Hey all
With the sand falling timeously through the hour glass, this year churns slowly but surely to an end. The journey started just mere months ago filled with the promise and the prospect of new beginnings is now nearly something of the distant past. Ironically, we look forward to the next chapter, the next opportunity to indelibly edge our mark on the face of history.
From continents far removed great change has erupted around the globe. Every sphere of society is affected by the signal of a new dawn, a new chapter to be added to the voluminous books in history. Yet with prices sky rocketing, markets crashing and begging for financial bail-out, jobs becoming a rare commodity and the last bout of political murmurs in sporadic areas of the globe… one thing is as certain as the fact that the sun came out this morning… that the Master of the universe will allow change to fall in the final days of 2008.
In the corner where you are nestled right now, change will not pass you by. No matter how they try to shut you up, stomp you down, ridicule your life and challenge your belief in an awesome God. He who blew drops of dew onto the surface of the earth, brushing strokes of rays beaming from the energetic sun… it is He who will do it for you. Whatever He does, He does exceptionally well, where He treads negatives change into cascading colours of positive light, where He touches breakthrough is as true as a highway channeled through the Red Sea.
With days to go before 2008 waves us all good-bye, raise your hand and salute your current circumstances as a token of acknowledgement that it will be no more, change is within your reach. God spoke it, you believe it, now walk tall ahead and live it.
Regards
Rodrique E. George
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pleasant Places
Her heart is heavy, her movements slow, her face bears evidence of her grief. This road she now treads she has walked a time before. Yet now the sting of her pain seems even more intense. It wasn’t too long ago that she laid to rest the love of her youth, the man who treated her like his queen and built her a home in the midst of green pastures. In a twinkling of the batting of an eye her status had changed from wife to that of widow. Now life has dealt her yet another heavy blow as her only reason for living, her only son, lies lifeless on a stretcher being carried to his burial place.
Right at that moment she longed to bury her head one last time in his dark brown curly hair, to embrace him to smell the woody scent on his masculine skin and hear the laugh of his contagious laugh resonate in her ear. Not even this last request would be given her as touching the dead would make her ceremonially unclean.
It is ironic that she lives in a place called Nain. The meaning of that name, Nain, is Pleasant. How is it possible to live in a place called Pleasant when all you have to show for it is loss, pain and simply more never ending pain?
And now as death made its exit through the city gates, Life made his triumphant entry into her Pleasant place. For the first time in her whole ordeal she feels as if someone can actually see the pain trapped inside her heart. Without a word He motions to the pall bearers to come to a halt. And so without being concerned about becoming ceremonially unclean and being frowned upon by those around, He touches the stretcher. As death gave way to this great exchange, life was restored to the young man again. He sat up on the stretcher and began to speak of what it felt like to have awoken from his deep sleep.
While people questioned and others rejoiced this miraculous work, the widow from a place called Nain wept even more. For her hope has sprung alive and her joy been restored in her Pleasant place. What was meant to be a funeral filled with sorrow turned into a joyous homecoming celebration.
Pleasant places often bear marks of excruciating memories of pain and rejection. Its water colour stains reflects hours of tears and often years of torment. It questions the very notion as to whether the boundary lines spoken about by the Psalmist have fallen in pleasant places. Yet, in the midst of all the uncertainties of life lies this eternal truth, that hope is not merely given, but hope is created, when the Giver of Life makes his graceful entrance into our Pleasant Places.
Rodrique E. George
Right at that moment she longed to bury her head one last time in his dark brown curly hair, to embrace him to smell the woody scent on his masculine skin and hear the laugh of his contagious laugh resonate in her ear. Not even this last request would be given her as touching the dead would make her ceremonially unclean.
It is ironic that she lives in a place called Nain. The meaning of that name, Nain, is Pleasant. How is it possible to live in a place called Pleasant when all you have to show for it is loss, pain and simply more never ending pain?
And now as death made its exit through the city gates, Life made his triumphant entry into her Pleasant place. For the first time in her whole ordeal she feels as if someone can actually see the pain trapped inside her heart. Without a word He motions to the pall bearers to come to a halt. And so without being concerned about becoming ceremonially unclean and being frowned upon by those around, He touches the stretcher. As death gave way to this great exchange, life was restored to the young man again. He sat up on the stretcher and began to speak of what it felt like to have awoken from his deep sleep.
While people questioned and others rejoiced this miraculous work, the widow from a place called Nain wept even more. For her hope has sprung alive and her joy been restored in her Pleasant place. What was meant to be a funeral filled with sorrow turned into a joyous homecoming celebration.
Pleasant places often bear marks of excruciating memories of pain and rejection. Its water colour stains reflects hours of tears and often years of torment. It questions the very notion as to whether the boundary lines spoken about by the Psalmist have fallen in pleasant places. Yet, in the midst of all the uncertainties of life lies this eternal truth, that hope is not merely given, but hope is created, when the Giver of Life makes his graceful entrance into our Pleasant Places.
Rodrique E. George
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Neos...like never before
After months of preparation the day finally arrived.
Perfectly starched napkins, the finest Jewish cuisine, the best musical band in the region of Cana… As they welcomed their guests to their wedding banquet they ran the checklist through their minds. Of course, how could they forget about the wine? Old Jacob, the local connoisseur gave them a good deal on the best wine in his cellar… several gallons for their big day.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Mary. She was responsible for Hannah, the bride’s exquisite wedding gown. Mary was accompanied by her son, a quiet young man. She introduced him to the bride and groom. “Jesus… his name is Jesus,” she said.
Cutlery beating rhythmically on plates, beautifully dressed Jewish folk chatting merrily about their bountiful harvest, melodious music setting the mood for a picture-perfect wedding… There was however something strangely different about this wedding banquet.
Mary stood within earshot from the wedding planner when the waiter broke the dreadful news to her. Not even two hours into the wedding banquet and they had a major crisis… they’d run out of wine. Mary and the bride’s mother had been friends since childhood. She thought of the humiliation, the embarrassment… the wagging tongues gathering in the town square talking about the fact that they had run out of wine. She whispered something in the ear of Jesus. He rose from His seat and ventured towards the kitchen, Mary following shortly behind Him. Before He could utter a word to anyone, Mary instructed the waiters to do exactly as He told them.
They filled every water pitcher and clay vessel they could find. Yes, He told them to fill it with water. Ehud, one of the waiters, thought this was absurd. Yet, there was something about this cool, calm and sophisticated looking yet simple man that gripped his attention. “Now go and serve the guests,” he said.
Neos, means “like never before.” The conventional way of wine-making dictates that good wine is distilled and cellared over time. Never before has such matured, dark-ruby, purple rimmed wine with richly flavoured nose of concentrated mouth-filling fruit been produced in this way… Neos, like never before… and now the guests were really talking. This was not common practice at any wedding banquet. The good wine is normally served first, yet they actually kept the best wine for last.
YOU are standing on the threshold of a new beginning. YOUR one foot standing firmly in the yesteryear of yesterday and the other in 2008, the year of Neos, like never before. Before you can take hold of the finest tasting wine served from the Master’s goblet you need to remove your foot from the mundane year of man and place it firmly in the place called “like never before.” It is from that place that healing flows into the decaying bones of infirmity. It renders hope to the person masking a torrid life of emotional pain. From it flows a fountain flooding a masonic heart of bitterness… it is within reach of the Master’s hand changing the negative cycle of a barren womb. It has promising benefits for the reshaping of a marriage once seen as going nowhere slowly. Broken dreams are reconstructed into an academy of brilliance never experienced on the face of earth ever before.
YOUR Neos moment is knocking at your door. God is challenging you to a life where you are free to grow… on His terms, far removed from where you are in control. YOUR Neos moment beckons you to seize from pushing your way… He only requires you to allow Him to do it His way… like never before.
Perfectly starched napkins, the finest Jewish cuisine, the best musical band in the region of Cana… As they welcomed their guests to their wedding banquet they ran the checklist through their minds. Of course, how could they forget about the wine? Old Jacob, the local connoisseur gave them a good deal on the best wine in his cellar… several gallons for their big day.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Mary. She was responsible for Hannah, the bride’s exquisite wedding gown. Mary was accompanied by her son, a quiet young man. She introduced him to the bride and groom. “Jesus… his name is Jesus,” she said.
Cutlery beating rhythmically on plates, beautifully dressed Jewish folk chatting merrily about their bountiful harvest, melodious music setting the mood for a picture-perfect wedding… There was however something strangely different about this wedding banquet.
Mary stood within earshot from the wedding planner when the waiter broke the dreadful news to her. Not even two hours into the wedding banquet and they had a major crisis… they’d run out of wine. Mary and the bride’s mother had been friends since childhood. She thought of the humiliation, the embarrassment… the wagging tongues gathering in the town square talking about the fact that they had run out of wine. She whispered something in the ear of Jesus. He rose from His seat and ventured towards the kitchen, Mary following shortly behind Him. Before He could utter a word to anyone, Mary instructed the waiters to do exactly as He told them.
They filled every water pitcher and clay vessel they could find. Yes, He told them to fill it with water. Ehud, one of the waiters, thought this was absurd. Yet, there was something about this cool, calm and sophisticated looking yet simple man that gripped his attention. “Now go and serve the guests,” he said.
Neos, means “like never before.” The conventional way of wine-making dictates that good wine is distilled and cellared over time. Never before has such matured, dark-ruby, purple rimmed wine with richly flavoured nose of concentrated mouth-filling fruit been produced in this way… Neos, like never before… and now the guests were really talking. This was not common practice at any wedding banquet. The good wine is normally served first, yet they actually kept the best wine for last.
YOU are standing on the threshold of a new beginning. YOUR one foot standing firmly in the yesteryear of yesterday and the other in 2008, the year of Neos, like never before. Before you can take hold of the finest tasting wine served from the Master’s goblet you need to remove your foot from the mundane year of man and place it firmly in the place called “like never before.” It is from that place that healing flows into the decaying bones of infirmity. It renders hope to the person masking a torrid life of emotional pain. From it flows a fountain flooding a masonic heart of bitterness… it is within reach of the Master’s hand changing the negative cycle of a barren womb. It has promising benefits for the reshaping of a marriage once seen as going nowhere slowly. Broken dreams are reconstructed into an academy of brilliance never experienced on the face of earth ever before.
YOUR Neos moment is knocking at your door. God is challenging you to a life where you are free to grow… on His terms, far removed from where you are in control. YOUR Neos moment beckons you to seize from pushing your way… He only requires you to allow Him to do it His way… like never before.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Apply within
Hey all
At some point in our lives we have all sought better employment. One day your eye falls on an advert and there is this silent raging excitement in your belly… yes, the position has your name written all over it. Often with disappointment you receive a letter informing you that your application has been unsuccessful.
Close your eyes… I mean it. Close your eyes…. Now hear the voice of Him who has prepared the ultimate position for you. One day while in conference with the angels He smiled. The angels knew something was up. He had that grin on His face again. The light of ten-million stars radiated from his brow. He thought of you. Down below He had not even spoken the world into existence. Earth was merely a watery mass, chaos revolving into nothingness, yet the Spirit of the Master of the universe hovered upon the water.
Then He lifted His hand and all of heaven fell in reverence before His Holy throne. Angels stood on attention and the echo of the lifting of His hand caused the watery mass down below to quiver at the sound. He looked at His majestic hand and He smiled at the sight. He took his index finger bearing a ring with the seal of His Noble Trinity and He carved a name in the palm of his left hand. There He wrote your name, formulated the blueprint for your life, journeyed into your past, present and future simply at the bat of an eye. He brought that name-bearing hand close to His mouth and whispered the mysteries of His Godly potential into your name. He cupped His hand and sheltered your name with His Royalty as a promise of His providence and protection over you always. The warmth of His breath sealed your name into His hand, making it impossible for you to be plucked from the hollow of His hand. One precious moment of glancing at your name was like a thousand years gone by. Before you were even a thought in the heart of a human being, you were already in the presence of an Awesome God. You were designed and defined…tailored and shaped…crowned and endowed… filled and potentialized with the best heaven has to offer.
He beckons you to apply for the ultimate position He created you for. No need for bureaucratic forms to be completed. No tedious interview required and no need for you to impress the interviewer. He calls you now to apply within. He has waited all this time for you to activate your true potential and to live His dream. His rewards are immeasurable, His fringe benefits incomprehensibly Divine. Go ahead and open your heart… He has already commissioned you for your first assignment. Hear His voice nudging you, feel His Spirit leading you… now open your eyes and see the angels of God applauding you.
With love
Rodrique E. George
At some point in our lives we have all sought better employment. One day your eye falls on an advert and there is this silent raging excitement in your belly… yes, the position has your name written all over it. Often with disappointment you receive a letter informing you that your application has been unsuccessful.
Close your eyes… I mean it. Close your eyes…. Now hear the voice of Him who has prepared the ultimate position for you. One day while in conference with the angels He smiled. The angels knew something was up. He had that grin on His face again. The light of ten-million stars radiated from his brow. He thought of you. Down below He had not even spoken the world into existence. Earth was merely a watery mass, chaos revolving into nothingness, yet the Spirit of the Master of the universe hovered upon the water.
Then He lifted His hand and all of heaven fell in reverence before His Holy throne. Angels stood on attention and the echo of the lifting of His hand caused the watery mass down below to quiver at the sound. He looked at His majestic hand and He smiled at the sight. He took his index finger bearing a ring with the seal of His Noble Trinity and He carved a name in the palm of his left hand. There He wrote your name, formulated the blueprint for your life, journeyed into your past, present and future simply at the bat of an eye. He brought that name-bearing hand close to His mouth and whispered the mysteries of His Godly potential into your name. He cupped His hand and sheltered your name with His Royalty as a promise of His providence and protection over you always. The warmth of His breath sealed your name into His hand, making it impossible for you to be plucked from the hollow of His hand. One precious moment of glancing at your name was like a thousand years gone by. Before you were even a thought in the heart of a human being, you were already in the presence of an Awesome God. You were designed and defined…tailored and shaped…crowned and endowed… filled and potentialized with the best heaven has to offer.
He beckons you to apply for the ultimate position He created you for. No need for bureaucratic forms to be completed. No tedious interview required and no need for you to impress the interviewer. He calls you now to apply within. He has waited all this time for you to activate your true potential and to live His dream. His rewards are immeasurable, His fringe benefits incomprehensibly Divine. Go ahead and open your heart… He has already commissioned you for your first assignment. Hear His voice nudging you, feel His Spirit leading you… now open your eyes and see the angels of God applauding you.
With love
Rodrique E. George
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