Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Holi Festival - A Day to Express Affection With Colors
Holi is a fun-filled and boisterous festival which is celebrated on the full moon day of Phalgun month of Hindu calendar.The celebration begins with lightening of bonfire on Holi eve.At the very next day, hoards of people come out of their houses, and smear each other with bright colored 'gulal'.They pour colorful waters on each other using balloons and pichkaris.Holi is really a day to forget old grievances and meet the others with great warmth and high spirit.Holi has a great historical and religious significance, and is mentioned in many ancient Hindu literatures.According to a famous legend, there was a king named 'Hiranyakashyapu' who ordered his people not to worship God but him.But Prahlad, the king's own son, was a verdant devotee of Lord Vishnu, and denied to obey his father.This made the king infuriated.He asked her sister 'Holika', who possessed the boon of being immune, to pulverize Prahlad.Holika, with young prahlad in her lap, took seat in a blazing fire.She was sure the fire could never harm her, but that time she was misconceived and burnt to death, and Prahlad walked out of fire alive.It's believed that the festival got its name from this incident, and is celebrated for the victory of good over evil.One more legend is there behind celebrating this fest with colors.It's said that the cruel king Kansha sent a she-demon 'Putna' to kill his nephew Krishna who, according to a celestial announcement, was Kansha's destroyer.Putna turned to be a beautiful woman, and went to Nandgaon village to kill every child there.She made infant Krishna to suck her breast with intensity to kill him.But Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, sucked her to death.The entire village was extremely happy and celebrated the eve with lightening bonfires.The very next day was celebrated with colors and local dishes.Holi is celebrated throughout the country, but in the places like Mathura, Nandgaon and Vrindawan, it has its own charm.People celebrate it with great vigor and devotion.The 'Lathmaar Holi' of Barshana and Nandgaon is far-famed.On the festival of Holi, men from Nandgao foray into Barshana to raise their flag over Shri-Radhkaji temple, and women of Barshana welcome them with long wooden sticks.Apart from that Jaipur is also a great place to experience the true flavor of Holi.To plan a Jaipur travel to visit to Mathura, one can buy a customized package from a reputed travel company.
We Have to Get Our Feet Wet
Recently I preached a sermon based on Joshua 3.It seemed to help many people think through the issue of having faith when facing challenging times.In order to understand this passage of scripture, we must remember that forty years earlier Moses had led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.For forty years they had wandered in the wilderness because of their lack of faith that God could take them all the way into the Promised Land.Many of us have spent many years wandering in a spiritual wilderness.Somewhere along the way we became Christians but we have yet to experience the promises of God.Verse 1 - Joshua started early the next morning and left Acacia Grove with all the Israelites.They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.Joshua started out early in the morning.God often interacted with His people early in the morning.It was early in the morning that Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah to test his faith.It was early in the morning that Moses stood before Pharaoh and told him to let the people go.It was early in the morning that David battled Goliath.It was early in the morning when the women went to the tomb and found Jesus already resurrected.Therefore, it makes sense that it was early in the morning when God told Joshua to take the people into the Promised Land.Though we can spend time with God at any point in the day, if we fail to do it early in the morning, most of us get so busy that we never get around to it the rest of the day.They journeyed for several miles before making camp.Though this may seem like a short distance, remember that Joshua was leading a very large group of people.When we try to lead a larger group, everyone has an opinion or an idea and they all want to go in different directions.We need effective leaders but being a leader is not easy.In fact, leadership is in great demand and short supply.God has also asked men to be leaders in their families.Sadly, many men have failed to do that and families are struggling as a result.Pray for men to step up and lead their families.Every company or organization needs capable leadership.When good leadership is present, people can go far.When bad leadership is present, people become paralyzed and unable to move.We should all endeavor to be good leaders in whatever circles of influence we are in.Verses 2-3 - After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people. "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it.When we see God at work, we must be willing to break camp and follow.We tend to get comfortable with the way things are and do not like it when God tells us to break camp.God does not always do things the way we think He should and He seldom leaves us in our comfort zone for very long.But whatever God does is always the best way things should be done so we should learn to follow Him where ever He leads.Verse 4 - But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards between yourselves and the ark.Don't go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven't traveled this way before.As Joshua led the people, he told them to keep a certain distance from the Ark.Joshua was not suggesting that they needed to keep a distance between themselves and God.Verse 9 tells us they needed to get as close to God as possible.Joshua simply wanted the people to be able to see the Ark at all times so they would not lose perspective on what God was doing.Too many of us have lost sight of God in our journey through life and we need to regain our perspective.Sometimes we get so busy that we lose sight of God in our lives and taking a step back helps us regain our perspective.If we are too busy to think, we need to step back and eliminate something.If we are too busy to pray, we need to step back and eliminate something.If we are too busy to worship, we need to step back and eliminate something.We must make sure we do not eliminate the very thing we need most, time with God!Joshua reminded the people that though they had not traveled this way before, God would guide them if they stayed focused.Life is full of surprises and we often do not know what lies ahead.This can be scary, but God will guide us.Verse 5 - Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, because the LORD will do wonders among you tomorrow.".If we want God's guidance, we must consecrate ourselves.Consecrate comes from the Hebrew word kaw-dash and it means to prepare, dedicate, make holy, or be separate.How often have we really prepared ourselves to hear from the Lord? How dedicated to God are we? What aspects of our lives have we made holy? Have we done anything to set ourselves apart for the Lord? These are challenging questions for each of us.Too many of us are so busy trying to fit into this broken messed up world that we have failed to grasp what God is trying to do.If we want to see God do wonders, we should stop trying to imitate a messed up world and start acting more like Christ.We will not see the wonders of God unless we set ourselves apart for God.If we are living unholy lives, do we really think God will bless us? We must be willing to live right before a holy God if we expect Him to do wonders in our lives.Verse 6 - Then he said to the priests, "Take the Ark of the Covenant and go on ahead of the people." So they carried the Ark of the Covenant and went ahead.Joshua told the priests to carry the Ark out in front so everyone could see it.The ark itself was not spiritual.The ark was just a physical symbol of God's Presence.We often need such symbols to help us visualize the Presence of God in our lives.That is why we wear crosses, or display them in our homes.That is why we observe communion.That is why we light candles.That is why we publicly baptize people.That is why we anoint people with oil.That is why most churches prefer to have a specific building in which to worship.None of these things are spiritual in themselves; they are powerful symbols that help us focus more clearly on the Lord.God was about to show the Israelites another powerful symbol that would seal in their minds His power and provision.Verse 8 - Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. 'When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.To understand this verse, we must remember biblical history from Exodus.When the Israelites left Egypt, God parted the Red Sea so they could go across.Forty years later the Jordan River stood in the way of the people finally being able to enter the Promised Land and God was going to part it so they could cross over.God was trying to show a new generation that He was still in charge and had the same power that He had in previous generations.Parting the Jordan became a symbol of God's power that they would remember for generations.What stands in our way keeping us from experiencing God's blessings and promises? Did we get hurt by someone? Time to let it go! Have we refused to obey God regarding baptism or church involvement? Time to jump in with both feet! Have we willfully ignored something God clearly told us to do? Time to start obeying! Whatever we have let come between us and experiencing all that God wants for us, we need to let it go so we can cross over the Jordan and enter the Promised Land!Verse 15 - Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.The river God asked them to cross was at flood stage! It took a lot of faith for them to trust God and step out into the water.It seemed like what God was asking them to do was crazy, but they could not enter the Promised Land without moving forward.We all experience our floods from time to time.But when the river is overflowing its banks the most is exactly when God is calling us to experience His power the greatest!Verses 15-16 -.But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge and the water flowing downstream stood still.As soon as the priests took that first step into the water, God did His part.But nothing was going to happen until they first stepped out into the water and got their feet wet.This must have been a hard thing to trust God for and even harder to actually do.But it was the way God worked then and it is the way God still works today.We must be willing to get our feet wet if we want to see the power of God displayed in our lives.We must be willing to step out into the water and do our part while trusting God to do His.Too often we want God to do everything for us and while He clearly has the power to do everything, most often He waits for us to do our part.Our God is a miracle working God but we have to get our feet wet and step out in faith and trust the Lord if we want to see those miracles.Verse 17 - The priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant stood firmly on dry ground.The leaders of God's people, carrying the symbol of God's Presence among them, stood firmly in the midst of the flood believing God would make a way for them to cross into the Promised Land.Too many of us do not stand firmly in our faith.We start, and then stop, our spiritual journey.We move one step forward and two steps backward.It is time to stand firm in our faith and watch God do His work in our lives.The Israelites had seen God provide for them in the desert, so they knew God had great power.But they needed this "experience" in the Jordan to help burn into their minds the need to stand firm for God.We often need an experience of some type in order to seal some decision we are trying to make for God.God often gives us some type of experience to let us know He is there and we should be grateful when He does.Conclusion..We may not know exactly what God will do in our lives or how He will help us overcome whatever challenge we are facing, but it is time to get our feet wet and step out and trust Him.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Experiencing God Day By Day Price Compare Experiencing God Day-By-Day: A Devotional And Journal
Experiencing God Day By Day See Experiencing God Day-By-Day: A Devotional and Journal Details
Product Description
Experiencing God Day-By-Day is a devotional journal designed to reinforce the spiritual precepts set forth in the Experiencing God book, workbook, and study Bible. There is a page for each day of the year with a Bible verse, a short devotional reading, and a space for your own thoughts and reflections. Its interactive format invites you to trace your journey toward a closer relationship with God. The readings are filled with truths gleaned from the Blackabys' writing and ministry, and written with characteristic grace and spiritual insight. Knowing God's will requires discipline and perseverance. There are no shortcuts. Experiencing God Day-By-Day is a unique and valuable guide for helping you achieve results in your spiritual quest day by day.
To Do List in the Morning for a Better Day
Having a better day is not that hard to do, all you need is to do things right from the very beginning of your day.See to it that you start your day right so that it would most likely end right.All of us wanted to experience a day that is worry free and with a lot of happiness.The only problem is that most of us do not know yet how to do it.If you are accustomed to starting your day the right way, then you better start doing something now.Here are some tips that you can follow in order to start your morning the right way.1.Pray.There is no other best way to start your day than starting it with a prayer.Whatever our religious belief is, it is very important that we are reminded that there is a supreme being that would guide us in our day.The more we praise and glorify God every day, the more become confident that everything would be alright for us.We need to pray and communicate to God at least 10 minutes in the morning.Just be thankful for the gift of life that was given to you and ask for strength and wisdom to face the day.2.Make a to do list on what you have do to.It is much better that on the start of the day; you will know already where you will be spending your time.Make sure that you write down the most important thing that needs to be done for the day.This way, you will not forget anything that is important.Also, you will be more prepared in doing things if you have an idea that you will be doing it in that day.You will be more confident that you will have a better day since you are able to manage your time for the day.3.Listen to an inspiring song.Music can surely play a big role in experiencing a good day.There is now a lot of motivational and inspiring song today.You simply have to listen to the ones that could easily move you and could give you the energy you need for the day.You can spend about 5-10 minutes of your time in the morning listening to some inspirational songs.This does not only make you feel good, but also help you be encouraged as well.
California Vacation - Part 3 of a Day by Day Diary
Saturday, 07-07-07, was my 7th anniversary of marriage to my second husband.That's a lot of sevens, so I guess that makes us very lucky.Together, we have been married for 57 years if you include the time we did with our former spouses.Of course, 57 is more years than I have been alive so not all of those years count.We celebrated at the Black Angus Steakhouse with a frozen margarita that had barely enough mixer to color the ice and no alcohol that I could detect, so it doesn't count either.I'm still due one.We decided to look for luggage that would allow us to get home without another $80 overload fine at the airport.All those years of living with my mother, whose van has an automatic Wal-Mart finder, paid off.Wally World was quickly located, but we decided to let them keep their over-priced, poor quality luggage set.We did buy sunglasses to shield our eye from the unrelenting sun here.Palm trees do not provide much shade.Hey, Mom! I took a picture and got some good video footage of the Wal-Mart.I know you are collecting them for your National tour of department stores.Personally, I'm collecting Starbuck's cups.There's a coffee shop on every corner in this town.Honestly, you can walk from one to the next before your first cup of Joe gets cool enough to drink.We drove around trying to familiarize ourselves with the city, or I should say cities (plural), since one community blended into the next without much fanfare.We found a Border's bookstore where we spent some precious and few moments in the airconditioning.They had some deeply discounted jumbo-sized coffee table books that we really wanted but realizing that we had neither a suitcase or nor a coffee table big enough to accommodate the purchase, we had the clerk call the Nashville store and put them on reserve.We can always buy a bigger coffee table.Besides, I liked the anatomy book with the life-sized pictures of men without their skin on.Once we get home and finish remodeling our kitchen, I'll have time to study them more closely.On Sunday, my husband played golf at 6.30 a.M.While I sneaked over to the condo lobby with my laptop to pick up my email.I know! I'm supposed to be on vacation, but I had to find out if any clients had inquired about my writing or editing services.I can't just leave the business to run itself while I'm away.Randy wants me to relax, and I promise I'm trying, but honestly, I think I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms from being away from my computer for 48 hours.My mouse finger keeps twitching involuntarily and I've noticed my hands naturally rest as if they were on the keyboard.What message are they typing? Right hand, fourth finger, top row.That's an O.Left hand, third finger, bottom row, C.Middle row D.Oh, my God! OCD!
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