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Showing posts from October, 2023

Leonard Da Vinci

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  Leonard Da Vinci painted his famous painting, the last supper of Jesus.  Before he painted his master piece he had a quarrel with one his subordinates and he was very much angry with him.  In order to take revenge he painted Judas face as his colleague’s face.  But he could not complete his art because he was very uncomfortable while painting the face of Jesus.  He tried many times but could not complete Jesus face satisfactory.  Finally he found out the reason for his burden that prevents him to paint Jesus face. He removed his colleague’s face in the place of Judas and continued the work and he could complete painting the Lord’s Supper with much appreciation from others.  With hatred in our heart we cannot serve or love Jesus. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

Long Life

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  Leonard Syme who worked as a Professor in California University in the department of Epidemiology told about the relation between the people’s social relations, percentage of sick people and percentage of people dying.   He took Japan as an example.   He told Japan is the healthiest country in the world where more percentage of people live above the age of 90.   He insisted that the social culture in Japan is the main reason for this. Joined families are a common culture in Japan.   Youngsters help one another and they help the old people in their day to day life.   This is the secret of long life. Let us all help one another and love one another to live a long life. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  

A Napoleon’s Army General

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  A General in Napoleon’s Army loved Napoleon very much and he kept him as his role model.   Once during a war this General got injured badly.   He believed that if Napoleon comes he will save him.   He send messages to Napoleon to meet him.   Napoleon came immediately to meet him.   On seeing his condition Napoleon lost all hopes of saving him.   Amidst cold weather the wounded General kept murmuring Napoleon save me, Napoleon save me till he died.   Only when he was about to die, he understood that even Napoleon could not save him. Nobody can save a man who is moving towards spiritual death also.   There is no one else to save him other than Jesus Christ.   The thief who was crucified on the right hand side of Jesus understood this.   So before he died he had pleaded towards Jesus to save him.   Jesus promised to save him and He did save him.   Only Jesus can save us from spiritual death.

Driving force for human existence

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  In Stephen Convoy’s book called, First Things first, he has mention about Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who wrote the famous book "Man's Search for Meaning". In his book, Frankl does discuss his experiences as a Holocaust survivor and his observations of how people coped with extreme suffering in concentration camps in Germany during world warII. Frankl's central thesis is that individuals who found a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, even in the face of immense suffering, were more likely to survive. He developed a psychological theory known as logotherapy, which emphasizes the importance of finding meaning and purpose as a driving force for human existence. Frankl's work has had a significant impact on the field of psychology and is often cited in discussions about resilience and the human capacity to endure hardship.

Zig Zag

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A mother of a little boy was doing embroidery work.   The boy was looking from below and found the thread going here and there in a zig zag and could not understand what his mother was doing.   He asked his mother what she was doing.   His mother told him to play for some time and come after and see my completed embroidery work.   After completion of the embroidery work the mother called the boy and showed him what she had done.   A beautiful scene of the rising sun was embroidered nicely.   The boy was so surprised and exclaimed the beauty of his mother’s work. When we look from this earth we cannot understand the ways and means of God.   God has got a beautiful plan about our life. Only when it is completed we will understand the beauty of it.   Bible characters like Esther or Joseph are very good examples for this.

Blessing for the blind

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Louis Braille was born in France in 1809.   When he was three years old he went to his father’s skin factory.   While playing there a needle pierced into his eyes and one by one both his eyes got spoiled and he lost his eye sight.   His parents did not lose their faith and they send him to school for two years.   Then later they shifted him to Royal Institution for blind youth.   Charles Barbier taught those blind students with his own invention called Night writing method using dots. Using this method with just six projected dots Louis Braille released a book called Braille for the blind.   All the blind schools started using this book for teaching their students. Thus he became a blessing for all the blind. Believe that you can be a blessing for others.

Punishing for others

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  It is a common perception that powerful individuals, including rulers, and their family members often seem to evade punishment for their mistakes or crimes. This perception can arise due to various factors, including political influence, legal systems that may not hold elites accountable, and economic disparities. However, it's important to note that the extent to which this occurs can vary greatly from one country to another and even within different regions or time periods. In democratic countries with functioning legal systems, the rule of law is supposed to apply equally to all citizens, regardless of their social or political status. However, in practice, factors like wealth, connections, and influence can sometimes impact the outcomes of legal cases. Instances where individuals manipulate the legal system to avoid consequences for their actions are undoubtedly concerning and should be addressed. This often involves addressing issues related to corruption, ensuring a fai...

Treasures in Heaven

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  The great and mighty came as a poor man for our sake. Right from birth to death He experienced poverty. He had to shed blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We all know that. Why the creator should become poor, to make us rich, St. Paul says in his second letter to Corinthians chapter eight verse nine. Jesus said it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. What is the use of making us rich? Again Jesus told, sell your possessions and give to the poor to buy treasures in heaven. This teaching is often understood as an exhortation to prioritize spiritual and moral values over material wealth. It emphasizes the importance of generosity, compassion, and detachment from worldly possessions. The idea is not necessarily to sell all possessions for everyone, but rather to examine one's heart and determine what might be hindering a genuine connection to others and to the divine. God wants you to be rich, He wants you to exchange your wealth for heaven. If you don’t want to...

Forgiveness

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  Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a famous poet, who lived at the time of Queen Victoria. She was the eldest daughter of the 12 children in her family. She started writing poems right from the age of 6. She married Robert browning whom her father disliked very much. So her father started hating her and refused to even look at her or forgive her. Elizabeth kept on writing to her father, expressing her love for her father and expecting him to reconcile. But Elizabeth’s father did not even open her letters to read. He returned all her letters back to her without reading. In case if he had read those letters full of love, he would have started loving his daughter. Alas he did not read any of her letters and so could not reconcile with her or understand her love for him. So also God has given us a book full of letters filled with love for us. God is revealed in the Bible if we read it we will understand God’s desires and His love and plan for us. Only if you read it you can understan...

Thoughtfulness

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  The palace “AGA KHAN PALACE” was built by Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan III.   Generally people build palaces for them to live, or to make their name well known or even in memory of their loved ones.   But the reason why this palace was built was very amazing.   There was a big famine in India during 1890s.   There were lot of poor people in and around Pune who lost their livelihood and did not have food to eat.   Just for the sake of giving employment to these poor people for their livelihood, Aga Khan III decided to build this palace.   This is what we call “thoughtfulness”.   When we look into the real needs of others and offer to help is what we call thoughtfulness. Absolutely, the Aga Khan Palace's history is indeed quite remarkable and showcases the thoughtfulness and compassion of Aga Khan III. The palace's construction during a time of famine to provide employment and livelihood for the needy is a wonderful example of social responsibi...

Regular interaction and communication

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  One day a Father called his son, gave some money and told him that this is your pocket money for one year.   Next year I will give you the same day the next year’s pocket money.   After receiving the money for the next one year the boy never cared to talk or spend time with his dad.   After few months the father realized his mistake.   From the next year onwards he started giving weekly pocket money, every week. It seems like the father initially made the mistake of giving his son a lump sum of pocket money for the entire year, which resulted in the son not needing to interact with his father for an extended period of time. This might have caused a disharmony between them. Realizing his mistake, the father changed his approach and started giving his son weekly pocket money instead. By giving weekly pocket money, the father likely intended to foster a more regular and consistent connection with his son. This change in approach could help rebuild their relat...

Success at one yard

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Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. I do not think that there is any other quality as essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. The sentiments expressed emphasize the importance of perseverance and determination in achieving success. The analogy of giving up just when victory is within reach, such as quitting on the one-yard line or one foot away from a winning touchdown, illustrates how many individuals might abandon their efforts right before they would have reached their goals. The key message here is the critical role that perseverance plays in achieving success, even in the face of challenges or seemingly insurmountable odds. Perseverance can be defined as the steadfastness in pursuing a goal, despite obstacles, setbacks, and difficulties that may arise along the way. It...

Disadvantages in life usually keep us humble and obedient.

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Abraham Lincoln had a difficult childhood. His formal schooling was for less than a year. He failed in business in 1831 and was defeated for the legislature in 1832. The next year he again failed in business. His fiancee died in 1835. He was defeated for speaker in 1838. When he got married, his wife became a burden for him. Only one of his four sons lived past age 18. He was defeated for congress, Senate and vice-presidency. But he was elected as President in 1860! There is no one without failures in this world, no failure is final. Failures, crises, suffering, losses, disappointments and such things belong to the same category. In the providence of nature or real life, all these can be redemptively used to learn obedience and discipline and respect for others. Why does this difficult and depressing situations happen in our life? The most satisfying answer: "We have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. When our fathers corrected us it was painful for ...

Resilience and Ingenuity

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  Once Scotland was surrounded by its enemies they seized the whole border and did not allow any body inside.   This continued for many days.   The enemies thought the people of Scotland will die of hunger.   They sent messages to the people that all their borders are sealed and you people are going to die of hunger so surrender to us so that you can live.   As a reply to the enemy’s message they tied a newly caught fish and allow it to hang outside the wall.    On seeing the fish the enemy felt ashamed.   There are tunnels in Scotland which can take people safer to the beach on the other side.   So they were able to move freely and catch fish. The story mentioned appears to be a historical or fictional account of a clever strategy employed by the people of Scotland during a time of conflict with their enemies. While I can't verify the accuracy of this specific narrative, it does highlight the resilience and ingenuity that people have sho...

Fighting for Righteousness

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  While I was travelling in a train, there was a lady vendor selling coriander leaves. She was taking them in bulk from one town to another for selling them in a market. Since she did not get time to wash the leaves before she packed, she thought of doing it in the train. She took it to the toilet and was washing it there placing them on the wash basin and using whatever space she had. Many passengers saw it but one of them started shouting at her.     “Is this the way you clean these leaves which we are going to use even uncooked for our food? How dare you wash these leaves inside the toilet and toilet water?   This person, I am sure is not going to buy or use that particular leaves because he got down before the lady. But he was fighting for the cause of the society. Even though everybody knew what she did was wrong, others were not bothered much about it.   We see many such incidents in the society. We identify these people becaus...

Divine Light

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  A large stone which was laying at a particular spot for many years was removed from that place.   Many insects were living under that stone.   They were living in the darkness under the stone.   Once the stone was removed sunlight fell over the place and so the insects could not tolerate the sun light and they started running in different directions. The scenario described above highlights the immediate effects of disrupting an ecosystem by removing a significant element, in this case, a large stone that had been in place for many years. This disturbance had a notable impact on the insects that had been residing underneath the stone. This illustrates how delicate and interconnected ecosystems can be, and how even seemingly minor disruptions can have significant effects on the organisms living within them. It also highlights the remarkable ability of living organisms to adapt to changing environments, albeit with varying degrees of success. When the light of J...