"A Course in Miracles" & a Bible

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602335.html?hpid=artslot

in the final stretches...

Well with less than a month to go before my due date, I can honestly say, I wouldn't mind going a little early! But, so far this baby is quite content and will probably hold out till the end. My appointments are every week now and my doctor said that should I go to 40 weeks, it's likely we will have a 7 1/2 to 8 pound baby (3.41 - 3.64 kilos). Safina was 6 pounds 12 ounces (roughly 3 kilos). What's amazing about this is I'm following right after my mom in terms of how big we each were when we were born. So, that is fascinating to me how there does seem to be a link from generation to generation.

Safina is starting to sort through her toys, on her own, and pick out things that the baby will like to play with. She's changing her dolls diapers, feeding them milk from a cup and with a spoon. And, wanting to carry her dolls in her backpack on her back. So, this is all very exciting for us. I hope and pray she will have an easy adjustment to being a big sister.

We're looking forward to Mummy's trip out here. It will be a huge blessing to have her here as we all make the transition.

We're thinking of all of you. And, hoping Cheryl is not too stressed and that studies are going well for Pradeep too. Keep us posted with how things are going with all of the exams.

love,
juliana for all of us...

Surviving the heat in Vellore

Summer has started, and both of us cannot remember it ever being so hot during our previous stays in Vellore! The fact that we stay in a room on the third floor probably contributes to the discomfort levels.

Anand especially is having a tough time. He has developed a bad rash (which we think is prickly heat) all over his body, and keeps scratching it and getting cut. A number of children develop heat exhaustion and heat stroke in Vellore every year. Please pray that Anand may be kept safe.

He has had a new summer hair cut! He now spends most of the day running around with hardly any clothes on, and climbs into a tub of water to cool off whenever he gets the chance.





Anand enjoying the mango season.



We have moved our bedroom to the kitchen to take advantage of the occasional cool breeze that goes through the passage. We have also bought a new cooler. This means, also, that we have had to take the big step of asking Anand to sleep seperately. We have built a new bed for him out of packaging material we picked up in the corridor of the dialysis unit next door. So far, he has taken all these changes very well.



Studies go on as usual.....slowly moving towards my entrance exam on May 14th. Usually CMC students have a big advantage in this exam, and most get admission. This year, however, quite a few former students are writing the exam, and so it is by no means certain that I will get in. I think it is better that way. We are praying that if this is not God's will, He will close the door tightly shut, and show us clearly His plans for our lives.

I have been reading 'The Ragamuffin Gospel' (Brennan Manning) over the last few days, and have been stirred to much joy and delight in God's amazing love for hopeless, helpless ragamuffins (like me!). Do read this book if you have the chance. It is a good companion to 'What's so Amazing about Grace?' (Philip Yancey).

N.T. Wright

With Ashish traveling this week, I've been filling my spare time while Safina sleeps by listening to sermons online by N.T. Wright. I don't know if any of you have heard of him. He's an Anglican Bishop in England. A friend of ours told us about him. Anyway, I've really enjoyed listening to him speak. He has an incredible knowledge of the historical and contextual significance of the Bible and so far, I've enjoyed how he brings to life the passages he speaks about!

Here's his Web page and the audio/video selection is about half-way down the page:

http://www.ntwrightpage.com/

~juliana

Prayers for safe keeping...

Ashish is on the West Coast (California) through Saturday evening. This is his last trip before the little one comes. Please pray for safe travels while in California and on his return flight home.

~juliana

Songs/Hymns

I'm putting together a song book for our small group and thought I'd share some of my favorites. If you have any that you love, please let me know the names and I'll add them to my list. And, if you happen to know the scripture reference that goes with the song, please let me know that too.

Be Not Afraid (Joshua 1:9)
http://www.imeem.com/wildrose281/music/Q053SLHG/church-music-be-not-afraid/

Here I Am Lord
http://www.imeem.com/mich7687cool/music/6ehLfr_9/st-louus-jesuits-here-i-am-lord/

Yahweh, You Are Near
http://www.imeem.com/aizelregis/music/45Rw9aef/st-louis-jesuits-yahweh-you-are-near/

On Eagles Wings
http://www.imeem.com/celesteog58/music/LAmBTE9U/josh-groban-on-eagles-wings/

Until Then (Words and music by Stuart Hamblen © 1958)
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/untilthen.html

Deborah Drapper (part 2)

We watched all six parts of the one-hour BBC documentary on Deborah Drapper. I encourage all of you to watch them as well. To make it easier, here are the links to part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

We found this video really interesting and even inspiring. Some things that struck us are:
1. We could think that this girl is a little over-the-top, and weird, but I was impressed because she is only thirteen, and so sure of her convictions and zealous for what she believes.
2. I was impressed by her single-mindedness and obvious love for Jesus.
3. She was obviously living as one who has 'eternity in her heart'
4. I was also impressed by the parents. For example, in the discussion on home-schooling, the father talked about how much there was that he and his wife wanted to teach the children, but if they went to school and then to tuitions and other activities, they would be away from early morning to late in the evening. He asked how it would be possible to train the children to love Jesus and live for Him if they were being brought up by the State.
5. When the interviewer asked him what he wanted to train his children for, he replied, "For eternity." That is not the reply I would have thought of. I would have said something about them learning to be independent and able to fend for themselves in this world, educated and able to do well professionally, etc, with some mention about them coming to love Jesus and live for Him. His answer is actually much more important, because, as Rick Warren says, the whole purpose of life on earth is to prepare us for eternity.
6. I was impressed at the quality of the family-prayers.
7. I was also impressed that BBC merely reported, without offering their opinion or viewpoint.

I know Deborah Drapper is young and has a long way to grow. I pray that she may be kept in humility and a right spirit, and that God may continue to be glorified in her life

Deborah Drapper

Today we came across this interesting site, The Rebelution, and the story of Deborah Drapper.

The two of us have also watched a couple of videos of the BBC documentary on her. The first of six parts is here.

We have then had a number of interesting discussions! We plan to watch the rest of the videos tomorrow.

Juliana, you may find this way of telling the Easter story interesting.

Arundhati Roy statement on release of Binayak Sen

Link below:

http://www.binayaksen.net/2009/04/arundhati-roy-statement/

Safina's eating for the baby...

Just thought I'd share this story real quick. At our daily meals, I've been telling Safina that my food goes into my tummy and that's how the baby eats and grows. We have come up with many tricks to try and encourage Safina to eat her food too. One of them is to cover our eyes while Safina is taking a bite and then uncover our eyes and ask her excitedly "where did it go?" Safina usually responds with a smile saying, "It's gone" or "It's in my tummy". So, I was playing this game with her today and after I uncovered my eyes and asked her where her morsel went, she responded by saying, "In my tummy, my baby sister ate it." :) So, now when she eats she's also feeding her little baby sister. And, she also tells us when her baby sister wants milk to drink. So, needless to say, she has been eating and drinking her milk really well today. :)

Love, juliana

The Healing of Reconciliation

I have just read this story and been amazed at the power of the Gospel to change lives, and the healing that comes through seeking (and giving) forgiveness. Also watch this video of the same incident.

I wonder if we in India could witness some day healing between members of the Muslim and Hindu communities in Gujarat, or the Sikh community and the ones who hunted them down in 1984, or the Christian community and the ones who continue to target them systematically in Orissa.

24RR and as far as the pendulum swings

An explanation... from Gala's blog. what should we call you on this blog thing - Girly, Gala or Ashita - you choose.

Girly and I had this discussion late one night. She's been the veteran in living with communities, adapting to them, adopting them and making them her own. e.g. orissa, bangalore, etc.

Well I felt that as much as she would like to think of herself as part of that community in Bangalore, or as much as I would like to be a farmer in tribal India... we're not!

We might swing in those different directions, every now and again, but it would be an illusion to believe that thats who we are. 

At the end of the day when we kick off our shoes, we're most comfortable in an English speaking, upper-middle class home (24RR), with the option of splurging on a movie at PVR or eating out at Rodeos. 

It made sense for me to recognise, that even though I may try and build community with my poor, Muslim neighbours, I'm not poor and I'm not Muslim. 

So whatever crazy things we may do... we do tend to oscillate back to (or around) the community within which we were raised. Friends like Neema, Punita, Puliyels, etc.

Just some thoughts...

Maybe we can start a discussion on this on this blog... Who are we really? Where are we most comfortable?

Logging in...

To begin with... a big thanks to Pradeep... not only can we keep in touch, but its great fun too!

Especially good to hear about all the exciting stuff Safina and her parents are upto...!

Well life's been good. Crazily paced for Cheryl, but reasonably so for me. Meeting people and journeying with them has definitely given me a high. Sharing smiles, chais, and bus rides with people has been wow. Lows have been the overwhelming problems that people experience. I find myself crying out to God each night on behalf of someone or the other. Where poverty is the cause for someone's death, I consider myself guilty of homicide. So pretty intense feelings and experiences, but I'm glad we are going through these together (me and Cheryl). 

The fact that we can debrief together at the end of the day is a big support. Additionally, family being a phone call away or a metro ride away is also great. Then besides our church we're also a part of a small group of people recently christened "the Eastenders" because all of us intentionally live on the east side of the city across the river (the dodgy end of Delhi) trying to live with the poor. So belonging to this group is great since we tend to discuss very similar struggles like how to respond to seeing a naked destitute man on the side of the road. 

Hmmm...

Now could I use this blog to ask you guys to pray for my new friend Nazeem. I was devastated when I heard yesterday that the doctors have given him 3 months to live. Both his kidneys have failed... and he's had a stroke, and lives with a really high BP.

In the night I read that the Kingdom of God is like a merchant looking for fine pearls and when he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

I've just found a pearl in Nazeem... can I live the kingdom by selling everything I own... just to buy that pearl?

Please pray for Nazeem and pray for me as I try to be his friend.

Sorry that my first post was a little intense.

Love to all,

Anugrah