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Tuesday, December
13,
2005 - Susan
A Highly
Imaginative Allegory
By golly, I think I’ve found it! A happy
medium.
Christians and non-Christians alike will enjoy this
fantastical tale of talking beavers, an evil witch, centaurs, dwarfs and magic.
Now, you would think that perhaps Christians everywhere would be
in an upheaval regarding the remake of the well-known author and
apologist, C.S. Lewis’, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
due to its magical fancies and influence.
However, I do not think that the sentiments displayed these past
few years regarding J.K. Rowling’s last five Harry Potter novels
inaugurating wizardry and potions, be paralleled to Lewis’ tale
of four children who come across a wardrobe containing the world
of Narnia. When the
two
sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve embark on a journey predestined by a force much larger than
themselves, we are caught up in the war between the magical
forces of
good and evil.
For those of who you who have yet to view this
spectacularly
imaginative allegory representative of—Christ’s death, His immense
love for his people, and the war we as Christians fight
everyday—please stop right here. I wouldn’t want you to be
influenced by my thoughts until you’ve formulated your own.
Yet in spite of all the talk about how books on magic wrongly
influence today’s youth, highly esteemed Christian writers such
as
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis—neither of whom entertained the slightest doubts about the moral
evil of attempted magic in the real world—have employed magic as
a
literary device in their works of fiction to depict our
spiritual journey as a fight between the forces of good and
evil.
C.S. Lewis used biblical
truths within the Chronicles as a means of uncovering a divine
and inner truth. These Christian truths were also used as
fundaments upon which to build allegories and analogies.
It is also important to remember that The
Chronicles of Narnia are successful because the Chronicles are
not dependent on Christian themes. Peter J. Schakel, a
professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Michigan,
states that a non-Christian reader can approach the book as a
fictional story and “be moved by the
exciting adventures and the archetypal meanings, and not find the Christian elements obtrusive
or offensive.” For this reason, “the Narnian stories have been
so successful in getting into the bloodstream of the secular
world.”
I, personally, walked out
of the theatre feeling
two emotions that weighed heavily on
my heart. The first being a deeper understanding of Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” While ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ was intended to
appeal to the imaginative minds of a younger audience, it
contains deeper truths about our Christian walk that peoples of
all ages should not take lightly. Our fight is not against just
our self and human flesh. It is against an evil power much
greater than ourselves.
The second emotion I felt that night was—gratitude. Gratitude towards Christ (portrayed in the
Chronicles as Aslan, Lion, King of Narnia) for His wisdom, His
care and His blood. “There is a famous line in Lewis's
Chronicles of Narnia where Aslan, the God figure in the
Chronicles is being described, “Safe? Who said anything about
safe? Of course he isn't safe.
But
he's good.” I love that description of our fierce
Savior—endlessly good, but neither tame nor safe.” --Joseph
Company Journal
I recommend that all IPF readers check it out.
We give it
two
thumbs up!
Interesting Word of the Day:
alfresco
[al-FRES-koh]
adverb: In the open air; outdoors. adjective: Taking place or
located in the open air; outdoor.
Turner escaped from the entangled politics of
London's art world, where the Royal Academy was marooned in
petty disputes, to paint
alfresco on the riverbanks.
I sailed past
alfresco
cafes filled with young people reading the paper,
past restaurants doing a thriving brunch business, and ended up
dropping down a fairly steep hill to the water yet again, on an
obscure street that ended near a big factory.
Alfresco is from the Italian al fresco, "in the fresh
(air)," from al, "in the" (a, "to, in" + il, "the") + fresco,
"fresh."
E-mail:
sak2345@aol.com.
Or leave a comment on the
Message Board.
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Tuesday, October
18,
2005 - Susan
Astronomical
Grace
On Saturday night I saw
stars...literally. I attended a Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman/Louie
Giglio concert over at Towson University. That night, I
went through a change in perspective. My gait feels more
alive. My heart full. My
mind in disbelief...(the
good kind). It wasn't the people. It was the Word that was
shared. The Word that pierces the heart.
I was sooo hyped to attend this concert and hear Chris Tomlin
sing my most favorite song, 'Holy is the Lord'. I love that
song. Makes me wanna dance. It speaks of God's unsurpassable
greatness and magnificence. ....Sooo much that the earth is
filled with His glory. It's filled. It's overflowing
with his creativeness and artistry. He's extravagant. I saw it
today as I walked to Sunspot for lunch. The geese flying in
V formation. The leaves swirling to the ground in all their
brilliance. The color green really gets me...it's soooo green!
So we get to the concert about 20 minutes late because
Towson University is
so
freaking hard to find your way around.
As I approached the building, I can hear Chris. He's singing.
Yep, singing 'Holy is the Lord'...he was about finished...ahhhhhhhhh.
I could see God smiling down at me right about then. Although,
Chris partially redeemed himself when he sang Willie Nelson's
'On the Road Again...'
Now back to the change in perspective I was speaking of.
Louie Giglio, the founder of Passion, gave an incredible 45 min
message on the Universe. He gave the message showing photos
taken by NASA's Hubble Telescope. Incredible photos of planets,
the sun, moon, stars, and galaxies. It really put into
perspective how very small the earth is. Actually, forget
about the earth...how very small WE are in comparison to a vast
universe that scientists deem fathomless. Louie began his
message with..."I'm not here to make you feel small. I am here
to tell you that you ARE small." We are a brief, momentary blip
in time. So what is so special about us then? We are prized.
We are prized by
a Creator that made the whole entire Universe with one word.
He said 'LIGHT', and there was light. Can you imagine being
there when He said that? How terrible. Louie believes in the
Big Bang Theory. He believes that when God said 'UNIVERSE',
there was a big bang. (haha...what a funny guy he is). Ok I
sidetrack.
But more than the billions and billions of stars, the world pool
galaxies, the sun--in all it's fiery glory, and the moon...more
than all of those awesome things...WE are treasured. How do we
know? Because even though God had
ALL of His creation to be proud of and boast about...He wasn't
satisfied. Instead, He sent His very son to the cross. The
very act blows my mind. I keep thinking 'why???'. But in
response, God says to us, "Before you decided what you wanted to
do with me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with you." As
high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His
love--Psalms 103:11.
Now that's astronomical
grace.
...Even our biggest thoughts about God have been too small. Let's
not try to underestimate His love for us. It is unfathomable.
It is in infinite. It is as vast as the
universe...which He holds in His hand (and that's prolly just
one hand. :)
E-mail:
sak2345@aol.com.
Or leave a comment on the
Message Board.
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Tuesday,
September 13,
2005 - Susan
Days Gone
By....
Wowzers…
In the time span between June 28th (my last update) and
now—I must say that there is a world of difference.
It’s interesting to me how people change, evolve, and become fine-tuned. I’m not saying
I am a totally different person. But, as human beings, we learn
new things, we embark on new adventures, and our eyes are opened
to how real reality really is…try saying that piece of
alliteration three times fast:)
Now before I get back into the groove of things with my various
spiels, I thought I would share, with my IPF readers, a little
about my voyage to the Motherland. Below is an excerpt from my
trip to India…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, jet-lag is honestly a
silent killer...it hits you when you least expect it! One
minute I'm standing, the next I'm at the bottom of the stairs
wondering what hit me. Just kidding...:)
For an American born and bred,
brown-skinned Indian
(who, me?) girl, tis interesting to me that my origins hale from
Motherland India. Twas a whole different experience for me this
time around as I left my family behind in Bowie...to experience
India on my very own. Ten days is surely an insufficient amount
of time to explore a chartered land such as Her.
As some of my past entries
imply, I had a refreshing time just sitting back enjoying and
observing Indian culture. At times, I was reminded that this
was not just any vacation...which I had assumed it would be. It
was the real deal. A time to relive what I never lived.
Normally when people go on hiatus, it is to a common spot where
tourists explore the explored. But the chance to live the life
of the natives! Now that is something special:) My stay took
me to three places...all different in their own way. I thought
I would share a few more bits and pieces with you...
Let me introduce you to the
'Adventures of Aaron
Jacob'.
Now I've mentioned much about
Madras, but here is my small friend. The three-year old, Peter
Pan boy I mentioned a few entries back...whose eyes held a
million and one expressions. He lives in a room of dark blue
skies, yellow stars, and long cotton patchwork nightshirts. I
told his Ma the only thing this boy-child missed was a pointed
elf hat...the kind that sags off to the side. Sweet lad.
The Nilgiris Hills...what
I've been calling so fondly as, Ooty, is South India's great
little secret. (It's actually far from being a
secret...although it felt as much during my time there). Here
is a place with alot of history. And my history professor for
the trip...BC's father. An informative man with wise eyes,
stocky build, a myriad of little facts, and a way about him that
was so understanding. He took me through hairpin bends to his
bungalow on a hill where his daughter and grandchildren awaited
me.
It felt like home. BC seemed
to thrive here on this hill she lived for most of her life.
This mountain woman and her half-mountain kids had a special
glow only fresh air, high elevations, good home-cooked food, and
great fellowship could bring.
The train journey down the
mountain was the surprise JC and BC had for me. The train would
take us down the path the British created many years ago. It
would take us past plantations upon plantations of tea fields
that covered these mountains. The Nilgiris Hills are comprised
of three mountains... Ooty,
Kotigiri, and Coonoor.
Each set of mountains has it's own hamlets (villages) and shola
(jungle trees such as euculyptus). It was just incredible to
pass through them. Our final destination--Mettupalayam.
A window view...
Our British friends studying in Vellore...
My favorite parts had to have
been the bridges and tunnels! The 150 year old train tracks of
the Nilgiris Hills are one of two tracks in the entire world
that has been granted mountain railway status by the United
Nations. These tracks are so special because the span between
the two rails are one of the narrowest...and because of that, it
is world recognized.
Notice the boy who walks with purpose!
JC and BC
Hannah enjoying the salubrious
climate until her father tells her to get her head back inside
the train. She tries again, but lo and behold the conductor
catches her in the act of trying to get a quick peep. Hannah
and her grandfather have an endearing relationship. Throughout
my stay at his house, he called her 'Hyper'.
Once we reached
Mettupalayam,
the smell of fresh tea leaves no longer remained in the air, but
the smell of delicious fish fry wafted to our noses. And fish
fry we had for dinner! Once back at the bungalow, showers were
in order due to the coal residue that was left on us from the
train ride.
The next day, JC took Hannah
and myself on a motorcycle ride around and around the winds and
bends of Kotigiri...and finally to a tea field for us to romp
around and play...
Notice the tea pickers in the corner? Well let's take a
closer look...
Even closer...
Thalakshmi enjoyed us photographing her...as you can see:)
Hannah also wanted to get in on the photo shoot...
Alas, the only thing I regret
on this particular outing was using black and white film. These
photos do absolutely no justice to the vibrant color and depth
that actually was.
Goodbye at Coimbature Airport...
No elephant rides this time;
but Ravi Kumar promised a week of trekking, elephant rides, and
near death experiences with wild animals at
his place next time I come back
to the Nilgiris Hills.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
- Susan
HUMANMETRICS
I’m sure you
all have taken a personality test or two.
But the real question is…have you taken a good
one? …One that is actually scientifically
proven? The Jung Typology Test is a test
which really captures a personality down to
specific details about specific personality
types. It is a test comprised of inventory
questions, in which after you answer them, you
will discover
your type formula. Your
formula will describe strengths, weaknesses, and
various other interesting things that may bring
a smile to your face once you realize its
accuracy.
  
DISCLAIMER: While the test
is not 100% accurate, it is a pretty good
hypothesis.
In order to
find out a little about your personality, take
the 5 minute survey. You can find the test
at: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
Once there,
click ‘Do It’.
Below you will
find snippets of information on my own
personality type. It’s amusing
actually…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a
Introverted iNtuitive Feeling
Perceiving.
INFPs never
seem to lose their sense of wonder. One
might say they see life through rose-colored
glasses. It's as though they live at the
edge of a looking-glass world where mundane
objects come to life, where flora and fauna take
on near-human qualities.
INFP children
often exhibit this in a ‘Calvin and Hobbes’
fashion, switching from reality to fantasy and
back again. With few exceptions, it is the
NF child who readily develops imaginary
playmates (as with Anne of Green Gables’
“bookcase girlfriend”--her own reflection) and
whose stuffed animals come to life like the
Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse:
“...Generally,
by the time you are Real, most of your hair has
been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you
get loose in the joints and very shabby. But
these things don’t matter at all, because once
you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people
who don't understand...” (the Skin Horse)
INFPs have the
ability to see good in almost anyone or
anything. Even for the most unlovable the
INFP is wont to have pity.
Rest you, my enemy,
Slain
without fault,
Life smacks but
tastelessly
Lacking your salt!
Stuck in a
bog whence naught
May catapult me,
Come
from the grave, long-sought,
Come and insult
me!
--(Steven Vincent Benet, Elegy for an
Enemy)
Their extreme
depth of feeling is often hidden, even from
themselves, until circumstances evoke an
impassioned response:
“I say,
Queequeg! Why don't you speak? It's
I--Ishmael.”
But all remained still as before. ...
Something must have happened. Apoplexy!
...And running up after me, she caught me as I
was again trying to force open the door.
...“Have to burst it open,” said I, and was
running down the entry a little, for a good
start, when the landlady caught me, again vowing
I should not break down her premises; but I tore
from her, and with a sudden bodily rush dashed
myself full against the mark.” (Melville, Moby
Dick)
Of course, not
all of life is rosy, and INFPs are not exempt
from the same disappointments and frustrations
common to humanity. As INTPs tend to have
a sense of failed competence, INFPs struggle
with the issue of their own ethical perfection,
e.g., performance of duty for the greater
cause. An INFP friend describes the inner
conflict as not good versus bad, but on a grand
scale, Good vs. Evil. Luke Skywalker in
Star Wars depicts this conflict in his struggle
between the two sides of “The Force.”
Although the dark side must be reckoned with,
the INFP believes that good ultimately triumphs.
Famous
INFPs:
Anne (Anne of
Green Gables)
Virgil
Mary, mother of
Jesus
St. John, the beloved disciple
St.
Luke; physician, disciple, author
William
Shakespeare, bard of Avon
Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow (Evangeline)
A. A. Milne (Winnie
the Pooh)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House
on the Prairie)
Helen Keller, deaf and blind
author
Carl Rogers, reflective psychologist,
counselor
Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis
James
Taylor, vocalist
Julia Roberts, actor (Pretty
Woman)
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Scripture That
Speaks: Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise.
Interesting
Word of the Day: naif
[nah-EEF]
adjective:
Naive.
noun: A naive or inexperienced
person.
It is only
very naif critics who think that all one's
influences must be contemporary.
Their money-grubbing
game: they feign a tragic past and prey on
the sympathies of unsuspecting naifs, fishing
for bank account numbers or photocopies of
passports.
Believing
nothing, the
skeptic is blind; believing
everything, the naif is lame.
Naif comes from
French, from Old French naif, “naive, natural,
just born,” from Latin
nativus, “native, rustic,” literally “born,
inborn, natural,” from Latin nativus, "inborn,
produced by birth," from natus, past participle
of nasci, “to be born.”
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Wednesday, June
8,
2005 - Susan
Goin' to
Carolina in My Mind
A.
Oh the joys of hitting the road with a
company of friends and just being able to drive aimlessly across
the country.
I would definitely love to try that sometime
:) However, my recent travels took my five
friends and I to a specific destination. That destination
being…The Great Smoky Mountains.
And ‘great’ it was. “Ridge
upon ridge of endless forest straddle the border between North
Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains, one of the
largest protected areas in the Eastern United States. Once part
of the Cherokee homeland, it is now world renowned for the
diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its
ancient mountains, the quality of its remnants of Southern
Appalachian mountain culture, and the depth and integrity of its
wilderness sanctuary.”
Our adventures took us from hiking in the
woods…to looking for bears…to attempting to go inside the old
abandoned hotel [$5,000 fine if you were caught], to falling
asleep on a public bench.
Don’t ask.
But up in the mountains…walking through the
woods and winding trails and bubbling creeks, I was really
overcome with a sense of wonder when I saw God’s vast creation
around me. I am struck every time. A song by Chris
Tomlin came to my mind as I spent those days hiking. It
was a feeling so ‘Indescribable’.
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea,
Creation's revealing Your
majesty.
From the colors of fall to
the fragrance of spring,
Every creature unique in the
song that it sings. All exclaiming...
Indescribable,
Uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the
sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God.
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our
knees and we humbly proclaim,
You are amazing God.
Incomparable, Unchangeable,
You see the depths of my
heart and You love me the same.
You are amazing God.
Can you imagine? While God’s creation is glorious in all
its breathtaking goodness, He takes his delight in us!
Nothing compares to His creation of man. Not the
mountains, nor the age-old trees, or the awesome waterfalls that
call out to me. Nothing.
A
joke I learned on this trip.
One day a mushroom walks into a bar and sits down
for a drink. The bartender says, “I’m sorry but we don’t serve
your kind.” The mushroom responds and says, “But why not? I’m
a fungi.” Get it? Fun-Gi.
FUN GUY!!! hehe. [kudos to Sue
for that one.]
B. Graduation 2005
Congrats to Kristi Sewell, Sony Matthew and Erica Clements on
graduating! Some photos from a recent graduation party…
Scripture That Speaks: John 4:35-36
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then
cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and
look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And
he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may
rejoice together.
Interesting Word of the Day:
betimes [bih-TYMZ] adverb:
1. Early; in good time; before it is late.
2. At times; on occasion.
3. [Archaic] Soon; in a short time.
But
it takes a piece of political theatre, like yesterday's release
of the Iraq dossier, to get us out of bed betimes.
It
looks like it's trying to clear this morning, though waves of
drizzle betimes pass through.
Some
of them were poets or novelists first and critics only betimes.
Betimes is from Middle English bitimes, from bi, "by" + time,
"time."
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Tuesday, May 3,
2005 - Susan
What
Alleyways Can Do....
I think God is trying to tell me
something. I just don't know what yet.
As I walked through an
alley in downtown Washington D.C.
the other day, my normal office route, the smells of the Phoenix
Hotel's laundry room wafted around me. You know that warm sort
of smell that comes from when the dryer is running? Anyway, I
digress... As I walked briskly, attentively listening for
footsteps behind me (what scary movies do to you!), I wondered
what God had purposed for my life before the beginning of time.
It can be a very daunting thing
to actually think about WHY you are placed where you are placed,
and know the people you know, and live the life you are purposed
to live. Questions such as, ‘how am I supposed to make an
impact for Christ?’ and ‘how can little ol' me take a stand for
righteousness when I know and see the depravity in my own
heart?’ You know, being a
Christian is not easy. You
all know this. It takes knowing that we are nothing without
God. It also takes self-discipline, honesty, repentance, and a
passion for Him that is so overwhelming that it consumes
you…something Steven Curtis Chapman may call, a ‘Magnificent
Obsession.’
In that moment
I realized how very small I was and how very big God is. I
realized that unless God has control, there will be no
control.
As I exited the alley that day, I
quickly crossed the street, and as I quickly crossed, my
eyes quickly ran over some words on a license plate. I stopped
in my tracks. I had to take a double take to make sure what I
saw was really there... The words...have
faith.
C.S. Lewis once said that people are
one of two types:
Type A:
Those who bend
their knee to God, and say, "Lord, thy
will be done."
Type B:
Those who bend not their
knee to God, and God says to them, "Thy will be done".
Scripture That Speaks:
Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.
Interesting Word of the Day: fettle [FET-l]
noun: A state or
condition of fitness or order; state of mind; spirits --
often used in the phrase "in fine fettle."
Aside from the problems with her
voice... Miss Garland was in fine fettle last night.
Back in 1987, the Conservatives won a
thumping majority in a June general election, primarily because
the economy was seen by grateful voters to be in fine fettle.
Many of the nuns were in fine fettle, even into their 80s and
90s.
He seems in fine fettle when we meet,
and happy to discuss the film that gave him his break.
Fettle is from Middle English fetlen, "to
set in order,"originally "to gird up," from Old English fetel,
"a girdle."
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Tuesday, March 15,
2005 - Susan
Organization: A Follow-up
What a wreck! I have truly never seen anything of the sort in my
whole twenty-three years of life on planet earth. At least not
so…up close…right in your face…Binu you ain’t seen nothin’
yet…personal. You may have to read that last line again to get
my drift, but none of you have seen the meaning of being
disorganized until you have seen this…
Fellow webmaster, Binu, wrote an article a couple weeks back on the
topic of organization and the concept of ‘entrophy’,
where things go from a natural state of peace and calm to a
state of chaos. Let’s toss out the
peace and calm for a second here… Can a person/something always be in a constant
state of chaos? Well let’s just say the following article
proves that there are really people out there who live in a
chaotic dump. Take a look, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Welcome to Historical Hyattsville where the homes are either just
darn beautiful, or they are downright run-down! IPF sent me out
to the field last week to visit “America’s Grubbiest House”.
I’m sure many of you have seen Extreme Makeover House
Edition—and in my honest opinion, this house qualifies more so
than any of the other houses on the show thus far.
Ty Pennington would probably either have a heart attack at its thoroughly
unclean and sullied state OR he would jump up and down for joy
at the promise tucked deep behind the four columns of this
historic plantation house.
Old historic
homes can
be so interesting…with their winding staircases and secret
hiding places and creaking floor boards. As I walked through
the heavy wood door into the foyer of this grand old house, I
was in awe of the boxes piled high to the ceiling, old computer
monitors sitting in the middle of the hall way, clothes strewn
all over the place including the dining room (of all places!).
How could one live in such a dump? And when I say dump, I
literally mean a trash dump. I doubt the owner of the house
would realize the trash I just placed in her living room was not
her own.
The sad part about this whole thing is that the house is quite
charming structurally. It sits on about 2 acres of land in a
quiet neighborhood that dates back to the mid 1800’s. The town
of Hyattsville was founded by and named after
Christopher Clarke Hyatt, who settled here sometime before 1860. The house itself is
huge! Huge enough to hold 40 years worth of a family’s
garbage:) I’m assuming this is the house of a pack-rat who
hates to throw anything away.
As my tour of the
house came to an end, I felt somewhat despondent about leaving
such a treasure, and even more sad that I couldn’t
restore it to its natural state.
With some good scrubbing, a little paint, and a few trash
trucks…this place could be in tip top shape.
Oh well. Some parting words that
wholeheartedly agree with Binu’s last update… … Less
is always better.
Scripture That Speaks:
2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Interesting Word of the Day:
pukka, also pucka [PUHK-uh] adjective:
1. Authentic; genuine.
2. Good of its kind; first-class.
He talks like the
quintessential
pukka Englishman
and quotes Chesterton and Kipling by the yard and yet he has
chosen to live most of his adult life abroad.
If he does not have
a house, the government gives him a
pukka
residence, not a...
shack on the pavement but a solid construction.
Pukka comes from Hindi
pakka, "cooked, ripe," from Sanskrit pakva-, from pacati, "he
cooks."
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Tuesday, March 1,
2005 - Susan
Paul to the
Thessalonians
He was one of those great men
of God who revolutionized Christianity nearly two thousand years
ago. Because of his stoked and profound teachings, many could
come to the realization of what it means to walk the walk.
With her permission, I thought I would
share with you all what a friend of mine sent to me. It is a letter. A letter
to the seven churches you could say. It is for anyone who has a heart to hear
what the Spirit sayeth to the Church:
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Hi Everyone!!
I hope you all
are blessed and growing in the Lord. I just wanted to share a
word of encouragement
to you all.
I feel in my Spirit more than ever that the Lord is going to
move in this nation in ways we have never seen before. I heard
someone say today that "When the church is persecuted is when
it flourishes most." Now I don't know about you all, but
lately, even just this year in 2005, it has gotten harder in my
own personal walk.
The Lord is refining things out of me personally that hurt, deep
things not superficial things and I have noticed Him doing that
amongst the Body as a whole. And at the same time, the love of
many is waxing cold as He begins to
separate the goat from the sheep.
Which leads me to truly believe that He is coming and coming
soon, which also means that our church will undergo things we
have never felt before. Not just the church in New Jersey or
the church in California, but the Church worldwide.
It also means that we need to break out of our comfort zones and
view our jobs, relationships, and churches through the eyes of
God, with an eternal mindset. So, we must continue pressing on,
sharpening each other through fellowship and encouragement and
continue lifting each other up in prayer. We must also know
that our key to success in this walk is
knowing our Masters voice.
Our sensitivity to His voice comes from spending time with Him
in prayer and reading His autobiography, the Bible. When we are
sensitive to His voice and know what it sounds like, then and
only then will we be able to
withstand whatever is ahead of us,
as individuals but more importantly as a whole; the true Body of
Christ.
My brothers and sisters, I want you to know that we are soon in
for the ride of our lives… If we will take hold of that which He
has taken hold of us for, and that is to spread His word to the
ends of the Earth and live a life that adds up to what we
profess to be…
Followers of Christ.
Be encouraged today and know that
revival is in the Land…
Crystal M. Farre'
Kenilworth, New Jersey
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“We ought always to thank
God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is
growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for
each other is increasing.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3
Interesting Word of the Day:
bonhomie
[bon-uh-MEE]
(noun): Friendliness; affability; geniality.
From French bonhomie, from bonhomme (good-natured man), from bon (good) + homme
(man). "By the time Gary Orfield finishes, the banter and
bonhomie
have given way to head shaking."
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Wednesday, February
9,
2005 - Susan
Nostalgia, No Greater Love: XA Photos.....
A.
What ever happened to receiving letters from people the
old-fashioned way…through
the good ol’ United States Postal Service? Blasted email! It
makes me feel a little old to think that I would wait on the
curb for the postman to come because I eagerly awaited someone’s
letter. Or the times when I would become so livid when my
mother opened my letters before I got to them [something she
loved to do…and did oh, so well].
Last night I was
blowing dust off my box of
old crackly letters…it
was nice to see the effort people took in writing letters back
then. The penmanship…the stationary…the
obsolete stamps,
even the news within the letter seemed more interesting to me
than the cryptic notes that go through cyberspace now…
Oh well, that’s life. You can reach me at
sak2345@aol.com [:)]
B.
Some friends and I retreated to Front Royal, Virginia to
encounter God this past weekend. We had an awesome time as
usual. Our adventure of the heart took us through the
wilderness of self, the
desert of religiosity,
and a wasteland of filth. Yes, I said it. We are all
filthy inside. I say this because I know myself, and I
know what I am capable of without the grace of the One who
saves.
Saved. The
speaker at the retreat this past weekend mentioned this word in
passing and I zoned out for a bit. Kind of like when you look
at someone you know really well for a really long time…so long
that they all of a sudden look
unusual and indistinguishable
to you. Well I was thinking about the word “saved” in the same
way. It is such a common phrase these days among believers to
use it in this way, “I became saved on such and such a date…”
and “No, he’s not saved”, etc.
Saved! We are saved. Saved from what though? Saved from our
own grime. Saved from death. He’s saved us by His grace.
Psalms 102:19-20 reads,
For he hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
from heaven did the Lord behold the earth; to hear the groaning
of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death.
It’s a pretty extreme concept when you contemplate it. We are
truly living in a dry and thirsty land. A land in need of
grace. A land in need of fellowship. And a land in need of a
God-instilled passion.
He saved us because
He craves our friendship.
He delights in us because we are His children. …children of a
King.
Scripture That Speaks:
Psalm 63:1-5
O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts
for You; my flesh longs for You in a
dry and thirsty land
where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the
sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your
lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in
Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and
fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
Interesting Word
of the Day:
Promethean
[pruh-MEE-thee-un]
adjective:
1. Of or
pertaining to Prometheus.
2. Boldly
original or creative.
Three years
later, he became the first American playwright to achieve the
Nobel Prize for Literature and was embraced as Broadway's
Promethean emblem.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the
Promethean self-confidence of
the new sciences had seemed likely to sweep everything before
it.
Prometheus,
"forethought" in Greek, was the Titan of Greek mythology who stole fire from Olympus
and gave it to mankind. For this, Zeus chained him to a rock
where a vulture preyed upon his liver until Hercules saved him.
The name comes from promethes, "forethoughtful," from pro,
"forward" + an element perhaps derived from menos, "mind."
Usage:
Promethean
is usually capitalized.
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Tuesday,
January 25, 2005
-
Susan
An Evening of Worship
It’s amazing the things God can do when people
are on fire for Him. I truly believe that there is a generation of students
and young people out there that can move mountains if they, as one
generation, cry out to God. On Sunday night, International Christian
Fellowship had a spirit-filled youth meeting. Joining us were various
students from Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. It was a blessed time
of Praise and Worship, and messages from our peers of what it means to take
up Christ’s nature. Messages of how
we are nothing without
the body of Christ. The body of Christ means me and you.
An awesome friend of ours, Zoe Paul, prayed, “The
grace of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus is very important in our lives.
It comes down to one thing. We are nothing without Him. We are nothing but
sin, rudeness and unhappiness. But because of His grace and His precious
blood,
all of our
wretchedness is covered by His blood…by His grace. Just remember how amazing this
grace is…how amazing this blood is. How it is covering and anointing us.
How it is covering us from head to toe. Not only
does it cover us, it cleanses us. It gives us a hope that we are going to be able
to stand righteous and justified before the Father. We have this hope not
because of anything we have done, but because of what He has for us and
through us.”
Give me one pure and holy passion
And give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You
To know and follow hard after You
To grow as Your disciple in the truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing You, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after You
Lead me on and I will run after You
Chris Strickland imparted a radical message of
perseverance. “Father, I pray in moments like this, we can be a people who
love you Lord.
Seal our hearts to You. Draw our hearts close to You. Let the
deception and lies of the world be shed off our backs. As the great hymn
says, we are so prone to wander. We turn away from you so quickly God. But
I pray that our hearts be staid on you…that our hearts be glued to you
Jesus. That we can’t get enough of You and Your presence. That we would
become known as one of the most radical generations in Christian history.
That we would become a generation that has laid aside everything to know
Jesus. Nothing is worth more to us than a little time spent in the presence
of Jesus.
Oh God, it’s my hearts
cry. Lord make us more hungry. There is always more
room for hunger. Increase our hunger for you that all of a sudden our
hearts will become hungry as you give the revelation that we need You! Make
our hearts so hungry and so broken in our need for You Father God.
Out of great brokenness comes a great fragrance. Out of our brokenness and need for You has come
all the great men and women of God in history. It was their brokenness that
made them great in the kingdom. It was their humility that raised them up.
So Father, do this in our hearts today…”
It is also my
prayer that God sends out boldly. Let’s rid ourselves of our inhibitions,
and stand up a group of people who can boldly proclaim that Christ is here
and that he wants to rule and reign in each of our hearts. Let us be a
people that are
ready to succumb
to His Word…to His plan…and to His will.
“We’ll sing an
anthem of the highest praise. We’ll sing an anthem of Your glorious name.”
Scripture
that Speaks: Acts 2:17-18
In the Last Days," God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on every
kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men
will see visions, your old men dream dreams. When the time comes, I'll pour
out my Spirit on those who serve me, men and women both, and they'll
prophesy.
Interesting Word of the
Day:
coruscate
[KOR-uh-skayt] intransitive verb:
1. To give
off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to
sparkle.
2. To exhibit
brilliant, sparkling technique or style.
They pulled up at the farthest end of a loop path that looked
out over the great basin of the Rio Grande
under brilliant, coruscating stars.
Beneath you lie two miles of ocean -- a bottomlessness, for all
practical purposes, an infinity of blue. ...
A thousand coruscating shafts of sunlight probe it, illuminating nothing.
What coruscating flights of language in his prose, what
waterfalls of self-displaying energy!
Whether we know or like it or not, those of us who turn our hands
to this task are scribbling in a line of succession which, however
uncertainly and intermittently, reaches back to the young Macaulay, who
first made his public reputation
as a
coruscating writer in the 1820s.
Coruscate
comes from Latin coruscatus, past participle of
coruscare,
"to move quickly, to tremble, to flutter, to twinkle or flash." The
noun form is coruscation. Also from coruscare is the adjective coruscant,
"glittering in flashes;
flashing."
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Tuesday,
January 11, 2005
-
Susan
Words from Home...
A. As a
first-generation, Pentecostal Indian-American, born and raised in the United
States, I am pretty much in a quagmire.
Not just me.
For many of you who also fit this category, you are too. We as Indian kids,
are expected to make sure our Indian heritage is maintained... Even though
we live in a country where Western culture is all around us, and Indian
culture not so much.
I'm sorry, but, there ain't noth'in like the good ol' U.S. of A.
It's in our heads.
It permeates through our skin. You can smell it in our hair. (Aveda
shampoo...earth's best thing for hair). Red, White and Blue. (BTW,
what are the color's for the Indian flag?...oh yeah, saffron, white and
green). Chicken nuggets. McDonald French Fries. Organic chocolate chip
cookies...(not that good). Hollywood, yes. Bollywood, no. Even boils down
to the air we breathe. Rock Climbing--I mentioned this to my mother a few
days ago, and her eyebrows raised as if this was actually one of my
ideas...ha.
Now, let me just clarify.
I am not putting down my heritage.
I am saying that home is where one grew up. "It is where the heart is".
For me, it is the time I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, looking him
in the eye and thinking...wow. It is the time I got to play in the snow
for two weeks because school was closed due to inclement weather. It's the
time I could actually become an individual and not part of an assemblage of
people who categorize you according to your social standing...or at least I
may think so;)
Now, if you happen to
"Ask Lakshmi Aunty",
she will tell you lovely stories about India and how it is our Mother Land
and how we should be proud of coming from such a country. I agree. I am
proud to be an Indian by heritage. But I am equally proud to grow up in
such a country as the U.S. It's home for me.
(p.s. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Masala Dosa and Chicken Tikka. Put
some Cuticurra Powder on the side, and I'm set;) I'm kidding. Really.
Honestly:) For me, my Indian heritage brings to mind--Family, Security,
Close-Ties, Good Food, Cool Clothes, Brown Skin, and Good Morals. I've got
the best of both worlds.
While many of the above mentioned items were in jest, to be quite honest
now, let me just say that in Titus 3:8-9, it reads:
"This
is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that
those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing
what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels
about
the law, because these are unprofitable and useless."
I take this verse to literally mean that no matter what...no matter who or
what you are...an Indian, an American, Hispanic, African, a lawyer, a
doctor, an artist, male or female--if any of these things take us away from
God, and God's principles, it is unprofitable. Thus, there will be no use
for man-made ideologies in His kingdom. Simple as that. Let's live lives
that are free from the bondages of worldly ties...but live lives that are
free in Him.
B. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. It just goes to tell you that the world is a place of
uncertainty. Temptations, lust, and pride are everywhere. I liked this
couple.
Always thought
they would stay together. Sometimes I really wonder what goes through
people's head when it comes to the sanctity of marriage. The world has
no rules. We either go with the flow. Or, we go against it. While the
world is place of uncertainty, one thing is certain, and this one thing
transcends the world--Christ and His promises.
Interesting Word of the Day:
Vandyke [van dyk] (noun): a short, pointed beard.
After painter Anthony Van Dyck or Vandyke (1599-1641) who painted portraits
of people having these v-shaped beards.
"And, a young man with a Van Dyke and kinte cloth shorts was Dirt Devil-ing
the floor around a mannequin in one of the few windows in which mannequins
were dressed."
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