Rock-a-bye Baby

Hello friends, here are some cute baby pictures sent in an email.

This entry was meant for Wed. 30th, but just as I was composing it the

lights went out and I was unable to continue. I was too tired by the time normalcy was restored. A man who had been to the power supply center (sub station) said in the heat the instruments and system gets very hot and they have to switch it off to cool it. Gotta believe them.

A Quote-

"I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions

and big success. I am for those tiny invisible loving human forces

that work from individual to individual,

creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets

or like the capillary oozing of water, which, if given time,

will rend the hardest monuments of pride."

-William James

Yes friends, humour lightens the load at times and you can see diamonds in the raindrops.

All day yesterday, after our expected 3 hour power cut we had frequent interruptions. In the afternoon when I tried to rest there was a untimely phone call and visitor which gave me a throbbing headache. I took a painkiller which I normally try to avoid. I felt better after that and a strong cup of coffee.

Aunt V was supposed to be discharged from hospital yesterday but the docs extended her confinement by 2 more days.She has a potassium deficit - she 's 84 years old. No one to care of her, but us and church folk.

Please pray for my Pastor Shailendra , he has swelling in his kidneys and even after a whole battery of tests and scans the doctors don 't know what is causing it.All his tests came out clear. The doctors may hospitalize him for closer monitoring.

God teaches us such lessons. I am amazed. A few days ago a couple came to us all ornery and agitated like an angry thunder cloud ready to burst and flash.

But we handled the situation with restraint and self control and the man said ;We came here to say something else , but find things are different. Later on he asked me to pray for them. Two days later he said he felt tremendous peace since the prayer. Glory be to God.

This morning the sky is dark with heavy clouds and we 've had a light shower. Maybe there will be more rain later on.

But I hope it doesn 't rain too hard in the morning because I have to go to the district courthouse to represent my church.

Summer Unlimited

We had joy,we had fun

We had seasons in the sun....

(words from a pop song I used to listen to as a teenager

forgot the rest of it)

Sheeba chasing butterflies in the sun

Unaffected by the shimmering heat.

I give her a drenching when she feels uber hot.
Cools her off for a bit.


My fruity grapefruit tree.
The fruit will ripen by December.

The bark of the tree has white spots like these.

And in some place s the bark peels off.

Jags thinks the tree is dying.

I hope not.

Its about 25 years old.

I have lost some of our citrus trees

to disease.

Can anyone tell me what

is happening to this tree?

And some solution?

I am drying mango seeds to plant in the rainy season.

Two mango trees succumbed to disease.

So I want to plant new ones.

I will also buy some saplings from the govt. nursery.

Today we did not have electricity for more than 7 hours.

Nobody gives any explanation.

The whole day is ruined
by the 110 degree heat

and stifling humidity.

And you emerge out of it

like a piece of burnt toast

Or better still-

a prehistoric mummified fossil

Dug up from near the pyramids .

(Feels good to romanticise it.)

At best one can pretend

one is enjoying the benefits of a sauna

in an luxurious spa.

You can' t get more positive than that.

-------------

Let me tell you friends

that today I am much better.

I was able to visit Aunt V in hospital too.

And I have decided to leave

Sheeba 's leftovers

for Naughty at the

edge of my pavement,

so that I don' t have to walk

on the pebbles.

Sunday Blessing ; Life Comes Daily

Clouds dotting the sky

I draw tremendous inspiration from Joni Earekson Tada"s daily devotional More Precious Than Silver. Today after battling against the travesties of nature and the ' system ' in which i live I receive strength and hope from Deut 33 ;25


Life Is So Daily


Your strength will equal your days. -- Deuteronomy 33:25

Have you ever thought of your days as so... daily? The minute you open your eyes in the morning you can feel yourself shifting into routine. Turn off alarm. Fling back covers. Put feet in slippers. Turn on shower. Squeeze toothpaste on brush while shower heats up. Like I said: It's so daily.That's especially true for me. I wake up every morning to the exact same series of events. A friend comes into the bedroom, turns on the tap to warm the water,heads for the kitchen and pours coffee, comes back and puts the coffee straw in my mouth and begins to put my legs through their range-of-motion exercise routine.After that, it's a bath, get dressed, and be lifted into my wheelchair. Some daysI wish the routine could vary, but like you, I must accept the dailyness.My friend Shirley Locker, who is also disabled, once reminded me that our dailychallenges have rewards for those who trust God for hour-by-hour (sometimes minute-by-minute)strength. God promises, "Your strength will equal your days."No matter how deep the rut of your daily routine, satisfaction in the Lord Jesus can be deeper still. In fact, God invites us to know His satisfaction on a more profound level as we remind ourselves to go to him for grace, especially during those so-called boring hours when we feel our life is on automatic. He knows that's when we need him most.No matter how much the "same" your day appears, God's grace will make it different because his grace is fresh every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us his love and compassion are new every morning. What a relief.

What parts of your day are routine? Why not infuse them with life by inviting God to be a part of them? Memorize Scripture during your bathroom routines, and pray while you're dressing.* * * * *

Thank You, Lord, that Your strength and grace are daily -- not that they're routine,but that they're consistently available. Every day. Every hour. Every moment. Help me to draw on them today.~
Blessings,

Joni and Friendshttp://www.joniandfriends.org/ [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103388372752&s=55376&e=0017trr0vTL4BtNxDkrFqq9raYaO99Jd5tGNinOr-HKFXgBWUxrj0w_j4PHOOak90Tk2S2eFgV9-BekoBnU2yLgx3Fqt92r6YF6CqwihfgojYZtRJUnbhvvTEhxDAUpvejw]
Taken from More Precious Than Silver. Copyright © 1998 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530


Lone Star

The result of the yesterday' s downpour was that we lost our power supply for 4 hours. Totalling to 7 hours. And no water too.

7 am Sunday morning - we were just about getting the grip of the day when the electricity went off . This time for 9 hours. We couldn 't pump any water too. All this was so stressful.We filled up our buckets with the govt. supply water as quickly as we could.

The church and Parsonage was without electricity and water for about 24 hours.My mom was so concerned she was asking Jags to fetch water for our Pastor from across the street, but Pastor reassured her saying they had an emergency supply. In India you have to have an emergency supply of everything. We could survive a nuclear flash LOL!

Church was very hot and humid and most part of the day it remained like this. It takes a heavy toll on the mind and body, trying to cope.

My left leg is still very painful after the fall. I am taking painkillers, they 've have not helped much and I have run out of them. .

I am leaning very heavily on the promise from Deut 33 ;25

YOUR STRENGTH WILL EQUAL YOUR DAYS

There are many topics about daily life in India and current issues facing my nation which I would like to write about .Things which pierce my heart and I would like to share so that my international friends can be aware of them and pray for my country. Tell me if you are interested. My blog is pretty eclectic. I don 't stick to one particular genre. I like it this way.

Promise Keepers

They rolled in over the heavens like a maurading pack of dark horses
Our first black dangerous looking monsoon clouds
I thought they would not keep their promise
So I planned to go out
But I was stopped by a heavy down pour.
The dry earth drank to its fullest
And the plants performed a wind ballet.
Thank you for keeping your promise.
How wonderful is our God who sent us rain in due time.



But just as it started to rain our power went off and we got it after 4 hours. So the whole evening was a dud. Ha-ha!

Every night I give Sheeba 's left over food to the neighbour 's (wild) dog. Tonight as I stepped out in the dark I tripped over some pebbles and had a bad fall. I could not get up on my own. I called Jags (church helper) for help and he asisted me to get uo. My darling Sheeba tried to help by licking my face and wagging her tail and when Naughty (the wild dog) came near me, she chased him away ferociously.
I was in a lot of pain but I down played it as I did not want to alarm Mama. Having her upset would be worse. I took a pain killer so I am better now. At least the temps come down a bit.

There is no such thing as bad weather,only different kinds of good weather. -John Ruskin

Congratulations to my Niece Mahima

Congratulations Mahima. We wish you a bright and happy future as you cross this important milestone of your life and move on to University. May God guide and bless you each step of the way. We are so proud of all your achievements. You are a beautiful gift to our family.
May you glorify God always as your name means. Mom and Dad will miss you

It will be good to have brother Ashish close by

You will make new friends but will miss your HS buddies

Happy Graduation Day June 25th 2010

Bright Future

Now that you’ve graduated

Nothing can stop you now.

You’ve worked hard to get your diploma;

It’s time to take a bow.
Congratulations graduate!

Your future looks strong and bright

.May you achieve the things you hope for

And have a life of sheer delight.

A Graduation Day Poem And Memories To Cherish

It’s a time for laughter, a time for tears, when graduates walk down the isle with memories of years. Everyone is dressed up in their tasseled caps and gowns. The audience, with interest, is looking around.

There are people here from all walks of life. The graduates’ spirits are in a state of blithe. Celebrate, guests, the graduates have lived through it all. With lots of hard work, they’ve still had a ball.

When will we graduate? In kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, trade school, graduate school? Regardless where we come from, we have special memories floating around in our heads. Our first star Miss Brown put on our crayon drawing, or the pride of wearing a safety patrol badge. How about being nominated class president -- or earning a degree, completing a desired career program, getting a master’s degree.
All of these precious moments are significant life achievements that make us smile, cause us to tear up, and give us a sense of respect for who we are and what we have accomplished.
Some graduations mean more hard work and perseverance than others. But all of the occasions for graduation observance are invaluable times that will stay with us throughout our lives.
Observing graduations are very common throughout the world that we live. Holding and attending a commencement or graduation ceremony means so much to the family and friends of the honored graduate, because the guests have frequently worked with or supported the individual along the way.
Graduation cards and gifts are often given to the graduate to express the giver’s pride for the individual, and as a means of expressing congratulations. They wish the graduate well. It’s an applause, a cheer, a pat on the back, an expression of love and honor.
Graduation Day is also a time to be nervous, because of facing change. No more teachers? Maybe. No more books? Maybe. Perhaps a sense of relief is experienced, but there’s a bit of uncertainty waving in the horizon, as the graduate faces a new day coming with no anticipated structure in their lives. So what’s next? They may not know.
Kindergarten graduate, what’s new? Perhaps leaving home to attend a new strange school, which can be scary.
College graduate, what’s new? The uncertainty of what school they will be attending in what state could be filling their mind with anxiety.
Graduation Day is a time for pride, and uncertainty. It’s an observance that many plan to attend, because it is a day to remember.
The copyright of the article A Graduation Day Poem And Memories To Cherish in Traditional Holidays is owned by Mary Cox-Bilz. Permission to republish A Graduation Day Poem And Memories To Cherish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. Read more at Suite101: A Graduation Day Poem And Memories To Cherish http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/holidays_observances/76230#ixzz0rml9H6Ed

Many Happy Returns of the Day Mama

Today is my mother 's birthday and we give thanks to God for her 79 years. She has walked with God all the way holding fast to His hand although she has missed my dad for these last 6 years the Lord has been her refuge and shelter.

Today we got several phone calls from India , Canada and UK. Mom 's BIL also visited to greet her in the morning.

I asked mother what she would like to eat. She wanted mattar paneer.That is cottage cheese cubes with peas in a curry sauce. It can be eaten with rice and chapatis..

For dinner I made ham sandwiches which we had with chilled Tang. Dessert was ice cream with cold coffee. Sheeba loved it too.

My sweet friend Terry created these cards and I pinched them from her BEAUTIFUL BLOG.

Thank you so much Terry.

Its been another hot and humid day. Everyone is gazing at the sky with aching eyes and sweaty brows. The heavens appear to be made of brass. All the predictions of the monsoons are mere wishful thinking.. The monsoon has weakened in the east causing it to delay.

I just want to cool off with sweet cold drinks and several showers a day. Don' t feel like eating much. And water...water...water gallons of it.

Thank you for praying for us. The Lord made us triumph over the difficult situation. The victory belongs to him.

Choices

Sometimes God prepares us for what is coming later on in the day by a godly word. I received the following devotional in my email which calmed my spirit and made me put on the whole armour of God (Eph 6) when my mother and I came under heavy spiritual attack tonight.The Lord helped us to hold up the shield of faith to deflect the flaming arrows of the enemy.When the enemy comes like a Tsunami wave my anchor holds fast.
Thank you to THE SOLID ROCK.



I choose love . . .No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.



I choose joy . . .I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.



I choose peace . . .I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . .I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.



I choose kindness . . .I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.



I choose goodness . . .I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.



I choose faithfulness . . .Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.



I choose gentleness . . .Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . .I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self control.



Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.



From When God Whispers Your Name Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1999) Max Lucado

Aunt Virginia was moved out of Intensive care today and hopefully she will be discharged from hospital day after tomorrow.

But please keep on praying, she is being very difficult and creating problems for everyone involved in looking after her including us.

Please pray for my mother and me as we face spiritual attacks.

Sunday Blessings: A Thankful Heart from Poland

A labourer carrying bricks when our church wall was being built

Spiritual Life Convention 2010 (February)

Believers gathered for a House prayer meeting

Carrying water in a village

Children playing near a brick kiln

In his book "Drops From A Leaking Tap ' George Verwer list 7 global scourges

1. Children at risk

2. Abused women

3. The extreme poor

4. People with HIV/AIDS

5. People without clean water

6. The environment

7. The lukewarm Christian

All of the above specially the last one should move us towards prayer and action.

Zimbabwe is a vibrant young science student from Krakow in Poland. You will find her commenting regularly on my posts. She writes In Polish and I use the Google translator to read her entries.Through her blog she is witnessing for Christ and building up faith in others. Although the Google translation is not very good at times, I find her subjects are very insightful, sensitive and mature. Below is a copy of what Zimbabwe wrote a few days back. This displays her global vision and heart of compassion.

We truly have a lot to thank God for.

You can visit Zimbabwe 's blog HERE AT THIS LINK

Yesterday I watched in Internet the documentary film about children suffering from genetic illness, which makes skin very sensitive, causes painful blisters and wounds and finally the skin falls away from body.
We often don't appreciate things, which we have. We dream about marble villas, about mil ions of dollars or euros in ours accounts, about cars, about holiday in Caribbean every year... We have big dreams, we want to be like members of The Beatles, like Bill Gates, or even like ours actors from soap operas. When I was eleven – twelve years old, I had dreamt about being great writer of fantasy novels.
But in reality it isn't worth of desire of this, what have richer, more beautiful and more famous or famous in general way. It isn't worth to waste our time on dreaming about being great writer or singer or actor. When I saw this video about these ill children, I thanked God for this that I have... Skin.
I think that we should thank Him for this, that we live in the country without wars or mines on the fields, like in Afghanistan or the Congo. We should thank Him for this, that we breath, that we have something to eat, that we have our place to live... Remember, that every day almost billion of people go to sleep feeling hunger, when in this same time in ours country shelves in the shops are full of food and many people are on the slimming diet.
Last time I saw photos from Ethiopia, where Polish Protestants have a mission. The church was poor hut made from mud and branches, but these people was happy like children, despite of fact they are adult. Maybe in ours sterile conditions, with full pockets and smart suits – did we forget about simply and daily happiness from things, which we have?
Actor, singers or inventors don't have such great and heavenly life as many people think. Famous people can be rich or beautiful, but often in newspapers we can read about their painful divorces, depressions and debts. Someone who is rich outside, can be beggar in spiritual life. I'd rather to be common, ordinary person, but with spit ritual treasure.

Update

Early this (Sunday am) morning I admitted Aunt Virginia in the hospital. Two church brothers helped. She seems to be stable .
I feel much better now that she is in hospital. I will stay with her the whole day. Please continue to pray for strength and healong.

Prayers needed

Aunt Virginia is not doing very well. She is the widow of my Dad 's elder brother - about 84 years old. Last month she was hospitalized with UTI. She recovered and came back. Don 't know how much time she has left.

She is very difficult to deal with. Refuses all help. Her mind is also fading . I am doing all I can for her-everything she will accept. My mom and I are the only relatives who care. Her nieces and nephews don 't bother and don 't want to be involved. They were only interested in her stuff and money and when they got that , their attitude changed. Aunt V has 24 hr assistants , they complain of her being very difficult.

I wish my family was close by- but everyone is so far away. My mother is very nervous , stressed and anxious ( she will be 79 yrs. on June 23rd) I am worried and under tremendous pressure, but have to be strong because of my mother.

My Pastor on whom I depend is on on vacation for 10 days. There are other church people and relatives to help in the worst case scenario.
Just pray for God 's mercy.
I feel physically weak.

Need prayers desperately.My Mom is having dizzy spells because of the tension.
_____________________
Thank you for praying for the strife situation we were facing a while ago. Our friend 's attitude was changed when they returned from their trip. We communicated better. They harvested about 20 kgs of mangoes from their tree and gave us 4 magoes.

Jambulani , Vuvuzelas and the Beautiful Game

Jabulani is the name of the soccer ball

manufactured by Addidas.

The regular ball has 32 panels.

The ball for the 2006 World Cup in Germany

had 14 panels

and Jabulani , which means celebrate in Zulu

has 8 panels.

But the vuvuzela or the stadium horn is another ball game altogether.

This is no ' Little Boy Blue

Come Blow you horn' experience.

They make the most hated sound in the

world for the moment, but

that hasn 't prevented them from becoming the most

wanted FIFA memorabilia.

They are selling fast and free all over the globe.

Britain has a record breaking sale.

They are on iTunes -topping

the charts in Europe.

Does the sound of a million bees buzzing in your face sound

like music?

NewsCafe, South African pub in

New Delhi has visitors asking for them.

They sold out all 15 they had .

Maybe someone will get the

bright (blasting) idea of manufacturing

the Indian version for the Oct.2010 Commonwealth Games

to be staged in New Delhi.

Ours is called the bhonpoo

its like a vehicle horn, quite a

startling sound it makes-

enough to make the sleepiest driver sit up.

But I assure you that the bhonpoo discharges a more musical

sound.

Now if you are digging into your wallets or handbags to

buy the famed South African device

let me tell you that in Britain

it is selling at 2 Euros (Rupees 115) each

On Amazon.com you can order one for $9.99 (Rupees465)

On eBay there are more than 400 bids

for the coveted instrument.

One bid has reached $17.94 (Rupees 820)'

Oh I just read a company has ordered

10,000 vuvus for India.

Thank goodness India is a VERY HUGE country.



Now if you' ve not had the good fortune

of hearing the famed sound .

Watch this video.

One more thing.

I don' t understand why soccer is being

called ' the BEAUTIFUL GAME '

Oh yes I know Pele the superman of football called it that

in the title of his 1977 autobiography.

Soccer or football is a

game of power

raw muscles and bone,

mud, blood and studs (for the rhyme)

Well I do understand Pele' s emotion. But the word

beautiful conjures up an image of

dainty, elegant, soft skinned people

playing crochet, cards or even billiard/pool.

All the football fans out there will think

I need a penalty kick!!!

Namrita on a school hike

Thank you for praying for Namrita.
She is much better since yesterday.
Sounds cheerful on the phone.
As a result of our prayers
God applied the balm of Gilead on
her .

++++++++++++

Yesterday we had a power cut for more than
7 hours
(the entire day).
Today 's lasted 5 hours.
But the voltage is very low.
Sometimes the sky is sprayed with
fleecy clouds.
We are waiting for the rains.'
I give Sheeba baths
and try to cool off with frozen iced water
Today I made iced tea.

______________

This is been a blasting post.
And I want to end by saying that
we may avoid the buzz of the vuvuzelas
but no one will be able to hide from the trumpet call
when Christ descends on earth to gather
His people. Even the dead shall awake!

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

I Thess 4 ;16-18 (New Testament)

So Jubilate!