Verses like these...

...make me sit up and take notice.

Ever had those moments when you're sitting down relaxed, reading through the Bible and read something that makes you snap right out of relax mode? Revelations 21:8 did that to me recently. The verse says "But the cowardly, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise the magic arts, the idolators and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death". Another version says "But the fearful, the unbelieving and the abominable....".

I was surprised that the Bible lists the fearful and the cowards along with murderers and the immoral, sorcerers and idolators. Surely being a bit fearful, or not so brave is just a personality trait, not a sin? God doesn't seem to think so. I guess He has His reasons. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. That could be one of the reasons. Fear is also the opposite of faith. And we cannot love God and lack faith. A lack of faith hinders God. Fear is like a barrier we put up to prevent God from working in our lives. The Bible gives instances where Jesus was unable to do miraculous things because of the lack of faith of the people.

Aren't there times that we forget the many hurdles God has carried us over and the many doors He has opened and fear for the future? Will and I are guilty of that too. It has taken a lot of miracles for us to be living in the same city, married. Oh wait, it was a miracle we even met. God provided in the most unusual way! And here we sit, fretting about how we will sell our home next summer to move to our new location. I'm grateful for verses like these that help me snap out of my unbelief and get back on track with trusting in God's power.

Romance for Dummies

Lately it seems that everytime I share something sweet Will has done people respond with "Enjoy it while it lasts" or "It's only the first year that's like that". Before we got married people would caution, "Enjoy the romance now because it will all be gone after the wedding day". The thought seriously scared me. I wouldn't call Will romantic during our courtship. In fact I jokingly say now that he used to be "romantic as mud" and now I don't know what's happened to him. Thankfully our romance is not dead nor do I think romance should fade from marriages. Definitely not marriages based on the word of God. How is it possible when you are truly trying to serve each other and treat each other well? It's hard for me not to be romantic when my husband wants to help me with dishes after dinner because he knows I despise the chore.

Looking back, I realize Will was not as un-romantic as I deemed him. He just did not know how to romance me and I did not have a clue how to romance him. He was just kind enough not to complain. Unfortunately even "Romance for Dummies" cannot teach me what romance means to Will or vice versa. I have learnt that it's more romantic to Will if I say, "You could go unwind on the carjunkie web boards tonight instead of doing dishes with me" and he'd be more inclined to repay me with a footrub - my idea of romance!

Today, I like to think that we're still sowing the seeds of romance. I hope our romance will grow and thrive. A true Biblical romance elevates the husband's love for his wife to the point of loving her "as his own body". The wife treats him with the regard he deserves as head of the household and respects him. They are consumed with the kind of love for each other that gives them strength for each new day. Romance is not reduced to something passive but expressed in actions that are a result of the love we have for each other. God pours His love into our hearts and we can pour it into the life of our spouse. And how do I know that we will not run out of romance? Simple. God cannot run out of love.

Call it what you want

There seems to be a new trend of "secularism" in the United States, also called "religious freedom". Now, back from where I come from, being a secular country is part of the constitution. Granted there are parts of India where you could be killed for being a missionary or for propogating your faith. But the places that are truly "secular" offer you the kind of freedom that is not found even in the United States.

Lately all you hear about is how the Bible is not allowed at workplaces, don't mention the name of Jesus when you pray, don't offer to pray for someone or you might offend them, don't talk about America being founded on faith in God. It just seems like religious freedom in other words is "silence the Christian".

Back home, being a Christian in a secular country meant that all the students - Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian - were respectful during morning prayers in my Christian school. If I offered to pray for a grieving friend, they'd bow their head with me and thank me afterwards. I carried my Bible in my purse to work, read it when I wanted to and let a coworker open it when they wanted, all without breaking a rule. Once a week during lunch breaks at college, Christian students and anyone who wanted to join in would gather together to worship and pray. There were times we'd attempt to go into the villages and share the gospel. Sometimes people were receptive. At other times they threatened to light our bus on fire if we didn't turn around. There were places where we were silenced and the Bible was not welcome. Where your faith could hurt you. But we didn't call it religious freedom. We called it persecution.

Friendship? Really?

Today I had a wonderful conversation with a friend from back home. We haven't had a real conversation in over 2 years. But we've had plenty of "conversations" on Facebook. He's commented on my photos. I've commented on his. I've "liked" his status updates. He's liked mine. I've commented on his wall posts. I was fooled into believing that we were in touch. That I know everything that's going on in the life of my friend in spite of being over 8000 miles away. Today we had a real conversation. I found out how his life had changed in the past 2 years. I found out he had begun a new relationship and was praying about its future. I found out he'd been in a war zone and experienced rocket attacks. I found out that there were things I could lift up in prayer. Funny, in these past 2 years and our many exchanges on Facebook, I have never known these things about him. I wonder what else I'm missing out on in my friends' lives.

I know Facebook has some positive qualities. Which is why I stay on every time I have this urge to click on "Delete Account". I get to see photos of my friends, their travels, their adventures, their weddings, their families... But I wonder what else is going on. Things they would tell 4 people over a phone call but wish the other 681 on their Friends' list would not know about. Then I look at my own Friends' List. The many people that make it the long list it is and the number of "Friends" I have not said as much as "Hello" to in the past year. How shallow is my definition of friendship?