Proclaim

This week our church set a theme of "Faith proclamation that transcends barriers" and the church gave me the opportunity to share from the Word. I looked up the topic and I was almost dejected because growing up in church one is constantly encouraged to share the faith. I was not sure if I would be apt to give a sermon on this topic but strange events that followed led me to be prepared.

Scene 1: 10pm on a Monday night. I have tons of homework to do but my heart is heavy and my mind keeps wandering to my friends in high school that took sudden turns in life and a lot of unfortunate events ensued. I saw everything like a flashback and I couldn't concentrate. And next thing I know, I am lightening this burden on a friend online encouraging them to keep moving on and Jesus loves you. Burden lightened. Heart at peace. Mind racing with thoughts - why did I do that? Am I going to be called Jesus freak? I wish I said less. I wish I said more. Did I just lose friends? Was that pointless?

[Looking back, this was practical training on proclaiming faith]

Scene 2: 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. I am done for the day at school and I sit in front of my laptop in hope of writing a rough draft to the sermon. I also vowed not to eat until I was done with the sermon, but by this time the brain is craving for nutrients and a headache slowly creeps in. I open the passage and its the typical Bartimaeus story. How do I make a sermon out of a story every kid knows?

Two hours later: I am amazed at what I learn and finish a rough draft. Singing and skipping and heading towards food, I realize that I am just a jar of clay holding His message. Heart at peace.

Scene 3: Saturday night. Nervousness creeps in. I almost doubt the words in the sermon and I don't know if I am ready for it. I fall asleep and I dream of everyone in church having a microphone to themselves.

[Looking back, this was subconscious inspiration that everyone should proclaim faith]

Scene 4: Sunday morning. If you ask me how my sermon went, all I have to say is I have no idea how the time went. Or what I said. I also don't know how I spoke because I couldn't stop coughing before the service started.

[Looking back,all I know is Praise God for what He does!]

Sleepless in Seattle

I went on a mini-Spring break to Seattle this year. I've always wanted to travel around, and so when I got some free money to attend a conference there, I jumped on the opportunity to visit a new city. Seattle is beautiful- the bay, the mountains, the gray skies, the bustling of people, and the smell of coffee everywhere (which I wouldn't normally like, but I got used to it within a day).

We had a good time at the conference and we did some city exploring in the afternoon. It was all fun and games until the night rolled in. Like typical young people on a vacation, everyone wanted to go out and have a good time socializing at the famous bars of Seattle. I am not someone that would "go out"- I just don't find it entertaining, and I know how people change under the influence of alcohol. I didn't want to surround myself in that environment and I decided not to go. Now I was with a group of people and we all came from Austin- the capital of partying in Texas at least. It was hard to say no when EVERYONE was going to have some fun in a new city. It was hard to stand my ground but I did it.. This is the story of what happened when everyone left me in my hotel room sleepless in Seattle.

God has a good sense of humor, and he also cares for his children. I like to think I was his favorite that night, because he had a perfect date lined up for me. After bidding my friends to a fun night, I bounced on my bed and said "Alright God now its your turn- I'm lonely and I did this because I value you as my Father more than my friends". I turned on the radio ready to scan and find a Christian radio station and it was right there. And He had the PERFECT lineup of songs for me I needed to hear at that time, and here's what He said to me :)

1. Stronger by Mandisa

2. You make Everything glorious by David Crowder Band

3. Before the morning by Josh Wilson

4. Beautiful by Mercyme

********************

Oh, don't hang your head

It's gonna end

God's right there

Even if it's hard to see Him

I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under

Hold on just a little bit longer

He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger

The pain ain't gonna last forever

And things can only get better

Believe me

This is gonna make you stronger

********************

The day is brighter here with You

The night is lighter than its hue

Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious

And I am Yours

What does that make me?

(of course you are glorious- and you just need to stay here with Me)

********************

so hold on, you got to wait for the light

press on, just fight the good fight

because the pain you've been feeling,

it's just the dark before the morning

********************

You're beautiful

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

You're beautiful

****************************************************************************

So just in case you care to know why I didn't go party in Seattle, I would rather enjoy my time with Him who played good songs for me, uplifted my spirits, and sent friends my way who called me and kept me company.

Its not because I am scared or because I don't know how to take care of myself.

Its not because I was tired.. but that I was tired of worldly pleasures

Its not because I wanted to sleep.. but that I wanted to sleep and wake up without the guilt of that sin.

Its not because I'm conservative and Indian.. Its because I am HIS :)

Luke 11: 34,35: Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (^[c]your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness. Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness

The magnanimosity of sin

Somewhere in the middle of reciting the confession prayer every Sunday and praying the typical "Forgive us all of our sins Lord" line in my daily family prayer, I forgot how great my sins are and how much God despises sin. Then it finally hit me: God is so holy, so very holy, that the smallest blemish of a sin stains his holiness and he can't stand it. Its like cleaning: no matter how clean the floor looks, the focus goes towards that that one spot where the cleaning liquid failed to work its magic. Thats how God sees sin- that small sin of lying is like that stubborn stain on a white floor that disgusts Him.

I cant believe how complacent I have gotten towards the concept of sin, but a few Bible passages highlighted sin to me like never before.

Ezekiel 16 describes Israel like a baby girl in the arms of the Sovereign Lord. God provided for her, took care of her as she matured, and took her as a bride when she was of age. Then she turned away from Him to become a prostitute.

⁵ “‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. ¹⁶ You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty...¹⁹ Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD...²² In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood...⁴³ “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Hosea 2 also describes sin in a similar way:

² “Rebuke your mother, rebuke her,
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous look from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
³ Otherwise I will strip her naked
and make her as bare as on the day she was born;
I will make her like a desert,
turn her into a parched land,
and slay her with thirst.

Oh how great is our sin! And oh how loving our God is to look at us and love us despite our sin!

¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵ There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

¹⁶ “In that day,” declares the LORD,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.’

Oh the deep deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, FREE!!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” :)

Small things are heart-warming to me. I am so easily impressed and it doesn't take much to touch me. Maybe it's my simplicity, or maybe it's my lack of sophistication. But I don't mind finding joy in small things, such as these :)

1. The right song at the right time on KLOVE.

2. Falling asleep on my dad's shoulder while watching Asianet.

3. Smiles on little kids.

4. Chocolate.

5. Giving my sister one of those pick-her-off-the-ground-and-spin-her-around hugs.

6. Cheesy/nerdy pick up lines said my non-creepy people.

7. Gossip time with mom.

8. Old school malayalam songs during prayer meetings.

9. Thank you letters/emails.

10. The color blue.

11. Water bodies and its serenity.

12. Sleeping to the sound of rain outside my window.

13. Hearty hugs.

14. Laughing the loudest to the silliest jokes in class.

15. Hanging out with the Blessys, even though people think I'm a Blessy too.

16. Paul's letters.

17. Psalm 73.

18. Ice-cream on a summer day.

19. Palos verdes lake.

20. Dancing to Bollywood music.

21. Princey: being able to pick up easily from where we left off.

22. Gifts that are practical: when people realize what I need and get those things for me as gifts. I mean sentimental gifts are great too, but I'm more of a practical person.

23. Kids calling me chechi.

24. Smiles- especially when people smile with their eyes (for more information, approach me. I tutor people on how to smile with their eyes).

25. Victoria Secret's Pure Seduction lotion.

26. Cleaning/organizing.

27. Footprints in the sand.

28. Having quiet time in the dark.

29. Walking on fallen leaves during autumn.

30. Summer and the 100 degree weather.

31. Medicinal chemistry.

32. Reading.

33. Facebook stalking with Soumya.

34. Movie nights with the family.

35. Gulab jamun.

36. Singing at church.

37. Serving food.

38. Christmas.

39. Orange soda.

40. Having an ever-accessible, loving Father.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"