FINE TUNED STRINGS

"Your availability + His ability = WORLD IMPACT"

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:36:25 -0600

“Your availability + His ability = WORLD IMPACT”

Religion says do, Jesus says done - Jefferson Bethke

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:37:35 -0600

Religion says do, Jesus says done - Jefferson Bethke

It's not WHAT you do, it's WHY you do it. #SteveJobs

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:46:00 -0500

Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Inc. passed away this evening leaving the world in shock. All the trends on Twitter currently reflect Steve Jobs and #TeamApple in one way or another. Over the years, we’ve witnessed the passing of several celebrities and influential figures, but none really seemed to hit home like this one. As I type away on my MacBook Pro, I realize that a significant number of the world’s population have a vested interest in #TeamApple and here’s why: Steve Jobs started a computer company like many others. His approach however was different. He didn’t want people to invest in a computer company; rather he wanted people to invest in his dream of simplifying technology. I heard Simon Sinek mention that “people don’t really care about WHAT you do, they care about WHY you do it”.

So with the passing of the innovation genius and someone who’s left a significant global dent, let this drive you: allow people to latch on to why you do what you do; the cause not the effect.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

iPod, iMac, iPad, iPhone, iStrive to make a difference.

"Holding a grudge or an offense against someone does not bring justice. It brings imprisonment to the..."

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:14:49 -0500

“Holding a grudge or an offense against someone does not bring justice. It brings imprisonment to the offended. Release it, let it go. That’s where justice and freedom begins.”

"God’s called and equipped us to live supernaturally in the natural. Why settle? Galatians..."

Tue, 03 May 2011 08:06:20 -0500

“God’s called and equipped us to live supernaturally in the natural. Why settle? Galatians 5:16- But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).(Amplified)”

And I will dance like David danced..

Tue, 03 May 2011 01:19:00 -0500

So the other day, a video made its rounds on the social media circuit, and it caught my attention. It was a segment of a worship service that for lack of a better term, unorthodox. (The video is not linked to avoid negativity). The video hit the social media network, and was immediately tweeted and re-tweeted for being “ridiculous”, “outrageous” and “embarrassing”. This particular worship leader has written numerous songs, many of which have been incorporated in to churches world-wide. Few people asked my stance on this, so here it is: personal, unbiased, loud.

Now mind you, I’ve seen this clip before. I didn’t understand all of it, so I won’t negate it. Here’s the way I see it. Worship is a lifestyle. In a corporate setting, it can be an outward expression of an inner transformation. I believe there is NO set protocol to express devotion to God. “I will dance like David danced” and “I’ll become even more undignified than this” have become embedded in Christian music folklore, and stems from the example King David set in II Samuel 6. That was his intimate form of worship, between him and God, and wasn’t imposed on anyone. Now imagine the comments if that was broadcast on Youtube. We come to the Gospels, and see Jesus at a dinner table. Out of nowhere, a woman comes and dumps perfume on his feet and wipes it with her hair! Imagine watching that crazy chick on Youtube. The problem here is that we fail to realize her act of worship. Her isolated act of wiping the Master’s feet was not her act of worship. Her understanding of who Christ was, and the realization that He was preparing to carry the sins of humanity, coupled with love and devotion resulted in her anointing Christ’s feet. That was her act of worship! Certainly looks crazy when taken out of context. Or how about Jesus healing the blind man at the pool of Siloam. Imagine zooming in to the scene of Jesus slapping a mixture of dirt and saliva on the man’s face when all he wanted was healing. Definitely crazy, absurd, embarrassing and ridiculous- when taken out of context.

My point is this: God does NOT operate within a box. When we claim that certain things are not a move of God, and do so without scriptural support, we are in fact assuming total knowledge of all that is God. Christ’s model of worship didn’t make “sense”. Neither did David’s, or Joshua’s. Sometimes it is about obedience and faith- like marching around a fortified city with trumpets, making nothing more than a whisper till the command was given. So just because we don’t understand the way someone worships, doesn’t make it wrong. If we don’t understand it, we should focus on worshiping God in the way we know best, rather than opting to ridicule. In our finite human understanding, we will NEVER fully know or understand our infinite, loving, gracious God. But that’s the beauty of it: we don’t have to. We worship Him with total devotion, and it become a beautiful thing, socks and all.

Proverbs 13:3- Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything (The Message Bible)

What are your thoughts?

"Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love..."

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:07:10 -0500

“Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world.”

- from David Wilkerson’s last blog post (via richithomas)

RISE TOGETHER

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:06:35 -0500

RISE TOGETHER

More THUNDER pride

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:29:58 -0500

More THUNDER pride

THUNDER UP

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:27:04 -0500

THUNDER UP

THUNDER UP!

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:51:58 -0500

THUNDER UP!

No is easier to do. Yes is easier to say. - Jason Fried

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:26:39 -0500

No is easier to do. Yes is easier to say.

- Jason Fried

"Complete dependence in an all powerful, completely able, loving God is a beautiful thing. It..."

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:46:25 -0500

“Complete dependence in an all powerful, completely able, loving God is a beautiful thing. It minimizes our inability and magnifies His ability.”

"The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest mind."

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:44:46 -0500

“The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest mind.”

- Old Chinese proverb. When God inspires you, write it down. Develop a practice of writing- iPad, notepad, cell-phone, whatever. Write it, blog it, tweet it.

Spiritual Maturity

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:39:00 -0500

“Hebrews 5:13-14- For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (ESV).

Spiritual maturity is a developmental stage of every believer that is frequently over-looked and often falsely perceived. We tend to develop this false impression of spiritual maturity and deem the most theologically sound, the ones able to quote scripture in a heartbeat, the highly educated seminary graduates etc. as spiritually mature. Let’s face it; sometimes we’re just raised that way. Sadly, this is rather prevalent in the Indian community.

The author of Hebrews debunks this myth, saying that the spiritually mature are those who have trained themselves through constant use of Scripture to distinguish good from evil. The experience of salvation is not enough. As Christians, we must be in a perpetual state of growth, no matter how small. This is maturity. Don’t be deceived by false maturity. True maturity comes from constant use of the Word of God.

The more we live our life in light of the Word of God, the more we see ourselves develop, with the ability to distinguish good from evil.

Awesomeness

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:05:10 -0500

Awesomeness

Bahrain. God, restore this land.

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:12:57 -0500

Bahrain. God, restore this land.

+ From shame to Hope

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:34:21 -0500

In the wake of the recent disaster in Japan, my attention was captured by the humanitarian efforts of the International Red Cross and National chapters all over the world. Massive efforts are being made to bring hope to a region devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami, and the Red Cross stands in the forefront. My heart aches for the nation of Japan and those affected by this tragic event.

With all this, I cannot shake this thought. The cross in its original design and intent was not meant to be a symbol of hope. The cross depicted a brutal and tragic death, reserved for the worst of all criminals: a purposefully painful and gruesome method of public execution. Countless people were brutally executed on the cross, and their shame was on public spectacle for all to see. All this changed with the crucifixion of one man: Jesus Christ. When the blameless, sinless perfect Son of God bore the sins of humanity on the cross, not only did we undeservingly receive hope from the penalty of death; Christ transformed a symbol of shame into a symbol of hope. Now the American Red Cross symbolizes hope, rather than being equivalent to the American Red Gallows!

If Christ can transform a symbol of despicable shame into a symbol of eternal hope, He can do the same for us. All we have to do is let Him. He is willing to take our shame, guilt,remorse and regret and exchange it for eternal hope and joy.

Pray this prayer. You have nothing to lose (except shame, guilt, remorse and the like).

Dear Jesus, I believe that you came to die for my sins, paid the price I had to pay. I’m tired of carrying my shame, guilt, remorse, regret and sorrow on my own. You died so I don’t have to. So today, I ask that You would place your joy, love, and peace inside of me, and give me a new hope for eternity. I receive it in Jesus name, Amen.

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 04:36:03 -0500

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"A person with Christ is a missionary. A person without Christ is a mission field"

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:33:13 -0500

“A person with Christ is a missionary. A person without Christ is a mission field”

- D. Joshua