Rainy Friday

The  long  awaited  rain  bearing  clouds  have finally  arrived giving  us  respite  from  the  searing  heat. Flora  and  fauna,  man  and beast  heave  a  great  big  sigh  of  relief.I  took  some  rain washed  photos  on  Friday.

The  rain  washed  the  dust  off  the  graves

in  this  cemetary  of  the Empire.

It  is  a  heritage  site.

This ancient  building  has   seen

a hundred  or  more  monsoons.

A modern highway in  the  far  back

River  Yamuna  drinking  in  the  rain

India 's  economy predominantly agriculture based  and  our  farmers depend  upon  rains. The  delay and   scarcity of  rains  becomes  a  great  cause  of  concern in agrarian, political   and  economic  circles. Over  the  years   farmers have   committed suicide when their  crops failed. Government  support  doesn 't reach  the  poorest  of  the poor. Ansd  the  compensation  is  not  enough. This  year  the  monsoon  is  delaying

causing unrest and  unease.

The North East  is under  floods  while  the rest  of our land  has  had   scanty  rainfall. Its raining hard  in  Mumbai on  the  West  coast too.

The  prices  of food  and other  essential  commodities  have  shot  up.

In    the face  of  this  our  government  has  pledged  million of dollars

to support   the  crisis  stricken  European  economy.

Please  feed  your  own people before  indulging  in  international

charity.

Politicians and  diplomats  can literaly  cross  any border  to  acomplish

their  purposes.

Anyway  God  Almighty  rules  and He will hear

the  cries  of  his  hungry and  waterless  creation.

I  am  having  trouble  commenting  on  some 

blogs  which  have  a  word  identification option.

I  try   so hard  but  bloggeer  doesn 't   accept  me.

So  please  don 't  think I  am ignoring you. I  am  simply 

unable  to  prove that  I am  not  a  robot.

And  another  funny  thing  ha s happened  to  my  blog.

My side bar has  vanished  from  my blog.

Can  you  see  it?

Stepping Out

Courage is the strength or choice to begin a change. Determination is the persistence to continue that change.
Author Unknown

It  takes  inestimable and  determination  for  a  physically  disadvantaged   person  to  face the  competition  and  pace  of  the  able  bodied  world.  Most  of  which  either  ignores  or  undermines  his or   her  needs and limitations.
People  like me  who have unseen  disabilities  have  even a  tougher  time. We  don 't   receive  the  support  we  deserve just  because  our  impairments  are  not  visible,  we  can  only  bear  them  silently with  as much dignity  as  we  can   muster trying  to  keep  in  step  with  the  fast  moving  world. I  tell  you  it   is  frightening and  it  doesn 't  do  your  self  esteem  a  lot  of  good.
I  am not  bitter -  everyone  has  their  own burden to  bear even  the  strongest  athlete may  have  an Achilles heel. I  just  appeal   them  to make   some   room  for  us. In  my  country  a  lot   is  lacking  in  this  area.
As  for  me,  I  am  confident that  if  God  has  permitted  a thorn in  my  flesh  He  will  give  me  the  grace to  bear it and  will  hold  me  up  till  the  end. My  limitations  make  me  unique  too.  What  a   thought!
I have  a  desire  to  start  a  support  group  for   differently  abled  people. We  can  have   it  as  our  church  ministry.
A  support  group  is  not  a  place  to  have  a  pity  party but  a  place  where  someone  can  tell  you,  they  care,  they  understand,  that 's all. Its  a  place of healing  ,regeneration  and  renewal.
Pray  that  we  may  start  such groups  in  our  church. The  church  is  a  sanctuary for  the  hurting.
Psalm 146
6He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Renovation   work  going on inside  our  church  building.

The  back  hall  or  vestry  is   being  divided  into  chambers  for   office and Pastor 's  residence with  wash  rooms  attached.

The  back  door.

It  is  difficult  to  work  in the  115 * F (46*C) heat. We  have  security  men  to guard  the  campus and  supervise  work too. Guard  Panday  was  not  born  a Christian  but  he  believes in Jesus  and   Guard  Samuel on  the  right,  is  a  Catholic. I  don 't  know  the  third  man.

The  outdoor  stage  is  also  being  improved.We  have  our  open air  Gospel  meetings  here. We  get  new  people  each  Sunday. Old  family  friends   are  attending, some  of  them  I  knew  just  by  name,  they  come up  and introduce  themselves  to  me. Praise  God. Our  next door  Hindu  neighbours  came  last  week,  an  elderly  couple. They said  they  used  to  play  in this  church  yard. God  is  good.
Several nurses  and their  families  are   coming  to  our  morning  services.  One  nurse said  her  husband  came  to  church  for  the  very  first  time   with  her, Praise God.
 Nurse  Anamika' s husband , Anand  is  a  very talented  musician.  They are  new  converts and  he  is  learning hymns  and  worship  songs  from  me.He  helps  me  lead hymns  on Sunday mornings.
Each  Sunday after service  the  brothers make  baati chokka,  mashed  veggies with   oven  baked  bread. And  everyone  who wants  to stay back  can join  in the fellowship.
I  must  confess  eating  the  same  food for Sunday lunch  is a  bit  boring, but  I  don 't refuse  the  hospitality and  have a token for  the  sake of  fellowship.
Please  pray   for  us and  support  our ministry.

Sheeba  feels so  hot, she  likes  to  relax  in from  of   the  swamp  cooler.

I  found  this  sketch on  the  internet  and  this  dog  so  resembles  Sheeba,   I  had  to   share  it  here.

Pictorial Update

A  lot  of  new   things  are  taking place  on our  campus since   the   formation of  our  new church  management. I  have been  busy  with  that. We  are  experiencing  the  peaceful  blessings  of  God the  giver  of  all  good  gifts.

Sonia  and Abner  paid  me  a surprise  visit  during  Abner 's  school  break . They  also  wanted  to   attend  our  church  services.  I  enjoyed  having  them  with  me  for  a  few days.

Days  are  becoming  warmer  now but  not  too  uncomfortable.The  days  of  the  cool  breeze   are  over. But  still  the  intense  heat (110*) is a few  weeks off I   suppose.
I  have  taken  some photos to  share  with  you.

Backdrop  for the  Sunday

evening Gospel meetings

 Our  church  helper got this  little  puppy  free .Isn' t  he  cute? I  think he  is  a  Lab. Barely  a  month  old.

 We  have  named  him  Rocky.He  is  going  to  guard  our church campus.

 Heralding   the  hope  of  Easter

Sunflowers are  my  favourite  flowers.  They  always  face the  sun , no  matter  how  strong  it  is.
I  read  a  book by  Gael Lindfield called  Assert  Yourself, How  to reprogramme  your  mind  for Positive  Action. Here is  an outline from the  book.

Compromise - only if it is reasonable to do so.
Open - and be honest
Negotiate - firmly and wisely
Fair - to you as well as  others
Innovate - don't wait for others  or fate
Direct - and clear in your speech
Expressive - show  your feeling when appropriate
Non-verbal - use your body
                    and beware of hidden messages
Chance - take risks
Empower - everyone

The Defeat of Darkness

On  Dec  10th  we  witnessed a  lunar  eclipse  in  our  part  of  the  earth. It  was  a beautiful  sight  to   behold.The  moon  gradually disappearing   behind  a  cloak of  darkness  and   then  emarging bright  and  luminous  once  more. It  all took  more  than  an  hour . Scientists ,  researchers , students  and interested  people  gazed   at it  with  specialised  equipment and   the  naked eye. The  news  channels  did   their  best  to  show   it  to  us  at  its  various  stages.
Below  are  my  attempts  at  taking   some  mug shots  or  potshots  at  the  moon.

(Lunar  eclipse Dec  10, 2011)

It  was  a  rare  sight .  The  moon  being  enveloped  by  darkness  and  then  slipping  out  from  the  shadow in  all  its   silver  luminence.

Christmas  is  the  season  to  celebrate  the defeat  of darkness.

This  is   a  prophecy  made about  the  birth  of  Christ  by  the   Prophet  Isaiah hundreds  of  years   before   his  birth.
Isaiah 9 (BIBLE -OLD  TESTAMENT)
2 The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Joni Eareckson Tada   says,
"God permits all sorts of awful things to happen... things he doesn't approve of.
God allows others to do what he would never do. At the same time, he hates evil.
Please don't think that God sits back and nods appreciatively at the peddling of
drugs to ninth graders. He's not the one who fired the ovens of Auschwitz and other
Nazi death camps. He does not smile when doctors slip up leaving children with crippling
defects, or high school linebackers crush the neck of the opposing team's quarterback.

He hates these things

God is truly grieved over evil. He is grieved at how we've ruined the world and
abused each other. This grief is partly why he gave the Ten Commandments: don't
murder, he says -
 I hate unjust killing.
Don't commit adultery -
 I despise seeing
families ripped apart.
 Don't steal - society will crumble if you do.
God cannot
tolerate wrong...
This is why he sent Jesus to be born into our dark world. From the day of his birth,
the forces of darkness began plotting against the Babe in the manger. Why?
 Because
the adversary and his wicked hoards knew that this was the Child who would ultimately
crush Satan and bring an end to wickedness in this world. God is so grieved over
evil, that he sent his only Son to die in order that righteousness and peace, truth
and love would prevail... in order that we might escape the clutches of hell and
be welcomed into heaven. God permits what he hates to accomplish that which he
loves.

Celebrate the defeat of darkness by singing this verse today from the Christmas
carol, "Joy to the World": No more let sin or sorrow reign, nor thorns infest the
ground; He comes to make His blessings known far as the curse is found!

God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Saviorwe were gone astray,
O tidings of comfort and joy!"

===============

 This   is  Mary' s  soliloquy  addressed  to her  new  born  son. Max  Lucado  has  written  it   beautifully
Tiny Mouth, Tiny Feet

God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.

Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leper’s open wound,
to wipe a widow’s weary tear
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.

Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.

Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.

O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince … sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.

Lay still, tiny mouth. Lay still mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead,
that will define grace,
that will silence our foolishness.

Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you—lay still.

And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.

Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.

And little heart … holy heart … pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?
You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.

Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you’ll rest again—this time in the embrace of your Father.

Bond With The Best

Bond   with   the  best was  the  theme  for  the  EU  Christmas Outreach held  on  Dec  6th. And  that  motto  was  fulfilled   most  certainly.  More  than  100  people  comprising  of university  students  and  families  with  Young  children came to  hear  the  Christmas  message.

The  university chapel  is  very  far   from  my  house  but  God   provided  transport (motorbike rides) so  I  could   participate  and   enjoy  fellowshipping  with  friends   I  "meet"  on  Facebook.

Worship  leaders

Brother  David  gave  the  message   from  John 5:24
   “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life. (words  of  Jesus)

He  gave  his  own  testimony , how  God  saved  him  from  a  life  of   crime and   empty  living. And  what  it  means  to  be  saved.

There   was  special  music  and  a  video  presentation.

The  students  were  cooking  a   meal of  vegetable  rice, a  curry  of  potatoes  and  fresh  green  peas and  yogurt  salad (raita). Believers  contributed  money  for  that and a  professor  donated   cake  for  dessert.

There  was  some  delay on that   front  so  the seniors  presented  special  songs  and  kept  everyone  lively  and  happy.

The  ride  back on  the 

motorcycle  was  chilly

but  my   heart   was  warm  seeing 

God  at   work 

among   young  people.

Let  me  end  with  what  I  read 

in  my  morning  devotions.

==============

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! ...As it is written:

'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one
who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there
is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues
practice deceit. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'... no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious
of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known...
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

--Romans 3:9-12, 17-18, 20-22



Someone once asked an evangelist "Is it hard to get people saved?" He thought for
a moment then replied, "No, but it sure is hard to get them lost!" He's right. It's
hard to get people to see how utterly lost they are. Yet before the Good News can
sound good, a person must hear the bad news -- that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).


No one is righteous before God -- not even the person who tries to consistently
do the right thing. It's impossible to always live the right way, to always keep
the law. The purpose of the law is to show a person how far he misses the mark.
But bad news never sounded so good... for then, we see the need for a Savior


Christmas is upon us and our hearts are happy as we celebrate the arrival of Jesus,
God's Good News! But let's not forget the bad news - that a heart without Christ
is full of deceit. Oh, how we need Jesus; and to live rightly is to live dail
in his grace. It really is all about him!

Father, it's hard to understand how lost I really am without Jesus Christ. Help
me to live completely and totally on the grace of Jesus today!

(Joni  Eareckson Tada)

Shining India

(photos  I  took  of  malls  in  Lucknow)

While India  teeters under  the  burden  of  poverty, economic upheaval,mismanagement of  natural  resources and  corruption  in  every  strata  of  society  But spaces  in  burgeoning  cities and  SEZ (special  economic  zones)  give  no  indication  of  it. This  is   the  India  of  the  well heeled, upward mobile, successful and  powerful.

In  India  power  is  associated  with  money and the  right  connections. And  I  have  nothing   against  this  minority  group because  I  wish to  join  them.

I  visited   some  of  these  palaces   of progress  for  entertainment  value (I do  so here  also) trying  to  to  feel  disdain  for  the  highly  priced merchandise, like  a  small  Body Shop  bar  of  soap which cost  Rupees 145 (I can  buy  5  soaps  with   that  amount  of  money). I  feign allergy  to expensive  skin  care products...I  won' t  tell  you  what   excuses  I  conjure  up for  other  things.

In India  the  disparity  between  the rich  and poor is  fathomless.

I try  not  to  be  in awe  of   the  well   manicured   green  lawns  on  the  other  side  of   the  fence but  rather  be  content  with  the  herbaceous  thickets   on  my  side.

God  has given  me  a  unique opportunity  this  week.  Starting   tomorrow I  have  volunteered to   teach  a women 's   class with  my   friend , Diana. We  will  be training a  group  of  ladies  who  come  from  rural  areas. Having  a few  hours  with   them  for  4  to  5  days depending  on  how  much  material we  can  cover  each  day.

Diana  and I  have  gone  through the  teaching  materials together. I  got  up  at  4 am  to  start  my   preparation. I  am  really  looking   forward  to   it. We  are  helping  at  a  newly formed  Bible  School.

Please   pray  for  us  .

In Nature 's Lap - Lucknow Zoo

The Zoo is located in the heart of the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. It is being managed as a Trust, by the Zoo Advisory Committee with Forest Secretary to the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh as Chairman, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttar Pradesh as Vice Chairman and Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttar Pradesh as Administrator. An officer of the rank of Deputy Conservator of Forests is posted as Director, for over all day-to-day management of the zoo.

The Central Zoo Authority, Govt. of India, categorizes the Lucknow Zoo as a large zoo. It has an area of 71.6 acres. It has two veterinarians who look after the health and general up keep of the zoo inmates. The diet is properly checked, sterilized and supplemented with vitamins from time to time. The animals are regularly checked for diseases and worms and preventive and control measures are adopted accordingly.

The Zoo has one head keeper, keepers and sweepers who work under the supervision of the two veterinarians. The Zoo receives annually around 12-13 lakes visitors of which around 40-50 percent are school children. The Zoo has 447 mammals, 348 birds, 57 reptiles and a total of 97 different species of wild animals. Some prime possessions are the Royal Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Wolf, Hoolock Gibbon, Himalayan Black Bear, Indian Rhinoceros, Black buck, Swamp Deer, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, Asiatic Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Common Otters, Hill Mynahs, Giant Squirrels, Great Pied Hornbill, Golden Pheasant, Silver Pheasant etc. The Zoo is successfully breeding Swamp Deer, Black Buck, Hog Deer and Barking Deer, White Tiger, Indian Wolf and several Pheasants.

The Zoo has a newly constructed Nature Interpretation Center where "Touch Table Programmes" are held every Friday for school children. Here, children are given hands-on experience and information about the skins of various animals, eggs of birds/pheasants, tusk of elephants, plaster cast of Tiger pug marks, etc. and also shown one wild life movie. The nature Interpretation Center also houses trophies of various wild animals, a press gallery giving information about the present and past status of the zoo. The site available outside the Nature Interpretation Center is developed as Jurassic Park where different animals/birds, that are extinct or are on the verge of extinction, are displayed in the form of models.

To Provide additional entertainment to the visitors in the Zoo, especially the children, a Toy train was started since 1969. The rolling stock consisting of engine and two coaches is the gift of Railway Board. The train was inaugurated on the Children's Day Nov. 14, 1969 by the then Chief Minister, U. P. the length of the track is 1.5 km. and has crossings and signals. Rides start from Chandrapuri station and this toy train is attracting huge visitors and has proved to be an asset for the zoo over the years.

State Museum, LucknowThe UP state museum

 in Lucknow, once was situated in the historic Choti Chattar Manzil and the Lai Baradari. It moved in 1963 to its new premises, a modern structure in the Prince of Wales Zoological Garden (Lucknow Zoo).

The initial collection centered around the arts of Avadh and objects related to the customs, habits and mythology of India. Gradually, it expanded to include excavated antiquities from Piparahawa, Kapilavastu, where the Buddha grew up. Today, this has evolved into a multipurpose museum with sculpture, bronzes, paintings, natural history and anthropological specimens, coins, textiles and decorative arts. From the vast number of displayed objects, some hundred are rare and of great value. These include an inscribed wine jar bearing the name of Aurangzeb Alamgir (17th century), a jade chamakali with the name Jahangir and the date 1036 AD, a 16th century painting of a scene from the Kalpasutra depicting an elephant rider and a Jain mum, a 16th century copy of the Harivansha in Persian with nine illustrations, rare silver and gold coins, a prehistoric anthropomorphic figure and a fossilised plant. However, what thrill visitors most are the Egyptian mummy and wooden sarcophagus (1000 BC).