Gods Silence

Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning?
God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany!(refer to John 11:6) Is there anything comparable to those days in your life?

Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer?

God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself.

Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response?
When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God.

A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, "I know that God has heard me." His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.

During this season of Lent, learn to quieten down your soul. Learn to be more silent and in tune to the voice of God. 

Investing your money in God’s Kingdom – Experiencing the joy of giving.

Obedience, along with faith and trust is the essential ingredient of Christian living. Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” -John 14:21

We know that Jesus gave us many commands to help us live holy lives. All the commands direct us toward God and toward neighbor. One such command is found in Luke 6:38 where Jesus says, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Now this particular command Jesus does not specify what we are to give, but when we give, it promises that it will be returned to us in a cup that is running over. Personally, I am glad Jesus does not specify exactly what we are to give because this works to our advantage. Here is how. Anything we give is multiplied and returned back to us. If we give our money, money is multiplied. If we give our time, our time is multiplied. If we give our talents, our talents are multiplied. If we give our love, love within us is multiplied so we have an ever greater capacity to love. I have been blessed to have been given an opportunity in the last few years to give of all the four: Money, Time, Talent and Love. But the one that I have been giving the longest is money, so I want to talk about that.

I started to give a tenth of my income to God’s work seven years ago at a time I was in a severe financial crisis. I was debt ridden. I had no savings and owned no property. On top of this I had financial obligations that had to be paid out in US dollars. The first few months of tithing were very hard. I was tempted often to stop or reduce the percentage. A tenth of my salary amounted to a healthy sum. I would be tempted to visualize all the ways in which I could spend that 10% to alleviate my financial situation. But I resisted the temptation I faithfully gave: a portion to the church where I received my sacraments, a portion to my prayer group that was helping me grow spiritually, a portion to missions abroad, and a portion for spontaneous charity towards individuals I knew were in need.

In these seven years of faithful giving of a tenth of my income, I can testify that God has been faithful to his promises, in both, Malachi 3:10-12  which says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” and also Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Since I came to Dubai in 2004, I have never been without a job except once for a brief period six months during which time God provided for all my needs. My income has steadily increased and my lifestyle has improved along with it. I have never had a health problem except for an occasional cold or flu and an intermittent backache which is more than manageable. And because God knew I could not manage my finances, two years ago He brought into my life a life partner, who unlike me, is excellent at managing finances. She put my financial house in order in no time and supported my practice of tithing. I also experienced a complete sense of financial security which comes from knowing that a portion of my income was regularly supporting God’s work here on earth. If my income is affected, God’s work is affected. It is in God’s interest to help me maintain my income.

Let’s just say for instance that I am sponsoring a seminarian for priesthood or paying fees for a disabled person to stay in a care home. If I lose my income, God has to find an alternate means to take care of them. And this world, there is shortage of givers. So the more I invest in God’s work, the more secure my income.

Now these are only the material benefits of tithing. There are others benefits as well. God has made it easier for me to trust in Him for my provisions. I feel less attached to money or possessions than I used to before I began to tithe. It is easier for me to give. The grip on money and material possessions has been loosened. I worry less about these things which gives me more peace. But even more importantly are the benefits I am accruing in heaven. For every penny that I give to God, he is crediting to my account with a hundred fold interest in heaven, where “neither moth destroys nor thieves break in and steal”- Matthew 6:19-21
 
Now you might say that all of this sounds very selfish and business like. I give just so I may receive even more. In some ways, it is that. But over time my attitude towards giving has changed. I no longer give because I will receive a hundred fold in return. I now give simply out of love for Jesus, because it gives me immense joy to please him and to obey his commands. Initially, I started giving for ME, but I now I give for Jesus. Even if he did not bless me (which would not happen as He will not go against His word), I will still continue to give because of the joy it brings me.

If you are struggling financially, especially if you have a job but you find that your money simply vanishes at the end of the month, start giving to God and see the miracle. If you are doing well financially but find yourself unhappy or unable to put that wealth to good use, start giving some of it back to God (it all belongs to Him in the first place) and see the miracles that will take place in your life. He will bless you in both cash and kind. Both in this world and the world to come.  







Jaime DeMelo
HSI Media

Heaven's Light Shines into This!!

We live in a world of light, darkness, and shadows. This is the inescapable reality of our physical world. We may experience only one of these, but the other two are closer companions than we often realize. We also live an existence of goodness, evil, and uncertainty. We can experience one of these in its overwhelming pervasiveness, but the other two are usually nearby battling to be the supreme influence over our lives. 

But God is light, perfection and goodness:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

And Jesus is God's most perfect gift! That's why Matthew sees prophecy declaring Jesus' arrival:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Matthew 4:16).

But was that darkness — the spiritual evil and uncertainty and those shifting shadows of the spiritual world — real or was it simply religious metaphor, hyperbole, and religious fear mongering to manipulate superstitious people? 

Yes, the darkness was real. Jesus confronted it at every stage of his journey. From Herod's determination to murder him as a baby (Matthew 2:1-18), to his battle with the demons who took over the man we know as Legion (Mark 5:1-20), to his attack by the religious leaders in the Temple (Luke 22:53), to his betrayal by Judas (John 13:2-30), and through his time on the Cross (Matthew 27:45). 

Yet all that the evil one threw at Jesus failed. Darkness was defeated. Darkness could not extinguish the light of God in the face of Jesus:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:5).

Is that darkness real in our lives?

O yes! We see it in a million different ways in the brutality, evil, unfairness, brokenness, death, disease, disasters, exploitation, abuse, and violence that mar our world and invade our lives. That same darkness comes for us. It's knocking at our door and it desires to have us. Paul describes it this way:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

Heaven's light shines into this darkness and drives it away!

This is why Jesus came: to bring light, to cast out the darkness, and to drive away the shadows. The baby proclaimed by angels, welcomed by Shepherds, and worshiped by Magi from the east brought God's light to all of us caught in darkness. Paul gave this promise to those of us who recognize this baby in the manger as our Savior:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

So what do we do with this Savior, this grace, this light from heaven?

We receive it, we live in it, and we celebrate it. Most of all, we share that light! We are "the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference" he has made in our lives (1 Peter 2:9). 

We live in a world of light, darkness, and shadows. Yet this child in the manger and this man on Golgotha's cross is also our Lord who left behind an empty tomb and ended darkness' reign over our lives. So no matter where you are or what is going on in your life, realize that God sent Jesus so we could know that heaven's light shines into this darkness and drives it away! 

Take time out and watch this video: 

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/21215/Heavens-Light-Shines

Have a very blessed 3rd week of Advent!:) 

" Poisoned Apples "

Write an article for a movie review magazine, giving your critical opinion on a movie you saw when you were younger and have re watched recently.

Poisoned apples, missing glass slipper and princes in disguise; these fairytale themes were the outline of my five year old life. Being a little girl, I enjoyed living in a dream world with my “princess friends”. My inspiration poured out of movies such as Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and so on.

Two months ago, I visited a video library back in my hometown after several years of living in the city. A wave of memories washed over me as I passed the “Children’s section”. Eager to reminisce in the joys of my past, I picked up one of my all time favorite movies “Snow White”.

Watching the movie again, I expected it to be laughs and fun, but in turn I was left speechless, unable to digest the Grimm fairytale before my eyes. As a child watching the animation of “Snow White”, my main focus was the little dwarves and the (rather premature) romance between Snow White and her prince. Having an innocent, uneducated mind of ignorance, that’s the most you would expect from a child.

However, 10 years later after phases of interest in symbolism, my eyes were open to a completely different story behind the story... Now you may accuse me of reading too much into a fairytale, but I do believe that “Snow White” was much more than a children’s story; in fact I believe Snow White was an allegory.

Let’s begin with some background information; Walt Disney was a Christian man who believed in the use of symbolism. He would occasionally put symbols into his animation to either encourage a belief or raise awareness of a situation. He couldn’t possibly have gotten into trouble for this for his silent messages were always hidden behind the happy faces of his cartoons. You may be wondering what I’m going on about, but think about it; could the rescue of Geppetto from the whale be a reference to Jonah in the Bible, or purely coincidence? In the movie Lion King, was Scar’s promise to the hyenas (and their Gestapo-like march in the song “Be Prepared”) a connection to the rule of Hitler in Germany, or was it just an evil plot conjured by another villain?

Going back to Snow White; much of the symbolism in this movie is based on Christianity, even paralleling some stories from the Bible. Let’s begin with the three colors she is associated with- White, Red and Black. These are the three colors of the life cycle. I have chosen to relate Snow White to Jesus’ life. White being the colour of birth and his pure nature, Red being the color of his life and passion, Black used to refer to his death and the cruelty against him.

The next significant thing I noticed in the movie was the names and number of dwarves. There are 7 dwarves, possibly representing the seven days of the week, or the time in which God made the earth (including his final day of rest). These dwarves in the original fairytale had no names; the names were added for the Disney version. These names show the seven moods of man, such as grumpy, dopey, happy etc.

Snow White encourages work and wash with her constant smile as she sings her way through her chores. On one occasion, she convinces all the dwarves that they must wash properly in order to be clean and healthy. After this “washing” the dwarves seem to have changed, seeing life in a brighter light and enjoying every moment together. This is a clear message of baptism, a life-changing experience involving cleansing through water.

Altering the plot of the Grimm brothers’ tale, the evil stepmother only visited Snow White once, offering her a poisoned apple. If we remember back to the Old Testament, the downfall of Eve was a bite from the apple of a forbidden tree. This can be seen very clearly as Snow White falls into a deep trance after eating a bite of the poisoned apple. There is an obvious link between the story and the Christian religion.

Towards the end of the movie, death and resurrection is displayed in its mild form. Snow white falls into a deep sleep leaving her dwarves mourning her loss. After a period of waiting, the prince comes along and wakes her. Thinking back to the time of Jesus, he too rose again after a period of waiting (3 days to be exact, this number is related to the primary colors of the tale).

This movie has left me amazed with the fact that children’s movies may not always be what they seem. Watching it again, I was no longer following the plot, but I understood the humor, grasped more of the dialogue and searched for a deeper meaning that Walt Disney may have been trying to send.

Again, you may accuse me of reading too much into a fairytale, but I do believe that “Snow White” was much more than a children’s story; in fact I believe Snow White was an allegory.




Amy Abraham


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Amy Abraham is a 11th grader who studies at the Hebron School, Ooty, India.

                 

A Day of Thanksgiving!

Before I start with todays article, heres a story that will help set the pace.

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As the holiday season approaches I get excited! The thrill of families coming together, enjoying great food, cooler weather, long held traditions, and, of course, great food, is the recipe for my perfect time of year. There are so many traditions and rituals taking place during the holidays it can be difficult to tell one year from the next. The same family members eat the same meals, discussing the same issues, around the same table. 

Only when something changes or a new tradition is born does the year stick out clear in my memory. A year I will never forget was not long ago when a new tradition was started. On Thanksgiving Day as I gathered around the dinner table, it was suggested that we each share the things we are thankful for. I had seen other families practice similar traditions, but this was the first time I was asked to share my list of blessings aloud.

As I went to work compiling my list of things to be thankful for, I started to feel a little embarrassed. How is it that all the Thanksgiving Day’s of my past had come and I had forgotten to actually give thanks? Then I realized just how long of a list I was going to have! A scripture came to mind …

Call out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Be glad as you serve the Lord. Come before Him with songs of joy. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His field. Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come (Psalm 100).

What better time to remember our blessings than on a holiday that was meant for giving thanks.

I’ll never forget the feelings of thankfulness I felt on that day. A great tradition had been born.

It can be difficult at times for us to see God’s blessings; the holidays are not always full of good memories. People are forced to deal with tragedies and struggles even on holidays. In difficult times it’s important to remember that “the Lord is God ... We are His people and the sheep of his field.” We can be assured of God’s love for us and find comfort in his blessing. 

In hard times or times of blessing, we are never without thankfulness. We all need an occasional reminder to stop and thank God for his goodness. What better time to remember our blessings than on a holiday that was meant for giving thanks.

- Author Unknown

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From the beginning, this American holiday was not about food and football, as much as it was about reserving a day to celebrate the spirit of thankfulness. It was, and still is, a national reminder to be grateful, and, yes, a calling to reconnect with grace.

Although defined by many as an emotion, I believe thankfulness is a choice — a life choice. Followers of Jesus choose gratitude because they have experienced an undeserved and unexpected outpouring of grace.

As you go through today,  Take a walk and thank God for his grace.
Think about the gifts God has given you in spite of, and in the midst of, your pain and grief, your frustrations and failures, and your mess-ups and bad choices. Your impossible times are more than enough reason for the Thanksgiving season.
Thank HIM for growth and change and understanding that has come through watching others show grace and faith in the middle of adversity.
Thank God for the good you have experienced, especially the good you didn't earn or deserve.
Look for the fingerprints of God in the strangest places and share the spirit of thanksgiving with at least one other person.
Do something that encourages others to be grateful. It's infectious.
Write an unexpected "Thank You" note, or send an email. Unwrap the gift of grace and find the power to choose thanksgiving.

Give thanks, with a greatful heart
Give thanks, to the Holy one..
Give thanks, cos he has Given
Jesus Christ his son..

~GIVE THANKS!~




Olivia Pereira
HSI Media
olivia.hsimt@gmail.com

Small things..Big Value.

This article probably is best described as a sudden realization that came to my own mind. Over the past weeks, the blog featured articles along the lines of making a difference in the world as we know it- there was the article on thinking differently, of God using us no matter our background, of us being the difference and so on. Somewhere down the line I think, I may have missed the "smaller" picture. You will understand what I mean by the end of today’s article, and I hope that you to find as much of a joy in the smaller things there is to Life, as in the big things.

Big things in your time O Lord. And not in mine!

- Olivia

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Is it possible that we have misunderstood, or ignored, the value of small? Jesus saw something in smallness that we may overlook.

Consider these statements:

"'When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Matthew 25:39-40).

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:44-46).

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all — he is the greatest" (Luke 9:47-49).

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:19-20).

Jesus saw the value of small. We must learn to pay attention to the small stuff.

We tend to focus on big. Big cars. Big houses. Big churches. Big budgets. Big signs. Big events. Big bank accounts. Big projects. Big attendance. Big numbers. Big buildings.

From the outside looking in, would it appear that we believe that big equals better?

Jesus did not seem to be implying that big is necessarily bad. He also encouraged us to have enough faith to do big things. He emphasized having a faith that will move mountains, faith to walk on water, and that the disciple's faith would enable them to do even greater things than they had seen Him do.

However, we must not forget that those big things begin with something small: faith the size of a mustard seed, taking one step outside of the boat, serving one another, and washing feet. Jesus pointed to children as our example of what "the kingdom is like." He spoke of being the least in the kingdom. He reminds of the importance of simply offering someone a cup of water.

Perhaps we should consider our plans and re-evaluate our approach to life and to ministry. We would do well not to allow ourselves to be so enamoured by the big that we miss the value of the small. It may very well be that the greatest impact you will have this week in the life of another human being will come from doing something small. One conversation. A word of gratitude. A kind comment. A one-on-one conversation. A moment of listening. A small group study. Two or three gathered to pray. A single thoughtful act. A good application of the Scripture. A phone call. A text message. An email. A gentle touch. A note of encouragement. A small gift. An hour of your time.

Just this week, pay attention to small. Let God turn it into something big ... but only if He wants it to be big.