Q&A: Hair India - WITNESS - Al Jazeera English

Q&A: Hair India - WITNESS - Al Jazeera English

“Happy new year and happy new you!”

Hey you, wake up to a brand new day,

New mercies are here,

Happy new year and happy new you!

Rise up, rise up and shake off

The yesteryears’ dust,

Happy new year and happy new you!

Do you hear the new sound of hope

Thumpin’ at your soul’s door?

Happy new year and happy new you!

Strengthen weak hands and feeble knees;

And march into new boundaries,

Happy new year and happy new you!

On the threshold of a new age

Recognize you’re the essence of heaven here and say:

Happy new year and happy new you!

Happy new year and happy new you

Means in all you do stay joyful and true!

~Uche

“Not Only Christmas Day”

Lord, this is my prayer
Not only on Christmas Day
But until I see You face to face
May I live my life this way:

Just like the baby Jesus
I ever hope to be,
Resting in Your loving arms
Trusting in Your sovereignty.

And like the growing Christ child
In wisdom daily learning,
May I ever seek to know You
With my mind and spirit yearning.

Like the Son so faithful
Let me follow in Your light,
Meek and bold, humble and strong
Not afraid to face the night.

Nor cowardly to suffer
And stand for truth alone,
Knowing that Your kingdom
Awaits my going home.

Not afraid to sacrifice
Though great may be the cost,
Mindful how You rescued me
From broken-hearted loss.

Like my risen Savior
The babe, the child, the Son,
May my life forever speak
Of who You are and all You've done.

So while this world rejoices
And celebrates Your birth,
I treasure You, the greatest gift
Unequaled in Your worth.

I long to hear the same words
That welcomed home Your Son,
"Come, good and faithful servant,"
Your Master says, "Well done."

And may heaven welcome others
Who will join with me in praise
Because I lived for Jesus Christ
Not only Christmas Day

-- Mary Fairchild

A Short Story on Determination...

" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23 NIV)

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so."

"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."

"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

Again, Jesus says, "Everything is possible for him who believes."

I could never fall in love with a skinny man......

This is an interesting short story, a friend sent to my email:

Once upon a time there was a girl who had four boyfriends.

She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adored him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.


She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and well being. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him!

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!’ replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.

His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.


The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No!’ replied the 3rd boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!'

Her heart sank and turned cold.

She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, 'I have always
turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.

When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd boyfriend. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'


His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.


Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your life:

Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.

Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.

Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.

And your 1st boyfriend is your Soul; often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, your Soul is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37 NIV)

But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

The Sword of the Spirit...

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth….(John 17:16)

Sanctification by the truth of God’s word is of great necessity to the Christian who would be useful in the Master’s hands. This truth enables us gain a revelation of God’s mind concerning every matter of life. By this truth, we understand that our Faith is produced by a spiritual view of the atonement of Christ, and of His infinite fullness as a complete and perfect Saviour.

We also understand that Love is excited by a discovery of the excellence of God’s moral perfections. Holy fear and reverence arise from a sight of the majesty and glory of His natural attributes, and a sense of His presence. Joy may come from a sense of the infinite rectitude of His moral government, from the sight of the glory of God, in His works of providence and grace, or from a general view of the beauty and excellence of divine truth.

Comfort may be derived from evidence of the divine favor; and confidence, from an appropriation of God’s promises to ourselves. And in many other ways, also the Holy Spirit produces spiritual feelings through the instrumentality of the truth. But all religious feeling, produced by impulse, without any rational view of the truth, is to be suspected. It may be the work of Satan (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan is very busy in counterfeiting religious experiences for those he wishes to deceive!

Every religious affection has its counterfeit. Thus, even sorrow may be produced by the fear of hell, without any sense of the evil of sin; a presumption of our own ‘good fortune’ may be mistaken for faith, and this will produce (false) joy. We may exercise a carnal or selfish love to God, because we think he loves us, and has made us the objects of his special favor; and the promises of God, so far as they concern the personal good of the believer, may administer as much comfort to the hypocrite as to the real saint.

This is why it’s very important in these times that we should not only exercise a general belief of the great doctrines of the gospel, but that we should have a right understanding of them. The truth in God’s word is so necessary in the Christian warfare that it is called the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17b). But of what benefit is the sword to the soldier who knows not how to use it?

Humour Time: It's in the Bible~~~(Just a joke....LOL)

There was a religious lady that had to do a lot of traveling for her business, so she did a lot of flying.

Flying made her very, very nervous, so she always took her Bible along with her to read as it helped relax her on the long flights.

One time, she was sitting next to a man.
When he saw her pull out her Bible, he gave a little chuckle and smirk and went back to what he was doing.

After awhile, he turned to her and asked, "You don't really believe all that stuff in there do you?"

The lady replied, "Of course I do. It is the Bible."

He said, "Well, what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?"

She replied, "Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that, it is in the Bible."

He asked, "Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?"

The lady said, "Well, I don't really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him."

"What if he isn't in heaven?" the man asked sarcastically.

"Then you can ask him," replied the lady.

Link to more Christian Jokes

How can this be?

This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' "They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. Isa 49:8-9 (NIV)

For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2Cor 6:2 (NIV)


One of the greatest things that God has done for us in Christ is that He wants to express His nature on this earth through us who believe. Whatever God does is usually very big and unimaginable, and sometimes we may feel so intimidated and inadequate, and even withdraw to our comfort zones.

A look at some stories from the bible will reveal this fact to us:
1. Luke 1:5-25
2. Romans 4:18-21, Genesis 18:10-15
3. Joshua 1: 1-9
4. John 5:1-7
5. Acts 12: 15-16
6. Luke 1:26-38

In these stories, we observe that the people did not have as much benefit of hindsight like we have in this our time. Now we can study about them, and understand how God began a new thing and finished it in their life. And in most cases, the fulfillment of God's word came many generations after they were dead and gone.

The bible tells us that the word of God is like a seed, and a seed has the potential to become a forest. Some seeds grow to become fruitful plants in three months, and some may take many years. Yet whenever the Lord places demand the tree it is expected to produce fruit in obedience (Mark 11:12-14). What is the word of God to you in this season? What is it that God is prompting your heart to do for Him? What bold steps is God telling you to take for Him, and what are you afraid of? Remember that this is a season of God's favour upon us (2 Cor 6-2).

It may be easy to read the bible and to believe for God's favour, but really, when the favour comes you need to have faith in order to lay hold of it.

Sometimes, and maybe most times, the favour of God does not come to us in pleasant forms. Yet, because we trust in Him, through faith we can stand in assurance that He has the best of intentions for our life.

So today, it does not matter whatever obstacles or difficulties you may be passing through.

Whether you are married or single...it doesn't matter!
Whether you've been broken hearted or disappointed in a relationship...it doesn't matter!
Whether you come from a broken home...it doesn't matter!
Whether you have don't have a job or in some financial difficulty...it doesn't matter!

It does not matter because God is aware of these things. There are some things He will remove completely from your life, yet there are others He will leave, and its not because He hates you. Jesus said that "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life (Matt 7:14)." He wants you to minister to Him in that narrow situation, give Him praise in that narrowness, give Him glory in that straitness. And sometimes it may even feel like dying, but not to worry, "a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains" (John 12:24).

There are just a few points here that I would like to mention as attitudes to adopt in receiving or laying hold of God's favour:

1. Study the word of God (2Tim 2:15, Luke 11:28, Matt 22:29, Josh 1:8)
2. Believe the word of God (Mar 1:15, Mar 9:23, Josh 1:7)
3. Pray (Mat 26:41, Mar 13:33, Luk 18:1, Mar 11:24, 1Thess 5:17-18, Phil 4:6)
4. Worship and Praise (Psa 99:9, Luk 4:8)

This is what Jesus demonstrated to us by His life on earth, that is the way of the Master. "And it pleased God that the fullness of the Godhead should dwell in Him bodily" (Col 2:9); and "Christ in you is the hope of God's glory on this earth (Col 1:27)."

This year you need to rise up in the knowledge and understanding of your spiritual position in God and walk in that revelation towards your destiny. The word of God is going forth as I speak to you today. Jesus said His word is Spirit and life (John 6:63). Jesus sent His word and His word healed and delivered (Psalm 107:20).

Remember, God has your victory planned in Christ, but you must learn to rise up in faith, in prayer, and in praise. This is the season to lay hold of your inheritance in Christ, and I declare that the favour of God is upon you, in the name of Jesus. Amen



Note:
Favour in Hebrew and Greek generally
mean: Acceptable (ed, ance), Delight,
Pleasure, Approved, Grace, (graciousness),
Kindness. (Strong's Hebrew / dictionary).