It is always a thrill to stand at a construction site and watch the various teams of workers, each going about their tasks with precision

I was looking at all that steel and concrete - and thought - we too need some steel inside us. To stiffen us out. In spite of all that M50 concrete, without those 32mm dia rebars inside, the concrete will not flex and will crack under pressure. 

 Even the columns that are going up don't go up unless there is a precise scaffolding that is erected that holds them up.

Aligning with the Bible, it is" Christ in us - the hope of Glory" and the in-dwelling of the Spirit of God in us, that is the steel that holds  us up in moments of pressure when we could otherwise crack up.  The Bible says in Isaian chapter 40:He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. In Ephesians, the Bible tells us that "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being..."

I was trying to see where the scaffolding could relate to. Is this our house groups and members of the church that forms our social fabric that holds us up? Our Pastor? What is your though?

Where do you draw life from?

Today afternoon, i was having tea at our construction site at the Hirandani Business Park where we are building a data center. I was seated on a water tank, just across an old tree that had died.  I suddenly what i saw, related with a verse in the Bible.

On the old dead rotting tree trunk, there was life growing. And it suddenly struck me that even the dead, and the rotting, support life. Not something like a freshly slaughtered chicken or a beautifully cooked fish or freshly plucked vegetables - this was something that was dead and decaying, and still there was life in that. 

And this verse sprang into my mind -  the words of Jesus as stated in  this verse from John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Elsewhere, the Bible tells about Jesus in John 1:4 - "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind".

The question that i want to leave with you: where do you want to draw strength from? some thing dead and lifeless, some philosophy that is dead, or this living, vibrant Jesus?

 I went for a morning walk to the Gateway of India, and saw a great many boats parked there overnight and this passage sprang to my mind. (during the day, the sea is empty as all boats go out on their business).
 
One of my favourite passages in the Bible is Mark 4 where we see Jesus, a boat/boats, a violent sea, and words of authority being used.

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” ³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The passage talks about 'other boats'. I like the KJV version as it states they were '...little ...'
Earlier on, in verse 1, we read that "...Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things..."

Jesus had got into one of the boats and used it as a stage from which to teach. There were other boats too anchored there.The Bible does not reveal how many little boats were there on the lake that day.    What we know is that when the storm hit, they were all caught in the storm.

The disciples in the boat were panic stricken  and cried for help.But often we forget about those other little boats - they  were just as desperate, just as panic stricken - and in danger of capsizing.  But  Jesus commanded the waves to be still, the calm that followed was experienced by all the little boats that accompanied the one He occupied.  After all He was with them, and for them too.

We too carry the Lord with us and  when the storms of life come, God’s mercy is available to us, and also to all people within our sphere of influence when we call on Him.

Hi - This week was hectic and i missed my daily post!

Just a hundred feet outside of the Byculla station on the Central Suburban Railway of Mumbai is this house which is built on the rock. Unfortunately, even after trying for a month, my pocket cam is not able to take a clean shot as the train speeds up by this time. But every time i see this, i am reminded of the words of Jesus in the Bible - in the Gospel of Mathew, chapter 7, verses 24-27 -
²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

I am sure that this is NOT the picture of the 'rock' which Jesus had in mind when he spoke these words, but though this would be a perfect illustration of a house being built on the rock. And i tried to jot down His saying in 'modern Mumbai English,'
 
"...Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The suburban trains went by,  the vibrations increased against that house; yet the windows did not rattle, and it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The suburban trains went by,  the vibrations increased against that house; the windows did rattle, and it did fall, and it fell with a great crash.”

Just a few hundred meters before this spot, on the other side of the station, there was indeed this house that broke apart and crashed on to the track, blocking all train traffic on this line for a day! The railways have demolished it and have put up a stone wall encased in a wire mesh. Will try to get this photo the coming week!

7.2 million passengers per day on the Mumbai Suburban trains. I am one of this statistic! Every one busy, jostling with each other onward to  their destination. I travel from VT to Vikhroli and back. 

Reminds me of the song we learnt in Church when we were kids - C.S.I. Malayalam Congregation -St. Thomas Church, Free School Street, Calcutta:

I'm going on a journey
On the Happy Day Express
The letters on the engine
are J - E - S - U - S
The guard call - all for heaven?
We gladly answer 'yes'
THe letters on the engine
are J - E - S - U - S

Salt that brings savor, light that cannot be hidden!

I was going to our construction site the day before, and saw this beautiful Tyre (the Americans spell it as tire) hanging out on the almond sapling at the corner of Chandiwali Road and Saki Vihar Road - and immediately recognized it as the global Indian symbol of a tyre puncture repair shop.

Which brings to my mind a couple of our Lord Jesus' sayings - remember in Mathew's gospel, chapter 7, verse 16, he said 'you will know the tree by its fruit...'. He was referring to people who pretend to be what they are not, but at some point in time, their innate behavior and ingrained thought patterns creep in and expose their real self. (He used the term - they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves).

Just as we recognize a puncture repair shop by that tyre hanging outside, what do our friends and companions see in us that tell them who we are?

Do give it a thought. The Bible tells us that we are a lit candle that has to shine and give out light - a city that is set on top of a hill and cannot be hidden - it is visible to all, salt that brings savor to food! Are we???

People seem to have stopped believing in absolutes. Everything is relative. Situational ethics. Situational ethics takes into account the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically, rather than judging it according to absolute moral standards. How you react depends on the situation at that moment. SO, a right may be wrong, or a wrong may be right, depending on the circumstances around you. Hence, drinking (alcohol) may be wrong if you are at home, but might be right if it is a business environment and your boss/client is around. Right? Wrong??

Each morning, I start off to work from VT - Victoria Terminus -  (now renamed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), by suburban train. For this  I HAVE to go the beautiful building shown in this post. This is a non-negotiable absolute. Unfortunately for me, the train does not start from the YMCA on Mondays, the Gateway on other days, Juhu Beach on Tuesday etc. It is VT and only VT. Non negotiable.

Some of God's laws are also absolute. Not negotiable. So adultery is wrong, what ever the circumstances are. So is bribery,  theft, and a list of others.  Agree madi??? Your comments please!

 

P.S. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), formerly Victoria Terminus (VT), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an historic railway station in Mumbai, India which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Designed by Frederick William Stevens with influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Mughal buildings, the station was built in 1887 in the Bori Bunder area of Bombay to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The new railway station was built on the location of the Bori Bunder Station and is the busiest railway station in India, serving as a terminal for both long-distance trains and commuter trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The station's name was changed to its present one in March 1996 and it is now known simply as CST (Source: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus)

God is a creator. The Bible teaches us that God made us in his image.  We as the created, have imbibed certain traits from our maker. We are also creators. I stay in the YMCA which is near the Gateway of India. Many a evening, when my head is heavy, - and my heart too, i sit here and watch life going by. And marvel at the grand ole lady - the Taj. Every time i look at it, i marvel at our creativity. Last week, i was walking by the Town Hall and i admired the ancient but beautiful buildings where people have lived their lives and gone on to meet their maker. Their creativity lives on!

With the Deepavali festival holidays coming up, the newspapers are full of advertisements for products available on discount sale. It seems that today's Times of India has more advertisements than news reports. Mobile phones, cameras, house hold products and the list is endless. The hype of the Apple iPhone 6 launch dominates. It is more fun to scan through the adverts rather than the news items. Phone proliferate.  The dual core has /was become/became quad-core, which has become octa-core. More RAM. More Apps. Lighter. Gorilla Glass. And so on!

 My friend at the YMCA bought a new iPhone, the 5S.  Though friends tried to persuade him to go in for the iPhone 6, he felt that 62,000 was beyond his target. We live in a world where it is imperative that we communicate. I find it difficult to reach my wife or daughter on the first try. Their phones are for ever busy. Every one is busy communicating with someone. I board my suburban train at VT station and it takes me 30 minutes to reach my destination. Gives me a lot of time to 'people watch'. Whether they are inside the compartment, or at the various stations, people seem so busy speaking, texting, etc.

Which brings us to an amazing fact: God is a communicator. And he is ever looking for an opportunity to communicate with his people. The only stumbling block is that we do not receive, respond! Our receiving units are turned off and our antennas are disoriented. I wish I/we could take time off to hear and communicate with him who is our maker.

Monday morning, and it's back to work! This week has a 4-day holiday stretch due to Deepavali festival and hence there is a perceptible joy across the floor!!!

I was in an auto-rickshaw returning to the office after a site visit. Signal after signal was green, and i was grateful that we did not have to wait under the blazing sun, with the buses belching out their diesel smoke into our rick! 

Wished that in life too, all signals would be green! Unfortunately, it is not. Often, for reasons not clear to us, the lights go red. But the Bible says, the Lord is in control. It is He who determines our direction and timing of motion.  As with traffic signals, if we jump the red light, we might get hit, or even hit someone else!! (The car in the below photograph jumped the light - and created quite a scare for those autos!)

Wait. Time spent waiting is well-spent time. The Bible says: '...They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength... they will run and not be weary, walk and not faint...'

Rains in Mumbai have come to an end. That 'essential' part of the morning gear - the humble umbrella - has been consigned to the back of the shelf. But, during the blinding constant rains that drenched us and filled our shoes with water while walking from Mumbai Chatrapathi Shivaji Railway Station to the YMCA at Colaba, me, and hundreds like me, made a bee-line for these magnificent covered walkways for the shelter they offered from the rain. 

Reminds me of the song we sing in church written in 1880 by Vernon John Charlesworth and was sung by the fish­er­man on the north coast of Eng­land, as they ap­proached their har­bors in the time of storm: 

The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;

Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

There are many verses in the Bible which talks of God being our refuge  - too many to be listed here. But thank God for those people who built such structures, who have lived their lives and gone on to their eternal rest.

P.S. Just a though - when we die, what do we leave behind that lasts and bring solace to others???

Little 'sins'

These magnificent banyan trees growing out of these buildings, unchallenged, reminds me of the verse in the Bible: Song of Solomon 2:15 - "...Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom...". 

So often it is these 'little sins' that are left unchecked in our life, that cause our downfall. These trees were once very small - now they have put out their roots and have threatened the very structure they live on. The tree grows out of the 3rd floor, and is so big that birds nest in it.  And the worst part is that no one notices while they put out their roots into the superstructure - deep, until one day, it becomes un-manageable, unfortunately, too late!

 

I challenge myself and you dear reader to examine whether there are any small 'foxes' that are nibbling away at our roots causing us to wither away, and not be what God intends us to grow up into.

Get going!

I have been inactive on this page for quite some time now. Possible, due a geographical transplant! Bhutan to Mumbai!! However, with a firm resolution to  post at least one picture a week, here it comes. 

On the way from my work place, to the new data centre which we are constructing, a journey by an auto-rickshaw costing around 80 rupees, is this old van. It is complete with its number plate, its tires, upholstery, and even its engine! But it goes no where. 

 
Aren't we folks sometimes like this? We have all that we need, yet are static. Lets get a mechanic over, and get some life into us. P.S. (God is often the best mechanic - after all, it is HE who has made us!!

Today was mum's 85th Birthday. Mum and Dad did not have a comfortable life, but despite all the odds against them, they managed to raise the two of us and while Dad went on to be with the Lord in 1989, Mum has lived on to see her grandchildren.

They had little, yet lived a joyful life in Calcutta, far far away from home. I remember the coal-steam engine train rides back to home every Christmas - used to take 5 days between Calcutta and Trivandrum, with no modern travel comforts, coal dust in the eyes, etc.. But they enjoyed life, contributed to the church and to society. She is 85 now and in the sunset of her life. We her children and grandchildren have much more and more comforts than they could ever hope to have - yet we  still have not been able to imbibe the principles they followed. They have left us examples of joyful sacrifice and i can only hope that we will follow their footsteps. Happy birthday Mum!

Mothballing our principles?

Christmas and New Year, like the seasons of the year, have come and gone. Just like the umbrellas during the rains and the woolens in winter are mothballed till the next year, the lights and the glitter have been packed up into storage. Today I took down our 6-year old star – a miracle that it has survived so far considering that it is exposed to the elements day and night - and mothballed it too.

Just wondering what makes Christmas and New Year so special? A celebration initially confined to the Christian community, it has now transcended boundaries. What about the principles, the foundation, and beliefs about Christmas? We talk so much about them during the season, preach it aloud from every pulpit, and sing about it caroling door to door.

Are these packed up and mothballed too? Or do they remain with us right through the year, guiding our thoughts and actions?

Till 25^th Dec 2014, Adieus!