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Showing posts from December, 2010

Poems by Ruth Bell Graham

The Man I Prayed For Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid (as we’re inclined to do), I do not need a handsome man but let him be like You; I do not need one big and strong nor yet so very tall, nor need he be some genius, or wealthy, Lord, at all; but let his head be high, dear God, and let his eye be clear, his shoulders straight, whate’er his state, whate’er his earthly sphere; and let his face have character, a ruggedness of soul, and let his whole life show, dear God, a singleness of goal; then when he comes (as he will come) with quiet eyes aglow, I’ll understand that he’s the man I prayed for long ago. Only You Dusty my soul tonight. Earth has been dear. Bewildered, I come to You, Father God, hear. Idols that charm me, dreams that allure, pains that alarm me, suspense to endure, memories that linger, thoughts that ensnare, a heart that is aching, all crumpled by care, unsatisfied, restless, scarce able to pray— everything, everything take it away. Only You, none but You, Jesus alone:

Quotes by Ruth Bell Graham

"It is a foolish woman who expects her husband to be to her that which only Jesus Christ Himself can be: always ready to forgive, totally understanding, unendingly patient, invariably tender and loving, unfailing in every area, anticipating every need, and making more than adequate provision. Such expectations put a man under an impossible strain" —  Ruth Bell Graham "If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make that one more loving. I will be available. I will take time to listen, time to play, time to be home when they arrive from school, time to counsel and encouerage." —  Ruth Bell Graham "Down through the years, I turned to the Bible and found in it all that I needed" —  Ruth Bell Graham "Death - Death can be faced, dealt with, adjusted to, outlived. It's the not knowing that destroys interminably... This being suspended in suspense; waiting - weightless, How does one face th

Missionary Deconverted to Atheism: Epistemic Issues

Just went through a few videos on YouTube that relate stories of how Daniel Everett, a Linguistics professor and former Christian missionary  to the Piraha tribe of Brazil, got deconverted after reflecting on their worldview. Below is the BBC reading from his book Don't Sleep There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle An excerpt from his lecture explaining the metaphysics and epistemics of Piraha culture : Now to the Epistemic Issues: 1. I hold no reserves with regard to this first premise that a missionary is always going to be in danger if his connection with the supernatural is not proper. I intend no accusation. But, Jesus made it clear to the disciples not to venture out till they were baptized with the Spirit. If I'm not so sure of my position, I have no rights trying to defend it or woo others to it. Those who consider missionary work to only be about linguistics, translations, and teaching Gospel stories may soon be disillusioned. The missionary is God&

God's Signature on His Check

$ $ Got this illustration when trying to explain God’s promises at Church this morning. When someone issues a check, he puts his signature on it. Otherwise, that check would not work. Similarly, God has given us a check of His promises, and has put the Name of Jesus Christ as the signature on it. In Christ’s Name we have received all the promises in truth. Therefore, the Bible says: For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2Cor. 1:20) Have you got the signature of Christ on your check?

Happy X'mas 2010!

* -!- Gloria in Excelsis Deo! Joy floods the earth, Wonder fills the heavens, A manger welcomes His birth, As angels wait with bated breath... The Son of God has slipped into mortal frame; God waits on his mother, He's helpless as a babe; Creation waits on her Lord, for salvation's in His Name! MAY THE BLESSING OF HIS BIRTH TAKE YOU BY SURPRISE TODAY! HAVE A GREAT AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS! || || || || || || with love and prayers Domenic Marbaniang

Divine Forgiveness

"Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel!" (Jer 31:4). Amazing is that GRACE that blots away the past irrevocably: the once HARLOT (Jer.3:8) is now a VIRGIN (Jer.31:4)!!... Behold CHRIST makes all things new! I remember the story of Doreen Irwin, a woman who had been in the occult for very long and had been the queen of black witches. But, Jesus delivered her from all the evil spirits that had captured her soul. One day her heart was in distress thinking of all her sinfulness and the immoral life that she had lived. While deeply grieving her miserable state and pained by the memory of guilt, she suddenly heard a voice. It was the voice of Jesus speaking in her spirit. He reminded her of Mary Magdalene and how Christ had changed her life. Then He declared to her that she had been forgiven. All her sins were forgiven and her guilt removed because of the price Jesus paid on the cross. She had been delivered from the condemnation of guilt. Her conscie

A Life of Gratitude, A God-Contented Heart

On Thanksgiving Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010 Sanjaynagar Church, Morning Service Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Th 5:16-18) Psalm 28:7. I will give thanks to him in a song. God's will: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 5:18-20) Rejoicing, Praying, and Thanksgiving are all connected. "always... without ceasing... in everything.." God desires us to have Him in our minds all the time. If you love someone, you can't stay away from that person. A mother who loves her child can't stay away from that child. How much do we long to be in His presence always? If you love someone, you do everything keeping that person in mind... whether s

Nuptial Dresses

little girl: mom, why is the bride wearing a white dress? mom: because white is the colour of happiness and joy and today is the happiest day of her life. little girl: ah,... ok, then why is the groom wearing black? frm an FB status today

Do not diminish a word (Jer. 26:2)

"Do not diminish a word" (Jer. 26:2). What possession does a minister of the word have other than the word... and yet, scarcity galore! If the servant possesses not the word of the Master in verity, integrity, and honesty, he has lost his essence and meaning of being. If we possess anything else in abundance over the word, we stand disapproved. What worser plight could there be than a servant failing at God's word. 1. Do not diminish the wholeness of the word Do not pick and choose from the word thinking "I should only say this" and "I should not be saying that". Speak the whole word, for the truth is whole. If we diminish any part of the word that God wishes us to speak, the whole is diminished thereby. 2. Do not diminish the meaning of the word The servant of God must be able to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim.2:15). Only such servant is approved by God. Those who misinterpret or interpret arbitrarily are unfaithful to the word. The message m

God Sees Only Black and White

"Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad." ~ Jer. 24:3 We live in a colorful world; and, the colors confuse us. But, God sees things black and white. Please don't mistake me: I only speak metaphorically, I speak in relation to discernment between good and evil, between the true and the false... We now have color televisions, past color photography: and what else - beyond 16 million colors? How confused is our generation! We dally with shades and play with prisms, and stay all the while between the black and the white. How dreamy is our fascination! We can no longer tell the difference between the wrong and the right. Faith and confidence are virtues of the barbarians, they say. To claim the truth is an offence against reason, the highest treason. Only the uncouth and uncultured see the world in black and white: but, we live in every imaginable shade, and does imagination have an end? Let me borrow this description from

Light-Instrumental

Human Rights Day and Yet, China

December 10 was celebrated as Human Rights Day throughout the world, and the Nobel Peace Prize was placed on an empty chair yesterday at Oslo, Norway - the Laureate, Liu Xiaobo (b. 1955), a Chinese writer , professor, and human rights activist was in prison, being imprisoned by the Chinese government last year for 11 years. The Chinese government denied him the right of having a representative collect the prize for him. Liu is the third person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison or detention, after Germany's Carl von Ossietzky (1935) and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi (1991), and the only one other than Ossietzky not to be present or represented by close family at the awards ceremony. The Nobel diploma and the prize was symbolically placed by Jagland on an empty chair meant for the absent laureate. Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann then took to the podium and read I Have No Enemies, a speech by Liu made during his trial in December 2009. “I, filled with optimism,

Beyond the Brink of a Breakthrough (Luke 1:5-17)

Summary of message delivered at Itarsi Church, Friday, Dec. 10, 2010. 6:45 pm A few things strike us when we read this story. 1. God's vision came to Zacharias at a moment when he was least expecting such a thing He was now old and well advanced in age. In fact, he might have been getting ready for a retirement; yet, he had been faithful at his job all the way. There are no time-limits to God. He can do anything at any time, provided the person is available. [Remember, that waiting time is not wasting time.] To Zacharias that day, everything might have looked as ordinary as it might have been for years. But, in the moment of commonness, an extraordinary miracle occurred to him and his wife. Their lives might have looked as common as anyone else' for years together; but, did they know that a miracle was expecting them! Do you know that a miracle is awaiting you? Can we pull through to that moment as Zacharias and Elizabeth did... faithful in the ministry that God had given them

Mere Mehboob Pyaare Masiha - Qawwali (Rap) by Domenic Marbaniang

Academics, Politics, and the Gospel

"not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing" (1 Cor.2:6). Two great forces control the modern world: the University and the Parliament (to put it the other way, the school and the scepter). How credulously falls the world before the sublimity of the educated; how feebly it creeps before the iron-fist of the rulers! But, the world has God universally despised and denied. To many the God-idea is outdated. But, then, how long shall the world-ideas last?? When Paul was writing his epistle to the Corinthians (around AD  57), Nero , "the emperor who fiddled while (later) Rome burned", held the reins of the Great Roman Empire . He was forced to commit suicide on June 7, AD 68. A few days before his arrival at Corinth (sometime between 50-52), Paul had been at Athens, the ancient capital of philosophy, and had talks with the Stoics and the Epicureans . They had taken him to Mar's Hill from where he preached his famous sermon

That no flesh should glory in His presence

"...that no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Cor.1:29) Every man desires to have a hero and become a hero. Everybody desires fame; if not, at least the glory of being superior than the others by adoring someone special. We live in an age of celebrity culture , who have gained the same status by the repeated presentation of them by the media in many places at many times. These visible lights attract many eyes. Some have looked to them for hope. But, history has proven that man's aspirations from man have often ended in disaster. Humans are usually the same all throughout. It is we who idolize them. Some are idolized for just " 15 minutes of fame ". Then, there are those instruments of propaganda that cunning men have used to deceive the simple and attract them to themselves. Anti-racial, anti-communal, and anti-national feelings of hatred all breed from tales and testimonies that falsely depict other humans as lower than oneself. We live in an age of mass