Topic trivia

What do you when you are running short of topics to post on your blog? Hah ! For me as a content writer where I asked to churn out a minimum of 5 pages on issues like 'ecology' or say like this one 'insurances'...Trust me I run dry my dear, absolutely stone dry.... I'm talking about my creative juices running dry..tsk tsk.... See I can't even cry now. What a pity!

Then I scratch my head, "Should I write a movie review?" *thinking- might be too lengthy*. "How about some funny incident?" *Don't want to make a fool of myself* In the process of 'searching' for a sensible topic to write, I realize the sun has already set. Whew!! Then I have to settle for some gooey silly topic attached with a sillier pix. There goes my brave attempt at blogging. But nevertheless, the battle still continues with the song, "We shall overcome.....someday!!"

Tired....

It's been a while I have blogged and there is nothing special to write. Been busy for quite some time....New writing assignments that are quite interesting.....The weather has been pleasant though which is a blessing

Guess, I'm kinda tired to pen down anything of worth, but hoping the next time I have something good to document.

Love this song...

This is the song I would like to listen to right now...This song is sung by 'Bread' and the title is "If"

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Then why can't I paint you?
The words will never show the you I've come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you,
You're all that's left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.
If a man could be two places at one time,
I'd be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I'd spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away

Bread If lyrics-MusicSongLyrics.com

Lunch times!!

Lunch times at workplace is fun! The conversations flow from one topic to another, say for example "What's the technique for getting the 'perfect' shape while making dosas?" Yes!! you got this one right for sure! Out pours expert advice from fellow colleagues where the poor victim (the one who asked the qs in the first place) listens with child-like attention. Then slowly the gear shifts to another topic-"The different upbringing each one had" .....Its really fun and yet very insightful.....

Today we were lamenting over the kind of serials that are aired on the telly. Everybody got nostalgic when serials like 'Buniyaad', 'Humlog', 'Nukkad', 'Fauji' were mentioned. C'mon guys we lived in the era where only Doordarshan was available. We watched whatever was telecast...How content we were in those days!!!

Not wanting to divert from the main thing......I have slowly realized the worth of having lunch together with friends, colleagues...people...They are fun times!!! Sharing meals as well as sharing thoughts brings in a sense of unity...This I have perceived......

Solitude

There are times when my heart is heavy with grief and my head is reeling with pain. Days where talking does not suffice and explaining does not gratify. Moments where you wished you were alone, far away from the crazy world. Away from the maddening crowd to a place of quiet rest.

Just to sit atop a hill and gaze into oblivion. To watch the clear blue sky above and feel the gentle breeze....This I hope will brighten my dull spirit and clear my head......

Anchor of my soul

This is after a gap of more than a decade I am writing a poem.....I have no clue what really prevented me from writing all these years....Occasions when I made several attempts....but all in vain....Today out of the blue I managed to scribble a few lines ....It's a start for me at least....Can only thank God for it......

Walking down the path and thinking of the days gone by,
brings in a simple truth of who's been with me
the days when i cried and the days when i smiled
friends you ask, what about your dear ones?
No! not them as this journey was set alone
Been to places where my heart was wrenched with pain,
But all the way I had my Saviour at my side,
Faithful, Compassionate Friend.

He did not leave me nor desert me,
His promises kept my spirit from failing,
His words were honey, the 'Living Bread' to my soul,
He lifted me up when I stumbled
and set my heart to sing songs of “Heaven”
Journey will continue and even as I tarry,
I seek your presence O LORD.....
and cry out like those who cried to You in the days of old
“My stronghold and the Anchor of my soul.....”

The Sword of the Spirit

This has been on my mind for a long time and I guess the time is right that I pen these thoughts down. As an Indian I have come across various traditions and cultures some of which I love to hate. And as I was growing up I remember enjoying some and despising the other becoz of inconvenience perhaps.....

But now as a Bible believing Christian who affirms that “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2Peter 1: 20, 21) So everything I do and say has to be guided by what the Word of God says....I don't find it burdensome but as the Psalmist says in Psalms 119: 97 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

So coming back to what I have in mind is “What about the traditions and rituals that are being followed by people all around me?” Sometimes it is so confusing but God's Word is very clear. Right now I am thinking of certain verses from the book of Colossians.

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Col 2 :16) and another verse

“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col 2:23)

My favorite which extinguishes all the flames of doubts is this,

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col 2:8) Wham!!!

I am satisfied coz I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34: 8a)

It's raining!

Even now as I write, it's raining cats and dogs outside. Have no clue how I am gonna manage going back home...But it will be fun to watch people running helter skelter in order to avoid getting drenched.....I love to hear the sound of thunder even though it scares me at times.....

Welcome showers of blessing!!

Rain

June has already made its presence known and here I am still feeling the summer heat..Hey what's with the rains this year? It's about time you guys stop playing hide and seek and surprise us .......yes with a cool shower please.....

Can be done.......

How often do we come across individuals who encourage us in a task never done before? Few, maybe none.... This poem says it well..... "It couldn't be done" by Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't" but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, as he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you'll do it

Parts Copyright (C) White Dove Books

Cheap Thrills!!!

Over lunch with my colleagues, the topic we gradually strayed upon were the bus rides and the kind of people encountered. Out poured several comments about how unsafe these bus rides have become. More so, the female colleagues lamented about unhealthy encounters they have had with male co-passengers. Everything was said in good humor with every female colleague giving their innovative method of shooing these miscreants, if I could say so.

Later the topic diverted towards some hilarious events (bus rides of course!) Say for example while standing along the bus aisle and when sudden brakes are applied (happens more often) the poor passenger is forced to run forward (thanks to Newton's Law). Talk about casualties!!! Traveling in a bus requires stamina (u gotta run to catch it) flexibility (for navigating thru a thick crowd) and a sharp memory to collect the remaining change of the bus fare from the dubious bus conductor! So, you looking for some excitement and cheap thrills, alight this scrap metal...

Serious stuff

What can be done on days when there is no substantial work and it's hot? Yeah! M beginning to get really bored and I'm tired of finding ways to keep myself seriously occupied. For example these are the few serious stuff I have done:

1. Took umpteen personality quizzes and discovered many facets...like got to know my fruit personality and my animal side too....I have discovered I suffer from certain disorders too...Phew these quizzes!!!
2. Then I leaped to movie quizzes thinking that as a movie bluff I will be able to get 10/10...What nonsense! I am asked to remember the details of movies that was here today and gone tomorrow...Gimme a break.....
3. My favorite, online jigsaw puzzle...not that bad to begin with...after sometime I got bored.....
4. Yes I have donated free rice while trying to guess the right word in a game that tests your vocab.....Well, up till now maybe a kilo.....
5. And of course blog blog blog......

So readers, what are some of the 'serious stuff" that u do?? Enlighten me......

The infallible Word of God

We are always jerked back to reality when someone around us dies. A realization seeps in quietly that life is indeed short and fleeting. Minds are set thinking about things that never was a concern. I can only think of 1Peter1:24,25
"All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass, the grass withers and the flower falls off, But the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word that was preached to you." God's Word is true and infallible.....I'm reminded of it everyday.....

What's ur favorite??

One of the things that give me great pleasure is when I know my friend's, sister's, parents' favorite song or their favorite movie or even their favorite dish. It's a neat way to remember them and not always be consumed with self.....I love to see the smile on their face when told about their favorites......Simple joys, eh??

In pursuit of happiness

It was through John Piper's writings that I came across the word, "hedonism". What does hedonism mean? According to the Oxford dictionary it means-doctrine that pleasure is the only proper aim. Ok, I'm getting to it, but when John Piper talked about Christian Hedonism, I was a bit confused.....I have a small excerpt below adapted from Piper's article, "Christian Hedonism: Forgive the Label, but Don't Miss the Truth"...Read it.....

"What Is Christian Hedonism?

My shortest summary of Christian Hedonism is: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

We all make a god out of what we take the most pleasure in. Christian Hedonists want to make God their God by seeking after the greatest pleasure—pleasure in him.

By Christian Hedonism, we do not mean that our happiness is the highest good. We mean that pursuing the highest good will always result in our greatest happiness in the end. We should pursue this happiness, and pursue it with all our might. The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy you cannot love man or please God.

The Difference Between Worldly and Christian Hedonism

Some people are inclined to believe that Christians are supposed to seek God’s will as opposed to pursuing their own pleasure. But what makes Biblical morality different than worldly hedonism is not that Biblical morality is disinterested and duty-driven, but that it is interested in vastly greater and purer things. Christian Hedonism is Biblical morality because it recognizes that obeying God is the only route to final and lasting happiness. Here are some examples of this from the Bible:

Luke 6:35 says, "Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great." It is clear when Jesus says “expect nothing in return” that we should not be motivated by worldly aggrandizement, but we are given strength to suffer loss by the promise of a future reward.

Again, in Luke 14:12-14: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor . . . and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." That is, don't do good deeds for worldly advantage; rather, do them for spiritual, heavenly benefits."

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

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This has set me thinking alrite!