Serving God's Purposes in Our Generation (Acts 13:36b)

Cheryl Balwani – Walking With Jesus On The 'Right Path'

When I accepted New Age, it seemed to be the truth to me. I had rejected the Bible as I thought it was too narrow-minded in its approach as far as the concept of God and salvation were concerned. I realized later that New Age isn’t the Truth. These are just alternative ways which give people some kind of comfort and truth in their lives, but it's not the Truth. It will lead you away from God for sure. I also got into astrology and occultism. I even started reading these cult books which talked about life after death. Astrology and occultism are indeed the wrong things to put your faith into.

Butterflies Scare Me!

1. So I got a second job. I do admin work for a doctor/psychotherapist who treats high risk behaviors. Last Tuesday, I sat in a support group session for wives of sex offenders. Probably one of the most intense and paradigm-shifting experiences of my life. Really exciting because it's cutting edge work and I'm so excited to be a part of it, even if it means just working on the admin side of things.2. "I like to think I can change the world" ...this sentence in my resume got me the above mentioned job. Being who you are and being…

Valentine – Are You Really Mine?

Have you ever evaluated your ‘Romance Level’? Try it, with your partner, and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is the lowest if the statement below is absolutely False or give yourself 5 when the statement is undoubtedly True. Put down the middle 3 if your answer is ‘sometimes’ or either 2 or 4 depending how false or true it is. Ready? Here are the seven statements:1. We are still very romantically in love; expressed in our strong marriage2. We’ve learned to express romantic love in ways meaningful to each other3. We’ve not closed our…

Thanks Again!

Hello Friends in Christ,I just wanted to flash a quick message to you all and commend you for your hard work! I know many of you prayed hard, worked hard and even stretched yourselves beyond your limits for the work of Jesus. And for that I applaud you but more importantly, I know Jesus is smiling down on you all for your grand work.It is moments like these that we cherish, remember and recall to remind us how God is wonderfully and intimately involved in our lives. He is in the BIG things and the little things and in everything…

Give Me Jesus

In The Morning, When I Rise - Give Me Jesus - Give Me Jesus, - Give Me Jesus, - You Can Have All This World, - But Give Me Jesus - When I Am Alone - Give Me Jesus - When I Come To Die - Give Me Jesus - Give Me Jesus, - Give Me Jesus, - You Can Have All This World, - Give Me Jesus

15 Years That Changed the World!

Over 1.73 billion people use the Web! . . . of which 738.3 million are in Asia  . . . that is 42.6% of Internet Users in the World . . . . the Internet is changing the world . . . . God is using the Web to transform lives. “The last 15 years have changed our world forever,” claims Tony Whittaker, coordinator of Internet Evangelism Day. “Digital media are transforming the way we communicate, behave and even think. If Facebook was a country, it would have the fourth largest population in the world.

Unleashing the Internet Generation!

Called the “Internet Generation” because the Net is their primary influencer, the 4/14ers (& their older siblings) are digitally native whilst their parents are digital immigrants. The world‘s children and young people between the ages of 4 and 14, the demographic group that has the potential to transform the world for Jesus are defined more by technology. It is true that due to lack of accessibility there are still parts of the world where the Internet does not yet have a major culture-shaping role. However, with the shrinking of the “global village”, more and more young people in remote areas will become connected as underscored by Luis Bush in the ‘Modern Context of the 4/14ers’.

Stay In Control With EQ

The term “emotional intelligence (EI)”, is often used interchangeably with the term “emotional quotient (EQ)”, and became popular after Goleman published his first book called Emotional Intelligence in 1995. In another best-seller, Working With Emotional Intelligence, Goleman pointed out that IQ only accounts for 20 per cent of a person’s success in life; the rest is attributed to other factors, including EQ. EI refers to the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, and for motivating and managing emotions in ourselves, and in our relationships.

Myths About Suicide

Suicide is one of the tragic choices many are opting in our day. It is not only a painful choice to the one who opts for it but also agonizing to those left behind. If the one who attempted or committed suicide is a person close to us, the pain is unbearable. Our mind is often haunted with these thoughts, "Why did he/she take such a drastic decision?; I wish I had done something to save him/her?" As important as it is to discern the symptoms of those attempting or committing suicide in order to save them, it is helpful to have an understanding about some of the myths on suicide.

Pornography Is Addictive For The Male Brain – Researcher

PORNOGRAPHY has an addictive effect on men’s brains which affects how they interact with women, according to a new book, ‘Wired for Intimacy’. The book’s author Dr William M. Struthers says: “Men seem to be wired in such a way that pornography hijacks the proper functioning of their brains and has a long-lasting effect on their thoughts and lives.” Dr Struthers, a Professor of Psychology from Wheaton College in Chicago, US, concludes that pornography is a ‘visually magnetic’ stimulus which draws men in. He writes: “Pornography is… a physical matter, rooted in the biological intricacies of our sexual design.” Related stories: Five steps…

Visit to Shanghai and Changxing

Shanghai: the temperature is only 7 degrees but does not feel too cold as there is hardly any breezeWe landed, were greeted, whisked through customs, and escorted to a small 11-seater bus, two side-by-side, with an aisle down the middle, each seat with a foldaway tables, except for the front seat which has a spacious fixed desk in front of it to signal the importance of the Leader The smooth and swift drive to Chongxing takes about 2 hrs though we are fogged out throughout - maximum visibility about 400yds, but most of the time more like 150ydsOur translator is…

Guttermost To Uppermost!

Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-10"The Lord raises the insignificant from the dust and lifts the lowly from the rubbish" (1 Sam 2:8) The childhood of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was spent in poverty. One day a Bible was given to him. He started reading it under streetlights with passion. He trusted that God, who crowned David a shepherd boy as King, was able to uplift him also. God made him the President of the United States of America.David was despised by the members of his family. But God made him King over Israel. God said to him, "I took you from following the…

Compliments

Sometimes, compliments are nice.Grande with whip and chocolate drizzle mocha frappuccino (a regular) commented that I had a very beautiful face today. I smiled and thanked her awkwardly.Doppio espresso (another regular) hasn't given up yet. He's been asking me out for nearly two months now. Today, along with commenting on how beautiful my eyes were, he told me I was a woman of grace. I suspect he's a nice man. But he must be nearly forty and I'm not looking for anyone.And this might not actually be a compliment, I'm not sure yet. But it helped me learn something about…

Drinking Problems Among Youth

Teen binge drinking is nothing new. But a recent report from BBC made it clearn long term impact of teen drinking habits. The study reported that teen drinkers are more likely to turn alcoholic, use drugs and have criminal conviction by the time they turn 30. Didn’t we all know that intuitively! Now research have proven what we all have always known.They are 60% more likely to be alcoholic, twice as likely for conviction, 40% more likely to use illegal drugs, 40% more likely to suffer mental health problems and 60% more likely to be homeless. They were also 40%…

I Lived Next Door To A Brothel

Reports suggest that globally, there are more people living as slaves today than at any other time in history. Unlike willful prostitution, modern-day slavery means having no control over your body. Your life is at someone else’s command. You cannot control where you are taken or how many men will rape you per day. You cannot control whether or not you get free time, food or sleep, and whether you get to live or die. And there’s often no escape. India, the world’s largest democracy, has the largest number of bonded slaves. At least 100 million people are involved in human trafficking in India, according to Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta (May 2009).

A Brand New Start

 1 Blessed is he        whose transgressions are forgiven,        whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man        whose sin the LORD does not count against him        and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent,        my bones wasted away        through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night        your hand was heavy upon me;        my strength was sapped        as in the heat of summer.        Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you        and did not cover up my iniquity.        I said, "I will confess        my…

Everything & Nothing

The world is changing, moving forward, unaccustomed to the fancies and whims of minds and hearts disaffected. The moments and seasons of yester-year fraught with pain and sorrows, some how forgotten and pushed away. There was and is nothing that could not have and would not have happened that did not happen. The world is a flow ing river of disconnected and broken realities streaming together to form a torrent of inevitability that frays the confidences and plans of many. The world still continues on amid the chaos and brokenness.Every thing and yet nothing, something caught in the wrinkle of…

A Biblical Understanding of Pain, Tragedy, and Suffering

With the recent devastation in Haiti many people have been asking why such a horrible tragedy could take place. (As of the writing of this article, the death toll caused by the horrific earthquake is heading toward 200,000.) The earthquake’s death and destruction has been indiscriminate, crushing everything from the presidential palace to churches, killing both believers and non-believers. Because of this, many have relegated simplistic answers to the trash heap. Some Christians are even questioning their faith. The following is an attempt to give a biblical explanation that equips us with a broader scope for explaining why such events happen to those in our spheres of influence.

Clinging to God

MANY PEOPLE WEAR THEIR FAITH LIGHTLY. They may wear their religion loudly, but in their inner lives, they touch God lightly. Or their brushes with the divine are fleeting and superficial, accidental and incidental. Not so the psalmist who declared to God from his inmost being: “My soul clings to you” (Ps. 63:8). This statement is thick with intensity and personal experience. Here there is no light and cursory touching of God. Instead there is an earnest and wholehearted hanging on to God, and it was with soul-felt and soul-led intentionality. Why do some people have this deep and intense experience of wanting to cling to God? There are at least two reasons we should examine.

When Grace Goes Sour

FOR me, the most stunning aspect of faith is grace. Grace is that unmerited, incautious favor of God that most of us never tire hearing about. There is just something about it—whenever it comes, it changes what is into something grander. That is what I love about the gospel. It is a message of grace, and because of that, wherever it goes, it brings change. But some groups who call themselves “grace” people make me nervous. I get the feeling that they spell grace g-r-e-a-s-e. They don’t talk about grace as something that changes them as much as something that lets them slide by with whatever they feel like doing—even sinful things. But grace yields freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.