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December 7th, 2008
Mumbai was attacked by terrorist on November 26, 2008 and resulted in the killings of 179 people, 22 of them were foreigners and at least 300 hurt. The Deccan Mujahideen sent an email claiming responsibility for the attack.
On Saturday morning, it was declared that gunmen were out of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel which was one of the locations attacked. There were “leftover” bombs found at Mumbai train station which was also one of the first site to be attacked.
There were Jewish families held hostage at Nariman House located in the center of Mumbai’s Orthodox Jewish community and a pump was blown up in Colaba which belongs to PB Petrol. A shootout with the police resulted in the killing of 9 men
The tactical attack believed to have started thru the waterfront near the two hotels and progressed with the assault at the Cafe Leopold followed by a man firing in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel lobby. There was also an open fire reportedly by a gunman at a central station. Later, there were more open fire in multi sites throughout the city in a popular restaurant, other luxury hotels and in some crowded train stations.
There were warnings of another attack but a week passed and nothing happened so Mumbai is now more relaxed.
Terrorist attacks are becoming way to normal. God is not pleased.
November 19th, 2008
I planted several containers of tomatoes on my patio this summer. I planted several varieties, hoping for a bountiful crop. Elbow deep in potting soil and plant fertilizer, I carefully placed each spindly little tomato plant in the earthy clay pots, admiring my green thumb, wondering when those juicy red tomatoes would appear, so I could pile them on my baskets of food that I make up for gifts during the summer months. I watered and fertilized the tomato plants daily.
Anxiously searching for signs of tiny tomatoes, springing from the thick stalks, I wondered if they would ever grow.
Sixty days and counting, and the tomatoes were still green, but showing hints of red. I spent the summer nursing my tomatoes, waging war against hungry rabbits and groundhogs, and other assorted pests. I studiously weeded pruned, and even sang to my tomatoes.
I think they are partial to Beatles’ tunes. I chased away chipmunks and squirrels. My baskets of food are already filled with homey jars of pickled relishes, preserves and fruit jams, just waiting for the crowning glory of fresh red globes of garden fresh tomatoes.
October 3rd, 2008
People all over the world follow their respective faiths. There are different religions followed by people. Some have faith in Christianity, some follow Buddhism; some are Muslims, Hindus or Jews. All the religions teach the same thing – be generous and give to others what you have in abundance. Presenting people with gifts is one manner of being generous. You should not limit yourself with gifting to your friends and relatives. Real gifts are those which are given with pure heart and given to the needy.
The second important teaching is to overcome jealousy and greed. You should not be jealous of other’s happiness or success. We should learn to be satisfied with what we have, work hard to achieve higher levels of success and not have negative feelings for others. God wants us to do away with greed and instead use our resources to bring a smile to someone’s face. We should learn to curb our desire for new things and instead spend on gourmet gifts for others. We should think positive, be positive and lend our helping hand to others.
September 3rd, 2008
How is it that one can gain more by giving than receiving? In 1936 two men met in Akron Ohio. Both were afflicted by alcoholism, a condition whereby over prolonged and excessive use of alcohol a human being can lose not only health and sanity but all generosity of spirit. At that time there was little or no hope for such people, the prognosis being death, insanity or incarceration.
Yet by using principles laid down by The Oxford Group, a fellowship who applied Christian principles to the condition they came up with a twelve step program which freed them and over the years freed millions of others from their affliction. The twelfth step deals with sharing this relief with other sufferers. They found they could only maintain their sobriety by giving freely to others what had been given to them.
This apparent paradox, that they could only maintain the state of grace that had been given to them by sharing it with others is at the heart of the program of recovery which has since been applied to many other area of addiction.
Truly it is better to give than to receive.
July 29th, 2008
Yes, our church has a new Pastor. We knew he would be arriving this weekend, we just did not expect that he would think to come by the church and hall and check his new congregation out in advance. We were all there, well, most of us. It was Granny Newton’s 93rd birthday and pretty much everyone came by to wish her well.
I was in the kitchen, filling serving platters with meat when the door opened and in walked the new Pastor. Of course everyone was glad to meet him, and he seemed like a very nice man. I just had to stop and think about it though. How it must feel for him to be now in a new home, with a new group of people, with so much to learn about his new congregation.
I stopped to say a small prayer that he will feel welcome and at home with us before the first week is up. I prayed that he would be happy in his new home, doing the work of our Lord. I ‘m sure others prayed as well. We all know what it feels like to be in a new home, a new place and among new people. I am looking forward to knowing our new Pastor better, I’m sure he will be happy here.
July 6th, 2008
It concerns me that religion is becoming less and less prevalent in our society. People these days are more verbal and speak out against what they don’t like. Since religions expect people to follow certain moral paths and adhere to strict guidelines, young people are choosing not to believe. No one is gonna tell them what they do wrong or what they can’t do, not even God. Heaven forbid they have to give up sleeping with two different people or not get drunk on a Saturday night so they can attend church on Sunday morning. Gift giving with no strings attached has also become rare. People expect and want something in return. If your going to give a <a gift or gift basket with expectations of gaining something – don’t bother.
May 7th, 2008
Politics are mentioned in the bible in numerous places. When politics begin to rule man, God tries to remind people of what is really important, to have faith in God.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(NIV)
The Bible tells us that politics are needed, but God must come first and our fellow man second. This record breaking political year has many people arguing political views and issues. What they should be discussing is how the Lord would react. Which candidate is most living up to God’s way? The candidate’s positions on political issues aren’t what’s important. Their morals and values are. A person with a solid moral background will most likely to do the right thing. Who will you be giving your vote? I will be voting for God and the candidate who is most likely to live as God wants us to live.
April 11th, 2008
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.’ ” (John 3:5)
At what age does a child need baptized? There is much controversy in this matter. Some say baptism is for people who have accepted Jesus into their lives. Infants are too young to known if they did wrong and to repent their sins. Others say that Jesus wanted the children, encouraged parents to have them brought to him.
“Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God’” (Luke 18:15–16).
Choosing infant baptism is a personal choice made by parents. Often it will become a celebration with a gathering of friends and family and gifts for the infant. Many gifts idea include engraved Bibles, crucifixes, St. Christopher medallions, and Bible story themed blankets or throws. A Bless This Baby gift basket, from TheBasketSpot.com, is a beautiful gift which includes an embroidered Bible and silver crucifix included.
February 24th, 2008
The purpose and creation of jesus Christ was for 2 reasons:
Redemption and
Salvation
The bible says that in the beginning was the word, and the word was god and the word was with god. For simplicity purposes, Jesus is the word. He’s the living word.
Jesus is a walking example of the word. While Jesus was here on earth, he was just as human as we are. His mission was to give us an example of how we are suppose to live our lives here on earth. He set the perfect example of how we are to handle life, even thought things may not go as planned. Jesus was persecuted, spit on, treated bad, and ultimately betrayed. He experienced allot of the headaches we experience today. He was no different than us, in that his life was full of ups and downs.
My point in this post is to help you realize that your ultimately goal in life is should be to stay focused. Stay focused on your purpose and your destiny. Jesus didn’t sway from what his purpose was. He stayed focused. He never swayed. He knew who he was and what his mission was.
What is your purpose and mission? Whatever it is, stick with it, no matter what!
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