My Terrace Garden and the Shade Net House!

This week I was so busy setting up my shade net house on my house terrace, I thought I will write about it. Ever since I moved to the upstairs portion of my house, around 2008, I have been dreaming of a terrace garden and growing vegetables and greens on my terrace. More so because the ground was now not accessible except to park the car and go out of the house.

The dream came true in 2013 when I met a lady at Forum, who was dealing with trays and coco peat, and setting up of the terrace gardens for beginners like me. I grabbed the opportunity and bought some 10 trays, filled them up with coco peat and dribbled the seeds, ably assisted by that lady and her assistant, in this case her own driver!

Wow, very soon my terrace garden abounded with tomatoes, brinjal, chillies, beans and greens like spinach, mint, coriander, and root vegetables like carrot, beet and radish. I merrily went harvesting every now and then, used them and also distributed them to my dear friends! I felt so abundantly blessed! I even grew cabbage, green capsicum and cherry tomatoes!

I set up a ‘Kamba,’ three mud pots stacked up one above the other to dump all my wet kitchen waste, and was set on my way to make my own compost at home! I wouldn’t let any kitchen waste go ‘waste,’ but wait for to fall, and gather them as if they were the precious gold itself!

By late 2015, I wonder whether it was my interest that waned or the plants started to wilt under pest attacks, the terrace garden was not doing very well. My ‘Kamba’ was also not doing great as fruit flies abounded and settled in my kitchen and I can assure you it was not a pretty sight.

I had very bravely kept the ‘Kamba’ on the balcony, and accumulated kitchen waste for a day or two in the kitchen itself, before emptying into it. That must have given the flies an opportunity to multiply and spread! So that venture stopped for all practical purposes, by last September.

In the meanwhile I had started to grow flowering plants in pots on the terrace. There were different varieties of hibiscus, geraniums, and some bougainvillea. It was disheartening to see some of these plants wilt in the scorching summer heat of March and April.

These two months are unusually hot in Bangalore, even hotter than Chennai! However by May 15^th temperature in Bangalore will usually come down due to South-West monsoon showers, whereas the temperature in Chennai will shoot up due to ‘agni nakshatra!’ (the fiery star!) This is a point of great debate and show down between my brother, who lives in Chennai and me!

So this summer, when the heat seemed to cross 32 degree Celsius even in February, I planned to put up a shade net for my dear terrace plants. By the beginning of March efforts were taken to procure the material and so on, but it started shaping up only during the Holy Week and was finally put up by Easter.

By March 15^th the temperature shot up to 36 degrees, unheard of in the recent past! It was higher than Chennai at least by 2-3 degrees! But then my plants are under the shade right now and am sure will weather the heat of the oncoming April month. Am I glad and satisfied! Yes definitely! 

Now I can get more flowering plants and also grow some of my favorite vegetables, after I renew their soil by applying fresh coco peat mixed with compost. My failure to do so might have resulted in the stunted growth of the vegetable plants and the pest attack. Well, time to rectify that.

I went and bought some hose pipe today to water all my plants upstairs. Added exercise of course! All set to have a great terrace garden and abundant supply of vegetables, greens and flowers, all under the protective shade of the shade net house!

Living in a concrete jungle of a city? Not to worry, you can grow a lovely garden on your terrace! Got no terrace, but live in a flat sandwiched between two floors? No problems, you can always use the available balcony space to grow a garden! Even that is not available? Then you just wait for idea of the vertical gardens to become popular, and then you can grow plants on your very walls!

God given fresh air and sun are there to grow fresh vegetables and be healthy by eating them, the very organic vegetables. In Bangalore it is a rage today to have a terrace garden and grow one’s own vegetables and even fruits like banana and oranges.

There is a movement in Bangalore, started by private individuals like Dr. Viswanath Kadur and encouraged by government in the Horticulture department, called ‘Oota from your thota.’ It literally means ‘food from your garden.’ Quite a popular venture, I would say, looking at the number of people successfully adopting this all over Bangalore.  

Want to dirty your hands with gardening, wherever you are? Go ahead and do so, you lose nothing but chemically treated and colored vegetables and greens.

Hurrah to home gardening and all the resultant healthy living!

May God bless you in your new endeavor!  

Easter wishes!

Happy Easter, my friends! 

This is not a blog, but just taking the time to wish. 

         Jesus rose from the dead.
         And He is living, so 
         we will rise up too
         on the last day!
         So wait for that great day! 

Happy Easter! 

Meet with you on 30th March, through my blog, 
Till then bye, and keep well!

“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”

Yes, that was the prophecy of Prophet Joel! God promised that before the End Times, when God will judge the people, He will pour out His Spirit on all people. Joel 2:28-29. Young and old, sons and daughters, menservants and maidservants, will all receive God’s outpouring of Spirit and as a result prophecy, dream dreams and see visions, the promise assured.

On His resurrection, before being taken away to heavens, Jesus Christ asked His disciples not to go from Jerusalem, but to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, when they will receive power to be His witnesses all over the world. Acts 1: 4, 8. These prophecies were fulfilled fifty days after the resurrection of Christ and 10 days after His ascension, when 120 disciples had gathered in the Upper room in Jerusalem, united in prayer.

At that time heavens opened and a violent wind came and filled the house and it is said that what appeared as tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each of them and they spoke in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-3. This was the first mighty Holy Spirit outpouring and is called Pentecost.

The Israel in Old Testament time celebrated Pentecost 50 days after Passover, as a thanksgiving festival for the harvested crops. In the New Testament Pentecost, God prepared His people for the harvest of souls, to be gathered into His Kingdom, inaugurated by Jesus Christ.

In the last blog we saw that the Holy Spirit was active through the centuries and is presently also is active in various parts of the world bringing in revival in His wake. In this blog I wish to deal in detail two of the 20^th century awakenings, which spread to the whole world as the Pentecostal movement, bringing revival to nearer home.

It all started with Welsh Revival in 1904. A young Pastor Evan Roberts, a coal miner, had spent 13 years praying for the Holy Spirit to control him and his life. His constant prayer to the Lord was ‘Bend me.’ In 2004 he was repeatedly awakened at 1 AM and he prayed and spent his time with the Lord till 5 AM. God used him to ignite the spark of Welsh revival.

1,00,000 people were converted in the Welsh revival and the chapel was filled to capacity. It spread like wild fire, touching the coal miners. Profane swearing, so common among coal miners stopped; it is said that the donkeys of the coal miners, which were so used to their swearing were confused over the commands, which suddenly came devoid of swearing! Moral recovery of people spread.

All day prayers were held; evening prayers went on till 4 in the morning. The coal miners attended the service till 4 am and then went home, got ready and went for their daily work as usual. Young people responded eagerly. It was a time of confession, humiliation before God and prayer, through out England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. When Evan the Pastor said, ‘Let us pray,’ everyone in the congregation started to pray simultaneously and loudly.

Pastor Evan proclaimed just four points as the message he received from God for the people. 1. You must confess any known sin and put any wrong done to man right again. 2. You must put away any doubtful habit. 3. You must obey the Spirit promptly and 4. You must confess and express your faith publicly.

Social impact of the revival was tremendous. Drinking came by half and many taverns declared bankruptcy as they lost customers to revival! Crime came down by half and the policemen who had no work joined the crowds and attended the church! Judges had not many cases to decide and were almost without work!

The Welsh revival stayed till 1906 and gradually wore off, but the effect on the people stayed for generations to come and influenced the world over.

The next important revival in the Twentieth century was that of Azusa Street Revival, which started in 1906 at Los Angeles. The Lord used a black Pastor William Seymour here mightily. Seymour was the son of a slave, had fought in the civil war in the Union army and was blind on one eye, but he was simple and humble, the meekest of men.

After years of sojourn elsewhere, he led a small group of African American Christian people, basically a Black church, in all night prayers in California. One by one this group got baptized in the Spirit in a few days.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the infilling of God, operating in a person, with manifestations in tongues. Speaking in Tongues is nothing but our own spirits joining with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, to talk with God in spiritual language. Other signs like miracles follow.

In one year the people attending the services rose to 13,000 people. Suddenly the unimaginable happened; the black and white worshipers merged and became one! Blood of Jesus washed away the color line! Miracles of healing followed. They moved to a building at 312 Azusa Street, which was used as a stable to store hey and house life-stock!  

It was a holiness movement. People cleansed their lives. There were seven hours of prayers and the Pastor preached from Acts 2:2-4. For three years three times of the day the services went on continuously; it was the move of the Spirit of God. People heard the heavenly choir singing during these services; their own church had no choir or music and no instrument!

From all over the world people came to attend these services and carried the fire back to their own churches and revivals broke everywhere. It is said that 600 million people were touched world-wide by this revival, as many Pentecostal denominations and charismatic movements of today trace their roots to Azusa Street Revival.

In this revival, as in others, people were led into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ; people began to study the Word of God with sincerity; they became convicted of their own sinfulness and wept with passion seeking forgiveness. On receiving such forgiveness from Christ, they surrendered their lives to Him. The Holy Spirit baptized them and signs and miracles followed. It is a Spirit led movement, impossible for man to start or to quench.

The end days are near, as the prophecies in the Bible are getting fulfilled one by one. Revival in Kansas City is one of these sparks, where people are still receiving the infilling of the Spirit, 20 years after it all started. Second coming of Jesus and the judgment are closer to us than ever.

Are we ready to face Jesus Christ, who will judge our eternal fate? To be or not to be, is the question. To accept Christ is to be with Him and share eternal life with Him; not to be would be to eternally be cut off from the life source of all, Jesus Christ, and languish in eternal darkness.

Which one will it be for you? The decision is always yours. God help you to decide well. 

Revival - Does it lead to Conversions?

I am still on conversions. The relevant question is how does ‘conversion’ happen?

By a magic wand or for economic considerations like education and employment opportunities or improvement of status in a hierarchical society ridden with caste or just for meeting the basic needs like food – rice and wheat or luxuries like chocolates and biscuits? If conversions happen for any of the above reasons, other than induced by a magic wand, it is still alright, but it does speak badly of that society from which they converted, for it is clear that these basic needs of such people were not met in that society.

Be that as it may, is it possible that conversions could happen through the interference by a supernatural force, a power to reckon with? Can we say that God Himself has been and is behind these conversions? It is in this connection that I went through some literature on the great Revival movements in history, God bringing in people into His fold.

Especially so when I keep reading about scores of people in the war-torn Middle East embracing Christ, not because of any evangelism by Christian missionaries, let alone biscuits and chocolates, for such efforts will be nipped in the bud, and the evangelist murdered mercilessly. Still Muslim people are coming to Christ, their faith being built up by miracles, healing and visions of Jesus Himself. That is amazing to say the least.

Revival in the Christian sense refers to a spiritual awakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer. There is a resurgence of love for God and Christ; an appreciation for God’s holiness and desire to be holy; a passion for His Word, as it is written in the Bible and for His church; a convicting awareness of personal and corporate sin; a desire for repentance; a spirit of humility and a general growth in righteousness.

Such revivals are initiated by the move of God, who sends His Holy Spirit to kindle the flame of love for God and His ways. A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers takes place, leading to restoration of relationship with God. The church becomes active and full; people flock to the church, for prayers, for Bible study and just to feel His palpable presence.

Over the centuries there have been many such spiritual uprisings which have left permanent mark on society. Bible talks about revival during the reign of Josiah, the King of Judah, in the seventh century BC and the Maccabeus Revolt of 1^st century BC.

The first century after Christ saw the great outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles and disciples of the resurrected Jesus Christ, who had assembled in the upper room, lost in worship and prayer. Acts 2:2-4 describe blowing of violent wind and tongues of fire which came to rest upon each of them and they began to speak in other tongues (languages) as the Spirit enabled them.

Wherever these disciples went miracles, healing and manifestations of supernatural power happened and a strong church came to be in spite of strict opposition and persecution from Romans and Jews. Power of God moved through them and behind them and thousands and ten thousands of people was converted and became Christ-followers. It was then called ‘The Way.’

After Reformation of the 16^th century, spear headed by Martin Luther and others, which itself was empowered by the Holy Spirit, many movements happened over the centuries. In 17^th century Covenanters brought in the Revivals in Scotland and Ulster, which spread to Virginia and Pennsylvania and is credited with having led America to War of Independence and the Civil war to abolish slavery. Thousands and ten thousands converted.

The 18^th century Methodist Revival led by John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley and friend George Whitefield, brought in stability to society and care of the downtrodden and poor during industrial revolution. Most of them embraced Christ and His love, being converted in their own spirits. It led to abolition of slavery in England and then in all her colonies as well.

Germany had its own Pietism, which sent the first missionaries of Ziegenbalg and Plutschau to Tanquebar (Tharangambadi) in South India in 1706. They pioneered translation of Bible in the local language and spread the Gospel, the Good news about Christ in the area, which after their time, led to wave after wave of conversions, which I had mentioned in my previous blog.  

The West and especially America had wave after wave of such Revivals since 18^th century onwards. The Great Awakening of 1730s and 40s, led by Jonathan Edwards brought in great religions fervor among the people and masses converted. The Second Awakening came in 1800-1850s which led social legislation on abolition, temperance and women’s rights. It led to a change in mind set about Christianity and God and His plan for humanity.

The Third Awakening was in 1870 to 1900, brought in Holiness movement, Christian perfection with renewed emphasis on prayer, Bible study and church attendance. It also brought in Social Gospel, desiring to lift God’s people from poverty, sin and crime to a better livelihood.

In the 20^th century, the most important revival took place in Welsh in 1904 with Evan Roberts leading 1,00,000 converts in a year. The next most important was that of Azusa Street led by a black pastor William Seymour, in 1906, which pioneered almost all of the Pentecostal churches of the world today. I will devote more time and space for these two revivals in my next blog.

The important thing to note is when these revivals happened, mooted by the Holy Spirit of God, through a devoted servant of God, society changed for the better, and hundreds and thousands and millions of people were converted and brought into the family of God and into close relationship with Him. That is how conversions happen.

Conversions are not made by human effort or by giving biscuits and chocolates. It is a move by God Himself and when it is so, no one can stop it, until one day the whole world hears His Voice and those who respond are brought into His family. 

Fire fell on earth from Heaven? Is Pentecost outpouring still on?

If someone told me that fire fell on earth from heaven in a revival meeting I would definitely not believe it. Fire? Falling from heaven? No way. Well, it did happen on Pentecost Day in the first century AD, when tongues of fire came from heaven and rested on the heads of each of the 120 disciples of Jesus Christ, who were in prayer in the upper room in Jerusalem. But now? In 21^st century? No way!

In a world that has turned topsy-turvy, with gay marriages ordained to be held in churches with the full approval of the State and the supreme judicial bodies; with Satan worship openly being performed; with morality gone to winds and family bonds breaking, with children being raised in broken families;

Corruption becoming the core of any and every political organization; corruption ruling the roost of business houses; nations rising against nations for oil and domination and political power; refugees running from country to country in search of a safe place to live and raise their children; the rich exploiting the working classes and hoarding more riches, whereas the poor are oppressed and crushed under the shoes of the rich;

In the name of terrorism, Christians are targeted and killed, young and old, including the new born babies; these are the days of ‘ghar vapasi’ (return home to Hinduism), forced on the poor Christian people in India and burning of a pastor at stake in Nepal, and many such atrocities against Christians.

How can God be active in such a situation in the world and pour out His Spirit or fire from heaven on earth? Is it possible at all? If I were God who had created this world and the human beings, I would just turn my face away and wash off my hands of humans and ruin they had brought to the world.

God being what He is, loving, caring and kind and long-suffering and patient does not give up like that. Out of all this mess we have created, God in Christ is trying to bring out something good and is looking for people and places that remain loyal to him to manifest His power and glory. How else do you explain the revival fire that has been happening in some parts of the world? 

When I started to read the book “I saw the Smithton Outpouring,” written by a witness to the event, Ron McGatlin, given to me by a friend of mine, I was still very skeptical. One hears all sorts of miracles and prophecies from Pentecost churches or the Charismatic Pentecost Evangelists. Some of them are anything but godly and many are expert smooth talkers, who fleece their obedient flock, especially the naive and single women. So what is new in this was my attitude.

I was in for a shock. I never expected to read about such supernatural things happening in today’s world that too in USA. This revival started to happen in a small church in a nondescript farm town in Missouri called Smithton Community Church. Pastor Steve Gray and his wife Kathy Gray have been praying for 12 years and making the tiny congregation of 180 people out of a population of 532 people ready for a revival.

As nothing happened and heavens looked like bronze, in desperation the Pastor went out to a church, Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida, USA, where such revival had broken. And on 24^th March 1996, as he returned and walked up to his wife to greet her, who was on the podium of the church conducting the evening service, “a bolt of spiritual life and power struck Steve like lightening from heaven. He began to jump and shout and twirl, literally supercharged with the life of God,” reads the book. The fire had fallen.

People became hungry for God’s presence, His word, with eagerness to change their life and be holy as the One who called them was holy. Week end after week end Pastor Gray preached and music played and the small church was filled to its brim with people thirsting for God’s presence and supernatural healing and change of heart.  

The fire continued to burn the next five years and visitors from far off countries like Japan, Korea and Singapore trooped in to get a taste of it. From almost all the States of America people flocked in. The church shifted for want of space to Kansas city in Missouri in 2000 and started with fresh vigor. The Fire kept burning all the muck away from people’s lives. By 2001 it developed into World Revival Church, with world-wide ministry. It is still burning.

The message of this revival is ‘give to God all that belong to Him,’ that is, yourself. Give your heart to Him, for He asks for nothing less and ‘be holy.’

I found out that the church is celebrating 20^th Anniversary of the falling of the fire from heaven on March 31 to 3 April this year. Ah, how I wish I could visit that church and get rubbed with a little of that revival fire! How great that will be!

Want to come along?

 

The Question of ‘Conversion’ in India

Till my college days, including that of post graduation, I never had any inkling of being a convert or someone different from the other Indian friends. All my friends at that time were Brahmins and Hindus. They went to temples and I went to church, that was all the difference I could tell or they could fathom. However, once I joined the Service, the difference was thrown at my face. My colleagues, well educated and well placed upper caste Hindus, taunted me saying after all people like me are the rice-Christians.

It took me some research to even find out what they meant! Then I realized that these people are calling the Christians, who were in any case converts from the original Hindus, were attracted to convert Christianity, by inducements like rice, biscuits or chocolates, provided by the then missionaries. So I learnt that there could be rice Christians, biscuit Christians and chocolate Christians, let alone brown Christians!

To delve on some family history, my family from Nagercoil, was converted during 18^th century, 1799 to be precise, by the missionary activities of local preachers like David Sundaranandan in the area now called Thirunelveli. The foreign missionary, who was active at that time in south India, based in Tarangambadi (Tranquebar) was Benjamin Schultze.[1] It was a mass movement. And persecution followed. In spite of it village after village turned to Christ. It was due to the move of His Spirit.

I am the seventh generation Christian of that tradition set in 18^th century. If it was initiated by some gift of rice or biscuits or chocolates, will such a transition survive this long and not just survive but thrive? My family can boast of preachers, teachers, pastors and District Superintends. My own grandfather was the District Superintend of the churches in Nagercoil, having started his ministry as pastor in Marthandam.

Even if it were to be so, that my ancestors converted because of some material benefits, I am still happy we converted, from people who do not know what gods they worship to people who know the Lord God whom they worship. That is a great transition; from people who walked in darkness to people who walk in the light.

Coming to the point, what is this debate on conversion? Why is it such a hot topic? Why is such animosity from the Hindus, especially from the well educated and well placed Hindus, of course belonging to the upper castes? What is the threat they perceive behind such conversions that they hate it so much? What is the psychological fear that lurks in their minds that they want to stamp away such transformations? Any logical reason one can fathom?

Well, without entering into the legal aspects of Anti-conversion laws that have become so common in India these days, I would like to point out the Constitutional guarantee provided for in Indian Constitution. Article 25 of the Constitution states that, “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health.” The right to profess, practice and propagate one’s own religion is guaranteed as a fundamental right of every citizen of India.  

The communal or fascist political parties see it differently. They do not like the term ‘right to propagate’ one’s religion. And they have brought in Anti-conversion Laws in the country, starting with the State of Orissa in 1967, followed by the States of Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Anti-conversion laws presume forced or induced conversions, especially to Christianity, exactly like the missionaries of yester years, who were supposed to have given biscuits or rice or chocolates to induce one to convert! Now Government in India and some States like Tamil Nadu are supplying free rice, free sugar, free wheat to its citizens. Wonder to what they are converting such poor people! To secularism or may be to democracy or is it to Hinduism?

After Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the centre in 2014, there have been many incidents of violence against minorities, mainly Christians and Muslims, Dalits (the Outcastes) and women. The present Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister in Gujarat, allowed Muslims to be massacred and driven away from that state. Today he is letting his party workers do such atrocities all over the country, without not so much as a word of condemnation or assurance of proper inquiry or punishment of the guilty.

Christian Pastors have been harassed, killed, humiliated and threatened not even to conduct their weekly worship services. Recently a video of a pastor in Utter Pradesh, whose head was half-shaved and made to ride a donkey, while being taunted and ridiculed by an angry crowd of Bajrang Dal activists, went viral. The offence? He was converting people by force. Proof? Nothing but concocted stories.

All over the country poor Christian are being forced or threatened to come back to the fold of Hinduism, a movement sponsored by BJP, called “Ghar Vapasi” (Return Home). Lots of incentives are offered, including rice/wheat, money and household articles. Again, educated and highly placed upper caste Hindus approve of such actions, saying “they did it then, let our people do it now!”

After condemning the missionaries for converting people by giving rice, biscuits, chocolates, how is that the Hindus are doing the same now? You condemn corruption in others, but if the situation provides an opportunity, you also indulge in corruption! How right is that? Is there integrity in such an act, let alone honesty? It is a spineless and cowardly response of a desperate population.

But why are they so desperate? Why are they so worried over conversions to other religions, especially to Christianity? Is it just a move to consolidate the Hindu vote by the political party? But then why educated upper castes are so driven by it? What are they worried about? Is it a number game?

To me it looks like a number game, where the upper caste would like to maintain the status-quo, whereby their position of superiority and privilege in the society hierarchy will not be questioned or disturbed. Today in India the Hindus are in the majority, with 83% of the population. Muslims are around 16% and Christians 2.5% of the population.

The worry of the upper caste Hindus is that they, either the Muslims, by biological growth or Christians by means of conversion might become the majority and supersede them! They want to retain power and the ruling of the country. To ensure that power is retained in their hands, they would go to any length of lynching and harassing and killing of the perpetrators of the crime. In their eyes, the Christian pastors, who convert Hindus, thus reducing the number of Hindus and others like Dalits, who question their authority and hold over the society and the country, are the perpetrators.

What the educated Hindus and the others of their kind forget or do not want to remember or scared of even thinking of, is the reality of the conversion of a Roman Emperor in the 4^th century, at the height of his power to Christianity and the turning of the tide in favor of Christianity. A persecuted religion became the State religion. In a few centuries most of the Roman Empire became Christian.

Was it human power that made such an impossible thing a possibility? No, it was the power of God, His Holy Spirit that made such a transformation possible. Can it be avoided or stopped if it were to happen in India? Not at all! Christ is the living God and He will accomplish what He desires or plans. No human persecution or Anti-conversion rules could stop the tide once it starts.

Paul is another example of the persecutor turning the promoter of Christ and His Way in the first century AD. In his encounter with Christ, Saul asks ‘Who are you Lord?’ And Christ answers, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” With that Saul became Paul and spread the good news about Christ throughout the Roman Empire.

What every persecuting Hindu communal group must realize is when they hate and persecute Christians, they are persecuting Christ himself. They touch the very apple of the eye of God, when they persecute the followers of Christ, for children, they are the very apple of His eye.[2] So watch out, that you do not affront the very God whom Christians worship, for His wrath could fall on you.

Time is nearing for the Second Coming of Christ. When He comes in glory the whole world will know Him and fall on their knees to worship Him. What will the Christ-haters do at that time? Where will they hide their face? It will be a terrible let down for them.

The conversion the Christians talk about is not from one religion to another. It is the whole transformation of a person, a conversion of the heart, which makes him/her to accept Christ as his/her Savior and Lord. Repent for their mistakes/sins, seek forgiveness from Jesus Christ, who has the power to forgive and enter the family of God.

Eternal life in the presence of God and Christ is assured to that person in the afterlife. That is the glory one should seek and not the earthly glory of numbers or the authority or the power or the prestige in the man-made society. It will all go away, so let’s hold forth to the non-transitory and permanent glory which Christ alone could give.

---

[1] David  Pachiamuthu and Sarojini Packiamuthu, eds., “Tirunelveli’s Evangelical Christians, Bangalore: SAIACS Press, 2003, P. xxiii

[2] Zachariah 2:8

A New Month, A New Beginning!

A new month, March has just begun today. Two months of 2016 have already gone and the third month has started. We seem to just lose count.

Last week I was so busy attending the 5^th Module of the Counseling course run by “Person to Person,” that for full eight days one didn’t see the sun rise or set. I was leaving home by 7.30 or even earlier in the mornings and returning home by 7 pm or still later in the evenings, to top it all, driving through the mad traffic of Bangalore.

The course itself was wonderful and so very educative; one learnt about crisis management including dealing with bereavement, suicide and repercussions; counseling at various life stages, children, adolescent, married adults, elderly and the terminally ill; there were abuse related topics, physical abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse or addictions; eating disorders and abuse within marriage; counseling people who are affected by AIDS/HIV, divorce, and palliative care and so on.

It makes one wonder how could there be so many problems in human life! The very near and dear ones, who are supposed to nurture and care for those entrusted to their care, most often turn out to be the most single person who inflicts these abuses on their dear and near ones. Why do they do it? How come they do it? Where is this great ‘love’ that we talk about – the godly love, unconditional love, sacrificial love? Are these only myths or is there reality?

Human love for whatever its worth is only a love extended by fallen human beings and as such is tainted by selfishness and possessiveness, which strangulate the very love they extend. What is the remedy? Is there a way out at all?

Selwyn Hughes, the great Christian Theologian and counselor, in his God-given wisdom, has identified three important ingredients necessary for a fruitful existence of human beings – emotional security, self-esteem and significance – three major human needs. Without fulfillment of these three a person will suffer emotional handicaps that his or her life will go awry.

Selwyn Hughes further clarifies that no human being can fulfill these three human needs fully as they are not perfect beings. In one or the other they will fail and inflict harm on the emotional make up or the personality of the children or adults associated with them. Furthermore it is all transient.

It is only in God, who has physically manifested Himself in Christ, we can obtain fulfillment of all these three human needs. Emotional security is when as children we know that we are loved and cared for by our parents; but human selfishness could cloud such a love and many children grow up without fully being loved or being conditionally loved and this shows in their adult life as rejection – they are not able to give love or receive love which they have not received or given when they were children.

Jesus loves us unconditionally. How great it is to know that the one who created the heavens and the earth and all that there is in, loves us so much that he went willingly to the cross to die for us, to pay a penalty for our sins. He didn’t do this expecting something out of us, but did so even while we didn’t love him and turned our backs on him. That is one emotional security which will not fail ever.

A child that has not got affirmation from his/her parents when he/she was young will have a low self esteem as an adult. But look at the affirmation we get from Jesus Christ! For him, we are cherished; we count as the most important beings on earth, for whom he willingly laid down his life. We are most beautiful in his eyes and he loves us as we are, with all our faults and short-comings and repeated failings. No human being can love us like that. Our self-esteem, once we realize his love for us, can never be at the rock bottom; it will soar like eagles in the sky.

We struggle in life not knowing what to do. The most powerful and paying jobs do not satisfy us. After reaching the pinnacle of success a film star may sink into depression; or a successful CEO may give up his glamorous job and turn to writing poetry or painting. As we pursue earthly passions of power, fame and riches, our hearts are empty.

It is Jesus Christ alone who can give us the significance that we search in name, fame and power or even in love. Nothing else can give us that. In doing what He wants us to do and doing that with our whole being, our hearts are fulfilled and are at peace. We know we are doing something that is important, relevant to human lives and fulfilling what our Creator wants us to do. Each one of us have a purpose in life, God-given purpose and in fulfilling that alone can we get peace, peace that passeth understanding.

As the months pass by and as the years roll by, let us invest our time and energy to find out this love and this purpose and do these, so that our human needs are totally met and we shine like stars, the most fruitful beings with capacity to give to others what we ourselves have received from Him.