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

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

'The Middle C'

As my daughter has started learning her Piano lessons I too am getting interested (though my past history in music lessons has been disastrous).

I just noticed that they call the middle key of the keyboard as the Middle C (the musical note C) and the Holy spirit tells me it must be right. The 'C' appears to me as  Christ, the Christ who is the Centre of the Universe. No wonder He is at the Centre of the Musical notes too. Isn't it beautiful that the same C stands among the centuries dividing them into AD and BC? St Paul asks us vehemently to keep Christ at the Centre of our lives throughout the epistles.

That makes me think what is at the Centre of the keyboard of my life. Is it the Middle C ? (or is it a 'D' ? D has always warned  me of the Dangerous Distractions the Devil can bring us into our lives Deviating us gradually into Death.) Its not enough for  the Middle C to be anywhere in the Keyboard; it has to be in the Middle. From the centre the C would make melodies( if not tragedies?) for sure.

Phil 1:21 For to me  life means Christ!

The Wind and the Heat Package Part 3

Let me first of all apologize for repeating the some themes but this time let me put the blame on Fr Raniero Cantalamessa's first advent sermon  for provoking this post. http://www.zenit.org/article-24473?l=english

Fr Cantalamessa, the papal preacher in his sermon to the Pope and the Ruman curia makes a passing reference : "St.Paul does not want to be for us only a winter sun that illuminates but does not warm. The obvious intention of his letters is to lead readers not only to the knowledge of but also to love and passion for Christ." 

Isn't it  true? As we grow in the knowledge of Christ, the Church and  become experts in our common spiritual language do we tend to miss this love and passion?  Like the winter sun who fools us by the bright light( but as you step outside you would be freezing) we too are at risk of being fooled by our knowledge of Christ.

This Advent lets welcome Christ with the warmth, the love and passion from our hearts and not just with the light of our intellects.

The Wind and the Heat Package Part 2

Sometime back I had posted an analogy of heat and wind representing  the troubles  and the consolation of the holy spirit in our lives. http://jydiscovery.blogspot.com/2008/09/wind-heat-package.html .But that was summer then and now winter adds some more thoughts to it.

I have been thinking(&experiencing) after the post: Isn't it possible that I may not always receive the cooling and comforting wind in my heated situations of life? If so Why? I have felt many times its not in my hands to open the windows to let the spirit in eventhough i would like to.

As the winter is getting tough now I find that its not possible to open the windows because of the freezing cold wind .Infact the closed windows with the sunlight shining inside and the cool breeze staying outside helps the indoors to be warmer.

Isn't it the reason why many times God withholds the consolation of the Holy spirit from us temporarily? To warm up our indoors? -the indoors of our hearts which have become cold and tepid with the comforts of the world.

So in moments where it seems that the master of the house has closed the windows of the cool breeze  isn't it possible that He has closed it with a purpose? - a reminder for me to warm up -warm up  to my first love. (Rev Ch 1)

Do it anyway

I've always had this "thing" of asking myself "Why am I doing this? " "will somebody even care?"
"Will this succeed ?".

As a result, many of my ideas and initiatives never come into being.

Of recent, one insight I've recurringly had is that I need to do the right thing. No matter what.
Even if no one is looking, even if no one appreciates, even if I need to pay a price for it.

This quote attributed to Mother Theresa hit this nail on my head again. Click on the image above to read the quote.

Just do it !!