~Summer time~

Summers on the way...
Though it's really getting hot out here in India this Summer
It's also a time of flowers, colors, birds, butterflies....
Let's enjoy the beauty of this season too!!

How to forgive?~ By Fr Varghese Thampan ~

~ How To Forgive ~

One day, a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods

As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right

He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job

His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him

He remembered family that had passed on

His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure

His very soul was filled with anger, resentment and frustration

Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there

And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:
"Lord, You have done wonderful things for me in this life
You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed

Today, you have told me to forgive
I am sad, Lord, because I cannot

I don't know how
It's not fair Lord

I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive

As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive

My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do this one thing I cannot do - Teach me to Forgive."
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder

He opened his eyes

Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt

He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground

He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them

He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross

He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head

Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face

As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak
"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked.
The man answered - "yes"

"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"
The man answered - "yes, Lord"

And the man sobbed more and more.
"Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked?
And the man answered - "yes""Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain? "The man, crying now, answered - "yes, Lord "
As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever"? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - "yes, Lord"Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder

He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus
When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before

Jesus said, "I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you"It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is

Read the following line slowly and let it sink in

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it !

~ By Fr Varghese Thampan ~

"Forgiveness Is The Key To Happiness"

Sounds of Summer...(author unknown)

Summer is a wonderful time of the year
It makes people ecstatic and brimming with cheer
When we rise in the morning with the sun shining so bright

We listen to the birdies melodies with so much delight.

The trees are so attractive amid their leaves so green

While the grass obtained its color from its long winter dream
The flowers are multi-colored of red, white, yellow, pink green and blue...

That radiates in various aromas for me or for you
The squirrels are in a frenzy rousting about
While listening to the children as they frolic and shout

There's swimming and hunting and fishing galore
While the beachcombers are at leisure on the dry sunny shore
The fish are forming schools in the deep blue sea
Avoiding the obstacles they encounter from you or from me

The wildlife are enjoying their freedom at bay
In hopes that no predators will stand in their way
The butterflies are dancing their way through the air
As the warm gentle breeze blows softly through our hair

The stars are brightly shining on the serene summer night
While the campfires are crackling with the moon oh! So! Bright
Summer is a season to cherish its fantastic! Its divine
Creating a world without summer simply wasn?t God?s design.

~UNKNOWN~

PRAISE YAHWEH for HIS BEAUTIFUL CREATION!

Grace like a Rain~Author Unknown

Oh my precious loving Lord Jesus;

To You my only redeemer how I do cry.

For my pain, sorrows, and trials are so many,

That my burdened Heart could just die.

May just one drop of your Holy blood,

Cover the transgressions of my unfaithful past.

So that Your great peace, joy, and unfailing Love

Could fill my lost soul to now be free at last.

Lord Jesus, please seperate me and my sins,

As far as these tainted eyes can see from East to West.

For Your kind Heart and Your steadfast Love,

Is my one and only true desire, my lifetime quest.

How my tender Heart does tremble before Your throne;

To You my King, You are my Savior in whom I wish to flee.

To be in Your loving arms, abiding under Your wings forever

Till Your Glory upon earth to the Heavens above is all I see.

I fall humbly to my knees in prayer, hear my cries, Dear Lord;

That I may at Heart and mind be righteous in Your eyes.

So that my wandering soul may soon by Your grace cease,

May my Heart be restored new in it's relentless sighs.

Please Jesus, let your gentle light shine through me,

So that my growing Faith , trust, and Hope in You will prevail.

Let your unfailing Love and abiding strength renew me.

Be the guiding peaceful winds of Glory beneath my sail.

Lord, spare me from deceitful deeds, rejecting Satan's ways.

Fill my Heart and soul with Your mercy, and my lips with Godly praise.

Let Your light be my beacon, Lord, so that all the world will see

That I am truly a part of "You" and "You" are a part of me...

IN JESUS NAME

AMEN

(Author Unknown)

~Wandering Eyes~

Hi Family, friends

Wanted to study a bit on "Wandering eyes". 

Many years back, I happened to see a desperate prayer request...

This was from a person who was so....lonely, bored in life and she wrote, " ....I'm worried......my eyes are starting to wander. My emotions are calling for notice".

In her longing to seek attention and love her eyes were wandering on-line for friendships and relationships.

It's okay to have good healthy friendships but the problem is when eyes start wandering the enemy has deceptive traps laid all over the Internet to trap innocent victims.

There are people out there who are just illusions and just want to have fun with innocent people who fall for their lies and false friendships.

Then after a while they'll be suddenly gone leaving these people feel cheated.

That's why my heart went out to pray for this person.

Job knew that "Wandering eyes can end up in sin" that's why says in

JOB 31:1,"I made a covenant with my eyes
       not to look lustfully at a girl."

Here Job not only avoided adultery, he had not even taken a step towards that sin by looking at a woman with lust.

Eyes wandering on-line to find true love can slowly be drawn away into the snare of the enemy unknowingly. Then one starts loosing focus and priorities change places.

Even someone who loves Jesus can be caught in this web and then Jesus sighs.

They loose the passion and love they once had to serve God.

Then Jesus will say....

REVELATION 2:4 "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

5 Remember the height from which you have fallen!

Repent and do the things you did at first.

If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place."

Let our Love for JESUS and our Passion for seeking and serving HIM be our 1st love.

Let's take our eyes off from the things of this world that lures us to sin.

Our eyes need to look up to God for our help comes from Him.

PSALM 121:  1 "I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?"

Wandering eyes can also cause one to lust for the things of this world and worldly pleasures.

That's why it's said in

1 JOHN 2: 16 "For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man,

the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—

comes not from the Father but from the world."

We need to remove every stumbling blocks that cause us to fall in sin.

Matthew 18: 9 "And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.

 It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."

It's not literally taking out your eyes but cutting off or turning away from any friendships, activity, practices, sites, neighbourhood that may cause one to sin.

Our eyes the Bible says is the lamp of the Body.

LUKE 11: 34 "Your eye is the lamp of your body.

When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light.

But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness."

Let our eyes be fixed on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let not evil and sinful desires dim our spiritual vision

Then we will have hard time seeking God, seeing His vision and serving Him.

Let us desire to know our Savior better.

May Yeshua's love rule and Reign in your hearts.

Stay Blessed,

YSIC,

Julia

Go to the King's court...

Hi....

Greetings...

So often we are faced with situations that so...trouble us and we try hard to find answers and judge the situation with our own wisdom.

Sometimes we are treated unjustly and our cry for justice is not heard by anyone down here on earth.

Esther heard her people the Jews were in trouble. She asked all the Jews to fast for 3 days and Night and then she and her maidens too chose to fast and then was ready to boldly enter the Kings Chambers.

She was willing to perish in the process of getting justice for her people.

Esther 4:16,"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

We too have to stand up for truth and maintain justice.

Isaiah 56: ¹ This is what the LORD says:
       "Maintain justice
       and do what is right..." 
Today when we face tough situations and look for justice and find none, we can always approach THE KING'S (JESUS CHRIST'S) Chamber or His Courts, at any time and we don't have to get His permission.

We only have to have the right relationship with Our Saviour JESUS CHRIST.

And have to get right with Him if there's any un confessed sin, have to confess & repent for sometimes our sins prevent God from hearing our petitions.

Isaiah 59: ¹ Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
       nor his ear too dull to hear. 

    ² But your iniquities have separated
       you from your God;
       your sins have hidden his face from you,
       so that he will not hear.

When we lay our petitions at our King and Saviour JESUS CHRIST'S feet we are sure to get fair justice, for God sees our hearts and judges out thought. He's a fair judge.

Esther stood up to speak up to the King for her people. Are we willing to stand up & speak to Our King when we face situation that needs God's attention??

Go to the Lord with your petitions. He is a fair judge & a compassionate & loving King.

Don't hesitate or fear to go to the King's Court with your petitions.

Julia