ever and ever.

Social consciousness--where does it begin, where does it end?

Where does our social consciousness begin and where does it end? We watch in awe and applaud the good deeds done by others, others who put their lives and limbs on the line for their fellow human beings. When do we stop sitting in the sidelines? When are we going to be ready to at least help those on the frontline?

I’ve been following  the work of Dr. Sunitha Krishnan in her battle for the dignity of the downtrodden and the trafficked. She and her small army of supporters and volunteers risk life and limb each day when they save lives from the clutches of muscle, power and money.

Sunitha is a mental health professional with considerable research experience but is essentially a field practitioner. She has been instrumental in rescuing hundreds of children from severely abusive conditions and restoring childhood to them.This considerable task is not as benign as it sounds. It involves having to deal with traffickers and pimps and other vested interests almost on a day to day basis. It involves bringing criminals to book with the help of the police force at considerable risk to herself and her small band of helpers.  She was invited by Ted India to give a talk in 2009 on her work. Watching that video stirred something within me. Something akin to awe and something beyond respect -- for never have I come across such a courageous lady.  What gives her this strength I wonder? Strength of character and will that puts to shame the best amongst us.

Dr. Sunitha Krishnan is the chief functionary and co-founder of Prajwala, an institution that assists trafficked women and girls in finding  shelter. The organization also helps pay for the education of five thousand children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hyderabad,India. Prajwala’s “second-generation” prevention program operates in 17 transition centres and has served thousands of children of prostituted mothers. The NGO’s strategy is to remove women from brothels by giving their children education and career opportunities.

Let me misquote a saying here – “behind every courageous woman there is a sterling man!”. Yes, Dr. Sunitha Krishnan too has such a man in her life –someone who shares her passion for social righteousness and uses his considerable creative potential to harness the power of the media to raise awareness on a large scale. This man is none other than the much critically acclaimed director Mr. Rajesh Touchriver.

Mr. Touchriver’s latest offering ‘Ente’ in Malayalam (Prathyayam in Telugu) poignantly tells such a story that every mother and father needs to see. Though a full length feature film its message should go far beyond the remit of most movies of late.

Here’s wishing them all success in their endeavours and hoping  that you and I will arise to join hands with them to strengthen their purpose and bring dignity to the duped and downtrodden.

As I rise today

As I rise today Lord,
As I turn my face to thee
Clear the clouds that are a' hanging
Clear the cobwebs that are a' growing.
Clear the windows that are a' clouding
And carry my spirit that's grown a' weary


As I rise today Lord,
As I turn my face to thee
Wash me with thy preciousness
Cleanse me with thy loveliness
Build me with thy steadfastness
And hold me in thy carefulness

                                     
                                          by Jacqueline M

Part 2 - Hell-fire

I was pondering / praying about the second point raised --namely hell-fire! I couldn't exactly find the passage she quoted so I am unable to explain the context.
Since I began my spiritual journey many moons ago hell wasn't something that caught my attention unduly. I know there are many Christians obsessed with it but for me life here on earth had just too much going about it. But this doesn't mean that I am ignorant of its existence - Quite the contrary!
To explain I'll have to go a while back to the garden of Eden--you can also refer to my post 'In the beginning' to see where I am coming from.

If paradise was walking with God and if sin led to the banishment from paradise onto the 'terra' that one had to till and toil on, then hell is the separation from God. First let me talk about this 'living hell' before we go to the hell after death.

The created man was fashioned in form from the earth but has within him the very breath of God, i.e. the essence of God. It is this soul or spirit that is the undying person who exists from the moment of the beings creation until the end of time. During the journey through this life every soul longs/ yearns for a special contentment, a special happiness/joy and fulfilment. A joy and contentment and peace that comes from being connected with his/her maker. But man usually doesn't consciously recognize this need for he is engulfed with the noises within and around him. This longing for spiritual contentment is manifested in a myriad different ways for the unenlightened soul---a longing for material things, a longing for love, the need to be recognized, etc etc. When these needs are thwarted or the wrong medicine is given adverse reactions can occur---anger, violence, hatred, depression and in fact any and everything that makes our individual lives here on earth a living hell. But if we are able to connect spiritually with our maker we have begun our individual journey toward living in heaven on earth. So sweet is the peace and contentment that comes from within our very being when we are in a relationship with the Creator God.!

Now lets take a step further into the hell-fire for after death. Even amongst Christians there are many debates about this--on one hand we have Jesus who went down to hell after his death to release the prisoners of hell who had died before hearing his voice--this is documented in the bible. On the other is the hell-fire of eternal damnation. The death of Christ released all men from the bondage of death--i.e. it is now possible for any soul to pass into eternal life should he or she choose to do so. Hell or eternal damnation is nothing but a natural consequence of sin i.e. it is the just wages of sin. In this time of mercy and grace we see Jesus as our saviour and ANY  man , woman or child can freely avail of his mercy and grace, should he or she choose to do so. When we seek Gods mercy with an honest heart our sins our washed away by His precious blood.
But the bible tells us of a time when Jesus will come again as the just judge. On that day our deeds will convict us. Our own deeds, words, actions, omissions and commissions determines whether we are worthy of eternal heaven or eternal separation from the love of God. If whilst on earth we have sold our souls to the devil then to him we shall belong when we pass from this life to the next--UNLESS-- and this is a big UNLESS -- we realise, recognize and react in time.

The love of God is free--his commandments simple--to love him with all your heart soul and mind--this is simple because this is what every soul craves for. His second commandment of loving your neighbour becomes immensely more doable when residing in his love.!

Part 1-The witch

Something recently came up on a forum when we were discussing God and religion. Some were  so put off by religion because of the hatred and violence that some people practice in the name of religion.

The following are excerpts from my response

 "If you look at what Jesus taught his first commandment was to Love your Lord and God with all your strength, mind and heart and His second commandment was to love your neighbour as yourself. He further taught that one shall not judge and also showed by example by what he did with the prostitute--he rescued her from the self -righteous judgers."...

"We have to learn to differentiate the deeds of people from the religion they claim to follow. Christ has not called on anyone to do the things people are doing in His name. What Christ has said is written clearly in the bible--believer or not one could do well to read what he actually said and asked mankind to do. May be startled by the discrepancy!"

There I was feeling very nice in myself  when a lil voice comes along and points out a few things. I'm not sure whether I can C&P her words out of the forum so I'll just recant the gist--She basically recounted the biblical passages in the NT where Jesus says that he has come to bring the sword and not peace, and she also mentioned that Jesus said that unbelievers would be thrown into hell fire.Her worst offender in the Bible was the verse in the OT that goes something like thou shalt not suffer a witch to live and the atrocities committed in its name.

Okay--I am now continuing after a few days gap. Tried going to the bible for a look --just spotted one or two parts of what my friend asked me.

You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live--Exodus 22:v18

The sorcerer is considered as an evil person -http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sorcerer

sorcerer sorceress

noun magician, witch, wizard, magus, warlock, mage (archaic), enchanter, necromancer In voodoo the sorcerer manipulates the victim's symbolic image.

A person who uses the dark arts to wreck havoc and trouble onto others. It is in this context that such a commandment is given to the descendants of Abraham. Much like a murderer or robber in our society such a person was feared and abhorred because of the havoc she could wreck on others.

 It is one rule amongst many others that if we look closely are rules given for their normal day to day life i.e social laws. I would be the first to acknowledge that this law in the later years of christianity has been twisted to serve the vested interests of many power groups--take for instance the story of Joan of Arc.

When Jesus was questioned about the old testament laws such an eye for an eye he replies saying that these were laws given because of the hardness of their hearts and that what actually a man should be doing is to not seek retribution but offer the proverbial other cheek.

to be continued...

Letter.

Dear Abba Father,
This is just a short note to tell you how I feel. I know that I haven't been talking with you awfully much in the recent past. Its not because I don't love you, rather because I was preoccupied with a bout of self pity.
I know you are doing fine and that you are waiting to hear from me. I am kind of Ok now and just want you to hold my hand. There are so many things which I need you to teach me -  please do so when you get a bit of time. I know you showed me that passage in Micah the other day, but I didnt actually 'get it'. It was about Jesus and him being from the ancient times. But I completely lost what came after that.
Also Lord there is going to be a lot of changes over the next few months in my family as you well know.
Just make sure we lock the door everyday and watch out for each other. Also guide our paths as we trod on foreign shores. I am completely putting my trust in you as we walk toward the unknown - may your will and wealth be released upon our desires and life. May each day be of glory to you and your children.
Lots of love,
your loving daughter.

Dependance

To depend on a fellow being for ones own happiness is the cause of most of the misery in this world.

Joy to the world

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In actual fact Jesus was meant to bring joy to the world. And, on the days that I experience this joy, I feel for the people who may never have. By saying this I don't mean to be patronising, but much rather the opposite.

This joy that comes from deep within is the smell of freedom. The freedom to be you. The you whom you were created to be. The you who is  free of your inner demons, the you who loves yourself, the you who is free from hate and poisonous feelings. The you who is as light as a bird. Free to love, free to live and free to be a light.

Now what did this man Jesus do to bring this joy to the world?
This joy was predestined for man. It existed since the beginning of existence, but was forgotten by man.
Jesus came to remind mankind how to rekindle this joy in themselves and become complete.


We are the masters of our destiny. There is no need to look at life forlornly and think of  the 'what ifs' and 'has beens'. It is up to us to pick ourselves up today and decide that we want better and we can do better. And by better I am not talking of some financial or socio-economic ladder. I am talking of our lives, what really matters to us deep within.
Now you might be wondering where does Jesus fit into this picture because I said we are the masters of our destiny. God and us are not mutually exclusive.
The good news that Jesus brought us was basically this-- know the creator God and love and respect him for He is your Father in the true sense of the word. He created you and we are His sons and daughters. Whichever religion you may follow the above holds good. The creator God IS our father and we are called in THIS life to wake up to this call and claim the heavenly joy which is our right.
It is this very important fact that we  mortals forgot along the way of evolution and civilisation and religionisms.
We have the power, the power of being Gods children. Anything in accordance with His will is possible in our lives when we love HIM.

So this Christmas may we purge ourselves of whatever oppresses us, whatever enslaves us, and rise up and claim our rightful position as children of the most high God. Let us rid ourselves of all the negativity that floats around us in the media and elsewhere which aims to cripple and subjugate us.

Let us arise - to be alive and joyful and free.

Signing off with a toast to freedom, joy and life. 

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The Humanity of Jesus

The humanity and the divinity of Jesus has been discussed over a multitude of times by men of faith from the earliest centuries. I am not even attempting to go down the route that many others more worthy than I have trod.
In this blog my aim is simple. I aim to show you a simple human being called Yeshua who was born about 2000 years ago.

When we see Jesus as God who trod on this earth somehow the magnitude of His life on earth gets diluted.
Just like Adam, Jesus was wholly human. Just like you and me. He, of His own did not possess any special powers - just like you and me. He too had to pray for sustenance - just like you and me. The miracles that He performed were in His own words , the Father working through Him. Jesus also goes on to say that we His followers would be able to do more things than Him because He is going to the Father and that They shall send the Holy Spirit for us.

Dear friends, Yeshua was wholly human when he trod this earth. He, through His life, was showing us how to BE the word; how to love the Father and how to do the will of the Father. It wasn't somehow supernaturally easier for Jesus to live a Holy life and to submit to Gods will. Just like you and me He was born with His own free will. Just like you and me He was tempted by satan. What is important is to learn from Him how he dealt with difficult situations.
What we need to learn from Him and from His words in the gospel is how He found the graces to withstand the temptations of this world, and how He showed us through His life, How to do the will of the Father , AND most importantly how to love the Father.
Because through Adam humanity failed in Gods design of man being the light of the world,  it was neccessary that another man came to show humanity THE WAY to be THE LIGHT. And he had to be wholly human to show us that it was wholly possible to be the light of this world.
When we read the gospel, if we concentrate on the words that Jesus says, His teachings and His conversations, we come to see a great truth. Jesus always refers to His Father in heaven with great awe and respect. He attributes everything to the Father in humility and love.
 He says to Mary Magdalene (JOHN 20:17) - But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'
We are His brothers and siblings, children of the same God whom our Lord Jesus called His God. We are born as children of this God entitled to the relationship which Jesus had with His Father and His God.
 This is our call ---To live our lives as Jesus did. This is no mean call. It is a call to this life.
This life on earth is not an insignificant passing of time to while away in worthy deeds in order to gain admission into heaven at the end of it.(that is the subject of another blog) Unfortunately many in the Christian faith, even many renowned preachers too, believe that that is so.

Just as the Father was in Jesus and Jesus was in the Father while He lived on earth, Jesus calls us to live in Him so that we be one. This oneness comes from total surrender and total love. To love with all our soul, all our heart, all our strength and all our mind.
 WE are called to be ONE with GOD. This is not an utopian idea or concept but a wholly doable and wholly required surrender from mankind. When we love God as Jesus taught us how to, great graces are released into our lives. It becomes much more easier to follow the other commandments. For as children of the most High God we do it out of love. We become incapable of sin for it is farthest from our minds.
Till now the gospel has been preached to us the wrong way round. We have been told to turn away from sin and to believe in Jesus Christ so as to avoid eternal damnation. This is a purely materialistic and 'me first' form of Gospel preaching and Christianity.
First we have to know our God and then to love Him. The love of God should come first, not only in the order of commandments but also in our gospel preaching and Christianity. We are always told that God is love and so he forgives---yes it is true. But more importantly we are called to be love--and to love HIM.
For without this foundation stone -  the love Jesus had for His Father and the love that Jesus wanted each one of us who are called, to have for His and Our Father -- Christain life is like the house built without a foundation.

Interlude

I had previously mentioned here that life and religion can be really simple. Let me add to that and say that it can be plenty joyful as well. The secret is simple, in fact really simple. Just get to know this big father God and love Him. Love Him with all your heart, soul and mind. From that central point flows everything else.
This is such a simple and universal truth that has been hidden by layers of religion, rituals, customs, theology etc. This God is not purely a God of the Christians or God of only the Abrahamic religions of the world. This God is one and the same yesterday, today and forever and He has created each and every person and entity on this earth. He only desires that we, His creation, choose to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind. He desires that we cast our burdens onto Him and allow Him to flow His graces into our lives. He desires that we submit the free will that He has given us to His Divine will.
This God sent His son, to show us as a human how it is possible to call the Almighty, our Father. This son came to show us how to love the Father and how it was possible to submit our will to the will of the Father. Through the redemption He purchased for us, this Man also showed us that the price of our love and will can topple the evils of this world.
This Man, called himself the Son of Man whilst on earth, to liken Himself to us, to show us that we are all sons and daughters of the greatest power of the universe. And the hidden fuel that works miracles is LOVE and the GRACE that flows from Our Father through this love.

In The Beginning...

I'm a human by birth.Though many might describe me as a Christian, being born into a Christian household doesn't in actual fact make you a Christian!
 Christianity is one of those Choice religions I should say. In comparison a Hindu is a follower of Sanatana Dharma,  Hinduism is also a cultural form of living. So one can be born into it and remain in it without having to go through an initiation ceremony or anything such. One is a Hindu by virtue of birth. The Jewish religion and Jews too are similar--one is born a Jew and is culturally a Jew as well. One doesn't choose(mostly) to be a Jew but is one by virtue of birth.
I can only truly be a Christian if I understand who Jesus Christ is and what it is that He came to do. This knowledge is neccessary for me to be His follower (or Christian) in the true sense of the world. To become a follower of Christ is a conscious decision I need to make.
To make this decision I need to make sense of who He is and what His role was on earth. I shall attempt to explain as clearly as I can over the next few blogs, so bear with me.

God or the supreme creator of the universe exists from beyond time. He is existance itself. The bible tells us of the darkness that was the earth. It also tells us of the fallen angels that were thrown into the darkness.
It was into this earth that God created the birds of the sky and the fishes of the sea. It was into this earth that God created man. We call the first man Adam. When God created man he created Him with one unique quality. He gave man free will, a will to choose what to do.
God loved His creation. He loved Adam and mankind too. God desired that man would choose to love God with his own free will. God forbade Adam and his companion, the woman to eat from the tree of  knowledge of Good and Evil. This was because if they ate from this tree God knew that from that moment on they would have to use their free will to decide and differentiate between good and evil every second of the day. Every decision would become difficult as we can well see in our own day to day life--we are confronted with the truth that our conscience presents to us and the evil that is often neccesary to get ahead in life.
But God also knew that if Man of His own free will choose to obey Gods commands, then he would always be able to walk in the presence of God in paradise. God also desired that the love man would have for God would be the light that would dispel the darkness of the earth.
But alas it was not to be.
Satan knew that man loving His God and submitting to the will of the Father would bring about satans destruction. So he used his innate cunning to get man to disobey God. As a result they had to be banished from paradise. 

Why a blog

I have started writing many books over the past several years, but have never gotten beyond the first few pages. I've always loved transcribing my thoughts to words and somewhere along the way I came to realise that time pressures, family resposibilities and my innate nature all combined means I may never ever get beyond a first chapter of my first book. So this is mainly why I started blogging--to transcribe my thoughts and inspirations into words and share them.

WHY THIS BLOG?
Simple answer - I love my Father very much, feel like I am living in heaven when I am with Him, and wish others too may come to realise how simple life and religion can really be.

Being the Light

I feel that I have had a privileged upbringing. The term 'privilege' that I use has nothing to do with anything remotely monetary. It purely alludes to my perception of fortune that i associate with being born into a family who were Christians and who knew enough of God to show me through their lives that he is the answer to every prayer.
Having been born to this privilege, and after years of navigating life with and without this God,I have come to the conclusion that each man is destined and duty bound to be the light that he can be, to those around us who may not be as fortunate to be born into a privileged background such as I have described.