"Jesus Understands Our Deepest Sorrow" - DG website

In the "Desiring God" website, Jonathan Parnell talked with Nancy Guthrie, author of Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, to ask her about what the humanity of Jesus means for us:



Quotes from it:

- The Lord Jesus Christ — the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, the one through whom all things were made — became human like us.

- Jesus is a safe person to draw close to when life is hard. He is not a distant deity who knows nothing about the struggles and pressures of living life in the real world. He knows, He understands. He can relate with us as He himself endured severe hardships. Isaiah (53:3) described Him as a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. In the garden of Gathsemane, His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Mark 14:35). Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted in all ways.

Quote of the day!

“The Christian is to be a demonstration of the existence of God”. - FA Schaeffer.

Are you doing that?? :)

Love

From: http://www.ransom.tv/notes/lucinda-shelton

"Lucinda grew up being abused by her dad. Because of that, she hated him, even to the point of wishing he was dead. Watch her ransom note to see how Jesus healed and transformed her, such that she now deeply loves and cares about her dad":



Lucinda reminds at the end: With God all things are possible :) (Matthew 19:26)

Really, life is all about money?

Yes, there are a lot of people who think life is all about money. I don't know frankly how people come to that conclusion. Just yesterday, I was trying to explain to a friend why this is a prevailing myth, without much success because I am not good at debating ;) Then today I heard this song on KSBJ: http://www.lyricsbox.com/holly-starr-lyrics-dont-have-love-fq657df.html
which gives a good idea why there is much more to life than just money. Maybe God led me to this song today, so that I can better explain to others what life is really about!

Some lines from the song:

"You can have money, and cool friends, a ring on your left hand

But it's never gonna be enough, if you don't have love
You don't have love
You can have a fast car, a mansion, and everyone's attention
But it's never gonna be enough, if you don't have love
You don't have love, you don't have love

If you don't have love
Then you've got to, got to have love"

SO, if you want to be true-ly satisfied in life, you need love. Not just any kind of love, but the kind of love that never fails! And where do you find this kind of love? In God (Father, Son-Jesus, Holy Spirit) alone! :) (Psalm 136, Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 8:35, John 15:13, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:9, Ephesians 1:4).

Please, let me know if you can find unfailing love anywhere else!

Best ever birthday :)

This year, I spent my birthday with my mom in Kolkata, India. And God blessed it as my best ever birthday!

Yesterday night, my mom accepted Christ as her personal Savior!
There could not have been any better birthday gift for me from anyone.

I did not realize the coincidence of the two dates, unless today.

God continues to surprise me with His awesomeness, as always! :)

“Your presence is heaven to me”

“Your presence is heaven to me … ”: heard this song lately?

http://lyrics.wikia.com/Israel:Your_Presence_Is_Heaven_To_Me
Pretty cool, yea?

I used to wonder what it mean’t when people said they were in the presence of God. Does it happen when you go to Church on sunday mornings?

That happens at times when you completely surrender yourself to Father God. That is, when you place yourself in His perfect will. It is then you experience the promised peace (Philippians 4:7), which surpasses all understanding. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is a great example. As long as the younger son lived with his father (lived as per his will, in his presence), he was doing great. When he left his father (against his will and away from his presence) and started living in the world, he started wasting himself away, until he came back.

From the church service in Pune last sunday:
-- to live in complete surrender to Father God means to live in complete obedience.
-- to live in complete surrender is not the best way to live BUT the only way to live.

Lastly remember, Matthew 6:25-33, is an epitome of what it means to live a surrendered life: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ….  33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Christ in Olympics

Gabby Douglas, is the new Olympic All Around Champion. Before she competed, she tweeted this:

"Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me." Amen!

(courtesy : KSBJ)

The state of HIV/AIDS epidemic in United States

Science/AAAS | HIV Slideshow

Quote of the day

"This is God's universe and He does things His way. You may have a better way, but you don't have a universe." J. Vernon McGee

When God's Will Isn't Clear

This is a follow up on an earlier post about Piper's:
"When God's will is not clear" 

Quoting from https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=139989935971 :

When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for 3 months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, “And what can I do for you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for?” she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States. “Pray that I have clarity.” She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you will trust God.”

Justin Bieber - Pray

This momentary life

The amazing love story of Ian and Larissa from John Piper's "Desiring God" website:

Life’s a fight of wrong and right

Artist: Chris August lyrics
Title: Battle

http://www.lyricsmania.com/battle_lyrics_chris_august.html
:
"
There’s a battle between good and evil ... And it’s raging inside of me ... There’s a struggle - it’s God and the devil ... It’s Love against the Enemy

Whoa no ... I’m not giving up now ... Whoa

Life’s a fight of wrong and right ... That’s tearing me apart ... Oh but what the cross has done ... Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart ... But the war is already won

There’s a snake that’s hiding in the garden ... There’s a beautiful apple tree ... There is trouble on the horizon ... But I’m claiming victory ... Whoa ... I’m not giving in now ... Whoa

Life’s a fight of wrong and right ... That’s tearing me apart ... Oh but what the ... cross has done ... Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart ... But the war is already won

Whoa ... I’m not giving up now ... Whoa ... I’m not giving in

Life’s a fight of wrong and right ... That’s tearing me apart ... Oh but what the cross has done ... Yeah the world will try to battle for my heart ... But the war is already won
"

"More Beautiful You" - Diaz, York

Artist: Jonny Diaz
Album: More Beautiful You
Genre: Christian
Songwriters: Jonny Diaz, Kate York

http://www.songlyrics.com/jonny-diaz/more-beautiful-you-lyrics/:
"
Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away

By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl

That there could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
There could never be a more beautiful you
"

IJM Chennai: A Dozen Slaves Rescued from a Rice Mill

Quoting from:
http://www.ijm.org/news/ijm-chennai-dozen-slaves-rescued-rice-mill
:

"Tags: Forced Labor Slavery Rescue South Asia

CHENNAI, INDIA – A dozen men and women and their children were freed from slavery in a rice mill over the weekend. Local authorities partnered with IJM to rescue the families and restore them to freedom.

One of the men who was rescued said he had not been allowed to leave the rice mill to visit his home for almost four years – even though his home is five minutes from the mill.

The government officials granted twelve of the individuals release certificates, emancipating them from slavery and cancelling any outstanding debt the owner may have claimed they owed him. The certificates also entitle each freed person to government-allocated funds that will help them build sustainable lives in freedom. "

Can you believe how many crazy things happen around us? Yes, we live in a world which is so broken. Kudos to Christ led IJM for their amazing works. Please check out http://www.ijm.org/ to become a part of slavery rescue efforts worldwide!!

Why Jesus Creates Sex - Mark Driscoll

How is your relationship with God going?

Voice of Martyrs (VOM) published a news about Asia, a Christian imprisoned in Pakistan, highlighting her daily relationship with God in prison. This is what Asia said to a VOM representative:

"
(1 Kings 17:6a): 'The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening ...'. There is a beautiful thing that happens every day in my cell. Two days after they announced my death penalty, I was brought into [death row]. Every morning around 3:30 or 4, a brown bird with a long beak appears and sits on the boundary wall. This bird also comes every evening around 5. He sits there for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Later on he became my friend. I talk to him and he also talks to me.

As I watched this bird every day, I tried to understand the meaning of him coming day after day. I think this is a messenger from God giving me His message. When the bird comes, I feel encouraged and peaceful. I feel comforted after his visit. I think this is a very significant sign from God.
"

Asia also reported that she spends much of her time in prayer, including prayer for those around the world who pray for her and speak out on her behalf.

(Quoted from VOM news)

"Parents, Beware: Proverbs Are Not Promises" - from Piper's 'Desiring God'

Parents, Beware: Proverbs Are Not Promises

-David from Piper's "Desiring God" ... a very nice clarification!

The Great Debate: Does God Exist?

http://theresurgence.com/2012/01/17/the-great-debate-does-god-exist