I was thinking… “Mortality inequality” is the phrase used to describe higher rates of death among genders (women and girls compared to men and boys) or socio-economic strata (poorer compared to richer countries), or other longevity factors (medical care, food, and social services). I recall going to an impoverished country in West Africa, filled with beautiful people, whose male life-span at that time was a meager 29, and female life span at 32. By their standards, I was already living in my bonus years! Fortunately, that country has made significant strides toward lengthening life. What the phrase is really addressing…

Text: Genesis 1:26-28God has called all of us to bear fruit, multiply, subdue the earth and have dominion. The following are some key principles so we can dream for dominion: 1. Understand that God’s love is unconditional but His blessings are conditional (Deuteronomy 28:1-2; Isaiah 1:19)a. Miracles don’t just happen; they occur when certain principles are applied. b. God enables us to participate in the progress of our lives; He gives us the option to succeed. 2. Understanding and harnessing desirea. Men rarely reach for what they need; they usually reach for what they desire. b. The proof of desire…

What is our reponse?I am appalled at the rampant insensitivity in most Indian-Christian responses to the gross human rights violation in Orissa. In 1999, We didn’t know how to respond to the attacks against the Church in Gujarat. It’s been almost a decade now and We still haven’t learnt to respond to attacks against hapless tribal christians. We can only view it ‘religiously’. We speak about the glories of martyrdom. We resort to jingoism and claim it to be signs of an impending explosion of churches. We moralize and ask our brothers to forgive the perpetuators. We treat these ghastly…

There are all sorts of prescriptions for conflict. When relationships are put to the test and feelings are hurt, and the tension builds and friendships are broken, there are ways to make the situation worse. Here are a few. Jump to irrational conclusions. Do not verify what is true and what is not true. But if you do go that far, don't verify if you have gathered all the facts. Here one side of the story and pass a verdict. Assume the worst of the situation or the person you are dealing with. This is a great prescription for when…

Sometimes our pain can seem more real than anything else in life. It can even seem more real than God's love. It can seem more real than God's grace. It can seem more real than God's provision. It can seem more real than God Himself until you consider one thing. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) Faith changes all of that. Faith acknowledges the existence of pain but is not blocked or inhibited by it…

We all know what Christians are known for and negative perception by outsiders. When I was in high school, my friends and I mocked the religious believers who fit every stereotype of a Christian and called them "churchies." I discovered that perception has not changed for the last 500 years in Western culture. Renaissance writers and artists have criticized and mocked the religious Christians. Even before Shakespeare's time literature mocked Christians for being sheltered, hypocritical, self-righteous, judgmental, socially maladjusted and so on. . . Shakespeare and his contemporaries made fun of the Puritans. And yes, the Puritans had some very…

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)It can happen many times. But you can never really get used to it. It still hurts every time. It can seem impossible to make sense of it... until you look to the cross. It is just a small tiny minuscule taste of what he felt, went through and suffered. Having a tiny taste of the pain gets us in touch with a small part of the depth…

A friend draws my attention to a paper entitled "The Origins of the Financial Crisis" from the Initiative on Business and Public Policy from the Brookings Institution. This is very useful. I note that the authors acknowledge the “pro-cyclicality” of" liquidity and leverage in the financial system" and they even acknowledge that "the push to deregulate of the past thirty years has led to a lack of discrimination in policy. ...we need to improve regulation where it can make markets work bet­ter and avoid crises." However, they do not acknowledge the role of the specific refusal by regulators to implement…

These are more effective than 911 When - You are sad, phone John 14 You have sinned, phone Psalm 51 You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91 People have failed you, phone Psalm 27It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139 Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11 You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23 You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34 You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13 You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18 You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39 You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30 It feels…

There are moments when you can feel down, struck down, perplexed, hard pressed and even persecuted. But it does not end there. We can be down but not out. Just look at the life of Peter. He denied the Lord, not once or twice but three times after vowing never to leave him (Matthew 26:33-35). He was down... but not OUT! God didn't give up on Peter. Jesus saw greatness in him. We see a glimpse of that in the book of Acts. After repenting Peter is used by God to bring people into the kingdom (Matthew 26:75). It was…

I think the sign of growing older is when a person's perception and view of the world becomes more refined, sophisticated and shaped. He or she tends to view things more realistically. For me, it seems all the sudden something struck my mind when I was somewhere in my mid-twenties. My perspective on life is radically different than when I was 18. As I grow older, I'm realizing that faith is not at all equivalent to naive idealism, emotionalism and based on superficial things. I have put away those things. I am still passionate about the things that have been…

Don't Nurse it... (O, poor me... I got hurt...)Don't Curse it... (I speak evil of that person who hurt me!)Don't Rehearse it... (Did you hear what happened to me. How about you? Let me tell again and again and again...)"Bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die!" - Pastor Joe DaughertyMr. Bilson

Ever wondered why people just can't get it! Ever wondered why some people make such a mess even if it is so simple and straightforward? Tim Kelley (in his book The art of Innovation) talks about the need for "Empathy Check". There's no point in blaming people for being dumb. The key to success understand, "what went wrong?" Why are people unable to get it right? People are just people. We need to make a periodic " empathy check". What is empathy check? Empathy check is all about listening to those who can't get it. It's really about finding our purpose.…

1. the mumbai attacks. i don't have anything to add to what's already been said. i can only pray. i spent most of this year in that city; the news was sobering. 2. spent thanksgiving weekend in north carolina with friends and some family too. the first time in a long time where we didn't stay home and entertain a house full of people and cook a bird. 3. december is upon us. why am i not excited? 4. niki and i are directing a last minute christmas skit with a bunch of kids for this one fellowship group. this…

I am grieved over that. It is a wake-up call to the falleness of the world. My heart goes out to those who have lost family members by terrorist activities. I listened to some of the BS commentary from "experts" at CNN International I don't think anyone here understands what it means... I turn off the TV and wonder What is the future going to be like?Indu Shanmugam

My niece shared with me this piece written by a friend of a friend, Srinivasa Addepalli ("Srini"), and he has kindly given me permission to post it here. Many thanks, Srini!: Third Person No Longer... The veil has been shattered. We have watched terror attacks on TV, read analyses on websites and discussed 911, 267, London and Madrid over coffee. Bad things were happening out there and we were shocked, sorry and commisserating. But it was always out there and them that got affected. It was always terror in third person. Last night changed it. The attacks were at locations…

Asian Indians continues to top the list of foreign student in American universities. During the academic year 2007-2008, there are 94,563 Indian students enrolled in American campuses which constitute 15 percent of total foreign enrollement. This is highest we have ever seen in a year!  I have cited more data and information on this in the Coconut Book. Also get latest research report called Open Doors from the Institute of International Education. See also American going to India for higher education. Here is a news report in Times of India. Interest in American education and everything else that comes with…

US President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly been skipping church services.According to media reports, Obama has been spending his free time working out at a Chicago gym.Obama's media managers have put out a reason for his skipping church. He is not attending church because his family members are concerned that their large entourage could affect other parishioners.“Because they have a great deal of respect for places of worship, they do not want to draw unwelcome or inappropriate attention to a church not used to the attention their attendance would draw,” Politico. com quoted the source as saying.Both George W Bush and…