Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is a 'festival of lights' celebrated especially by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. This festival is spread over three to four days and is one of the most anticipated times of celebration. Homes are lit with hundreds of deeya (clay oil lamps) during the season, to signify victory of good over evil. The day of Diwali is the highlight of this celebratory mood. Families get together to start the day with oil baths, then exchange gifts and sweets, followed by the most exciting event of the year - family fire works. Fireworks begin before the crack of dawn and go well into the day. No amount of description is sufficient to capture all the excitement and celebrations associated with the Diwali festival. You have to be there to experience it.
Who would have thought, when in 1973, student Samuel Chand was serving Beulah Heights Bible College (BHBC) as janitor, cook and dishwasher, that he would return in 1989 as President of the same college! Under his leadership BHBC became the country's largest predominantly African-American Bible college. Dr. Chand is a former Pastor, college President, Chancellor and now serves as President Emeritus of Beulah Heights University. In this season of his life, Dr. Chand does one thing - Leadership. His singular vision for his life is to Help Others Succeed.
No leader is immune to the shifting circumstances and events that can challenge or stymie their professional or organizational progress. Advance warning of these oncoming storms, together with adequate preparation, can mean the difference between disaster and success. . . . . . But the first step in getting there was disengaging. You cannot remain
static if you want to be moving. You have to become part of something
that is moving and associate with people who are moving. If your
church, company or organization is going somewhere, you'll find that
people will want to be connected with you so that they can go somewhere
too.
Blessed Be Your Name, In The Land That Is Plentiful, Where Your Streams Of Abundance Flow, Blessed Be Your Name, Blessed Be Your Name, When I'm Found In The Desert Place, Though I Walk Through The Wilderness, Blessed Be Your Name, Every Blessing You Pour Out I'll Turn Back To Praise, When The Darkness Closes In Lord, Still I Will Say, Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord, Blessed Be Your Name, Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord, Blessed Be Your Glorious Name
With the Internet, pornography is only a click-away and more kids are falling prey to sexual addiction than ever before. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to shield their children from pornography. The problems of teenage pornography and sexual addictions are real, devastating, and increasing. According to some studies, nine in ten teens have been exposed to pornography. Some of those casual exposures result in deviant sexual behaviors or sexual violence for some, while others are susceptible to sexual addiction or perverted behaviors in the future.
Life is not a playground, it’s a battlefield! Many Christians are victims of life’s trials and temptations instead of being victorious over them. From the well-know story of Caleb (Jos.14: 6-15) there are at least three characteristics in him that can challenge believers today to be more than conquerors through Christ. God continues to search for Christians who like Caleb don’t settle for molehills but claim their mountains for God. May God enable us to find a cause, make a claim and be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus who loving calls us to fulfill His purposes (Rom.8:31-39).
We just cannot live the victorious life or be of maximum use to the Lord, or be a blessing to others in any place we choose. Some may feel that they can choose their own career and their place of residence and then seek to be a witness for the Lord wherever they are. The Lord may in His mercy use such believers in a limited way. But their usefulness in God's vineyard will be only a fraction of what it could have been had they earnestly sought His plan and remained in the center of His perfect will. Stunted spiritual growth and limited fruitfulness are but the consequences of a careless disregard of God's laws.
The Saintly Leadership of Mother Teresa taught me some valuable lessons. She was consistent in her quest to save the very poor, calling them "distress in disguise." In an audio series called "Thirsting for God," she tells of the many times when she faced the impossible just to be rewarded because of her consistency. She was loyal to her cause. In her acceptance speech when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize she simply said "I accept this in the name of the poor." These were the people she was called to lead and amidst the degradation and decadence of human decay she found the self-reliance to be loyal to her cause.
Seven Mile Road is three weeks into weekly corporate worship. So far, we’ve been a bit spoiled. Everything we’ve touched has turned to gold. We need a website – we get a killer one for free. We need a space – we get to use a building sitting on six acres of land. We throw a barbeque – 115 people show up. We launch our first service – we put out seventy chairs but need more to accommodate everyone. . . . So then, it was a shock to my system when we showed up for service in week two and there were only 33 people there. Now I know in my head that numbers don’t matter. Folks on the team thought to themselves, “where is everyone?” Regular visitors came into the room and looked at their watch to make sure that they weren’t there early because they didn’t see people. People noticed.
I Come Before You Today, And There's Just One Thing That I Want To Say, Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, For All You've Given To Me, For All The Blessings That I Cannot See, Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord . . . . With A Grateful Heart, With A Song Of Praise, With An Outstretch Arm, I Will Bless Your Name, Thank You Lord, I Just Wanna Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, I Just Wanna Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord.
Praise is Rising, Eyes are Turning to You, We Turn to You, Hope is Stirring, Hearts are Yearning for You, We Long for You, 'Cause When We See You, We Find Strength to Face the Day, In Your Presence All Our Fears are Washed Away, Washed Away - CHORUS - Hosanna, Hosanna, You Are the God Who Saves Us, Worthy of All Our Praises, Hosanna, Hosanna, Come Have Your Way Among Us - We Welcome You Here, Lord Jesus
At the altar Mark Buntain, a missionary to Calcutta from North America laid his hands on me and said a prophetic prayer as to
how God would use me one day to impact millions. Now I see the
fulfillment of this prayer. I was married on January 27, 2000 in
Calcutta to my beautiful wife Mary, and I moved to the United States on
February 22, 2001. I left home with $50 and two suitcases stuffed with
my clothes and books for a new life overseas. In about four weeks on
arriving on the east coast I ended up for an interview at Network Plus
on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center. I was escorted to the
conference hall. Through the glass windows of the room I saw the most
glorious sight of all - the Statue of Liberty.
I worked on the 81st floor of the North Tower or Tower 1 of the World
Trade Center and my wife Mary worked on the 71st floor of the South
Tower or Tower 2. It was just an incredible experience working in this
incredible building especially for an immigrant who had just arrived in
America in February of that year. We enjoyed so much working together
in the same complex. . . . . "September 11, 2001, started out as such a nice day- no, a beautiful day. Then it all turned. 9:05 am. Terror struck America and changed us forever. None of us will ever forget where we were, who we were with and what we were doing that fateful day when tragedy struck America on what looked like a beautiful day in New York city . . . As we deal with the loss of thousands of innocent lives we were also reminded that history books will also tell the tale of many Americans that faced terror with courage.
Sadly, where is most of the money going today? Are poor and needy in the priority list of the modern day churches? Sometime back, I did a survey of some churches in my city to rate their overall activity in charity. Do you know what the result was? Not more than 8% of the churches are active in doing service to the poor and the needy. It seems most of the money is going towards buildings, administration and programs, but the poor and needy are greatly neglected by the churches when they should be on their priority list. We need to ask, “Is this pleasing to God for whom the church exists? There is a great necessity to do the former which is our highest priority.
Over the last few weeks, popular media has been covering the
story of the conversion of Sri Lankan second generation Muslim girl, Fathima Rifqa Bary.
Youtube and Facebook has been at the heart of this controversy. Fathima Rifqa Bary
even has an URL after her name – www.rifqabary.com
Listen to Fathima Rifqa Bary testimony on Youtube.
Fathima Rifqa Bary of Columbus, Ohio was raised in a Muslim home, studied the Quran, and practiced the ways of Mohamed. Several years ago, she converted from Islam to Christianity when she found that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Fathima Rifqa Bary continued living in Columbus with her family, sneaking out at night after her parents had gone to sleep to attend prayer meetings and to read her Bible. After her father threatened to kill her for apostasy, a crime under Islamic Sharia law, Rifqa hitchhiked to the bus station and fled to Florida.
The South Asian Global Convention 2009 (SAGC 2009) took place from July 22-26, 2009 in Singapore. SAGC 2009 is the Third Trans-Denominational and International Christian Gathering for South Asian Youth and Young Adults for Mission Mobilization. “This day is sacred to our Lord.” Nehemiah 8:10c. The theme chosen for SAGC 2009 was “Beyond Boundaries” based on Isaiah 54:2. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5 Glory to God in the Highest for SAGC 2009.
Connext 2009 is the Convergence of Emerging South Asian Christian Leaders. Its purpose is to gather young Christian leaders of the South Asian community to connect, encourage, equip and serve together for Kingdom Impact. The theme for Connext 2009 is "Unleashing Your Leadership Potential." Connext 2009 is a three-day gathering of young South Asian Christians to transform participants personally, professionally and spiritually in their leadership calling, abilities, and development and to identify, invest, resource and further support key emerging leaders in the community on an ongoing basis. Click here to the Connext 2009 website.
Did you ever think about how the early churches had spent their finance? I wonder how many believers and leaders truly thought about this matter. And if they thought about this issue and know the answer then I wonder how many are serious enough to follow the example of the early church. Incidentally, it is obvious in the early churches of the New Testament that they didn’t practice the concept of tithing, for they were not under the finite system of law but in the infinite freedom of grace. The renowned bible teacher, Ray C. Stedman wrote, “Nowhere in the New Testament do you find tithing taught or laid upon Christians.” Does this mean they didn’t practice giving at all? Certainly not! The fact is that the early church gave more than a tithe. They practiced generous giving, for they were taught to live by grace.
We come to know through the Holy Scriptures that one of the primary qualifications of a leader is to be hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8). However, can we imagine hospitality without being generous? Reflecting on the life and ministry of Paul—an apostle of Christ and a laborer in Christ’s service—we notice that many times he worked with his own hands and was generous with his earnings. He himself acknowledged: You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts 20:34-35)
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is a 'festival of lights' celebrated especially by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. This festival is spread over three to four days and is one of the most anticipated times of celebration. Homes are lit with hundreds of deeya (clay oil lamps) during the season, to signify victory of good over evil. The day of Diwali is the highlight of this celebratory mood. Families get together to start the day with oil baths, then exchange gifts and sweets, followed by the most exciting event of the year - family fire works. Fireworks begin before the crack of dawn and go well into the day. No amount of description is sufficient to capture all the excitement and celebrations associated with the Diwali festival. You have to be there to experience it.
Who would have thought, when in 1973, student Samuel Chand was serving Beulah Heights Bible College (BHBC) as janitor, cook and dishwasher, that he would return in 1989 as President of the same college! Under his leadership BHBC became the country's largest predominantly African-American Bible college. Dr. Chand is a former Pastor, college President, Chancellor and now serves as President Emeritus of Beulah Heights University. In this season of his life, Dr. Chand does one thing - Leadership. His singular vision for his life is to Help Others Succeed.
No leader is immune to the shifting circumstances and events that can challenge or stymie their professional or organizational progress. Advance warning of these oncoming storms, together with adequate preparation, can mean the difference between disaster and success. . . . . . But the first step in getting there was disengaging. You cannot remain
static if you want to be moving. You have to become part of something
that is moving and associate with people who are moving. If your
church, company or organization is going somewhere, you'll find that
people will want to be connected with you so that they can go somewhere
too. 
Blessed Be Your Name, In The Land That Is Plentiful, Where Your Streams Of Abundance Flow, Blessed Be Your Name, Blessed Be Your Name, When I'm Found In The Desert Place, Though I Walk Through The Wilderness, Blessed Be Your Name, Every Blessing You Pour Out I'll Turn Back To Praise, When The Darkness Closes In Lord, Still I Will Say, Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord, Blessed Be Your Name, Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord, Blessed Be Your Glorious Name
With the Internet, pornography is only a click-away and more kids are falling prey to sexual addiction than ever before. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to shield their children from pornography. The problems of teenage pornography and sexual addictions are real, devastating, and increasing. According to some studies, nine in ten teens have been exposed to pornography. Some of those casual exposures result in deviant sexual behaviors or sexual violence for some, while others are susceptible to sexual addiction or perverted behaviors in the future.
Life is not a playground, it’s a battlefield! Many Christians are victims of life’s trials and temptations instead of being victorious over them. From the well-know story of Caleb (Jos.14: 6-15) there are at least three characteristics in him that can challenge believers today to be more than conquerors through Christ. God continues to search for Christians who like Caleb don’t settle for molehills but claim their mountains for God. May God enable us to find a cause, make a claim and be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus who loving calls us to fulfill His purposes (Rom.8:31-39). 
We just cannot live the victorious life or be of maximum use to the Lord, or be a blessing to others in any place we choose. Some may feel that they can choose their own career and their place of residence and then seek to be a witness for the Lord wherever they are. The Lord may in His mercy use such believers in a limited way. But their usefulness in God's vineyard will be only a fraction of what it could have been had they earnestly sought His plan and remained in the center of His perfect will. Stunted spiritual growth and limited fruitfulness are but the consequences of a careless disregard of God's laws. 
The Saintly Leadership of Mother Teresa taught me some valuable lessons. She was consistent in her quest to save the very poor, calling them "distress in disguise." In an audio series called "Thirsting for God," she tells of the many times when she faced the impossible just to be rewarded because of her consistency. She was loyal to her cause. In her acceptance speech when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize she simply said "I accept this in the name of the poor." These were the people she was called to lead and amidst the degradation and decadence of human decay she found the self-reliance to be loyal to her cause. 
Seven Mile Road is three weeks into weekly corporate worship. So far, we’ve been a bit spoiled. Everything we’ve touched has turned to gold. We need a website – we get a killer one for free. We need a space – we get to use a building sitting on six acres of land. We throw a barbeque – 115 people show up. We launch our first service – we put out seventy chairs but need more to accommodate everyone. . . . So then, it was a shock to my system when we showed up for service in week two and there were only 33 people there. Now I know in my head that numbers don’t matter. Folks on the team thought to themselves, “where is everyone?” Regular visitors came into the room and looked at their watch to make sure that they weren’t there early because they didn’t see people. People noticed.
I Come Before You Today, And There's Just One Thing That I Want To Say, Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, For All You've Given To Me, For All The Blessings That I Cannot See, Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord . . . . With A Grateful Heart, With A Song Of Praise, With An Outstretch Arm, I Will Bless Your Name, Thank You Lord, I Just Wanna Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord, I Just Wanna Thank You Lord, Thank You Lord.
Praise is Rising, Eyes are Turning to You, We Turn to You, Hope is Stirring, Hearts are Yearning for You, We Long for You, 'Cause When We See You, We Find Strength to Face the Day, In Your Presence All Our Fears are Washed Away, Washed Away - CHORUS - Hosanna, Hosanna, You Are the God Who Saves Us, Worthy of All Our Praises, Hosanna, Hosanna, Come Have Your Way Among Us - We Welcome You Here, Lord Jesus
At the altar Mark Buntain, a missionary to Calcutta from North America laid his hands on me and said a prophetic prayer as to
how God would use me one day to impact millions. Now I see the
fulfillment of this prayer. I was married on January 27, 2000 in
Calcutta to my beautiful wife Mary, and I moved to the United States on
February 22, 2001. I left home with $50 and two suitcases stuffed with
my clothes and books for a new life overseas. In about four weeks on
arriving on the east coast I ended up for an interview at Network Plus
on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center. I was escorted to the
conference hall. Through the glass windows of the room I saw the most
glorious sight of all - the Statue of Liberty. 
I worked on the 81st floor of the North Tower or Tower 1 of the World
Trade Center and my wife Mary worked on the 71st floor of the South
Tower or Tower 2. It was just an incredible experience working in this
incredible building especially for an immigrant who had just arrived in
America in February of that year. We enjoyed so much working together
in the same complex. . . . . "September 11, 2001, started out as such a nice day- no, a beautiful day. Then it all turned. 9:05 am. Terror struck America and changed us forever. None of us will ever forget where we were, who we were with and what we were doing that fateful day when tragedy struck America on what looked like a beautiful day in New York city . . . As we deal with the loss of thousands of innocent lives we were also reminded that history books will also tell the tale of many Americans that faced terror with courage. 
Sadly, where is most of the money going today? Are poor and needy in the priority list of the modern day churches? Sometime back, I did a survey of some churches in my city to rate their overall activity in charity. Do you know what the result was? Not more than 8% of the churches are active in doing service to the poor and the needy. It seems most of the money is going towards buildings, administration and programs, but the poor and needy are greatly neglected by the churches when they should be on their priority list. We need to ask, “Is this pleasing to God for whom the church exists? There is a great necessity to do the former which is our highest priority.
Over the last few weeks, popular media has been covering the
story of the conversion of Sri Lankan second generation Muslim girl, Fathima Rifqa Bary.
Youtube and Facebook has been at the heart of this controversy. Fathima Rifqa Bary
even has an URL after her name – www.rifqabary.com
Did you ever think about how the early churches had spent their finance? I wonder how many believers and leaders truly thought about this matter. And if they thought about this issue and know the answer then I wonder how many are serious enough to follow the example of the early church. Incidentally, it is obvious in the early churches of the New Testament that they didn’t practice the concept of tithing, for they were not under the finite system of law but in the infinite freedom of grace. The renowned bible teacher, Ray C. Stedman wrote, “Nowhere in the New Testament do you find tithing taught or laid upon Christians.” Does this mean they didn’t practice giving at all? Certainly not! The fact is that the early church gave more than a tithe. They practiced generous giving, for they were taught to live by grace.
We come to know through the Holy Scriptures that one of the primary qualifications of a leader is to be hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8). However, can we imagine hospitality without being generous? Reflecting on the life and ministry of Paul—an apostle of Christ and a laborer in Christ’s service—we notice that many times he worked with his own hands and was generous with his earnings. He himself acknowledged: You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts 20:34-35)