The virus scare

The Tamil Bible, we all hold dear is a straight translation from the original Greek/Latin Bible. Ziegebalgh translated it to Tamil. Who was he? A Danish missionary, who travelled all the way to India in the 18th century. 

He learnt Tamil and spent 13+ years in a weather condition he was unused to, a culture so different, food and dressing awkward...to tell the love. Of Christ in our own tongue. He got the press here and the first Bible that got printed in Asia was the Tamil Bible!

How did he die? Of ill health.. when did he die...at a ripe age of 36.

Why didn't God heal him, or others who died as missionaries - or their families, children . Definitely they would have been a blessing to many...  Did he not pray or trust enough? Did not Psalm 91 hold good to him? Was Christ blood not enough?

In the corona virus scare, and the response from different people I can only thank God for the wake up call. When the belief foundation is shaken that's when we see if we had  really walked by faith all along.

God is concerned about the eternal death! He sent his son to save us all... He wants to live abundantly even in the face of crisis. Like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego...The Kingdom of God is here, within you.. we can't walk by fear! Duh! 

If we die, I see it as a quick ticket to get to get see Him.  And that's something I am eager on. But I am praying that people have chance to escape the eternal death that might be looking over..and that we can reach out to them at this crisis...coz they are walking in fear...into eternal death.

Trust

My lil has not been too well for past one month. We've started solids and I've joined office. Her cold, cough, fever, diarrhoea are all gone by God's grace. Weekends she's clingy to me. She's fine with selvi akka and her sisters. But if she thinks of me or sees me in the corner of her eye, she cries her heart out.

With me, she has to be held. If I place her down she cries. I thought it was the weekend effect... But  just saw her lips being red. Thought it was some toy that she had put in her mouth. Then noticed something white...and it wasn't milk and couldn't be removed. So me and her are on the way to hospital. It's half past 9pm.  She was wide awake. And didn't mind . No crying. We returned home midnight.

Just makes me wonder... How vulnerable yet trusting and confident she's on me! Even through the darkness, ( it was late night) and through different modes, she was calm.

And do I have that calmness or confidence when I go through life's darkness and storm? How much do I trust him?

Dad's first meeting

Dad was painting in his art room. He had his pilayar painting on one side, and a painting of actress Vijayanthi mala on the left.  Emil Jebasingh uncle entered the room. He did not stare at his painting, nor uttered anything about it.  But invited dad for 3 day Gideonear camp in Panavilai.

Dad was hesitant. Emil uncle, put his hand around dad's shoulder and said, God needs artist( kalaigars) like you. He quickly left.. Dad was working in Uthumalai then. Emil uncle had gone house to house and invited 300 people.

Hesitantly, dad went for the program. He met Mr.Washingston, who heartily invited him in the venue.  Sticking around that day, he was sure, he was out of place. So he got his bag, and walked to the bus stop.. There Mr. Manicaraj Thiraviyam met him, and asked why dad was leaving. He said he had to go, and dint seem to belong here. Mr. Manikaraj Thiravium, insisted and requested dad to be there for the 'Sandhya' program alone, and then leave. He brought dad back to the camp.

He saw a  neatly dressed- tucked in shirt and trousers a man, to whom dad asked, 'Have you come for this meeting?' questioningly.. for he must have seemed out of place.  Seated dad was alarmed to see that fine man, walk up the stage and preach. He was Mr. P. Sam. Dad had a notebook and pencil. Seeing P. Sam uncle's animated speech, he started sketching him in his notebook vigorously.. He  finished all the pages in the book, with the drawings.. He was engrossed by his animated movements.... As the sun went down, he couldn't sketch more.. He started listening to the preaching and when there was an altar call, to lay your lives in Jesus arms, dad went forward.

Rest is history. But it takes a leader, to make that one-on-one touch and a burden for each other.

Mr. Israel Devaraj when he left Bethel bugged off the food, dad brought him back from the bus stop, mom cooked good fish curry and promised that whenever he felt homes sick, he needs to drop in, and he can have fish.  Another missionary a M.A graduate also who had packed his bag and left, dad brought him in, and told him that God needs such people for translation of Bible and that he will do it soon. He went on ahead to translate the Bible in malto.  Praise be to God alone.

Dad's eagle's story

There was a terrible storm coming down.. Dark clouds were looming, lightning, and thunder echoing the sky. The wind was blowing hard. Perched on a rock by the river was a large eagle. The river was overflowing, the rush of the water was loud and alarming. Each thunder sounding in the background, would make any heart skip a beat.  The eagle was just sitting there, watching all this.

A second eagle, spotted a carcass, floating down the river. The water was flowing fast and loud, but the free food - a dead donkey smell wafted in the cold air, made the eagle's mouth water... The food, just happened to cross the eagle and it couldn't resist taking a peck of the delicious food. It sat on the carcass and began to eat the flesh.. But unknown to it, its feet, was going down the rotten flesh, the sinews and tendons of the donkey flesh had intertwined on the claw of the big bird..   The river was flowing down the crag, into a great big water fall few meters away, the noise of the water fall was loud amidst the thunder and the bird flapped her great big wings to fly. But alas, her feet, was deep into the flesh, and she couldn't free herself to fly into the air. Her struggles, were met with the rapid flow of the gushing water, down the crag and she fell with the dead donkey.

A third eagle, was not distracted by the gushing river, the lightning, the storm clouds or the thunder . It lifted its head, flapped her wings, and zoomed high up into the dark sky, for it spotted a light silver lining  unseen by human eye, it gathered the wings,and used the stormy weather, as a fuel to fly high up into the dark sky to go above the storms.

Dad stops his stories after this every time, and looks right into our eye. What kind of eagle are you?


I thought this story is in the ' Streams of the Desert', but  it wasn't. That book, has lot of eagle stories. But this is a variant- dad's version :)

Never too young

Looking back in rockers fellowship, I am at awe how God has led us thus far... People have come for a season and left, but God has sustained he fellowship with same burden and energy. Different people, from different walks of life. Yet 1 body in Christ.

We have had different musicians to lead worship, lead Christmas carols, different first generation believers to ignite us with different backgrounds, different personalities to lead fellowship, different initiatives. All for a season.

When people leave, the emptiness is filled by someone. But as the saying goes 'once a rocker, always a rocker ' the impact, the influence one has on other had been a tremendous learning experience.

We are far from perfect. We have our flaws and failings, but God has sustained us thus far and are still learning.

Fellowship has molded many of us, put us in a pedestal, and given the many first of our opportunity to share testimony, share word of God, sing, dance, play music, act in a skit, coordinate with people, take in charge of something .