I, The Convert
Anand Mahadevan
I was born a Brahmin and am the grandson of a priest whom I dearly loved. I am educated and my current professional standing indicates that I am reasonably intelligent. I am also affluent and my income would put me distinctly in the upper middle class bracket. I guess that would make me high-caste, rich and smart. In other words, I am not a tribal, or poor or dim-witted. And yet, I chose to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
The world would call me a convert to Christianity. I have no problems with that, though I see my faith more as a relationship with God through Jesus Christ than as a religion. And for the record, I can truthfully claim that no one financially induced or threatened or 
deceived me into converting to Christianity.
I am fiercely proud of my national identity as an Indian and I am completely at peace with my cultural identity as a Hindu. I retain the name my parents gave me. My wife, who also shares my faith, continues to go by her Hindu name. We have two children and we have given both distinctly Hindu names. In fact, many of my colleagues and acquaintances who may happen to read this column are likely to be surprised. They have no inkling about my faith, for I generally don't go about announcing it. But if someone does ask me the reason behind the joy and hope that is everpresent in my life, I am always delighted to share it with them.
I write this piece to make one point—that my conversion was not a change of religion but a change of heart. To explain this, I need to go back to my childhood in Chennai, similar to that of so many other Tamil Brahmin boys like me. My grandfather, every bit the virtuous priest, had enormous influence over me. I absolutely adored him and as a toddler, always clung to him. He too loved me to a fault. There was no wish of mine that he would not rush to fulfil. But even in my early, formative years I was unable to relate to the religion he fervently practiced. Later, in my school days, I once spent my summer holidays with him in Trichy. Memories of dawn walks with him, for the ritualistic dip in the Cauvery river, cow in tow, are still fresh in my memory. I learnt many shlokas, some of which I still remember. But I never understood any of it and none of it helped me connect with God.
When I was 19, a Christian friend with whom I used to play cricket invited me to his house for prayer. If he had invited me to a pub, or party, I would have gone too. At his home, he and his sister prayed for me. It was a simple yet delightful conversation with God that lasted all of five minutes. I don't remember it verbatim, but they articulated a prayer of blessing on my life, future, career and family. It was a simple affair—no miracles, no angels visiting. All they did was utter a deep human cry out to the creator God and His only son Jesus Christ. When they said Amen, I felt in my heart a desire to follow Jesus.
It was a faith encounter with God that I shall not even attempt to understand, rationalise or explain. I simply accept it. It is my faith. It is what I choose to believe. That evening I did not change my religion, for in reality I had none. Hinduism was my identity, not my religion. It still is.
The Christianity I acquired that evening is not a religion. On the contrary, it is an intensely intimate relationship with Jesus. Over the past fifteen years, I have come to know this Jesus even closer. I know Him as the pure and sinless Son of a Holy God. And I know Him as a dear friend to whom I pray and talk to every day—about my career, my dreams, successes, failures, finances and even my sexuality.
If I read a good book, watch a good movie (Rock On is terrific, mate), or eat a good meal at a new restaurant, I would naturally tell my friends about it.In Jesus, I have discovered a truly amazing friend, guide, leader, saviour and God. How can I not tell all my friends about Him? And if anyone does listen and he too comes to believe in Jesus, I am delighted. The world would call it a conversion; I call it a change of heart, like mine.
But I would never force anyone to listen to me, leave alone financially induce, coerce or con him into believing. That to me is pointless and against the very grain of my faith. But I do have a constitutional right to practice my faith and to preach it without deception, force or bribery. It pains to see such basic rights of mankind being cruelly violated every day in this great Hindu nation.
God bless India.
(Source - OutlookIndia.com. Anand Mahadevan is the editor of Outlook Business.)
Just dig a hole
Oral Roberts
Most miracles don't just happen. We usually have to take the first step of faith to set the miracle into motion.
In 1968 Oral Roberts University was growing so fast that we outgrew our original dining hall. But we had no money to build a new one. Then I had a strong leading that I recognized as being from God. He said, "Dig the hole."
The faculty, student body, and the board of regents gathered around that huge hole, and we all joined hands and prayed. We said, "God, we've dug the hole. Now we're asking You to fill it up."
For seven long months that gaping hole remained just a hole. Sometimes I felt it was mocking us. But one day God began to move, and people started sending in seeds of faith for the new dining hall. Together, we built that building! Thousands of meals are served there each day to ORU students. It's a beautiful, practical building, but it began as a hole in the ground. It started as an act of our faith.
James 2:18 NKJV says, I will show you my faith by my works. Perhaps God is leading you to do something that seems too huge to accomplish. Don't be afraid to take that first small step of faith. God can take that act and turn it into a miracle. Just dig the hole !
Are you carrot, egg or coffee ??
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again........
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as though just as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His Resurrection?
Unknown Author
The Gospel of John (20: 7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Is that important? You'd better believe it! Is that Significant? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit abo ut Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would Wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, And the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.
Now if the master had finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet."
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"
May this truly bless you and give you peace.........
Praying for a bull
Richard Roberts
There is no problem too big or too small for God. Sometimes we think God is interested only in helping us with "important" problems. But He loves us and wants to help us with any trial or trouble that weighs on us, no matter what it may be.
I remember one time when a rancher called the Abundant Life Prayer Group during our television program The Hour of Healing because his prize bull had gotgen caught in barbed wire. The bull was seriously injured, and the rancher thought it might die. He wanted me to pray for the bull's healing.
Now someone might say, "What do you think you're doing, wasting precious airtime praying for a bull?" But that prize bull was important to the rancher, so it was important to God. I prayed, and do you know what? God healed that bull!
God is interested in things like that. If something is bothering you, it's bothering Him. He cares about what you care about. First Peter 5:7 NLT says it like this: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. The Amplified Bible says, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. In that same verse, the Phillips translation says that you are His personal concern.
You can ask God for help with anything that's troubling you today because He cares!
The Great Physician and the medicine
The Empty Chair
A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.
'I guess you were expecting me', he said.
'No, who are you?' said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked, 'I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up.'
'Oh yeah, the chair,' said the bedridden man. 'Would you mind closing the door?' Puzzled, the minister shut the door. 'I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,' said the man. 'But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head.' I abandoned any attempt at prayer,' the old man continued'?
Until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. 'Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised; 'I will be with you always'. 'Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now.' 'So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.'
The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
Did he die in peace?' he asked.
Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?'
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, 'I wish we could all go like that.'
Hand for Charity
There is a Charity Organisation in a particular city in United States of America.
Once they were running out of funds and required financial help. Understanding their situation, a gentleman gave them a packet and said, "This contains a very valuable article; you can auction it off and use the money."
So charity organization gave it to an official auctioneer, who was shocked to see a chopped off lady hand inside the parcel.
The donator of the gift explained, "This is the mummified hand of a Princess of a particular country, who lived 2250 years B.C. She was a very compassionate woman. One day she was handing over alms to the poor people outside her palace. But the king's high-priest happened to witness this scene a
nd was furious. He said, "How can a Princess touch the poor children in the streets?" He commanded that her hand should be cut off according to the religious law. They chopped off her hand but embalmed it and preserved it. This hand, which evokes sympathy and love, has come through 4000 years. The poor Princess lost her hand because of her merciful trait and her act of charity."
Our glorious Lord Jesus was bruised all over His body for helping the broken hearted and diseased. On the Cross of Calvary, He allowed His body to be bruised and thrashed and He died for us. According to the Bible, "For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones"(Ephesians 5:30).
"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"(Joshua 1:9). The Lord has assured us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5)
Dear friend, remember this. Human love may change or disappear. You may feel dejected when all people have forsaken you. But in all kinds of circumstances, Jesus will be with you. He will wipe away your tears and will console and comfort you. You need not fear or be dismayed. His presence will go before you. He will be with you always and on all occasions. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Un-opened letters to God
Recently a news item was published with the headline “Unanswered Prayers: Letters To God Found Dumped In Ocean”.
Some one had found about 300 letters tossed in the ocean that were sent to a New Jersey minister - most of them unopened. The minister was long dead. It’s a mystery, how the letters came to be floating in the surf off the New Jersey shore.
The letters were addressed to the minister since he had promised to pray for these requests.Some of the letters asked for surprising things while others were written by people in distress - anguished spouses, children or widows. They poured out their hearts to God - asking for help with relatives who were abusing drugs and alcohol or spouses who were cheating on them. One letter asked God for a husband and father to love her child. The reporter concluded that all these represented “unanswered prayers.”
That’s not true.
Those letter-writers cried out to Heavenly Father and He heard each one of them because not even a single honest prayer is lost to His ears.
In the midst of a deep personal crisis, David wrote “All my desire lie open before You, O Lord, my sighing is not hidden from You” (Psalm 38:9). David understood that we can cast all our cares on the Lord, even if no one else prays for us. He confidently concluded, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me” (Psalm 86:7)
A full glass of milk
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay for his hungry stomach, decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. On the way through school, he found he had only one thin dime left and he was very hungry. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. The woman thought he looked hungry, so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us, never to accept payment for a kindness." He said..."Then I thank you from my heart."
Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.
From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then, wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. The woman feared opening it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words..."Paid in full with one glass of milk." Signed, Dr.Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."
"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
Happy New Year 2008
Can you see God's smile in thise picture?
May He always bless you with His smiles during year 2008 and ever thereafter.!!!
Recipe for a Happy New Year
Take twelve whole months. Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible. Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or thirty-one different parts, but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients. Mix well into each day one part of faith, one part of patience, one part of courage, and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation, and one good deed. Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play, and a cup full of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love. Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile, and serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness. You're bound to have a happy new year. ~Author Unknown~
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