What gives

Is there really a closure when a parent dies? My dad passed when he was 90 and I ,his youngest am 49 years old.I had an unusual journey this season.The covid pandemic rages on.The government seems to be see-sawing between closing and opening the lockdown.In the meantime I could spend three whole months with my family.It was a sort of time we have never had the opportunity to spend since our childhood.We have been away in boarding schools ,colleges and our work places  with short spells during vacation at home.Our father taught us a lot of things about the bird and the bees.My sister and I often wondered to ourselves what a blessed time it had been with parents understanding the nature which has been given to us in bountiful by the Lord who cares. Less than a week after I left home,my dad fell ill and passed away.With the strict covid rules I had just finished a week of quarantine in my workplace and it was time for me to pack my bags again homeward bound .My dad was ill.The s...

  .Infinity was a rejected puppy in a bin.She was one of the many puppies born to a stray mongrel in the streets of Delhi. When my sister picked her up to take her home all of us wondered how things would work out.My neice Annie chose to name her Infinity.A lone child in the family ,suddenly overnight   their life changed in infinite ways,hence the name Infinity. Looking from afar we often thought she was a nuisance.Their movement as a family was severely restricted and their social life needed adjustments.Each time I visited her she was ferocious while greeting but gradually we settled down to an uncomfortable equilibrium I was often the stick the family used to discipline her.She had had her shots so feared the vet so at the mention of a doctor she would cow down with her tail between her legs.I was the doctor. 0nce the pandemic started the family has had to spend much time indoors. My father passed this summer.There has been a deep sadness in the family.My sister wo...

The Aaronic benediction. A few days ago , Our prayerful Pastor visited us from his house on the top of the hill. We had been remembering him just a day earlier. He read the Aaronic benediction from Numbers chapter 6 versus 22 to 27 and prayed the blessing on us and my uncle’s family who has been through their own changes.He graciously    remembered our Godly heritage and blessed us that we would continue it forward in the coming days. Thought I would spend some time just looking at the benediction in the context of the Hebrew meaning of it and Got around to painting a mental picture of it.  I found it beautifully comforting and was awestruck by the picture it painted. The benediction as it is in Numbers 6 versus 20 to 27 reads,  “The Lord bless thee, And keep thee, And be gracious to thee, The Lord make His face to shine upon thee. The Lord lift up his countenance on thee And give thee peace.” “The word “Bless” in Hebrew is the word “Barakh ...

The bible being what it is ,one would assume that the writers of the bible would be the strong majority, influential individuals,who prevailed during that time. However one would be surprised to know that it has always been the minority report. What exactly was the function of the Hebrew bible? 1.To remember and retell the story about how God rescues his covenant people.(Exodus 17 vs 8,9,14). 2.The scripture becomes the terms of the partnership between God and Israel, much like marriage vows.(Exodus 24:3–4 ). 3.It functions as a story of the people’s failure and God’s plan to raise up a prophet to come.(Deutronomy 31:19-26). The pattern of the Hebrew bible is salvation, covenant, human failings and divine faithfulness. This pattern continues and completes itself in the new Testament and is every believer’s story. The prophets throughout the old Testament were the afflicted ones, they were the rejected minority, people who existed in the periphery,sometimes looked upon as a laughing sto...

The old Testament is often a source of confusion for most people. It seems like a conglomeration of individuals with partial victories and great losses ,disobedient and rebellous sinners,messy ,not the ideal examples,and bipolar often. How does one approach the Old Testament? I stumbled upon bible project in the net and I have been doing the study ever since. The Hebrew bible from which the Old Testament originates is divided into three parts Torah,Neviim, and Kethuvim. Torah is the Pentateuch ,Genesis ,Exodus,Numbers,Leviticus and Deutronomy. Neviim is the prophets Isaiah,Jeremiah,Amos,etc. Kethuvim are the writings like psalms,proverbs,etc. The difference between the old Testament and the TANAK(As the Hebrew bible is called ),Is the way the different books in the bible have been put into different categories and unlike the Hebrew bible the prophets are placed at the the end of the old Testament whereas the writings are placed last    in the Hebrew bible. In the 1940s, The de...

  (Acts of the apostles chapter 3 verse 1 to 8.) One of my favourites sunday school songs was based on this event from Acts. As is narratedI–  NowPeter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter    and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed on to them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; But such as I have give I thee;in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And they took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up ,stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, a...