Hey God.. good Job buddy!

God wants you to appreciate beauty..He just doesn't want you get lusty. Says pastor Chaitanya. When was the last time you complimented some one? especially a girl and she didn't look at you with a doubt in her eyes trying read your intentions? I remember how many time I was in trouble for complimenting some one(girls)'s eyes or hair or clothes and they would look at me like "so you are observing me aah. what else?"
Why it's not the case with Americans or Europeans? "it's sunny day"! they say& before you realize you are already in conversation with them. But why we Indians so closed when it comes to converations& appreciation?

In NIFT, the college I went to, we had a subject called "art appreciation" for a semister in which all we got to do is visit as many art exhibitions as possible &... just appreciate art. start feeling it, pondering on it, comment on it. Be sensitive to it. As you keep doing it, you develop taste for it& start seeing beauty in everything which is around you. you find beauty in unexpected places!
As christians..is this what we need to do start feeling the beauty of God? why we are not expressive? why don't we voice out? why are we conscious of the people around us more than God who is in the midst of us? I think if we start appreciating the beauty around us..we will learn to appreciate the creator of beauty too. Let's be creative in worshipping God. let's develop imagination, appriciation& expression to enjoy the worship at it's best.

the Almighty God who wants to breast feed you.

what do yo think about our God? Male or female? I got this doubt coz just now I read a telugu blog that was talking about women's importance in Hinduism. it says that hinduism is the only religion in which "woman" is given a great importance by being worshipped as "jaganmaata""(mother of the universe) where as in other religions like christianity woman is not given right due.is it true? is christianity some kind of male dominant religion(I'm not talking about RCM church here where mother mary is worshipped) where woman is supposed to cover her hair& shut her mouth & do nothing other than shedding tears in prayers? I heard some pastors bragging "our god is not an impotent God, he is omnipotent!". Jesus was a man. so the moment we think about God, either Yahweh or Jesus, we see a male. is there more to a woman in Bi...ble?you know one of the names of our God in hebrew is "El- shaddai". most english version render "El- shaddai" as God almighty. but "shadaim" in hebrew means breasts. then El- shaddai would mean "God with breasts". (shocked?) God of sufficiency and nourishment. Is there any food in this world which can be compared with mother's milk when it comes to nourishment? God is promising us the complete sufficiency.

a new born baby immediately recognises her mother. I could never be to viri what her mother was. only she can put her to sleep. she would sleep only on her shoulder. only her mother could comfort her from crying. what's the difference? the breast feeding. Viri understood that there is no greater love than her Mother's. God, loves us somuch. that He would comfort you, feed you like a mother. He want's to breast feed you. (wow! I just love this Idea). He is not only a All powrfull, almighty God. He's also a loving mother to you. just hug him tight today.(my opinions are open for debate or correction)

U r called to be a lion chaser!

‎"chasing the lion on a snowy day& finishing it in a pit". sound very heroic isn't it?

( 2 samuel 23:20. king David's mighty Bodygaurds)

or "going against a mightily armed gaint with only a sling in ur hand in a vally"?
( I samuel 17:45)

whe Benaiah was chasing the lion what were the people saying? Or when little David was walking towards the Big Goliath in that vally...

was he cheered or jeered?

they must have shouted "fool, don't do that to urself!"

I believe every fool might not be a Benaiah or David but Benaiah & David definitely were fools who tried to do the Impossible(?)!

The safest palce in a war is the spectator's seat. So u want to play safe, sit tight in us spectator's seat with your seatbelt on, like those Israelites who were watching little David walking towards the gaint Goliath. '

But don't shout "come here& sit beside me", they won't pay attention.coz just like you are not born to be in the battle feild, they are not born to be in the spectator's seat.

The Biblesays:

"having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" 2 timothy 3:5

..భక్తి గలవారివలె ఉండి దాని శక్తిని ఆశ్రయించని వారు... 2 thimothy 3:5

So next time you see a fool chasing a lion, it's ok if u can't cheer him, but atleast don't jeer.

if people like Steve Jobs, uncircumsized (spiritually), can make such a valiant Lion chasers, how much more we, sons of the LIVING GOD?

what does Bible say about these rich fools...

6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[a] we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 timothy 6:6


సంతుష్థి సహితమైన దైవభక్తి గొప్ప లాభ సాధనమై యున్నది. మనమెలోకములోకి ఏమియూ తేలేదు, దీనిలోనుండి ఏమియూ తీసుకుని పోలేము. కాగా అన్నవస్త్రములు గలవారమై యుండి వాటితో త్రుప్తి పొందియుందము. ధనవంతులగుటకు ఆపేక్షించువారు శోధనలోను, ఉరిలోను, అవివేకయుక్తములును హానికరములైన అనేక దురాశల్లోను పడుదురు. అట్తివి మనుష్యులను నష్తములోను నాశనములోను ముంచివేయును.ఎందుకనగా ధనాపేక్ష సమస్తమైన కీడులకు మూలము.కొందరు దానిని ఆశించి విశ్వాసము నుండి తొలిగిపోయి నానా బాధలతో తమను తామే పొడుచుకొనిరి. 1తిమోతి 6:6

How Jo learnt to count his blessings

The other day Jo& I were driving back from our badminton court. on our way a man with a disfigured face crossed us. He looked odd in the midst of normal looking people. I felt bad looking at him, & remembered an old Hindi song that goes like this.

दुनिया में कितना ग़म है ...मेरा ग़म कितना कम है !

I asked Jo..Jo, do you know the meaning of this song ?

he said "no. what does that mean?"

" It means...there's so much of pain in this world... that when I compare my grief with it ...mine is nothing!"

Jo said " very true. I've realised it some time back". & he shared his this experience from his life.

"last year I was going through tough times in my life. I lost my job. & was idle for many months. I attended interviews but couldn't get through. I was disappointed but still had the faith. After few months even call letters for interviews stopped. My bank balance was becoming Nil & I started panicking. I was running out of hope. Everyday I used to pray. & believe His help is on way. but in vain. It was a test of my faith. as being a christian, I can't doubt God's existence. Then the problem is with my faith. it was really tough to come to a realisation that my faith is not good enough to get His attention. I was frustrated& tired of this process.

On one of those days, on a Saturday, I finished my quite time & was getting ready to go to worship practice. I got dressed up & to pick up my bag I bent down& suddenly I sneezed. & that's it! I couldn't move. My back got a terrible sprain..lying down in the corner of my room I was calling for help. My room mate came running but couldn't find me for sometime. finally when he found me lying down, he tried to lift me up but couldn't carry me. some how he managed to put me on my bed. &The next one week - I was lying down on that bed being not able to stand up on my feet.

I just couldn't believe what happened. all did was sneezing& I ended up in the bed arrested. it was painful yet funny. But as I was lying in that bed all alone in that room I've realised one thing. all these days I've been complaining to God that He didn't give me what I wanted. But never realised the value of the gifts He gave me. He gave me Health. there are many people out there who got riches but not health. I've realised I need to be thankful for what He gave me rather than having bitterness against Him for what He didn't .

When my church friends came to know that I'm bed ridden coz of sneezing, my room was full of visitors. Everyday somebody would come to see me. They would try to cheer me, pray for me. On Sunday the entire church was at my place. They prayed, gave me a massage& found a physiotherapist who helped me to get back out of the bed on my feet. wow! looking at them I've realised one more gift God gave me- Friends! I'm not alone!!. this revelation changed the way I looked at my situation. it gave me a new hope& God in His time gave me a job which is better than my previous job in many ways. "

Joseph finished talking. But it left me thinking. if we only have the right perspective of God, we won't get desperate& frustrated! All we need to know is to- "count our blessings...name them one by one! & we will be surprised at what the Lord has done!"

Amen!

do you love me?

do you still love me?

I asked her in the phone. "I can't tell you whether I still love you or not" she answered. it was 12th July 1998. After coming out of the telephone booth I caught a bus to Hyderabad. As the bus was zooming towards Hyderabad, I remembered the letters she wrote saying how much she loved me& the hours I wasted sitting beside my window looking for her. The pain I gave my parents by ignoring my studies& the insults I bore loosing my self respect.

Do you love me?
this question kept coming back in my life. the answers were different. "

some said "I don't know whether it's love or not!"

some said" yes I used to.but..."

some were really embarrassed when I used to be possessive with them in a group of friends. it's like.."c'mon, why do u want it to be public?"

years passed. my quest for love never ended. this thirst for some one who loves me despite my failure. despite my weaknesses. despite my drawbacks. for a love that wouldn't change. That wouldn't lessen with time. A love that is wouldn't fear. A love that wouldn't be ashamed of a public demonstration!

Couldn't find a single one. oh..what a hypocritical world! What a calculative minds!! what a manipulative talks!!!

tired of them. Tired of the way the world loves!

That's when I realised the greatness of my Redeemer's love.
He loved me when I was still a failure. He loved me when I was deserted by everyone. He loved me when my mind was still filled with filthiest thoughts. He loved me when I was still dirty.

But He loved me when I needed love the most.

He loved me& that's not where it ends. He paid a price for my redemption. He lifted me from the dirt& cleansed me with His blood. He took my shame, my guilt, my filth & threw it away never to be remembered.

does it end there?

my Redeemer, my True love - displayed His love for me in the public. He was not ashamed to be spat on, to be stripped, slapped, whipped& to be nailed!

All for me. All to tell me- that He loves me! That He loves me more than heavens, more than Glory, More than He loved Himself!!
He was not ashamed to hang on the cross publicly, openly so the whole universe knows!
that

HE LOVES ME!

Finally... I found Love. This valentines day- I'm not empty hearted. my heart is overflowing with Love. with grattitude. i'm in a awe of my True love's beauty! I'm happy!!

letter from God's training camp

I stayed away from blogging for a long time. It's not that I have nothing to write but actually I was going through lot of fight. fight with myself . with my faith. some times I fell & really didn't have any guts to talk about God who is holy. some times I went through the lane of lack.that made me loose all my confidence to talk about the God who provides.

For me God is real. He sees. He hears. He knows.
He is more real to me than what I see.

But if I don't experience the same in my professional& personal lives...what good is my faith?
Jesus once said " Ask& it shall be given unto you. seek& you'll find. Knock! & it shall be opened for you. ! everyone who ask shall receive!" what a promise! & who said that? none other than my God. to whom? to everyone who believes. i.e to me.

Looking at Him I fight this battle. As someone with "eyes that dream" I'm seldom practical. Sometime I take decisions that would look crazy for anyone with common sense. But I take those decisions with lot of conviction& belief in God of impossible things. But most of the times those decisions I take professionally& personally, put me under tremendous financial& psychological stress. I end up being pushed against the wall. surrounded from all sides. but as someone who has "lot of experience with God" I don't really care. I know my redeemer would rescue me in the right time. But sometimes He chooses not to. & end up being in real trouble.
I ask Him- He doesn't answer.
I pray I don't even know whether He's listening.
you see, I'm not praying to an Idol. to a lifeless thing. I'm praying to the living God. so I press on. on & on. But things don't change. Mountains don't move. & I end being frustrated.

I keep questioning myself. is it my fault that i take my God too seriously?
I keep thinking If only I could behave a little smart& less spiritual...I would've been safe!
But why does God allow in His people's lives... pain? failure??& trouble???

I think I have an answer& I hope it's right.

Following Christ is not a "happy go lucky" thing. the way it's shown on those charismatic miracle working gospel meetings!
God is not magician. Even Jesus when He was moving on the earth, refused to do miracles on demand.
whenever He did a miracle, it was purely because of His love for those people. Because he was moved by their pitiable conditions, their tears.

what is God then?

God is our father.
Father, who doesn't give everything we want but everything that's good for us.
Father, who wants to perfect us. who wants to shape us to be like Him one day.
He want to refine us so that we shine like gold one day.
He doesn't just want us to be prosperous& rich like ambanis so that we can drop few cores in His hundi. But He want us to "grow"" to look for riches beyond this earth.
He got a plan for our lives. a plan that's not "instant yoga" but a process.

Who want to join the camp?
wait...he doesn't even take everyone that comes forward. only those whom He loves.
look what He has done with Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Peter...
the list goes on. Those whom God chose to shape. chose to train. They were out of their homes, out of their land. They travelled like nomads. they were hunted! chased! sometimes hungry, sometimes naked...they hid in caves& lived in deserts along with dangerous people.

What a path!
whoever thought that Christianity would give money, prosperity& all things beautiful, are just fooled.
Here lies a narrow path. A path of fire. But it will lead you to eternal Joy. it will give you riches that would never fade! It'll give you the eternal joy of being in the presence of God!

& in this world, through trials& tribulations, through lack& longing... it gives you hope.
Hope of having God with us.
it gives us Immanuel!

What do i do now? surrounded from all side...

Looking unto You my God...I fight this battle!