Last Sunday when I was on my way back from church I saw a funny thing.

When I stopped by near to the traffic light, I saw a taxi in front of me. Unlike any other taxis surrounded me (Kolkata is full with taxis!!), it was really drawing my attention. It has a very big texts on the back of the car, written “Love for sale, 100% discount”.

I don’t know if it was written only as a joke or was it really the taxi driver looking for a soul mate, but it was really sound funny to me. I couldn’t hold myself from smiling all the way back home.

Something came to my mind, Jesus offers His love to us and it is free, really 100% discount. He does love us unconditionally… the love is there and all we have to do is to reach out and grab it.

I just went for vacation to Mandarmoni beach last Saturday. This is our first vacation in this year, normally both me and my husband were too busy with work and work that we don’t have time to go for a trip, not even a short trip to the nearest picnic spot inside the city.

We spent 2 nights, we left from home at 6 am on Saturday and went back to Kolkata on Monday morning, we left Mandarmoni beach at 5 am and arrived in the office at 10:30 am. We went there with my husband’s friend, the wife and their daughter.

Even this was a short vacation but it was very memorable to me. When we reached the beach on the way to the hotel, I could feel the emptiness because it was really a huge beach and less crowd. I have been living in India in the past 6 years, wherever we go, we always find the crowds. When we went for vacation to Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Digha beach, we were always surrounded by the crowd. So when we reach Mandarmoni beach with less crowd, I could feel something was missing. The beach was so huge and it took me sometime to reach the shore from the hotel gate.

But it was very fun trip, we played and hanged around, for the first time in our career lives, we spent the days without any internet connection which meant this time we spent the holidays in peace. We did really enjoy the sound of the waves and the view, it was really worth of the while. I really want to go back there again and this time for longer time.

On the second day just after the sun set, I set my feet near to the shore, just being there alone because my husband was busy playing the kite. I was just standing there and looking at the waves and surround me, I was wandering how is it like to live in the sea. I thanked God for His greatness, I felt so small compare to all that surround me.

The very strange thing, for a moment I could feel the chill running down my knees and I felt so trembling, I was afraid that the wave would drag me to the sea… anyhow, it was only a feeling.

This is an interesting story which I read from USA Today this morning (http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-05-21-jewish-new-testament_N.htm)

The news goes as below:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in the latest act of violence against Christian missionaries in the Holy Land.

Or Yehuda Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said missionaries recently entered a neighborhood in the predominantly religious town of 34,000 in central Israel, distributing hundreds of New Testaments and missionary material.

After receiving complaints, Aharon said, he got into a loudspeaker car last Thursday and drove through the neighborhood, urging people to turn over the material to Jewish religious students who went door to door to collect it.

The books were dumped into a pile and set afire in a lot near a synagogue, he said.

The Israeli Maariv daily reported Tuesday that hundreds of Jewish religious school students took part in the book-burning. But Aharon told The Associated Press that only a few students were present, and that he was not there when the books were torched. Not all of the New Testaments that were collected were burned, but hundreds were, he said.

He said he regretted the burning of the books, but called it a “commandment” to burn materials that urge Jews to convert.

“I certainly don’t denounce the burning of the booklets,” he said. “I denounce those who distributed the booklets.”

Jews worship from the Old Testament, including the Five Books of Moses and the writings of the ancient prophets. Christians revere the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, which contains the ministry of Jesus.

Calev Myers, an attorney who represents Messianic Jews, or Jews who accept Jesus as their savior, demanded in an interview with Army Radio that all those involved be put on trial. He estimated there were 10,000 Messianic Jews, who are also known as Jews for Jesus, in Israel.

Police had no immediate comment.

Israeli authorities and Orthodox Jews frown on missionary activity aimed at Jews, though in most cases it is not illegal. Still, the concept of a Jew burning books is abhorrent to many in Israel because of the association with Nazis torching piles of Jewish books during the Holocaust of World War II.

Earlier this year, the teenage son of a prominent Christian missionary was seriously wounded when a package bomb delivered to the family’s West Bank home went off in his hands.

Last year, arsonists burst into a Jerusalem church used by Messianic Jews and set the building on fire, raising suspicions that Jewish extremists were behind the attack. No one claimed responsibility, but the same church was burned down 25 years ago by ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists.

In the past couple of weeks, I have read and watched the news about what is going on surround us, the disaster one by one was happening. Start from the wars, the tornadoes, the cyclone, the floods, the earthquakes and the last one was the bomb blast in Jaipur.

I kept reading and reading and also searched for more news and photos about the things which were going on. I felt terribly sad, I could feel the pain of losing all the belongings, their homes are destroyed, they lost their family and friends, and most of all the fear and uncertain to face the future.

And these are not all of the disaster, we also have to include the rising of the prices and the lack of the foods for the people in this world. I was wondering where we are at the moment.

Last Sunday when I went to the church, I got the answer. Pastor was preaching about the second coming of Jesus. He gave the example where we are right now with the 4 o’clock in the morning. At 4 am when the sun is almost rise, during this time it is still dark but we could see the things from their appearances but we cannot see them clearly. I think what he meant by 4 am here is during the summer in Kolkata, I woke up one day at 5 am some days back and I was very surprised that the sun was already rising, it was just like 7 o’clock in the morning.

Jesus has told about these things, and these are the signs that the end is very near.

(Matthew 13)

3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25Behold, I have told you before.

26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We don’t know how long this earth will last, but I know God is taking care of the people who put their faith in Him.

Two nights back when I read the online bible from biblegateway.com, I saw a very interesting thing… indeed, a very… very… very… interesting thing.

During my staying in India, I have seen people are accusing each other about what they eat. We know that some beliefs prevent their follower to eat meat, in the other case, we have also people eat meat. Everyday I saw and hear those who are vegetarian cursing the people who are a non-vegetarian.

I wonder, is it wrong for someone to be a non-vegetarian or is it wrong for someone to be a vegetarian? But I believe it is a matter of what you believe. There are places that the vegetables cannot grow and there are places where the people only have fishes as their main food. When me and my friends went to Ujung Genting, this is the beach in Java about 8 hours journey from Jakarta, we stopped by in one small restaurant, the owner of the restaurant told us that the season was not very good so they don’t have vegetable in their menu but fishes.

When I read these verses from the Bible, I was quite surprise and I thought “Wow!!! what a cool God”. People think that Bible is all about the old generations and backward things, but the truth is, the Bible covers all the generations. Even it also has the answer about the dispute of vegetarian and non-vegetarian… very cool!

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Romans 14:1-4

What else that you need to know? you will surely find it in the Bible Surely God has the answer for everything… very cool!

This morning when I was sitting near to my window enjoying my honey drink. I saw something which is unusual and it was really taken me aback.

I live very near to the golf club, in fact, our apartment building is side by side with the border of the golf course, so you can imagine the breeze and fresh air every morning when I open the windows. The atmosphere is very different than any other place in Kolkata where the air pollution and noise pollution is quite high.

From my window, I can hear the sound of the birds, many types of birds in fact and I can see all the greenery from the golf course. Just opposite to my window, there is a small garden which was arranged simplely with many flowery plants. There is a small passage where the golfers have to pass after they complete the game.

Today, the flowers are blooming; white, red, orange, pink and yellow. I saw many golfers passed the garden, they seemed enjoying the morning due. Then there were 2 old golfers with the caddies, one of them just stopped in front of the small garden. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but from his body language I could figure that he was showing all the flowers which are blooming in the garden. The other old man approached one of the plant and touched and saw the flowers from near. They looked at all the flowers again before they made the move.

It was really surprised me, they are the only 2 people among those golfers and caddies who really admire these flowers, even all of them have to walk through this passage but not one ever notice it.

I wander how many times in our life have we ever noticing and admiring God’s hand works. Many times we are just too busy with our lives that sometime we just forget to stop for a while and admiring Him for the things which He has done in our lives.

We have become so usual with what happen in our lives that we feel all the good things and blessings are supposed to be there and it is God’s duty to bless us. We have made our God as a blessing machine. We come to the church and expect that God would pay us with all the blessings. I don’t want to be naif, I do want God’s blessings in my life. But we may not forget we have to respond to Him. Take your time and stop for a while, just see and remember all the good things and the blessings that God has given in your lives. Thank Him and praise Him.

Since my childhood I was taught to say thank you, I feel a bit irritate sometimes if the person whom I did good favor forget to say thank you even if I never talk or mention about it nor I want something in return. But I feel really good and appreciated if the person stop for a while and thank me before he or she walk away. I feel that must be what God feels too. I know He will be happy to hear us saying our thanks to him, praising him for all the good things that He has given.

I know that unlike me, God never complaint. He will keep blessing us even if we forget, because He is a good God. But can’t we be like that 2 old men? just stop for a while and see surround us, count all the blessings which God has given to us and admiring them and thank Him.

Today I read a news about a hero who help a fellow motorist, I thought that this is a very interesting story and would like to share this will you all.

http://medialab.semissourian.com/story/1320584.html

Southeast Missourian photo garners national attention
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
By Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

There crouches Jay McMullin, a step or two away from his FedEx truck, his left foot braced under the shin-deep raging water in the middle of a road-turned-river. His right hand is gripped around the hand of a 78-year-old man named Odell Bunch. There’s a Ford pickup truck submerged, crooked in a ditch, water fender-high on one side as muddy waves splash past the truck and into a flooded field near Byrd Creek. It is an image that received a lot of attention last week, attention that McMullin would do just as well without.

Last Tuesday’s Southeast Missourian photo, taken by staff photographer Aaron Eisenhauer, gained national attention and honors. Picked up by the Associated Press, the photo appeared in countless publications. It appeared on many newspapers’ Web sites, including USA Today, Atlanta Journal Constitution, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Austin American-Statesman, San Francisco Chronical and Chicago Sun Times. The photo also was the main image on news Web sites such as CNN, MSNBC and AOL.

In addition, the photo was included in Time magazine’s pictures of the week and will appear in the Editor & Publisher magazine as the picture of the month.

The image also appeared on CNN news broadcasts and also ran in a Headline News broadcast.

Eisenhauer and reporter Peg McNichol were on their way to Marble Hill when they came upon a stretch of Highway 34 that was covered with water.

“There was a big hill that goes to Byrd Creek,” Eisenhauer said. “A couple of cars stopped up there, and a couple of cars were making their way through the flood. I was snapping pictures from the top of the hill when I saw this little white truck driving closer to the edge than the others. I thought, ‘This one’s not going to make it.’ I got a series of pictures as he’s going down the road and as he falls off. I started running down the hill. I saw the FedEx truck coming, and when he got out I stopped. I wasn’t as close as I could’ve been, but I started snapping.”

Jay McMullin, the FedEx driver, didn’t talk much when approached by McNichol and Eisenhauer after the rescue. He had to get back to work. He hasn’t talked publicly about the event much since, even when CNN called for an interview.

He offered the following statement on the FedEx Web site: “The response to the photo of Odell Bunch’s rescue has been humbling and overwhelming. I sincerely appreciate the kind notes, e-mail, phone calls and general interest in my well-being. While I am honored by the attention, I only did what any of my fellow FedEx co-workers would have done.”

His boss, however, is happy to expound upon the actions of his low-key delivery man.

“Jay called me right after he talked to the photographer and reporter,” said Paul Stoner, the FedEx station manager in Cape Girardeau. “He said, ‘I may be in the paper tomorrow.’”

Stoner said McMullin called to make him aware of what happened, because company rules prohibit nonemployees from getting inside FedEx vehicles.

“I thought, well, this will be a local story, no big deal,” Stoner said. The next day, the story exploded.

“The day after it was released to the AP, we started getting e-mails from around the world, from Canada, the East and West coasts, almost every state in the United States, the Netherlands, India … .”

FedEx got permission from the Southeast Missourian to use the image on its internal employee Web site, prompting FedEx employees worldwide to extend their appreciation and congratulations.

Stoner said as a result of McMullin’s effort, he’ll be nominated for FedEx’s humanitarian award, among other companywide recognition.

Not that McMullin is seeking it.

After McMullin pulled Bunch to safety, Stoner said, “this guy finished his day, worked in wet pants and wet socks for the rest of his day and into the night. We’re very proud of him. Would I recommend drivers driving out in water like that? No, but I’m glad he took the chance to help out.”

For camera buffs, the photo was taken with a 200 mm lens.

Last Sunday Pastor gave the message about our Christian life and how contradicted our life with our spiritual life. We always said that we want to serve God, give our lives to God, but in reality, our lives are just very opposite.

The most interesting part of the message, Pastor gave the example of the spectator. Our lives have many windows where people look into your live through these windows, or we can also look into other people lives through these windows. (Continue reading…)

I finally make a new blog site which I have dreamnt since a long time ago. I actually want to make a new website for the recipes than making blog, but considering that I don’t have so much of time whenever I have to update the pages or make new pages for new recipes, I thought of making a blog recipe.

At this moment this blog recipe is still under construction, I’m still trying to fix and update some of the layout and images. I was thinking to change the colors as well. I would like to invite all of you to visit this blog recipe whenever you are free. The url is http://www.easyrecipeworld.com. I will be adding more recipes, you can also send me your favorite recipes to agustina @ uniqueinfotech.com (remove the space between the email address) and I will add them in the site.

There was an occasion in my life which I always remember until today. In the matter of fact, I remember each of the detail of it. Whenever I remember that occasion, it really encourage me to be closer to Jesus.

When I surrendered my life to Jesus in November 1993, my life was totally changed and people would notice that there was something in me which is different. My friends told me that I have changed and I was not the one they used to know. I was happy with my changes and I felt God was moving in me. (Continue reading…)