Sunday Blessings -Songs Of Redemption

Yesterday I attended a Christian Rock Music concert called Redemption II. It was organized by a group of University students who call themselves Youth Arise.

The first artist was Benny Prasad from Bangalore.  (Check  his linked  website) He has a world record for visiting 245 countries in a very short time. You can read his powerful testimony on his website.

This 35 year old man suffers from a rare disease. 60 % of his lungs were damaged and he has arthritis - he said his fingers were broken. Doctors told him he would die at the age of 16. Discouraged and disheartened with life he was contemplating suicide when he met God and he was healed and blessed with the gift of music.

His scientist father hated and abused Benny because he was not doing well in his studies and was a failure in life. He could not accept his weak son.

At this point of his testimony Benny said something which touched my heart. He said his father was good in his own way (because all parents want their children to do well in life) but he was not right because he rejected his useless sick son. That struck a chord in my heart.

Parents can be good but not right. Indian parents specially should pay heed to this. Children are put under undue academic and other pressure to succeed in life and fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

Now Benny is the pride of not only his family but also India as he travels all over the world sharing his testimony and playing his custom made guitar for the glory of God. He has performed with the top musicians of the world.

He has played at the Viking Festival in Norway. The FIFA World Cup and the Greece Olympics. What a life! I relate with Benny specially because of his physical challenges.

Another group called Adonai led us in worship both in English and Hindi.

There were close to a thousand people in the audience. Mostly college students.

Everybody was enjoying the soul stirring music.

Above is Manjit Joseph the last performer. Hi s version of Petra 's Our God is an Awesome God really brought us close to heaven and I felt like a 16 year old in the middle of the college crowd. LOL.

Its amazing to how how these talented musicians have dedicated their music for the glory of God.

.

ADONAI

Manjit Joseph

Sunday Blessings - Sound words from J.I. Packer

Dear friends , I am rejoicing in the Lord this morning. Thank you for your prayers. The weather is just fine too.
The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want
He is leading me beside green pastures.

Sunday Blessings - Father and Son

This rickshaw man took his little son along for a ride while transporting me to the market.

I asked the little guy to smile but he wouldn 't - camera conscious he was.

I do hope he goes to school and his future will be brighter than his poor illiterate father

Seeing he was wearing a watch made me glad.A man like him can buy a cheap watch for about 4 or 5 day 's income.

I read the following story in a little booklet I bought recently. It teaches a beautiful lesson

In ancient Salem lived two bothers, one with many children and the other single and alone.

During harvest time they gathered wheat and put it into two piles.

One night the single brother thought,"My brother has a large family and needs more wheat than I do., I will put some of my sheaves on his pile.

One hour later the married brother woke up and thought,"My single brother lives alone and doesn 't have anyone to help him till the land.Something must be done..." and taking some of the sheaves from his store he carried them to his brother 's pile and left them there.

Next morning they were both surprised to see that both the piles were still the same.

It has warmed up since the past 2 days and now the weather is very pleasant temp is in the 70s during the day.

PRAYER REQUEST

My church is launching on a new enterprise to help us generate funds for the upkeep and maintenance of our 200 year old property. We are a small independent flock. The ground work has been done. There are some enemies of the church who can try to foil our attempt and create mischief and trouble for us.

The devil wants us to be frightened and not take any step towards development. But we are moving forward...walking by faith and not by sight. I am reading the story of Jacob and it is encouraging to see how God was with him all the time. How Jacob prospered and was blessed.

I ask for that same favor upon our Church and campus. Pray along with us for guidance, wisdom and protection.

Sunday Blessings - Christmas Moon and Star

This song came to mind as I walked in my garden in the light of the moon and star.

The awesome Barbara Streisand




I wonder as I wander out under the sky

How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die

For poor on'ry people like you and like I;

I wonder as I wander out under the sky

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall

With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all

But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall

And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing

A star in the sky or a bird on the wing

Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing

He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14

The star in the day time

Sheeba wanted me to post some more of her pictures. In the first one you can see Naughty lounging in the distance.

Today after church we decided that we would have a Christmas Gospel Lunch after morning service on Christmas Day (25th).

We will invite our non-Christians friends and share the meaning of Christmas with them and serve a vegetarian lunch. Please remember this event in your prayers.

Sunday Blessings - Carols By Candlelight

With the advent of Christmas

churches in my city hold special

carol services.

Special choirs from different churches

are invited to present Chritmas music .

The program concludes with the congration

processing out of the church with

lighted candles.

Everyone form a large circle in

the church yard

and there is more music, greetings and

hot tea is served with cake and snacks.

On Sunday I attended

the Seminary 's candlelight service.

I brought back some photos.

Joy to the world

A choir singing in Hindi.
The Principal of the Seminary
told us that 36 cultures and
sub-cultures are represented there.


This choir is consists of singers from
the North Eastern state of Nagaland.
The Naga women wear special tribal
head bands made with bird feathers.
a hundred years ago the Nagas were vicious head hunters.
Now they are heart hunters for Christ.



From the southern most state,
a song in the Tamil language.
These young pastors in the making
are singing in Punjabi.

The Sunday school children

are not to be left behind.

Women students expressing

Advent joy in dance.

This little 2 year old is

fascinated with the dance.

She wants a closer look.

Her grandmother (left) is fondly

known as Julie Auntie.

Julie Auntie was a teacher in my

convent school. She is a

cancer survivor.

She belong to a rich

aristocratic family and

was the town' s beauty queen

in her young age

and the only girl to drive

a large American car

( I forgot the mane).

After finishing post graduation and

B.Ed when I started teaching at the Convent,

Julie Auntie became my colleague.

She invited me to join her coffee circle

during lunch time.

There were about 6 or 7 of us

sharing our packed lunches and coffee together.

Aunt Julie appointed me

to make coffee for everyone

as I was the youngest of the group.

I enjoyed my duty.

Our coffee group had lots of fun times together

meeting in different homes and restaurants.

Those were the days (sigh).

This group is singing of

the Christ child in the

Jharkhand rural tradition

with dancing accompanied with

a drum.

The teachers of the College

singing for us.

A Christmas Qawwali.

This music

has its origins in

the Sufi style of singing.

Everybody gathers outside to sing

by candlelight.

The Seminary Chapel illuminated.

Sunday Blessings- The Just Shall live by Faith

Martin Luther posting his 95 thesis on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral

Reformation Day - October 31

On Oct. 31, 1517, a young monk, dissatisifed with some of the practices of the Catholic Church, wrote a letter to his superiors about his problems. With the letter he included 95 propositions for discussion and debate. Although this was not the first time someone had questioned the authority and practice of the Church, Martin Luther's act marks the symbolic beginning of the Reformation, of which most of us are spiritual heirs.
Accordingly, many Protestants--principally Lutherans, but also Presbyterians and other Reformed denominations--celebrate October 31 as Reformation Day. For convenience, local churches often transfer the celebration to the preceding Sunday, hence the name Reformation Sunday.
In earlier days, when there was a great deal more animosity between Catholics and Protestants, the latter group often celebrated Reformation Day as we would celebrate a military victory. There would be triumphal processions, hymns glorifying the church, and often the sermon would be a diatribe against the "Papists." (To be fair, during the period the Catholics--in a different part of Europe--would be dealing the venom right back to the "heretics.")
Today, while the hymns remain (as they should!) many Protestant and Catholic churches use Reformation Sunday as a opportunity to highlight areas of common agreement. On Oct 31, 1999, the Lutheran World Federation (of which the ELCA is a member) and the Roman Catholic Church signed a joint declaration on the doctrine of justification, clarifying positions where Lutherans and Catholics agree and disagree.

Sunday Blessings- The World 's Most Unpopular Preacher

(Click to enlarge the poster)
John Piper is excellent his short message here makes me excited about the life to come.

Beethoven 's Third

I love this story from Max Lucado

What happens when a dog interrupts a concert? To answer that, come with me to a spring night in Lawrence, Kansas.Take your seat in Hoch Auditorium and behold the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra—the oldest continually operating orchestra in the world. The greatest composers and conductors in history have directed this orchestra. It was playing in the days of Beethoven (some of the musicians have been replaced).You watch as stately dressed Europeans take their seats on the stage. You listen as professionals carefully tune their instruments. The percussionist puts her ear to the kettle drum. A violinist plucks the nylon sting. A clarinet player tightens the reed. And you sit a bit straighter as the lights dim and the tuning stops. The music is about to begin.The conductor, dressed in tails, strides onto the stage, springs onto the podium, and gestures for the orchestra to rise. You and two thousand others applaud. The musicians take their seats, the maestro takes his position, and the audience holds its breath.There is a second of silence between lightning and thunder. And there is a second of silence between the raising of the baton and the explosion of the music. But when it falls the heavens open and you are delightfully drenched in the downpour of Beethoven’s Third Symphony.Such was the power of that spring night in Lawrence, Kansas. That hot, spring night in Lawrence, Kansas. I mention the temperature so you’ll understand why the doors were open. It was hot. Hoch Auditorium, a historic building, was not air-conditioned. Combine bright stage lights with formal dress and furious music, and the result is a heated orchestra. Outside doors on each side of the stage were left open in case of a breeze.Enter, stage right, the dog. A brown, generic, Kansas dog. Not a mean dog. Not a mad dog. Just a curious dog. He passes between the double basses and makes his way through the second violins and into the cellos. His tail wags in beat with the music. As the dog passes between the players, they look at him, look at each other, and continue with the next measure.The dog takes a liking to a certain cello. Perhaps it was the lateral passing of the bow. Maybe it was the eye-level view of the strings. Whatever it was, it caught the dog’s attention and he stopped and watched. The cellist wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never played before a canine audience. And music schools don’t teach you what dog slobber might do to the lacquer of a sixteenth-century Guarneri cello. But the dog did nothing but watch for a moment and then move on.Had he passed on through the orchestra, the music might have continued. Had he made his way across the stage into the motioning hands of the stagehand, the audience might have never noticed. But he didn’t leave. He stayed. At home in the splendor. Roaming through the meadow of music.He visited the woodwinds, turned his head at the trumpets, stepped between the flutists, and stopped by the side of the conductor. And Beethoven’s Third Symphony came undone.The musicians laughed. The audience laughed. The dog looked up at the conductor and panted. And the conductor lowered his baton.The most historic orchestra in the world. One of the most moving pieces ever written. A night wrapped in glory, all brought to a stop by a wayward dog.The chuckles ceased as the conductor turned. What fury might erupt? The audience grew quiet as the maestro faced them. What fuse had been lit? The polished, German director looked at the crowd, looked down at the dog, then looked back at the people, raised his hands in a universal gesture and . . . shrugged.Everyone roared.He stepped off the podium and scratched the dog behind the ears. The tail wagged again. The maestro spoke to the dog. He spoke in German, but the dog seemed to understand. The two visited for a few seconds before the maestro took his new friend by the collar and led him off the stage. You’d have thought the dog was Pavarotti the way the people applauded. The conductor returned and the music began and Beethoven seemed none the worse for the whole experience.Can you find you and me in this picture?I can. Just call us Fido. And consider God the Maestro.And envision the moment when we will walk onto his stage. We won’t deserve it. We will not have earned it. We may even surprise the musicians with our presence.The music will be like none we’ve ever heard. We’ll stroll among the angels and listen as they sing. We’ll gaze at heaven’s lights and gasp as they shine. And we’ll walk next to the Maestro, stand by his side, and worship as he leads.These final chapters remind us of that moment. They challenge us to see the unseen and live for that event. They invite us to tune our ears to the song of the skies and long—long for the moment when we’ll be at the Maestro’s side.He, too, will welcome. And he, too, will speak. But he will not lead us away. He will invite us to remain, forever his guests on his stage.

I almost titled this entry Wag the Dog but I thought it would take away from its atmosphere.

Listen to a short clipping of Bethooven 's Third

Sunday Blessings : VBS

Sonia' s son, 8 year old Abner had

been going to Vacation Bible School

for the past one week.

Every morning they had activities

between 7 and 10.30 am.

On Friday evening a picnic was arranged for all

the participants on the Seminary lawns.

The kids took their own snacks and food.

Today in the Sunday service

there was a special VBS presentation.

Here is Abner displaying his workbook and

certificate.

I found these nice photos
of Indian Children
on the web

Here is a gem.

A missionary got this letter

from a kid in her church-

We are learning about who obeys God and who does not. Steven obeyed God and he got killed for it. I hope you obey God?

Happy Pentecost Sunday to everyone