Shopping Malls

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Dear Saints in the making,

Yesterday afternoon  I went to Total Mall on the Old-Airport Road.As it was 26th-Jan a public holiday , the place was flooded with shoppers and lots of children.It reminded me of a sermon I had heard long ago in a church (don't really remember whether in a prayer meeting or during mass),which I am internalizing/sharing below. Anyways next time when u r in a mall,just sit down somewhere and watch the children . You will observer parent-children bonding @ three different levels.First,there are the kids who are running ahead of their parents,until they suddenly realize that they are lost among the great multitude of shoppers. Secondly,children who are walking along holding their parents' hand and finally the little ones who are totally exhausted and are resting in their parents’ arms.They are dead tired and their parents are carrying them.In fact many a times the kid is fast asleep on his/her parents' arms.

Those children in the mall are a picture of how we experience God in a deeper and deeper way.First,we’re ambling about not really thinking or caring about God until we royally mess-up and realize that we’re lost and God our Father finds us. Then its level-2 ,we decide to walk along with Him holding His hands allowing Him to help us.We have realized that we can't do it alone,but we assume and presume that we are  walking on our own strength.Everything is fine till now,then something goes wrong,something  that levels us.A profound feeling of powerlessness . That’s when we realize that we have a strong God.Not just one who redeems or heals ,but a Father who carries us.Now its all about Him !And do you realize this - we can go farther and faster
in His arms than we could ever go on our legs  !! So now you ain't powerless anymore.You see this is the point where you are about to taste God’s grace and strength as only week people can,and your TEST will become a TESTimony about  a God who's grace is sufficient to carry you through .Maybe you are trying to fulfill your destiny on your own and finding yourself short of your goals .Dearly beloved,this is the time to look up and say,” Dad,carry me”. Because you’re never stronger than when your Dad is carrying you.

Have a boast-worthy day in the Lord !

Point2Ponder 

      It's never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot

Prayer Intentions:

• Pray for vocations
• Pray for all the priests n nuns in Bangalore

Written by - Piyush Philip , JYBangalore , Professional Ministry

How about an Haircut?

Yet those who WAIT FOR THE LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. - Isaiah 40:31

Dear Saints in the making,

  OK first things first,I hate going to the barber shop.I know 'hate' is a strong word but there are primarily 4 reasons for this 'hate' -

•    I like long hair.
•    With the big sheet of cloth tied around my neck during the haircut,I feel stifled and have a perennial fear of asphyxiation.
•    While the barber (errrr the hairstylist,that's the preferred name these days)goes about his business,I have to do nothing and wait for him to finish his job.
•    As my barber(hairstylist[sic]) only speaks Kannada&Tamil and I speak none,we can't have a conversation and I have to keep my mouth shut(for a motormouth like me this scenario is like hell on earth)

  But I still diligently go for my hair-cuts and trimmings because -

•    I look like a schmuck with long hair.
•    My desire to stay employed is much stronger than my desire for long hair.
•    Parental disapproval and in severe cases parental lynching for uncontrolled hair growth on head or face is always a risk.(the grunge look doesn't work with Mom )

 Of all the reasons I mentioned for my 'hate' - doing nothing and waiting for the haircut to be over is the scariest.Think about it waiting for anything is difficult,right ? We have a normal tendency to dislike 'waiting', especially in our I_WANT_IT_NOW society. Ours is a society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification. But God our father puts a special emphasis on 'waiting'.Repeatedly the Bible exhorts us to 'wait on the Lord'. Why is it so hard? Because, as humans we are tuned to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own plans. Yet, over and over again the Scripture tells us to  “wait on the Lord.” And God promises special blessings for the virtue of  patient 'waiting'.Now,I don't know what are you waiting for today,maybe its a new job,maybe its a spouse,maybe its your exam results,whatever it is be patient and know that He is Lord.His timing and planning are perfect.

Have a patience-filled day ! (And go get a haircut if required )

Point2Ponder

      Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. - Saint Francis de Sales

Prayer Intentions:

• Pray for our country and its citizens
• Pray for the people looking out for jobs
• Pray for the people looking out for spouses
• Holy Father's Prayer Intention - That Christians may achieve full unity, bearing witness of the universal fatherhood of God to the entire human race.

Written by - Piyush Philip , JYBangalore , Professional Ministry

Superman

"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." - Isaiah 40:31

Dear Saints in the making,

          I was about 5 or 6 when I first saw a Superman cartoon and needless to say I got  hooked from the word go.Those days all I wanted to be was Superman.I mean Batman with his Batmobile and awesome gadgets was cool too,but SUPERMAN......boy he could fly.So,in came the cape,made from my mother’s old red sari,then there was this red under-pant which had to be diligently worn over my PJs. (don't judge me,that's how little boys are supposed to behave  ) Many jumps from the edge of my bed,a few bruised elbows and scratched knees later I realized - alas I can't fly.So I outgrew my fantasy.The cape was thrown off and,thankfully for my Mom,I started wearing underpants the way they were meant to be.And everything was normal again.

     

        Enough of the flashback !

 

        Almost all of us at some point in our lives have wanted to trade our lives with someone else,haven't we ? Maybe if I could talk like him,maybe if I could look like her,maybe if I could walk like him/her......maybe.......maybe.......life would be better.We wrongly assume that if we were someone else we could fly.But God our father says that we have been fearfully and wonderfully made.He says that He has a plan for us which is perfect.Yes my beloved,God has created you as an original so do not ever become a cheap imitation of anybody.None of us is an accident nor are our gifts and apparent deficits mistakes. We exist as we are, the way we are for a purpose, a purpose for us and for others. We all have an irreplaceable role in God’s kingdom and show forth aspect of His glory uniquely.Trust Him,wait upon Him,be at peace with yourself and be thankful because HE DOESN'T MAKE MISTAKES.And soon you will realize that by His grace you can truly fly and achieve all that HE has planned for you.That's my prayer for you today.Carpe diem.Seize the day.Make your lives extraordinary.

Have a SUPER-DUPER day !

Point2Ponder

         Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly -- G.K.Chesterton

Composed By - Piyush Philip 

Cruise Missiles

He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

 

Dear Saints in the making,

The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile.It has been developed jointly by India's Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO-Bangalore) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia.The name BrahMos is a blend formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0.(that's really fast).It has a maximum range of 290 km and has been designed to carry warheads in the range of 200-300kgs.

So why am I discussing cruise missiles here ? Well,I was just wondering in case of a war,if the enemy decides to hit us with a BrahMos (this scenario is highly unlikely,as BrahMos is very much a Desi Indian product) we would be, well...dead.The reason ironically is that we don't have suitable technology to intercept a cruise missile traveling at that speed  So,in case this unlikely scenario actually plays out, we can be absolutely sure about one thing -  we'll be as dead as a dodo.Period.

Though,eventually we are sure to get our hands on such a technology . But sadly there is no human technology that can intercept the missiles of Satan.

You see,the evil1 is continuously busy launching missiles at us.These missiles carry warheads of fear,anger, desperation,doubt,depression and all the negative ungodly emotions you can think of .The only intent of these missiles is seek-and-destroy.All too often,sadly these missiles find their intended targets and the result is spiritual lukewarmness and ultimately spiritual death.

But today,lets teach the evil1 a lesson  Today and the days to follow,whenever you feel these missiles coming at you counter it with the greatest Anti-Ballistic Missile System in the universe - JESUS .Jesus can seek out and destroy any missile that has been targeted against you.Call out His name.Seek Him because He has promised that He'll never leave you nor forsake you.Soak up His love.Be @ Peace.

Have an awesome day !!

Point2Ponder

       I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this I believe--that unless I believe, I should not understand. -- St. Anselm of Canterbury

Written by - Piyush Philip , JYBangalore , Professional Ministry