When I was growing up, there was a boy in my neighbourhood who was much loved and pampered and given the best that his family could afford. The parents were extremely nice and everyone in the community liked them. The father was a government employee, and the family had all sorts of dreams for the boy. I used to think how lucky he was and was sure he would go far. The family, however, moved away and I lost touch with them. Missed Opportunities
When I was growing up, there was a boy in my neighbourhood who was much loved and pampered and given the best that his family could afford. The parents were extremely nice and everyone in the community liked them. The father was a government employee, and the family had all sorts of dreams for the boy. I used to think how lucky he was and was sure he would go far. The family, however, moved away and I lost touch with them. 
Prepping for preaching on masculinity this Sunday and came across this quote:
LEGACY: Success & Fulfillment by Dr. Samuel R. Chand
Stargazing Worshippers
The tech-savvy people of our world might feel deterred because there are no sounds and no nifty graphics in the Bible. But the truth is, there’s more high-tech power in God’s Word than in any cutting-edge communication tool our world will ever know. 
IT IS about three months that I started living in Mumbai as a paying guest with an elderly Maharashtrian family. In this time, my landlady and her reclusive husband have told me more about their lives than I perhaps have shared with them. And not just with them – but with any one – even with people who have been my friends for more than a quarter century. 
In Revelation 1:10-11, we find that John heard a voice saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." God gives us messages not only for ourselves but also for others. When God speaks to us, it is a good habit to write down what we hear, as John was commanded to do here (Rev. 1:11). 
A news release with the above title has come to my attention, which I include in its entirety below. Abuse of power by bureaucrats and politicians is a huge problem in India. My advice to Mr Nath is to start a movement aimed at eliminating such abuses.
Driving to work, I listened to a song that urged us to ‘live like we are dying’. The truth of that verse hit me when I received news that my father – 84 years old in India and in good health – suddenly passed away. Dad knew the Lord, so his death wasn’t a dead-end but a doorway to a better life. Thanks to all who sympathized with me at my dad’s home-going. We are not just ‘growing old’, but ‘going nearer home’! 
I am now officially “addicted” I now develop “cold turkey” if I am not hooked for more than two or three hours. Yes, I am talking about the withdrawal symptoms one gets when one does not get the “fix” one desperately wants.
The Church of England will bring out new initiatives to draw members of the Asian community especially those of Indian origin after reports that they were feeling unwelcome in mainstream churches in UK.
Reading: Matthew 9:9-13
Several years ago, I published a piece of research into the top 100 Company Boards and the relationship with technology-related matters. The results were "shocking but not surprising": none of the Boards had any definition for technology competence, and none of them assessed their own competence about technological matters. 
Nowadays, pastors emphasize church growth by focusing on successful strategies for understanding their surrounding culture and target audience, and examining their congregations to determine their strengths and weaknesses. What follows is an arduous process of changing the culture of a church to reflect the new methodologies in order to fulfill its mission. 
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 
Last night, Shainu and I were invited to a banquet for Mission Year. Mission Year is an organization that sends young people to cities across the country to love and serve a particular neighborhood for a period of one year. So nine different cities in the US (one of them being Philadelphia) have Mission Year folks working in them right now. 
My motto is "Have some wine and think how good life is..." Recently, I lounged in Portland City Grill. With a drink in one hand and gazing over the city and view, I relaxed and thought about the good things of life. For a moment I forgot that I was in a crowded place. I thought about the goodness and things in life I am looking forward to.