Listen to Ryan Pitman

Ryan Pittman's Touching Testimony from ourprecioussavior on GodTube.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
1 Corinthians 1 (New  Testament)

True Humility
read›

Philippians 2:1-4
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of
others as better than yourselves (v.3).

The story is told of a man who was so humble
that his city council decided to honor him with
medallion for his humility. A week after the award
ceremony, the award had to be withdrawn. Much to
the embarrassment of the council, the man had brashly
worn the medallion everywhere he went. This humorous
story reminds me of what mystery writer Helen Nielsen
once wrote: “Humility is like underwear, essential, but
indecent if it shows.” According to Bible teacher John
Stott, humility is “the rarest and fairest of all Christian
virtues.” It’s also the chief Christian virtue because it’s the
exact opposite of the worst of sins—pride.

So, is true humility possible? What does it look like?
In Philippians 2, Paul gives us a portrait of the humble
person. He presents four attitudes that help us understand
true humility—two negatives to avoid and two positives
to follow. Humble people . . .

• are not selfish (v.3). They do “nothing out of selfish
ambition” (v.3 NIV). They aren’t self-centered.

• do not “try to impress others” (v.3). They do “nothing
out of vain conceit” (v.3 NIV). They don’t seek glory for
themselves.

• are always “thinking of others as better than
[themselves]” (v.3). They see the great value in others.

• don’t “look out only for [their] own interests, but take
an interest in others, too” (v.4). They balance the needs
of others with their own needs.

To be humble, we need to move away from “self” to “others”—pursuing
lowliness (v.3) and helpfulness (v.4). Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe
succinctly summed it up: “The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of
himself; he simply does not think of himself at all!”

—K.T. Sim

more›
How did Jesus demonstrate His humility as revealed in Philippians
2:5-8?
next›
How would you grade yourself on how well you’re avoiding selfish
ambition and vainglory, while also thinking of others positively and
putting their needs before your own? What needs to change?

Source http://www.godtube.com/

The 12 Dogs of Christmas

Enjoy  his  cute  video. Its  in  book  form  too.

12 Dogs Of Christmas

On the ______ day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A Poodle in a doghouse
2 St. Bernards
3 Cocker Spaniels
4 Basset Hounds
5 Golden Retrievers
6 Boxers Boxing
7 Huskies Howling
8 Sheepdogs snoring
9 Chihuahuas chomping

10 Dalmatians dancing
11 Labs a  singing
12 A CAT!

Our Princess  Gaga aka Sheeba  has  her  birthday  on Dec  25th. The  pet  shop  couldn 't  specify  a  date  so  we  chose  Christmas Day.  She  was  a  gift  from  my  sister Anjali  and  BIL Prem  10  years  ago. She  will be  70  years  according   to  dog  years.
Happy Birthday  Princess  Gaga

Sunday Blessings - The Lonely Christian

Lately  I  've   been  going  through  some  trials and  this  quote sent  by  a  friend blessed  me. When  Jesus  stepped  onto  the  earth  as Emmanuel,  God  with  us,  He  also  choose  loneliness.


The Loneliness of the Christian

“The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

“The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

“It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.”

AW Tozer
 
My  blog  friend  John  Cowart  is  an  author of  repute he inspired  me  to  start  blogging . He  made a great Christmas video   called  CHRISTMAS  IN  A  TIN  BOX
Please  visit  his  blog  and  watch  him  tell  the  Christmas  story in  his  own   way.

Riding the Storm

This is a comfort to me

Someone To Say I Love You

I  love  you   is  welcome  even  in pet  language.
Watch   this   cute  video.  Sheeba   likes  it  too.

Need an Isolation Retreat

I  am  not   too  good  these  days.

Got   a  cold  and  feel  rather  low.

In  times  like  these  I  want  to  go  into  an

isolation  retreat in   a monastery.

In   the  begining  of  September  I   helped  my  friend  Diana  in  a  Bible  School  Project.  Here  is   a  short  video clipping from  our  classes.

Wisdom From India- Buddhism

Just  like  eating  pizza  with a  tandoori chicken topping,  post  modernism offers  a mish  mash mix  of  all  kinds  of  philosophies  served  in  a  viable and  attractive   form,  just  take   what  suits  you  and leave  the rest  sort  of   format. Here  east meets  west and  creates a new  color or  genre which  is  almost  foreign to  the  east  where  the  thinking  or  philosophy  might  have  originated.

Take  for  example the post modern  yoga  which  is  being marketed  to the  West by  techno  and  business savvy  gurus.It is  very  different  from  the  classic  yoga  as  it  is  known in India. And  so  it  is  with  the  other  religions   and  philosophies being  exported  for  western  consumption.

Noted  Indian philosopher,  author and speaker  of International  acclaim, Vishal  Mangalwadi , discusses  some  of  these  topics . I  will  share   some  of  his   short  videos.

I  am reading his  book called  The  book that   Changed  Your  World (see side bar).

Street Food in a North Indian City

I  saw  this  video featuring  street  food  in  the  old  and  very  congested  part  of my  city (Allahabad) I  come  here   sometimes  to  buy  spices  and  groceries.  These  two  guys  from  the  TV  show,  Highway On  My Platter are  travelling  all over  India  exploring  all  kinds of   eating  places  from  roadside  dhabas  (kiosks) to  moderately  priced   restaurants. They  have  published  a  very  delectable   book by  the  same  name which I  wish  to  buy.
 This   is  the  famous  Loke-Nath  street.

Today' s newspaper  tells  me  that   eating  hot  spicy  curries can  help  one  lose weight.  Scientists   say  that  cayenne  pepper,  the   key  ingredient  in  hot  curries  raises    body  temperature which helps  burn  calories (Daily  Express). They   also  found  that  appetite  levels  decreased in  subsequent  meals.
Well  , I  like  a   hot  green  chili  or  two  with  my food.
Hope   that  helps me  shed  a  few pounds.
But  too   much  spicy  and hot   food  can  give  you   stomach  ulcers ,  moderation  should  be  exercised.
+++++++++++++++

We' ve  had  rain showers  now  and  then with stretches of  hot  and  humid  days.
Our   garden  and   church campus   is  sprouting wild  grass  and  shrubs.  Its  a  struggle  to  keep  it   clean and  under  control.

Sin  and  short comings  sprout  up  in  our  hearts  and  we  have to  spot  them  and  root  them out  before  they  take  root.

We  have   a promise  in the  BIBLE

For  sin  shall   not have dominion over  you;  for you  are  not  under  the  law  but  under  grace.

Romans 6:14

Listen to the Falling Rain

My  cousin' s  teenage  daughter

baked this  cake  for  my mother.

They  visited  us   after  a  long time

that  made  it  even  more  special.

This  little fellow  was  enjoying

the  worship  music  at the  retreat.

He  brought  his  toy  guitar

to play  along.

The  advent  of  the  monsoons  has  brought  us

refreshment  and respite but  a rise  in  everyday  problems too.

Read  this  report  published

in  Times  of  India

 (  these miniature cement

sculptures are  by

a Western artist)

ALLAHABAD: Denizens of the city faced numerous problems owing to extensive waterlogging, as the rains lashed the city on Sunday night and Monday. It was a virtual doom, as many areas of the city were submerged in almost knee deep water.

As a result, traffic in different parts of the city was not only affected, but also came to a grinding halt, as people faced problems, while negotiating their way through the waterlogged streets. The rains have also categorically exposed the tall claims of the Allahabad Municipal Corporation regarding comprehensive arrangements to tackle the problem of waterlogging.

The condition of roads, which have been dug up for the laying of underground sewage pipelines further deteriorated. The slush caused hardships for the commuters and the schoolchildren going to their school.

The problem was acute in the areas of Rambagh, Bengali Tola, Kydganj, Chaukhandi, Allahpur, Mumfordganj, Baghambari Gaddi, Alopibagh, Chowk, Rani Mandi, Nakhas Kohna, Dara Shah Ajmal, Bahadurganj, Khuldabad, Muthiganj, Chak, Colonelganj, Subzi Mandi, Attarsuiya, Daraganj and other areas of the city. In Bengali Tola and Rambagh, people had to wade through knee deep water. Different lanes and bylanes of the locality was filled with water. People were keeping a close watch on the level of water, lest it enter their houses.

Speaking about the woes afflicting the residents of the area, Abha Dwivedi, corporator of Rambagh says, "There is problem of water logging every time, whenever there is rainfall. The problem is acute in the area of Bengali Tola, which always gets filled with water even during slight drizzle."She rued that the area is not properly cleaned, due to absence of adequate number of sanitary workers.

Besides, the area of Allahpur also witnessed heavy water-logging. Various lanes of Baghambari Gaddi Housing Scheme was filled with water. Due to the non cleaning of some portion of Dandiya Nala, water did not drain out and it caused water logging in some portions of Allahpur. The problem was more acute in Alopibagh, where the work of constructing sanitary chambers is going on. A truck turned turtle here causing traffic problems in the area.
Roads of some areas of the city including Ashoknagar have also caved in. Some of the cattle in the area also died due to electric current during the rains.

At Mumfordganj, residents of MIG Colony complained that silt along the main drain of the locality has not been lifted. The silt has once gain fallen into the drain due to which there was problem of water-logging.

The problem deteriorated in Dara Shah Ajmal locality, where water entered in many houses of the area. This area always faces this problem as it is located on a lower topography compared to the surrounding localities.
(Times  of  India)
___________________
I  am  not  venturing  out  much because  the  slippery  roads  and  puddles   makes  walking   difficult  for  me. I  don 't   have  a  car. A helper  does  small  jobs  for  me.

But God' s  grace  is  sufficient  for  us . Like  gentle  rain drops   of God 's  grace  fails  into  our  lives.

Last  week   the  government  announced  another increase in fuel  and  cooking  gas  prices. Which   means prices  of   all  essential  commodities  and  food   will  jump  up  again. The  whole  of  India  is in  uproar  at this. Transport  will  become  more  expensive. The  hole   in  my   pocket  is  getting   larger.

A  Christian brother who  runs  an  orphanage in Calcutta  says   it  will  be  difficult to  feed  his  90  children. All  protein based  food has  become  very  expensive.  Its  so  hard  for   the  destitute and  backward people. The  rich  don 't  care.  They  have  plenty  in reserve.

According  to  UN  surveys India  ranks  high  on  the  world  hunger  index.  More  people   go  to  sleep  hungry  in India  than on  the   continent of  Africa they  say.

Read   an  IBN 7  news report HERE


Well,  all  this   is  pretty  depressing  so  let  me  end   with this  video. I  used  to   listen to  this  rain song on  SLBC (Shri  Lanka Broadcasting  Cooperation  Radio) in my  teens.  I discovered  it  on  YouTube. Maybe  you  remember  it  too.

Sunday Blessings - The Harvest Is Plentiful

The  enervating  heat  and humidity  did  not  lessen  the  zeal and  enthusiasm of some 300 young  people ( ranging from  a  few  months  to  50) from  coming  together  for   2 days of  day retreat. The  Assembly of  Believers held  this  event  in  our  church. This  is  a  vibrant   and  growing  church with  branches  in  different  parts of  our  city. We  were  glad  to   provide  them  with  our  facilities  and  cooperation.

The  theme  asked  a question.

Are  you  on Faithbook?

A  friend  request  from Jesus.

The  church  hall  was  jam packed .

There was  worship, teaching,

drama,  music, talent display,

face painting, quiz and

a  treasure  hunt.

A very  simple  lunch of  dal(lentils)  and  rice

was  served  to  all.

On  both days lunch was  delayed

by 2  hours as the  cooks were  slow,

but  no one  complained,

not  even  the  tiny  tots.

Their  mums   gave  them  cookies  to 

munch while  waiting.

A  worship  dance

Face  painting time

You had  to  display  a  Biblical  truth

No  one  is painting my face.

For  the judges  to  see.

Another  group of  musical worship

These  damsels  came   to our  house  to

make  friends  with Sheeba

Sheeba  was  over joyed  with

all  the   attention  she  got

Here is  another  cutie

Many  people made  new  commitments

to the  Lord

and  believers  re-affirmed  their   faith.

The  Sunday School   kids  on  stage

The  parents  of this  11  month old  boy  sat

in  our  living  room everyday

to  feed  him.

They  are  a  beautiful couple.

Watch  these  videos  to  catch of  spirit.

he (Jesus) said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew  9; 37,38 BIBLE (ESV)

We  invite  you  to support  our  ministry  in whatever  way  you  can.

The Royal Band Baaja Baraat ( Wedding)

Today  all  eyes  and  TV  sets  will  be  tuned  in  to  the Royal  Wedding.We  all  want   a  bit  of  fun  and  celebration. In  India  the  wedding  interest  is  high.

I  remember the  wedding   of  Charles  and  Diana.

I  was   a student  then and  since  TV had  not  yet

reached  our  city, I  heard   the  commentary  on  BBC  World  Service radio

and  baked   cookies.

No  one  can  beat  the  British

Pomp and Circumstance.

This  is  the Queen 's  official  approval of  the  wedding.

Today  is  nephew Ash 's  birthday,

so  double reason  to  celebrate.

I  going  to  make     English  muffins

and tea.  Put  out   some  Indian canapes,

and  don my   straw hat to get  into   the spirit.

A  Pastor  and his  wife are  attending

their  church  council  meetings,

so  their  daughter  Pinky

who  is  physically  and  educationally

challenged spends  the  day   with us.

She  is  fun company.

Pinky  wants  to  see the  Wedding Show  too.

Pinky  is  grown  up but  she  is  like  an

innocent sweet  child,  so gentle hearted

and  caring. Every  morning she goes to

a  nursery school  to  assist  a  teacher.

She loves  children.

She  is  also  writing  her  special education  exams.

P.S.

Watched  the whole  show  this  afternoon.

Good   fun.

The  part  I  liked best  was  the  procession  after  the

church ceremony  in the 

horse drawn  royal  coaches.

It  was  a  fairy tale wedding.

Did  you   watch  it?

What  was  your  favourite  part?

Watch  this  video.

Sunday Blessings -Songs Of Redemption

Yesterday I attended a Christian Rock Music concert called Redemption II. It was organized by a group of University students who call themselves Youth Arise.

The first artist was Benny Prasad from Bangalore.  (Check  his linked  website) He has a world record for visiting 245 countries in a very short time. You can read his powerful testimony on his website.

This 35 year old man suffers from a rare disease. 60 % of his lungs were damaged and he has arthritis - he said his fingers were broken. Doctors told him he would die at the age of 16. Discouraged and disheartened with life he was contemplating suicide when he met God and he was healed and blessed with the gift of music.

His scientist father hated and abused Benny because he was not doing well in his studies and was a failure in life. He could not accept his weak son.

At this point of his testimony Benny said something which touched my heart. He said his father was good in his own way (because all parents want their children to do well in life) but he was not right because he rejected his useless sick son. That struck a chord in my heart.

Parents can be good but not right. Indian parents specially should pay heed to this. Children are put under undue academic and other pressure to succeed in life and fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

Now Benny is the pride of not only his family but also India as he travels all over the world sharing his testimony and playing his custom made guitar for the glory of God. He has performed with the top musicians of the world.

He has played at the Viking Festival in Norway. The FIFA World Cup and the Greece Olympics. What a life! I relate with Benny specially because of his physical challenges.

Another group called Adonai led us in worship both in English and Hindi.

There were close to a thousand people in the audience. Mostly college students.

Everybody was enjoying the soul stirring music.

Above is Manjit Joseph the last performer. Hi s version of Petra 's Our God is an Awesome God really brought us close to heaven and I felt like a 16 year old in the middle of the college crowd. LOL.

Its amazing to how how these talented musicians have dedicated their music for the glory of God.

.

ADONAI

Manjit Joseph