Are you needy?

The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
Psalm 69:33

This verse spoke to me strongly a few days ago when I had evaluated myself and found myself wanting at few points. I was about to begin thinking about how needy I was even after so many years of walking with God and this verse literally jumped out of the Scripture to me.
Even if you are a captive, God doesnt despise you, he still loves you and upholds you and causes you to increase. Therefore, at any point of time, we do not have to live under condemnation. Moreover, if you still cling to that condemnation you are denying the love of God and the view he has adopted towards you. Hence, we are to look at ourselves as God looks at us.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness inot his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

Praise God, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God is our stay and our guide!!

Hello everybody!!!

First things first...happy christmas to all you people out there!! hope you have great time of love and fellowship this season.
I was having some problems with logging in into my account but i simply waited it out and now the account is fine and running. I have been quite busy these days but am enjoying a break of two weeks with my family now.
As to something new, I am sure most of you are aware, Hannah P and Gary W have after all gotten engaged. My heartfelt best wishes to them as they step into a new phase of their lives and get geared for what God has in store for them together. I love it when two people who love God get together but it just makes it so much better when both of them are the dearest of friends to you!!!
CONGRATS...HAN N GARY!!!

I am alive....again

This is simply to inform everybody that i have not taken to a hermit life in the Himalayas. Simply lost continuous access to the internet, basically because of my own procrastination.
But i am working on it and will be back in business soon.
Meanwhile, we have a big conference coming up with Tony in India next week. Leaders from all over India are coming to partake of the Word of God. Do pray that we experience an increased anointing of the prophet of God and simply enjoy ourselves!!

And the lights came on...

This post has been long overdue but better late than never.
This is about something cool that happened at this last Wednesday fellowship that we had.
After the worship was over and one of our elders, Justin, stood up to speak, there was a power cut and everything went dark. Being around eight in the evening you wouldn’t expect anything less. But, Justin exhorted us and we decided to sing and worship God and spoke in faith that before we finished the song, the lights would come on.
And as we sang, and reached the second stanza, the lights did come on!! Hallelujah!! We can experience God’s presence in all circumstances!

Just when Abimelech thought he would burn the city with its tower...

So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
Judges 9:52, 53


Verses 46-49 of the same chapter of Judges relates the story of Shechem and how the people sought refuge in the temple of El-berith but they were burnt down by Abimelech. El-berith is usually identified with Baal-berith mentioned in Judges 8:33 and 9:4. Thus the people of Shechem who provided Abimelech with silver from the same temple [9:4] are destroyed by the same man. At first, they took refuge in the wrong person and now they take refuge in the wrong place.
Then, immediately Abimelech goes to Thebez. Here, also, he thinks he is going to do the same thing. But now, the people run to the strong tower in their city. They know what saves and who can save. In the beginning, Abimelech thought he had got them too. When Christ died on the cross, Satan thought it was finished, he thought he had overpowered the Sovereign God, that his dominion has at last become the everlasting Kingdom.
But, just when Abimelech thought he could set fire to the tower and overpower everyone who had taken refuge in him in hope and faith, a woman threw an upper millstone on his head, crushing his skull. Just when Satan thought the King of Heaven would be held captive in the fiery abode, that this was the end, lo and behold!! The Son, the Seed of the Woman [Genesis 3:15] overcame the tricks and treachery of the enemy and in a master stroke crushed the skull of the Ultimate Enemy, Death and rose again on the third day, having ransomed all lives from the clutches of the illegitimate master.
Praise God!! The skull of the enemy is crushed and our King is seated at the right hand of God, the Father awaiting the Day when he returns in glory!!

“…a strong tower…in the city”

Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
Judges 9:51

The account’s climax finds itself in a battle around a strong tower and a city. Psalm 144:2 states
He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my deliverer.
He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.
He subdues the nations under me.

God is the strong tower in whom we take our refuge. And it was only in Christ that mankind could take refuge from the sin that had trapped it into an inevitable impending doom. But praise God!! The cross gained the victory for us…now we take refuge in the strong tower in Zion, the city of our God and no usurper can hold a certificate of guilt against us because He has cancelled that legal certificate, hostile to us, nailing it on the cross [Col 2:!4].
The world now has a strong tower that they can flee to and lock themselves in. It is Jesus Christ who bled His unblemished blood to atone for our sins and today we stand justified when we put our faith in the redemptive work of Christ.
Praise God…the tower still stands and will stand till the fullness of time for all who wish to take refuge in Him.

“…crushing his skull”

Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.
Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire,
a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
Judges 9:50-53

The NASB translates cracked as crushing in verse 53. I came across this passage in one of the meetings I had been to.
This passage is a very dramatic and yet subtle shadow of the work of Christ.
The first aspect that emerges is that Abimelech was an ‘illegitimate ruler’. He was the son of Gideon’s concubine [Judges 8:31] and then later on, he killed all of Gideon’s seventy sons to be elected as king [notice…not anointed].
Satan was the illegitimate ruler who gained dominion through deception. Satan received authority because of Adam and Eve’s willful disobedience rather than God giving him that authority.
But then, there is a strong tower in the city. All the men and women run into it…we’ll take a look at that tomorrow.

I logged on to my blog this morning and felt it really needed some colour...so here's to colour...this photo has been coloured colourful illusions 

The Cross of Christ

Here’s a quote from a tiny booklet I came across while clearing our office written by Tony Ling,

Yet for those who experience the work of the cross in their lives, the crucified Jesus is the wisdom and power of God. It is as if, with arms cruelly stretched along a rough hewn beam, Jesus with one hand grasped the hand of his holy Father and with the other reached out to sinful humanity, and in himself, brought us together.

The Pastor's Wife

I have just finished reading ‘The Pastor’s Wife’ in which, Sabina Wurmbrand [wife of Richard Wurmbrand] narrates her experiences under Communism and life in the Underground Church in Romania.
Here, are some quotes…if taken seriously you will never be the same after reading them…

Time and distance quench a small love, but make a great love stronger.

I remembered a sad reflection of Mihai’s, made years before, ‘Even if Father returns, he will be no more the man we knew, but a ghost, incapable of serving anybody,’ In Africa a newspaper wrote of our visit: ‘We were hit by a hurricane called Richard.’

Richard had been for years a prisoner treated with contempt, accustomed to mockery, and beatings. Now he is given adulation, which might turn another man’s head. But Richard ahs passed through the fiery furnace. He knows that the applause is not his due, that glory belongs only to God. The publicity helps those who have few other spokesmen. Fame, as well as shame, can be borne humbly.

Richard is aware of the danger. And every danger of which you are aware ceases to be a real danger.

Whenever I am away from Richard I feel fear. But if it is dangerous to do God’s work, how much more dangerous it is to leave it undone.

As the pastor’s wife, I have often told youngsters a story of the boy who stood on the shore and waved to a ship at sea. A man beside him said, “Don’t be silly. The steamer will not change its course because you wave.” But the ship turned, came to shore and picked up the boy. From the bridge he shouted, “Sir, I’m not a fool. The captain is my father.”

Maybe some day..

I am really glad that I am in the perfect Will of God serving Him where he wants me to be.
But yesterday as I said goodbye to Chandrakant as he was to leave for UK, there was a wistfulness within me of him going to the exactly same place where so many of my closest friends live and also the place that gave me some of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
It’s strange to be away from friends so dear because though they are far away, they are always near you and yet they are physically far away which puts you in a strange place of confusion of whether to stay or go.
Maybe some days you need to stay and maybe some days you will go..

How do we [rather I] exhibit this being in Christ?

People know me as Anna because Anna has certain distinct characteristics that make her Anna.
She is short. Her hair is curly.
She can’t help laughing out loud at unusual times just because she was thinking about something funny.
She has brown eyes. She has a light wheatish complexion.
Therefore, if you find someone corresponding to these characteristics somewhere, you might want to inquire if she is Anna. Basically, it would be difficult to miss Anna if everyone noticed these characteristics immediately.
Similarly, it would be difficult to ignore or pass by somebody who is in Christ if he was exhibiting the characteristics of Christ. The first thing that we notice in the verse that I quoted in the last post,

For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. Colossians 2:9,
is fullness. FULLNESS is something you can never miss. If a well is full of water, you will immediately know it is full of water, you won’t have to peer into the darkness to ascertain if you can see some light reflected from water below. In the same way, a person exhibiting the FULLNESS that is in Christ will evidently show it.
In everyday life, he or she will be full of joy because sadness doesn’t represent fullness. This doesn’t mean the person is never sad or that he goes around with a foolish grin on his face but that he doesn’t wallow in his sadness rather he picks himself up every time and goes ahead in the Joy of the Lord! He finds his strength in God like David.
His life is full of blessings. All work that he takes at hand is done with the best of his ability and intentions. His family is blessed and happy. He knows how to enjoy himself.
There is nothing in his life which makes you scratch you head and think twice about the joy evident on his face [he is definitely not a sour face].
This is what I thought of for now. Feel free to post how you think FULLNESS would reflect in your life.

In Christ...

What does it mean to be in Christ? Is it one of those numerous intelligent sounding phrases that people use everyday but hardly anyone knows its meaning? I have been pondering on this fact for a while. If I am to live my life in Christ, what implications does it hold for my everyday life. But firstly, what does it mean anyway? If I am in Christ, I should know who Christ is. For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. Colossians 2:9 In Christ lies the fullness of the Godhead, in bodily form. Yikes!!! I hadn’t expected so much, giving complete expression of the divine nature. And we are in that Christ. We have been born anew in the life of Christ, and therefore, in Him, we have been made complete with the authority of our original purpose [Col 2:10]. What had to be achieved has already been achieved in me so all I have to do is be what I am and this being itself will have greater consequences rather than me trying to do stuff to be of support to Christ. His life in me is enough to turn the world up side down and as some of our wise teachers say, right side up. In Christ is therefore, not a doing state, it is a being state. We don’t have to struggle again and again to overcome the sinful principles of this world rather we have to be in Christ and all the struggles will have to flee as the sinful principles of this world will stand defeated and publicly displayed once again as they did on that day at Calvary. But how do we exhibit this being in Christ? Well…that’s for the next post…

PSALM 18…PREACHING…IN CHRIST…

He brought me forth also into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
Psalm 18:19

I have been meditating on Psalm 18 since a long time now. Every verse that has been composed by the psalmist and inspired by the Holy Spirit speaks tons to our everyday life.
Just few days ago, I was to preach at our church. I got a bit uncertain on the previous night. And on the morning of the preaching, I got literally physically ill due to the same nerves. But at that time, again Psalm 18 was a rescue in the midst of this calamity. I read Psalm 18:19 and asked God to bring me in to a broad place. Another version says You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. I kept asking God that he would broaden my path that day and indeed, faithful as he is, he did broaden my path.
In spite of the power cut, people were actually listening in the very warm [I should rather say ‘boiling’] day!
And many of them did say they were blessed by it.
What I had preached on was that, the fact that we are ‘in Christ’ should be an energizer for us to live out our Kingdom life with greater excellence and diligence everyday. My life is real life but if no one can see any life in me, it is useless. Therefore, I was encouraging the congregation that because we are in Christ, we can do amazing feats for the Kingdom, because we are in Christ, we can wake up in the morning without cursing the coming day, because we are in Christ we can be a source of encouragement and zeal for the rest of our colleagues at work.
The fact that the Maker of Heaven and Earth has business on earth, makes me want to run to Him and never lose a chance of being able to dwell in communion with Him. It is important that we know, God isn’t in the business of pursuing us and pleading us to be of support to Him, rather we should be the ones pursuing the Sovereign Lord of this Universe with all our might so that on that last day we enter his eternal glory filled with the joy of His Son.

Hallelujah!!

Yesterday I stood preaching in front of the congregation of the local church that I am committed to.
Amongst the congregation sat the apostle of our church and his wife. And as I was preaching, he sat there and smiled!
For all of you who know Chandrakant, I think you will understand when I say ‘Hallelujah!!’

ps. not that he is some kind of a bore or something for all of you who dont know him but he always has high standards of proving.

The day began as usual…

I woke up at 4:45 am, brushed my teeth, got myself presentable, and woke up everyone in the hostel at 5 am. As soon as one of the girls opened one of the back doors, moonlight deluged that entire corridor. I was quite startled at this and I went out to witness a beautiful full moon in full regalia.
Immediately, I grabbed the keys of the first floor and went upstairs, unlocked the doors and went up the stairs to the terrace where I spent the next half an hour simply singing in the Spirit and praising God for who He was and that He was the worthy one. What an amazing time, the Spirit awarded me!
What a beautiful time as I stood there surrounded by natural beauty all around me, in the midst of a beautiful transition between the deluging moonlight and the calm light of the dawning morn, with my heart full of warmth and love and security that only a Real Redeemer can bring.
What a wonderful opportunity when we can steal such wonderful dates with the Bridegroom whom we await!

I know its been ages since my last post but well….

Yesterday, I had a fun but gruelling day at work, fun because my dad and sister had come up for some time and I had a great lunch with them and gruelling because I had to work really hard apart from taking a lecture at the Bible college here. I am doing mission of the church right now and I was talking about it in relation to the Church being a sent Body. The whole afternoon was spent in front of the laptop typing away legal letters and really cool preaching notes. My head was reeling by the end of my work day but as soon as my boss, our apostle left and I was about to leave I was suddenly filled anew with the joy of the Lord. It was amazing!! I simply put of some worship music and sang away with all my heart!! Honestly, being in the will of God is great. If he commissions us to do anything, he strengthens us to do the same and now as I sit, tired as I am, I couldn’t be happier in any other place. Praise God, home is where the will of God is and rest is where the will of God is!!

Meaty Munchies

A leader presents solutions not problems…

A precious lesson learnt today from my apostle. I sat listening as he talked to a few leaders and it was a good lesson learnt for the future.
I thought it was a good lesson to share with everyone.

While the world slept India awoke...

The title above is a paraphrase of what one of our leaders spoke as India was declared independent this very day almost 60 years ago, 15th August.
My country was under the imperial slavery of Britain for more than a hundred years. It took a self mobilized peoples movement that at last forced the British to go back to their land. They did go, but not without leaving behind a country, literally sucked dry of its expensive resources and strong identity that it had possessed for centuries until they arrived. India has been making efforts to get back to the same ideal for years now and its making progress. There is a lot to learn, lot to improve but…today I pray to God for my country that he may bless India and that His dramatic, over powering Kingdom influence transforms the very fabric of my nation to what he had purposed it to be originally.

I am alive....

Yes, I do realise I havent posted since ages but honestly, I am trying to become regular again.
By the time, I do get a sensible post ready for you, just to let you know what I am doing.
Right now, I am trying to read two books, one more interesting than the other, Why I am not a Hindu by Kancha Ilaiah and Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy. And I got to read one of my favourites, Tortured For Christ by Richard Wurmbrand again.
I will definitely post something in time. By that time you can browse on wiser blogs like Chris Hamer-hodges' and Cameron Fraser's and ofcourse the list continues...who post loads everyday but dont forget to drop in on mine to check....

The defiance of a Godly woman...

Recently, in the midst of piles of books [I am trying to organize our library], I came across one of the earlier publications of ‘Tortured For Christ’ by Richard Wurmbrand.
In the first chapter of the book, Wurmbrand talks of the first congress that the Communists convened of all the Christian bodies in the Romanian Parliament Building, around four thousand priests and pastors, after they came to power.
All the Christians praised the Communists, equating Christianity and Communism and highlighting them as fundamentally being the same. At this juncture, Wurmbrand states, I quote from the book,

My wife and I were present at this congress. My wife sat near me and told me; “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in His face.” I said to my wife, “If I do so, you lose your husband.” She said, “I don’t wish to have a coward as a husband.”

Even now as I read the words of this Godly woman, my being is overwhelmed with the strength of her conviction and strenuous faith.
What a privilege that I am part of the legacy left behind by such a woman!
May it be that I am worthy enough to take this legacy to its next level!

What do you think??

When we contemplate ruins, we contemplate our own future. To statesmen, ruins predict the fall of Empires and to philosophers the futility of mortal man’s aspirations. To a poet, the decay of a monument represents the dissolution of the individual ego in the flow of Time; to a painter or architect, the fragments of a stupendous antiquity call into question the purpose of their art. Why struggle with a brush or chisel to create the beauty of wholeness when far greater works have been destroyed by Time?

- Christophet Woodward, In Ruins, Vintage 2002.

Put on all of God's armour...

As I was preparing for my two-hour lecture on Friday, I was browsing through some electronic database and Ephesians, in that, had the above subtitle.
Suddenly, something clicked within me and I realised that when God asks us to put of the full armour he means the full armour, not just the helmet for the supposedly easy battles and the full armour left only for the ones we consider tough but a child of God is ready for any attack at any point of time therefore, we put on the full armour of God at all times.
And, it is this readiness and expectation [we are receiving related teaching on Acts in from our apostle so I might just add that I have been inspired on this] that causes the heavenlies to open for us and manifest a transition from the natural to the supernatural for us. Praise God that we live a naturally supernatural life of readiness and expectation. Praise God that Pentecost is continuing till date!

Fallen world or fallen attitudes...

I read these statistics today…

In India 15 million children live as bonded child labourers
More than 18 million children live on the streets, homeless and without hope.
Close to 2 million children do not live to see their first birthday.
Over 500,000 are forced into child prostitution.
Over 100 million children in India between 6 and 14 years of age are outside the school system and therefore highly likely to be child labourers.

I didn’t feel like blaming many others, whom I would very justly have, rather what am I doing in my everyday life to be effective as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

I am back!!

Yes, I made it home safe and sound, have almost gotten over the time difference and am almost ready to begin life in India. That means work because in terms of food, I have made a point to have all the food I had missed in these long ten months.
So, you guys will be seeing a gradual coming up of posts from now on...

Sacha signing off.....

...ofcourse only from UK for now.
All bags are packed and on their way to London right now as I type. I will follow two days later with one other bag. My precious laptop's out of sight too. I have to accept it now. I am returning to India.
I have been immensely blessed this year through the people of God in Cardiff. And I go back now to pursue what God has in store for me. I know its not going to be a bed of roses all the time but I also know that my Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. I go in His power and strength, the same one which upholds the universe and so I am confident that I will fulfill His purpose in my generation.
Thank you to all my readers...there will be a short break before I post again but wait for it patiently....keep reading.

We graduate!!

So tomorrow as we replace the tassel of our caps from the left to the right, we will be graduates of the School of the Word, Cardiff. Though it should be said that graduating has not been as simple as replacing a tassel.
Its been a great time of learning from the Scriptures, learning from the Holy Spirit, its been a great time of shaking of all that is not God within us and it has left us more and more like Jesus. I am so glad and privileged that I got to take this ten months out to have this amazing rendezvous with the Lord of the Cosmos.
Do pray that the twenty of us impact the world that we go into, in a manner worthy of our King.

Literally the last lesson...

Forgive me if you get lots of last.. stuff for some time. It is because my year at School of the Word, Cardiff is coming to an end. I will officially graduate on this Saturday.
Today was our last lecture with the very wise and all knowing Dr. Roger Aubrey, our highly esteemed principal. And as is his custom, he drew out of his unfathomable depths of wisdom and gave us a few gems to go out with.
One that struck me the most was

"The life of the eternal Most High God, in you, never grows old."

Praise God, this life just keeps growing and increasing and it knows no limits!!

OXFORD!

I got an opportunity to go to Oxford for a day trip with Andrew Cursham and Cameron [from Canada] on Tuesday.
I was going to write about it myself but then i went on Cam's blog and he has done a great write up himself. So why not just log on to his blog below,
http://mustseed.blogspot.com

enjoy the trip...

Just a photo of Goa!! very beautiful isnt it?  

The Last Lesson

We studied a short story in high school 'The Last Lesson' wherein the French teacher teaches French the last time before he has to leave for the German teacher to come in.
Though God never stops teaching us, in the context of the Bible College essays, I finished my last essay today. It seems so surreal as it seems just yesterday that all of us undertook this voyage of six essays [and it was one!!]. and yet, God has taught me so many things through these essays, and the last one is on 'Authority' and it couldnt have been better!
I looked at Christians as a Godly Authority in this world. And writing and studying it has blown my mind away. What a great God we serve and what privilege that he lifts us up to his greatness and stature. More than ever, I am now convinced and determined to go into the world as a Son of this Almighty God.
I know who my King is.

Have you thought about it?

This post is just directing all you readers to our apostle's blog http://www.chandrakantchavada.blogspot.com wherein he has appealed for people interested in sowing finance for the next batch of Bible college students in India.
There are probably more than fifty or sixty students who go through the Bible college in Nadiad, Gujarat every year from all over India and as u will read they are mostly young people on fire for the Kingdom of God.
I would definitely recommend sowing in this area and whats more, I will keep you posted with all thats happening through the coming months because I will also be right there in the action!

Are you on the top??

"On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" Genesis 22:14b

I thank God that there is no lack on the mountain of the Lord. But what does it mean to be on the mountain of the Lord?

To understand this, it is beneficial to look at the incident from which this phrase occurs, when Abraham, in complete obedience went up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son. He was ready to be obedient and faithful to the end sparing nothing for himself and so the lamb for the sacrifice was provided for him.

Though there are many meanings that one might give to being on the mountain of the Lord, one of the most significant is the fact that it means that we are walking in complete obedience and faithfulness to God sparing nothing in our life out of his authority. This is exactly what it also means to be full of the Holy Spirit, that we are filled with nothing but Him, whether it be a clean and ordered bedroom or a principle that we may hold on to.

And if we are, whatever it is, will be provided on the mountain of the Lord.

As was true with God's Son...

so it will be true with every "corn of wheat" who would be fruitful.

"There is no gain but by a loss;
You cannot save but by a cross.
The corn of wheat, to multiply,
Must fall into the ground and die.
Wherever you ripe fields behold,
Waving to God their sheaves of gold,
Be sure some corn of wheat has died,
Some soul has there been crucified;
Someone has wrestled, wept and prayed,
And fought hell's legions undismayed."

- Fromke DeVern F., Ultimate Intention, 1993, pg. 140

Another link and food for thought

Just another report from India about the great fruit of the Kingdom as a result of the recently graduated Bible college students. Quite a good seed for thought....
http://www.chandrakantchavada.blogspot.com

Meaty Munchies

I was listening to Joyce Meyer today and heres some for you

"You can feel wrong and do right"

"I dont choose to pray, I get to pray"

Great weekend!

The King's Church, Manchester was, this weekend, witness to the gathering of more than three hundred women of God who were full of hunger and desire to grow and move forward in the prophetic and indeed, God was faithful as ever. It was a time of encouragment and stepping out as the main Word that God spoke to us was to 'Arise' in the purpose of God.
And a perfect ending to this perfect weekend was attending the worship service on Sunday. There was such a wonderful feeling of being at home in the Spirit as we all joined together to declare who God is and what he has done for us. Praise the Lord, we are One Body, Manchester or Cardiff, Uk or India!!

I read the Bible because...

If you speak the magic words of the title within any SOTW student's earshot, you are bound to get great attention. Yes, thats the subject we've been tackling for the last few weeks and have to submit our essays on thursday.
I have been a very good girl and am already done with my essay so here's to all of you, any thoughts on why you read the Bible....

Daddy knows everything!!

Hope nobody has missed me too much. After all it was only three days!!I had a great time in Nuneaton, as always... and guess what, I had a 'daddy knows everything' moment on Wednesday.
Michael [Jacqueline's three year old son] and I were playing with a dinosaur puzzle and it had a dinosaur in the water. None of us had any bright ideas about what it was called so Michael christened[is that allowed?] it 'the swimming one'. A few minutes later Jacqueline was talking to Chris on the phone and she casually posed the question regarding the swimming dinosaur. I automatically almost went "Oh come on...!!" but surprisingly enough without a moment's delay daddy did have an answer "Plesiosaurus!!!" [the spelling is correct, my posts are well-researched]. Honestly, I couldnt believe, he recalled such a fact from memory...I should say [about my dad too] they just seem to know everything!!
And if human dads can be so all knowing, well, what about the heavenly one???

Off to Nuneaton!!

Hope everybody has had a great Easter weekend. We've had a great time at the Easter conference. Today was the last day and God was there as he has promised with his healing and saving power. praise His mighty name!!
I am off to the wonderful home away from home, the Hamer-hodges house. So see you all after a few days!!

Isnt that the cutest puppy ever??? i should say though that if I had one of my dog's photos, he is way more handsome. 

He did it!!

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save."
Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress?
"I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. Isaiah 63:1-3

It did stain all his clothing but this very treading was the act that caused us to see God, to have the capability of having an intimate communion with him. Praise God! He died for us, praise God, it didnt end there....

Found it...at last!!!

It had been years now since I had been looking for 'Quo Vadis', the award winning novel, which had moved me greatly since I had seen its movie version. All I had gotten hold of was a translated version but I had longed to read it in English also.
And at last, as I browsed through the books in a charity shop with my friend Alicia, suddenly my eyes fell on this old book, there it was, in flesh and blood, if I may use those terms, 'Quo Vadis' and without losing a single moment, I bought it with some other stuff and went home with a content heart.
So which is your favourite book and have you got it treasured in your possession?

U gotta read this!!

Some great news about the graduates of the Bible College in India, go on to our apostle's blog, http://www.chandrakantchavada.blogspot.com
oh boy!! do i love my homeland or not!!! the harvest is coming in!!

Take it or leave it!

Its crunch time, the Kingdom is advancing, do we want to be a part of this cosmic intervention in our Age? Time of pondering and reasoning is gone. Its time to stand up and take some action...its time to start doing what we talk about...its time to be faithful...

“How Talkative at first lifts up his plumes!
How bravely doth he speak! How he presumes
To drive down all before him! But so soon
As Faithful talks of heart-work, like the moon
That’s past the full, into the wane he goes;
And so will all but he that heart-work know.”

-Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.html

Take it or leave it!

Its crunch time, the Kingdom is advancing, do we want to be a part of this cosmic intervention in our Age? Time of pondering and reasoning is gone. Its time to stand up and take some action...its time to start doing what we talk about...its time to be faithful...

“How Talkative at first lifts up his plumes!
How bravely doth he speak! How he presumes
To drive down all before him! But so soon
As Faithful talks of heart-work, like the moon
That’s past the full, into the wane he goes;
And so will all but he that heart-work know.”

-Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.html

i think like John Bunyan!!

As you know I have been reading 'Pilgrim's Progress' and today as I was reading it, some of these lines transported me back to my childhood when all of us four sisters would have equal portions of our favourite Maggie Noodles[yummm!!] and we would eat them as slowly as we could so we would be the last one eating.

Passion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience because he had his good things first, as Patience will have to laugh at Passion because he had his best things last; for first must give place to last, because last must have his time to come: but last gives place to nothing, for there is not another to succeed. He, therefore, that hath his portion first, must needs have a time to spend it; but he that hath his portion last, must have it lastingly:

- Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.v.ii.html

Yet another journey...

I have just begun 'Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan, and already have come across some beautiful and meaningful lines. So here's a taste for you and I warn you there might be many more on the way. Bunyan is pondering on his adventurous venture and what it may turn out to be:

Dark clouds bring waters, when the bright bring none.
Yea, dark or bright, if they their silver drops
Cause to descend, the earth, by yielding crops,
Gives praise to both, and carpeth not at either,
But treasures up the fruit they yield together;
Yea, so commixes both, that in their fruit
None can distinguish this from that; they suit
Her well when hungry; but if she be full,
She spews out both, and makes their blessing null.

- Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.iv.html

Meaty Munchies

After recieving the news of her husband's death, this is what Barbara Youderian wrote in her diary:

"I wrote a letter to the mission family, trying to explain the peace I have. I want to be free of self-pity. It is a tool of Satan to rot away a life. I am sure that this is the perfect will of God. Many will say, 'Why did Roj get mixed up in this, when his work was with Jivaros?' Because Roj came to do the will of Him that sent him. The Lord has closed our hearts to grief and hysteria, and filled in with His perfect peace."

- Elisabeth Elliot, 'Thru Gates of Splendour', Living Books, Illionois, pg 236

Thru Gates of Splendour

I started reading this book by Elisabeth Elliot yesterday and couldnt get away from it until I had finished it. I met Jim, Nate, Roger, Ed and Pete, who lived not long ago just around half a century ago.
The end of 1955 brought them together to reach the killer tribe of the Aucas in Ecuador. And after weeks of efforts including flying over their territory daily, dropping gifts, shouting out friendly slogans in the native language they had memorized earlier until their throats were soar, they dared to try and make physical contact with them.
Primitive ignorance caused the Aucas to doubt their intentions and in the end[?], all the five men were killed in an ambush.
It moved me to the core to meet these young guys not much older to me who braved and risked it all to see the Kingdom advance, who gave it all not just in words but in their actions, who caused their own lives to be living sacrifices to the glory of God. They were common men, with their own problems, flaws and doubts but what they shared was the zeal to scale mountains for God, mountains and terrains that no one had dared to scale before. Oh that the same zeal would burn in each of our hearts!!
Before they left on January 3, 1956, they sang the following lines
"We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender,
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise
When passing through the gates of pearly splendour
Victors, we rest with Thee through endless days."

- 'Through Gates of Splendour', Elisabeth Elliot, Living Books, Illinois, pg. 179.

Meaty Munchies

I just began 'Through Gates of Splendor' by Elisabeth Elliot. The very first page contains this quote by her husband Jim Elliot:

'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose'

Munch on...

On Moving and Following

I was reading about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 and God spoke to me very strongly about moving in the purposes of God according to His will.
Here are my insights or rather what I heard:
* Elijah didn’t move until God moved him. God had directed him to Kerith ravine earlier and he stayed there until God told him to move. [v. 9]
* God moved Elijah strategically. [ Luke 4:24-25]
* Elijah did not hear from God and then merely sit back waiting for it. He brought the word of God into fruition by his initiative and action. [v. 10-15]

King of the World!!

Our home group leader Shane led us into blessing God today and worshipping him for who he is. God turned my attention to Psalm 47. This amazing psalm talks of God as the King over everything. So, here I present to you the psalm of the King:

1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

Praise God!! He is moving in my city!

I live in Cardiff right now but my home, where I grew up is the City of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat in India. [I have posted an aerial view to give you a taste]
Tony is in India right now and they had a great time of the Spirit in a meeting in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
You can read about it on our apostle's blog. The url is http://www.chandrakantchavada.blogspot.com

You might want to browse through some of his other posts. I bet you will love them.

Changing Time

Well! I hadnt really thought much about the changing of time that occured today so hardly had it in mind. So even though I had heard Kendra reminding everyone of it numerous times, I forgot it by the time I was ready for bed. And as I was trying to drift off to sleep, there was the annoying beeping of my cellphone and alas!! I had left it on the table. So, now this involved me taking off the covers, getting up from my bed and going to fetch it. I did it alright and what do I find but a text from my housemate Hannah [who was at another place for the night] reminding me to change the time.
So, at 11:51 last night which then turned to 12:51, I realized again how much friends are to be valued.
And if you want some good godly insight into the same, Chris Hamer-hodges has done a great post on it and as I havent figured out how to add a link, his blog url is http://www.chrishamer-hodges.blogspot.com/

Introducing Baby Angelina!! She is the fifth of the legacy of girls in our family. My eldest sister Grace is her proud mum. And as Tony always calls us the 'sacha tribe' continues to grow. 

Rest in Him!!

We have Per Arne Gerde from Norway for this week and he is teaching us on the Attributes of God. What he taught today spoke to all of us strongly. It was like a opening of my eyes even after my eyes were open.
One of the things that he taught us was how resting in God did not mean that we get worn out and then we take a break, rather it is enjoying the gifts that we have recieved from God. I had always struggled to understand this but today as Per Arne spoke the light of the Holy Spirit just shone my brain into understanding.
Praise God for His rest!! Praise God for Per Arne who has taken time off from his schedule to invest into our lives!!
Everyday as I sit in our classroom. listening intently to our professor for the day, I feel more and more privileged and in gratitude to God for his multitude of mercy that he has bestowed upon me and indebted to all, not just professors but spiritual fathers and mothers who are investing so much into their lives. My heartfelt prayer to God is that they be proud and more than content of not having spent that time in vain over me but that I take on the baton from their hands and take it much further in the purpose of God.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Habbakuk 2:14

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together!

Cardiff has been beautiful and sunny today and we felt more than just the warmth of the sunshine as God's people from Swansea, Merthyr and Cardiff met together at All Nations Centre for a time of worship.
I felt so privileged and happy that I was stewarding this week because I got to welcome all these people of God! We had a great time of worship and had a feast on the Word with the master chef, Tony Ling in the house. And later everyone shared lunch together.
It was such a great sight to see God's family all at one place proclaiming the oneness and unity of the Body of Christ!

The Incredible Adventure of St. Patrick's Day.

It was around 9 pm. I was cozily curled under my blanket enjoying the romantic spy adventure of ‘Charlotte Grey’, when Cameron, Reuben, and Tim knocked at my door with an adventurous proposal. They had a bottle with them and this bottle was to be the prime instrument of our expedition. We were to take that bottle to the cross roads and spin it. Then, we were to go into the direction it pointed to until we found a pub in honour of St. Patrick.
My brain cells raced into action weighing the pros and cons of this proposal. Should I brave the cold or should I content myself with the wonderful story of Charlotte and Julian? Should I brave the pub where I usually never drink and end up hating the stinking smoke or should I stay in the warm house and have a early night? What should I do and as if the powers that be had already made a decision, against all odds, I consented immediately. The only other person with the same amount of mettle proved to be Amy Cole from 39, Llanishen Street.
So, there we were, five of us, outside Heath Pub at the cross roads and I was given the honour of spinning the bottle. It pointed towards Crwys Road and there we went. And might I say we met up with a pretty good pub which wasn’t crowded at all. We actually got pretty good seats too. And there, we spent most part of the evening chatting about St. Patrick, graduation, the ‘innumerable Steves in Canada’ story by Cameron and much more. Later in the evening, we were also joined by the Mr. Nathan Caughey who was an incredible boost to our crew.
Our adventure ended with a trip to a great kebab shop and a good walk back home, after which I listened to ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ while I had my delicious chicken burger.
So that was the end of our adventure and I went to sleep at 2:30 am with a content heart of having achieved something substantial for posterity and having, after all these days, at last had a midnight snack.

Gone are the days....

I couldnt believe the four days with Tony were over. We actually completed a whole topic on 'Giants'. It was a great class once again.
Tony taught us on the strategy giants employ at all times, whether they are physical giants like Goliath of old, or more contemporary ones like that of immorality and world systems. And the best comeback against them is to take hold of their weapons and kill them with it. If the giant says you are no good, you agree and then, remind him of the redeeming blood of Christ that translated you into the Kingdom of light and the giant will be smitten.
So, its time we grasp what we have been designed to do, we become who we are, GIANT KILLERS!!!

Thats what he is!!

I have been reading 'Through New Eyes' by James Jordan lately and today as I was reading it, I came across this Holy Sonnet no. 14 by John Donne. I wont post the whole sonnet but the last three lines and tell me if it doesnt make your heart reach out to God!

Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish me.

PRAISE THE LORD!!

I confess that though I started this blog with the notion to document my moments of retrospection, there was always the desire to have an audience for it.
I had fiddled with the sitemeter website for long and at last got it installed on my blog. And today it told my site had fourteen hits!! Now, i know for the blogging giants this is nothing but for a turtle like me, it is amazing!!
So thank you very much everyone, who care to click on to my humble link. I hope I keep providing those fourteen people [and more..] some good stuff to read.

The first Adam and the last Adam!

We had a great class with Tony Ling today. It was, as expected, an amazing time in the Word of God. I am going to present just a snippet of what he taught us.
While talking about the giants and the Ark, somehow we went to the first Adam and the Last Adam and he presented these insights to us.
God put the first Adam into a deep sleep, the last Adam was put into a much deeper sleep, Death, though for a little while.
The first Adam's side was pierced, the last Adam's side was pierced, out of which came out blood and water, blood for redemption and water of cleansing.
Out of Adam, God made Eve. Out of the last Adam, came the second Eve, the "Church".

A friend in need is a friend indeed!!

Yeah, I know its quite a worn out phrase but still I want to give this title to my post because its a tribute to all my friends at the School of the Word.
In the grand tradition of landlords, ours didnt respond to us for a week when our heating broke down last Saturday and needless to say, our house has been freezing ever since. And yet, all my dear friends who live in 39,Llanishen Street and 7,Edington Avenue have been so warm in welcoming us anytime and letting us lounge around their houses for as long as we want to. In fact I spent last night at no. 39 because I couldnt take the cold anymore.
Its good to have friends especially ones in the same pursuit of the Kingdom of God. So heres to you guys!!

Keep ploughing for your own good!!

“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

In His judgment against Israel, God declares that,

“I will come over her fair neck with a yoke.” Hosea 10:11

And yet, this yoke might prove a blessing to Israel because, in the very next verse God instructs Israel in His way. If Israel returns to the ways of the righteous, she will reap according to God’s hesed. If she determines to seek the Lord in utter loyalty, he will come and rain righteousness on her.
The key here is sowing continually, breaking up the fallow ground. This breaking up is not a day’s work; it is a work involving time, energy and determination. God has been speaking to me regarding this very strongly for some time. If I want to his righteousness to rain upon this land, upon my land, I need to ‘break my fallow ground’. The interesting thing is that it is not for his benefit but for my training and my growth that I need to do it because as a result of this continual ploughing, I will set aside all my plans and my agendas and depend on Him for everything. And with that, who can stop me from advancing His Kingdom?

“Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth, O seed of Abraham, His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!” Psalms 105:4-6

Hurray! DAY OFF!

Our most beloved principal Dr. Roger Aubrey gave us a day off today. Everyone has their plans ready. Some are going our for a bike ride and some are going to Cafe Mao for brunch.
And boy! its raining today!! But those of you at work, dont be pleased because we are still determined to make the best out of this wonderful day.

ha ha ha! very interesting world cloud!  

What Passion!!

I was just reading our dear professor Trevor Llyod's blog. He had posted a quote that spurred me to think of Isaiah 63:!,

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save."

It is so overwhelming to simply think of our Saviour who tread the winepress and satisfied the wrath of God. More awesome is the fact that they are the same ultimately in the wonderful mysterious Trinity of the Godhead. How mysterious and wondrous it is that though we understand in part what He did for us. it is impossible to take our eyes off this amazing picture of the King coming, a King who is mighty, righteous,victorious!!

IN CHRIST ALONE MY HOPE IS FOUND!! MY ALL IN ALL

Hesed!!

I have been grappling with the meaning of hesed through all these days and you might want to expect some good posts on related topics next week. For now I want to leave you with a meaningful definition of God's hesed to meditate upon.
“It is a covenant word that refers to the faithfulness or loyal love that binds two parties together in covenant. When a person shows hesed to another, he is not motivated merely by legal obligation but by an inner loyalty which arises out of the relationship itself. Such covenant love has the quality of constancy, firmness, steadfastness."
God has bound himself to us with this hesed!! What a privilege to be wedded to the Most High God! What a privilege that we are his Bride!

- quote from Anderson Bernhard W., The Living World of the Old Testament, Longman Group Ltd., London, 1971. pg. 248

What a Day!!!!!

I spelled day with a capital ‘D’ for a reason. It was an amazing amazing day for me. My apostle [and I say ‘my’ with all the pride I have in my heart no selfish or individualistic view] Dr. Chandrakant Chavada had made a quick stop over in Wales ‘to meet me’, and I quote this [you can ask and verify if you want hehe!]. He came to Cardiff on Saturday morning but due to certain reasons I couldn’t meet him until Sunday afternoon [which was again the sheer kindness of Adrian and Sharon Holand].
But today was the best. He taught at our class [School of The Word] in the morning. Then he took my housemates and me out for lunch [TGIF, it was yumm!] followed by a one hour break after which we went out for some shopping that he wanted to do. And then he came back to our house for a while after which he left for a meeting that he had to go to.
Now tell me wasn’t that amazing!! I got to talk to him [and mind you no English, pure Gujarati!!] and I gained so many things as a result including lots of clarity of what the future held for me.
Overriding all this was the fact that I didn’t just meet my apostle today; I met my spiritual father who couldn’t have done more if he had been my natural father. I felt like I was back home just for a day.
Therefore, the natural response, “What a Day!!”

'Of Mice and Men'

I began today with a lazy morning and the lack of energy stayed with me. So, in a brilliant rush of sudden intelligence I decided to do something else, in the least, I wouldnt be wasting my time doing nothing.
Most of the stuff I did might not interest you but what might interest you is that I read 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinback. I wouldnt have come across this book if it was not on our classic read list. Anyway, once again, a great book. At first it left me wondering but then, I realized my error had been that I had not read the introduction, which did a great job at portraying the background of the novel and the author. I admit I was ignorant at both points but soon remedied it and then realized the magnitude of what I had just read. It was like I had just read a second 'Heart of Darkness'[by Joseph Conrad]but much simpler in storyline and structure.
It was quite a contrast to 'The Memoirs...' that I last read. It is Steinback's venture to come up with what he called "neither a novel nor a play but it is a kind of playable novel" and it sure did do him well because it won the Nobel Prize of Literature for him. It is very striking in the contrasting themes that it deals with. On one hand is the dire boredom and unescapable loneliness in the "ranch hand society during the Great Depression" while, on the other, is the unfathomable and yet unswerving friendship between George and Lennie. two of the same class. This has spurred me to read more of this period literature especially because I had conveniently not chosen the American Literature Paper at University. Maybe Joelyn [my American housemate] may enlighten me on it.
As for now, I am quite pleased with this intellectual and emotional relish and am hoping for more spiritual relish as I delve back into the truly bottomless depths of hesed, God unfailing, unending, righteous, true, covenant love, his not being our Master any longer, rather him being our Husband.

- quotes from 1. Of Mice and Men, John Steinback, Penguin Books
2. http://www.exampleessays.com/

The very wise Mr. Trevor Lloyd

It was World Views today at the School of the Word. We delved into the deep waters of Modernism and tried to examine some of the consequences that it has had on the world as it is today. As the title already states it was the very wise Mr. Lloyd again, speaking to us, provoking us, challenging us and I think very ably teaching us to stand as Christians and make our voice known in today's world.
The discussions raced from toilets that flush to almost getting into Election and predestination [dont know how we got there]. All in all it was a wholesome meal which left us fulfilled savouring its flavours. Its post modernism tomorrow and I am already looking forward to it.

Who will teach me to write?

I am reading 'The Writing Life' by Annie Dillard at present. At last after weeks I have got a chance to read it. It is such a treat if you are one of those who know the joys of fleshing out abstract ideas into concrete words which very well may not be so concrete after all.
In response to the question posed above, Dillard gives a very real and yet a very ethereal response,
"The page, the page, that eternal blankness, the blankness of eternity which you cover slowly, affirming time’s scrawl as a right and your daring as necessity; the page, which you cover woodenly, ruining it, but asserting your freedom and power to act, acknowledging that you ruin everything you touch but touching it nevertheless, because acting is better than being here in mere opacity, the page, which you cover slowly with the crabbed thread of your gut; the page in the purity of its possibilities; the page of your death, against which you pit such flawed excellences as you can muster with all your life’s strength; that page will teach you to write."
I think it is a writer's response to the core and what more, it is incredible!

Off to the School again!!

We are back to the School of Worship again this weekend, only this will be the last of the four. Though it was tough at times, it was a great experience in terms of what we learned as a result. It started with the Tabernacle then David's tent right upto the seven songs of Revelation two weeks ago, not to mention the steady flow of Psalms by Dave Palmer.
Apart from the travels [you could hardly call a two-hour journey "travels" but then it would sound boring], I am brooding [in the most positive sense] around the idea of hesed in hosea. Most probably there might be some related posts on it quite soon.

'Memoirs...' - The Review

I got the book ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ by Arthur Golden as a gift on my birthday and it was indeed an ‘unputdownable’ book for me.
It deals with the life of a geisha in the World War years. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is a bit of an adventurous reader and also for the unadventurous one because it will open a whole new world to you. It has a rawness of life to it that might make the reader feel uncomfortable at times but it expresses the truth of grief and of life and of dreams very poignantly. The principal character, Sayuri, is like a piece of art who though very real in what she is always presents herself as an enigma.
Here, are two extracts that touched me the most:

Grief is a most peculiar thing; we’re helpless in the face of it. It’s like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it open a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it.

Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.

All in all, this book opened the whole world of Japanese literature to me and I have to say there couldn’t have been a better beginning. You might want to check out the film but don’t miss the book.

Extracts from 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden

I AM BACK!!

My apologies to all my avid readers for the absence of posts. Actually I had a bout of sickness and then did lots of travelling. First, it was lots of cough, cold and fever and then God healed me and then it was jumping into the car on Saturday last week and navigating our way to Leicester to the wonderful Hesed House, preaching at Melton Mawbray, an amazing community with lots of great things in store for them, then it was two days of Covenant with Bryan and three days of hitting the streets with the evangelists [that was a great time!! especially when we went door to door in Pontypridd] and then it was off to Nuneaton to visit the Living Rock Church [ok, i admit it was more visiting my dear friends Chris and Jacqueline Hamer-Hodges but I did want to visit the Church over there so it all fell into place smoothly]. It was a great worship time. God is clearly on the move among those people and it was great to be a part of that in a tiny way. And through all this, I have also gotten through 'The Memoirs..' so will post a review shortly.
Alright thats there for all of you. Now, need to get back to study, back to hesed, praise God!!

Memoirs.....

I saw the movie a week ago, really loved it and guess what i get as a gift on my birthday [yes, it was my birthday yesterday, 21st] ? The book itself, so well, I am ready to dip into the vast world of Japanese literature, if I may class it so, for the first time.
It has been recommended highly so I am looking forward to it. Ofcourse, it will need an occasional return to the realities of hesed and hosea [thats the essay i am writing as of now] but for now just want to rest and get rid of all the cough that seems to have fallen in love with my throat. Its so hard to be so lovely. No one wants to leave you.

School of Worship

I am off to the School of Worship for the weekend. Looking forward to some more words of wisdom from Matthew Ling and Dave Palmer
We've already gone through the Tabernacle, David's tent, the Psalms, and this time we have got to read Revelation before we go, so I guess some more of that wisdom on the way! Besides its not Stoney Stanton this time but Leicester so in anticipation of the new venue.

Cheers to the Christian Book Shop!!

I went to the Christian Book Shop on Whitchurch Road today and I should say it was an exciting experience especially to look at all those second hand books. In fact, I couldnt resist and got three books and one audio cd only for 8 pounds. Now isnt that great? And really interesting books.
One of them is exclusively on 'The Tabernacle' explaining in detail all its intricacies. Another one that I got for only 10p is the concise biographies of five major evangelical leaders[John Stott, Martyn Lioyd-Jones, Francis Schaeffer, James Packer, Billy Graham] of this time. The third one is dedicated to illuminate how the whole Bible highlights Christ and his person[I am really looking forward to read this one]. The fourth one is dedicated to the classic hymn writers of old and their life stories and the audio cd is a collection of trimphant hymns of Christ and his work.
Therefore, with a content heart of having satisfied my appetite for a few days, I went back home a happy girl. [btw listening to the cd now and really loving it. There is a certain quality that these hymns carry in themselves, maybe the adoring hearts of the composers, that just causes you to bow down and adore the majesty of our King]

Great attitude!

St Augustine at the beginning of his 'Confessions' offers a very simple yet a very profound prayer to God. I believe this attitude is the key to learn more and more and grow up strong in Christ.

“Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand whether first to invoke thee or to praise thee; whether first to know thee or call upon thee. But who can invoke thee, knowing thee not?... Now, "they shall praise the Lord who seek him,"3 for "those who seek shall find him,"4 and, finding him, shall praise him. I will seek thee, O Lord, and call upon thee. I call upon thee, O Lord, in my faith which thou hast given me, which thou hast inspired in me through the humanity of thy Son,.. 5”[1]

[1] St Augustine, “Confessions”, http://www.albatrus.org/english/potpourri/historical/augustine_confessions_book_01.htm.

Its water baptism this time!!

This month, all of us at the School of the Work, oops! Word grappled with the statement 'It is not possible to live the new life of a Christian until the old life has been buried through baptism'.
And at last with one day to go, I am done with it.
It is quite an experience to go through the whole process of conceiving ideas, receiving revelation, studying the Word, studying other words and then at last, after lots of huffing and puffing, seeing the body of work come into existence gradually.
This includes the joys of opening a random book and immediately coming across a superb quote as well as the immense pain of deleting the same quote due to the word limit.
Many a night, when I was beyond the point of sleep, the music of Gladiator almost running through my veins by now, my mind trying to grasp the mysteries of water baptism, the profound nature of this very experience occured to me. Anyone who has ever tried in earnest to understand something will concur with my thoughts. It is not just the fact that you understand what you didnt understand before, or that you know more than you knew before, but it is just the experience that somehow coaxes you into maturity. It is not always a bed of roses. There are some definite highs and some definite lows, lows being more than the highs many times, but even through all that there is a growing that leaves you content, satisfied and more so fulfilled.
So here I am, a better, more mature, more determined person as a result of my Water baptism essay[thanks to richard, our inextricably un'kuki professor]. And as proof of that, I pledge to post more regularly now.

Year of the King

We had an amazing time of fellowship this morning especially because all of us destined to be the 'young' group of 17 to 24s were prayed for and prophesied upon in course of the ministering of the Word.
God had already talked to me of this year being the 'Year of the King' for me but this put things into perspective in terms of my place in the Body of Christ. It was very moving and challenging when we were asked to walked around hand in hand and follow the baton held by the first person indicating our pursuit of the purposes of God. It is an exciting and challenging time to live in and I am glad I am a part of it.