This poem was discovered by on the door of a Chaplaincy at a hospital in Africa . . . I was hungry and you held meetings to discuss my existential needsI was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to pray for my releaseI was persecuted and you explained how Christ was also persecutedI was sick and you knelt down and thanked God for your healthI was homeless and you preached on the spiritual shelter of God’s loveI was lonely and you left me alone and said you would intercede for meYou seem so holy, yet I am still very lonely!Dr.…

If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley — but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can’t be a muskie then just be a bass —

Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-19

"Young men, you are strong and the Word of God abides in you; you have overcome the wicked one" (1 Jn 2:14)
 
Bartholomeus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) of Germany, the first missionary to translate the Bible into the Tamil language, was born today. Right early in his life as a 16 year old, he committed his life to Christ, served God faithfully in obedience to Him and died at only 37 years of age.

Above is the sort of slogan which is now being popularised by right-wing "celebrities, personalities and authorities".

It is true that expansionary economic policies, which were called for by some global leaders last month, can lengthen the financial debacle which started in 2007 and which is not yet at an end.

The Bible gives this command, “Don’t use foul or abusive language”  (Ephesians :4:29a-NLT)

{ if yOu ArE A ChRisTiAn aNd iF YoU StIlL usE fOuL lAnGuAgE, PlEaSe sToP CaLlInG YoUrSeLf a cHrIsTiAn}

Chronic Writer

I began the New year, ministering to over 1200 young people at the National Youth Festival in Vizag. When I gave the invitation to commit to serve Christ whatever the cost and wherever the Spirit leads, over 200 youth came forward to dedicate themselves. The next week, I conducted Operation Mobilization (OM) leaders’ training in which 40 women and men prayed a threefold prayer I have been praying daily the last 15 years: “Lord, keep me clean today;

On Sunday, in church, we were singing a worship song with the line, “Everywhere I look, I see Your face,” when all of a sudden a thought occurred to me.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if everywhere we looked we actually saw His face?

If we saw God everywhere, our lives would completely change.  When we were sad, we we would look up and see Jesus smiling at us. 

The Right to Lead, by John Maxwell

Men and women who lead on the highest level are quite extraordinary. They are people of action who have their priorities in line. I’ve found that there are some common threads in these uncommon leaders.

They are:

Futurists: Their dreams are bigger than their memories.

I just came back from the first night of The Filling Station conference for this year. The theme is Grace. I know....what an amazing thing that is. The speakers this year are amazing. Tonight's message was from Simon Gau, a youth pastor right here from Whalley!

I've heard so many messages on grace but it never fails to humble me every single time I hear it.

More than 60 years after Independence, untouchability is alive and thriving in India’s hinterlands. Pockets of social change have been but mere drops in an ocean of casteism and prejudice. This was borne out in a survey by National Law School, Bangalore, which was reported recently. Following this, TOI correspondents did a reality check in eight states across India.

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny

*Are we good examples for others to follow;

Prepping for preaching on masculinity this Sunday and came across this quote:

"A husband must embrace self-sacrifice for the sake of his wife’s well-being . . . the main threat against which a man must protect his wife is his own sin. A friend once expressed his awakening to this truth in these words: ‘I used to think that if a man came into my house to attack my wife, I would certainly stand up to him.

A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining scissors cut the cloth into various bits.

He then put the pair of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. After sewing, he kept the needle in a box and kept the box on a shelf.

True followers of Jesus experientially know: ‘God rarely does anything apart from answer to prayer’. Of all the things His disciples could have asked of Him, they pleaded with Him for one thing: ‘Lord, teach us to pray!’ This was because they watched His habits, understood His heart and had discovered where His power, and theirs, was located – in prayer!

May we question a theology that works in an environment of peace and stability but falls apart in a place of war, conflict or chaos.

May we question a philosophy of life that ignores the poor and the unloved and continues to fatten the established order of things.

May we question a Christianity that wants, gets, and wastes and has joined along with others in the raping of our planet