CONFESSIONS

TRUTH IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

2012-02-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

During the time Rev Viju Varkey George (2006 to 2008) was Vicar at Christ Church, Trivandrum, he identified my so called creativity and pushed me in positive encouragement to design the motto for all three years, the Lord’s Name be praised !!!

During this time, as Sunday School teacher I was able to get his son, Navin Varkey George (Bass), Eric and Joe (Tenor), Thomas and Jonathan (vocal percussion), Nisha and Caroline, and a few others (Harmony) for the song of Acappella Ministries –TRUTH IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

It was even more amazing as we had it done as a tableau, drama-cum-song, and it was very much appreciated. Anupa as Jesus, Nivedita as Pontius Pilate, Joshua George Koshie and his team as those who threw stones at Stephen, and His Name waved high above that day as these children put heart and soul into it amidst their exams! Some of them are engineers now, and into other fields of study, but I’m happy and blessed to note they all hold JESUS OUR IMMANUEL as their FIRST PRIORITY… ALELUIA

These are the lyrics:

As the King of Kings was questioned by Pilate long ago
He declared His kingdom different not of this world
A kingdom for the side of truth like none has ever been
Pilate asked, What is truth?
He was standing right in front of him

Truth was standing right in front of him
As plain as anything could ever be
Truth was standing right in front of him
He was standing there for all the world to see
The Way, The Truth, the Life, the Victory

Stephen, first beloved martyr, gave up his life for Him
Being stoned by angry people filled with revenge
Where was God when all this happened?
Stephen looked into the sky, he was never alone
God was standing right in front of him

Truth was standing right in front of him
As plain as anything could ever be
Truth was standing right in front of him
Revealed to him for comfort and to see
He was standing there for his delivery

Now the quest for truth continues until this very day
But the source that we should seek is not of this world
A truth that is revealed by God, the Spirit's made it clear
If you ask what is truth? He is standing right in front of you

Truth is standing right in front of you
As plain as anything could ever be
Truth is standing right in front of you
Standing there for all eternity
The Way, the Truth, the Life, the Victory

He is standing right in front of you
Showing love for open eyes to see
Jesus is standing right in front of you
Standing there for He will always be
The Son of Man, the Son of God
The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords
The Way, the Truth, the Life, the Victory

YOU NEVER LET GO OF ME (Lyrics)

2012-02-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

Even though I walk through the valley Of the shadow of death Your perfect love is casting out fear And even when I'm caught in the middle Of the storms of this life I won't turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil For my God is with me And if my God is with me Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming For the heart that holds on A glorious light beyond all compare And there will be an end to these troubles But until that day comes We'll live to know You here on the earth

Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me
Yes, I can see a light that is coming For the heart that holds on And there will be an end to these troubles But until that day comes Still I will praise You, still I will praise You
Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me
Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me

DOXOLOGY

2012-02-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

It’s been quiet some time since I’ve been able to partake in the Holy Communion service at Christ Church owing to various trivial medical reasons. During which I would strive to attend the mini-worship sessions on Friday morning here at CSI Christ Church Trivandrum, where we have been regular members since 1991 till date only by HIS Grace and only for HIS Glory.

So during my looooong vacations I missed out on Very Rev Mathew Mathew Achen’s bold proclamation of the doxology, that sets the spark of revival in my heart to really live out all he just proclaimed in it.

Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold onto what is good; return no one evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted; support the weak, and help the suffering; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be amongst you and remain with you always. AMEN

Healing Hand Of God lyrics

2012-02-02T00:05:00.001-08:00

I have seen the many faces of fear and of pain
I have watched the tears fall plenty from heartache and strain
So if life's journey has you weary and afraid
There's rest in the shadow of His wings

I have walked through the valleys, the mountains, and plains
I have held the hand of freedom that washes all my stains
If you feel the weight of many trials and burdens from this world
There's freedom in the shelter of the Lord

And I have seen the healing hand of God
Reaching out and mending broken hearts
Taste and see the fullness of His peace
And hold on to what's being held out
The healing hand of God

And I have touched the scars upon His hands to see if they were real
He has walked the road before me, he knows just how I feel
When you feel that there's not anyone, who understands your pain
Just remember all of Jesus' suffering

'Cause I have seen the healing hand of God
Reaching out and mending broken hearts
Taste and see the fullness of His peace
And hold on to what's being held out

Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you
He's near to the broken and confused
By His stripes our spirit is renewed
So enter in the joy prepared for you

I have seen the healing hand of God
Reaching out and mending broken hearts
Taste and see the fullness of His peace
And hold on to what's being held out

The healing hand of God
The healing hand of God
The healing hand of God

And hold on to what's being held out
(Hold on)
And hold on to what's being held out
(Hold on)
The healing hand of God, oh, oh

--Jeremy Camp

Wounded Soldier (Danny Daniels)

2012-02-02T00:03:00.000-08:00

I am a wounded soldier
But I will not leave the fight
Because the Great Physician
Is healing me
So I’m standing in the battle
In the armour of His light
Because His mighty power
Is real in me

I am loved (I am loved)
I am accepted (I am accepted)
By the Saviour of my soul (Saviour of my soul)
I am loved (I am loved)
I am accepted (I am accepted)
And my wounds will be made whole

PEACE HIS PEACE :-)

2011-12-16T00:23:00.000-08:00

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and he is on the throne.

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease,
and Jesus call us to heaven's perfect peace.

W-A-D-A

2011-12-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

We Agree To Disagree Agreeably

an awesome ministry technique, that was taught during the Daily Bible Studies that were led by Mr. Valentine Davidar, the Asia Director of Haggai Institute in the Haggai Leadership Institute Non-Residential Training Session that God enable me to attend during March 1st to 3rd, 1998 with the encouragement of the then Youth For Christ Director (a very father-figure loving ANNAN that i miss soooo much) as a loving and kind brother(microbiologist and member of Mateer Memorial Chruch) would pick and drop me off from my home on his speedy YEZDI !!!

Mr Valentine Davidar taught us this technique when we met at loggerheads with situations as mentioned in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

PRAISE THE LORD JESUS for HIS uncompromising stubborn passion driven and prayerful life, death and resurrection here on earth as HE ran HIS RACE till the finishing line to SAVE US ALL from the fiery depths of eternal damnation and go on higher to INTERCEDE for us all...

HALLELUIAH!!

The Sword of MULLAPERIYAAR DAMocles

2011-12-10T02:53:00.000-08:00

In the midst of the ongoing fear and doubt of imminent calamity that hangs above us like 'the sword of Damocles', my thoughts wander off to a past unknown…

what would I have done if my brother's sacrifice was accepted;

or would I have found refuge in the ark where only eight "fools" chose to be;

or where would I have been when Daniel and his friends were cast into the fiery furnace, would I be kneeling face down in the dust at Nebuchadnezzar’s idol,

would I have been in the lion’s den with Daniel for having dared to pray to the one true God… even when it was totally “illogical” to do so.

Even if I were to be "disliked" by all my friends and family would I sit with Job in the ashes and not even for once grumble at God.

Would I have shouted the words “Crucify, crucify” along with the mob, just because “everybody else is doing it”.

Or would I have been with the 'religious righteous' of the time, stoning Stephen.

Would I have been the aristocrat shoving off “common folk” from entering the life-boats on the Titanic,

or would I be the old man holding on to his wife’s hand in calm assurance smiling in the midst of freezing waters saying with all my first-love and calm, “till death do us part”.

Would I be the foolish violinist who would linger on to play, “Nearer my God to Thee” as death came knocking at my door,

or would I be the fanatic evangelist who would cling to the railing hoping to snatch a few more souls into His kingdom as I shout above the roar of the sea, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall no be in want…”

As for any calamity that may beset me, I will press on to change that which I am called to do. Whether it be with hands and fingers that pain or in future a body that cannot press on, I will be at cheerful peace…

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all FEAR is gone,
Because I know, YES I KNOW
HE holds my future
And life is worth the living just because HE LIVES!!

2009-04-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

i moved thru life wondering if it held any meaning, what it held for me, would i be remembered, would i be loved? or am i just a passing phase in the circle of life? my sense of aimlessness and meaningless wandering was turned about the moment my gaze rested on this singular lady for the first time in my life, her character taller than mine, her personality far mature than mine, a halo of calmness and peace permeated all those around, and i wondered if i was worthy of seeking her hand and it turned out to be we were destined for each other, we shared so much in common, we understood each other better than anyone else... that perfect someone, which everyone thought impossible, including ourselves yet another reminder that Jesus loves the little children, the guy who was labelled "the fool" by kith and kin, the guy who all the teachers' wrote off as "a day-dreamer. and will amount to nothing", the guy who felt so lonely and unloved, and imperfect...
has his life all changed in one moment a sense of renewed purpose, hope, and peace... re-born we would never meet was it not for the constant tears and prayers of our parents and siblings i wonder if i'm dreaming!!! naaaaah i'm not :-)

The Slump

2008-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Life seems to go on in a never ending cycle of fun, food, sleep, prayer, sickness, studies, work and sadness. But some way along the line we find we've reached a slump, or a certain something that envelopes our whole being. It so engulfs us that we feel all the mundane has suddenly ceased to exist. We feel let-down, down-trodden, deserted and very much insecure that it not only leaves us brooding over this seemingly widening hole, but paralyzes our capacity to think freely. It empowers us to the extent that we are overcome by this thought process rendering us incapacitated beyond our logic and reason. We even feel that we've wasted away a whole life time, that we've been on our life journey pointlessly, that all the time and effort we've put in so selflessly and earnestly has become the source of our despair.
It's in this low point that a few words of wisdom and a relieving perspective of life was pointed out to me by a highly respected individual more of my mentor, friend and big brother at my place of work, enlightened me over lunch with the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" written by Tim Rice for the animated motion picture The Lion King

Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!

An awesome feeling to be able to sing it out and bask in the glory of life's slumps which might look as much insignificant to begin with, but are in reality sure-footed stepping stones that will help us sail smoothly on through the pleasant gift of life.

So...
Hakuna Matata to y'all!
God bless

TRUTH??

2007-11-18T07:40:00.001-08:00

I enter scared, confused, lonely and with a complete feeling of insecurity. My fingers turn white as I clutch on to the truth, but even truth gives me no respite from this foreboding place. Its inner gloom transcends its outward beauty. I enter, bereft of peace. I see there many others such as myself, those who have come before me, seeking exactly what I seek, but it will be denied. Denied not because we stand against it, but denied because we cannot ‘afford’ it. This is a place where the first thing you would notice is the multitude of men and women in black coats and cloaks floating past you. More like bats, busy draining the life-blood of the innocent and greedily living-off the luxury of the guilty. They claim they will advocate your case and sweep the judge right off his feet and a verdict will be made in favour of the truth you hold on to, but it’s a scam, a farce. But yet you go on hopefully, dreaming that the truth shall set you free. But it isn’t our destiny as we can’t afford to handle the ‘truth’ because we cannot own it. This is a place where truth can be persuaded, influenced, forged and even bought at a price. This is the kind of ‘justice’ you would experience prevailing in the courts of our nation. A nation whose ‘truth’ is as diverse as its culture. But this form of justice permeates into the society we live in, our educational institutions and sadly our work place. We feel left out, forgotten, used, drained and discarded. We cease to exist.

But a positive note still remains, regardless of the prevailing gloom, truth will prevail, it most assuredly shall set you free, if not in this world, most assuredly in the next.

O Lord...

2007-10-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

Lord grant me the
Courage
to change the things I can,
Serenity
to accept the things I can't
and
Wisdom
to know the difference

The Restored Soul

2006-08-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes through our journey of life we come across this bump in the road that shakes up our life so damn badly that it shakes the very foundation on which we have built it. We go through life as we would flip through a book... thinking that after each page lies another page waiting to be flipped... that life will go on as it has till now. But in the lives of a chosen few, life isn't always as smooth as flipping through a book... as some of the pages in their book seem torn off... ripped out permanently. All that such people have is to flip through the fine smooth pages they carelessly flipped away in the past and cherish each moment passed... digging up memories long forgotten so as to remind themselves that life wasn't always as dark as it now is... there were happy times...

But to dwelve on the past is meaningless... and to spend one's life there would be an utter waste... but wise is he who gathers strength from the darkness and gloom to turn the pages that lay ahead of him... for from then on he is free from all fear.. as he can turn through life's pages with courage and a determined spirit... a spirit that has gone through the fire and has come out refined... restored. For a restored spirit is far better... no... far greater than a whole body!! For what profit is the flesh which will perish and wither away... it is a higher call to have a restored spirit that will live on through eternity...

My body may fail... my bones may crack... I may be plagued by spasms of pain... my vision might falter... but my soul will live on... for it will not faint or grow weary... life's bumps and holes may try to crush it but my soul will be victorious for I draw my strength form the one who has given it to me... the Author and Restorer of my soul.

M y Saviour and my King!!

Friends are Destined to be...

2006-07-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

I've got an awesome friend... humorous and funloving... at the same time an exceptional self-taught programmer... I prefer to call him a genius... as he has taught me much and still does. Now this friend of mine has been working for quite some time with this fast budding IT company whose employees had never seen my friends face-to-face... but they had seen and admired his work.

The Director and Founder of this company (also my friend... a "one-of-a-kind" kinda guy... for his multi faceted abilities and undying calmness and rock-solid presence of mind... no matter what!!) had seen him... talked to him... trained him... and seems very much satisfied with his performance.

So as the proposal of this company to meet my friend kept on being postponed due to unforseen reasons... it materialised atlast as a 14 person trip to his home, some 260kms away.

I believe it was more our destiny to be with him than it was his to be with us...

On the auspicious day... the journey began... all had taken extra effort to be their best... some even spent sleepless nights scheduling and organising the trip. They did their best to make it as perfect and hassle-free as possible... which was evidently fulfilled.

The journey though a happy one, had an air of mystery... suspense, rather, as none of them knew what to expect... they had never seen him... but those thoughts drowned in the lively music, painstakingly selected the previous night. We stopped for breakfast... I ate heartily.... and got to know the rest of the team... I had seen them... but never interacted with them... each one of them unique.

After 5 long hours and also the problem put up by me for having to stop twice or thrice to strech my legs... we reached our destination. All suspense was blown away and replaced with a time of fun and laughter. Then my friend's mum and his grandmum brought in refreshments and all of us digged in... his dad narrated a story... which at the moment sounded incoherent to me as I was deeply engrossed in the huge piece of chicken pastry and the nut filled cream cake which was mouth watering. Most pleasant of all was observing how the others ate... amusing, really!

But then a silence reigned throughout and my friend and i did our best to break the monotony by taking snaps of those present... half eating... half talkin... half sleeping... The silence was turned to laughter when they saw the kind of pictures we took and as we pointed out the various humorous expressions made by each...

After which we all gathered together for an extensive photo session... and then prepared for a brief departure... I wonder if all of them shook his hand... must've fallen off in the process.

They all came in doubt and left content to have found a team-mate... and more importantly a friend.

The visit was short and sweet.

I wish we had gone earlier...

Life...

2006-07-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

Life is beautiful... i'm not talkin figuratively... but literally. Life is so damn good... u tend to take all of it for granted... as if it was all a waste.

The fresh morning break of dawn... the birds singing at 4:30am... the stars slowly loosing their glitter and fading into the ever glowing sunrise... the cock crowing... the gentle mist... the cool air... the budding rose... the untiring ant... and the persevering spider weaving that silky web glistening in the dew filled morn...

All this leads me to a song I and my brother used to sing...

Every tiny star that twinkles in the night sky,
Every drop of morning dew,
Every spark of fire blazing in the furnace,
Every captivating view,
Every rainbow in the sky,
Every pretty butterfly...
Tells the fascinating news to those who dare to hope;
And the message is...
God... still loves the world,
God still loves the...
God still, still loves the world....
So throw urself into his hands...
Day by day discern his plans
God is passionately BUSY loving you and me!!!

Actually there are two more stanzas... but my intention is that we take time to look at the blessings God gives us afresh every day...

As we pray in the Lord's prayer... "Give us this day..." but once we get it we tend to become too busy to appreciate the fact that He gave it...

And God saw what He created and saw that it was all good... He saw... that's why He found it to be good.... if God took the time to behold his creation... how much more should we behold the work of our creator...

Life truly is beautiful... :-)

Hi.... :-)

2006-07-07T01:56:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever posting.... and my first ever blog... but ofcourse there's a first for everything...

This feels great....

Thank God I'm able to atleast do this now...

Also wish to thank my best pal Tony and his brother for their constant encouragement to embark on something as outrageous as this...

And my Amma... for paying my cyber bills... :-D

I really do feel on top of the world... my world atleast!!!!