My new tenant from BlogExplosion’s RentMyBlog program is Maldita, Bratinella, a fun blog by self-professed brat, Jen. It looks like a fun blog with updates from her life, pics and other updates. Please pay her a visit and add a comment or two. She even has a bribe for you if you care to click and comment on her tenant as well. So, do it now, click over and comment! And don’t forget to let her know the bloke sent you!

Technorati Tags: blogexplosion, rentmyblog, blogging

The story that opens Harvey MacKay’s book, Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty struck a chord in me that I still remember years after I first read it. It was simple, but it was also quite eye opening for me when I first encountered it.

He asked his readers to imagine being rudely awakened at 2 a.m. in the morning by a telephone call. The phone call is from (I don’t quite remember the details but bear with me) a relative telling you that your father is very ill in hospital across the country and he needs you now. The problem is you were just laid off. You have maxed out your credit cards and your father’s condition needs you need to help him with the bills. You need $2000 fast but you don’t have it. Can you call someone to loan you the money so that you can fly out first thing in the morning?

Who do you call? Do you have anyone you can call? At 2:00 a.m. in the morning? Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: relationships, community, friendship, loneliness

My previous meditation was spurred by my own personal experience of agonizing through an incredibly tough problem I was facing. The breakthrough came for me via a Bible reading in church. While the sermon addressed another issue, the Scriptures read that day jumped out at me and it was as if God was singling me out and speaking to me directly.

The meditation on that passage of Scripture led to another meditation on a similar passage. In both passages, Jesus healed a lame (or as the Scriptures refer to him, paralytic) man. In this passage, the paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by his friends. As his friends came to the house where Jesus was preaching, they were blocked by a crowd of people and there was no way they could get through.

His friends were undaunted. They thought (and acted) outside the box, and broke down the barriers. They climbed to the top of the house and broke through the roof to lower the man down on a makeshift platform with his mat.

Jesus’ words to the man was surprising, especially to the religious leaders of the day: “Son, your sins are forgiven!” Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: healing, forgiveness, community, love, paralytic

NOTE: I meant to post this earlier, but I wrote this and then saved it and got busy until today.

From time to time, I check out this blog because the guy’s passion is evident in much of his writing. Although much of what he has to say has a ring of authenticity to it, his views are also grossly colored by his own acknowledged past negative experiences with religion and with some religious people. He now spends a lot of his energy tearing down other people’s beliefs and also often tarnish their character and personality as well, especially those who venture to post comments to his blog. Anyone who does not share his view is game for his ridicule and snide remarks, although he often hide behind the respectability of quotes taken from (a highly) selected number of notable authors, scientists, novelists and other prominent figures.

He did it again here. My immediate reaction to his post (which was also spurred by having read and interacted with many of his other posts) was this comment: Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: faith, truth, fundamentalism, religion, atheism

When God speaks to you it is quite unmistakable, although sometimes it can be terrifying and sometimes it can be confusing. I have one of these experiences just recently. While sitting in the pew listening to a sermon from John chapter 5, I heard the words read from the gospel, “Pick up your mat and walk!”

It was from the familiar story of the paralyzed man who had been in that helpless condition for almost an entire lifetime. He was lying by the pool of Bethesda which was known in those days to have healing qualities. When the “waters stirred” the first person who get down to the pool would have their ailment healed. John 5:4: for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. (NASB)

This man wanted desperately to get well. So he camped by the pool waiting for a chance to get into the pool first and experience its healing effects.

When Jesus saw him by the pool and learned of his condition, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

What kind of question is that? Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: community, love god, love neighbor, loneliness, greatest commandment

You are all probably aware of the chicken soup series of books phenomenon industry. Although I am not original with the title, I was thinking today, if there were such a book with just this title, what would you find in it?

What do you think should be included in a tome titled, Chicken Soup for the Blogger’s Soul. Presumably, it’ll be an inspirational volume for bloggers. It would be a book you’d go to when you are down from your blogging, or when you have a massive writer’s block, or even, if you just wanted to have a pick-me-up to carry on… Or perhaps, just maybe the blogger in you just wanted to feel good. This book will be the answer for any such scenario.

So, if you were to be asked to put together such a volume, what kinds of articles would you include in it? Would you choose posts that are culled from the best of the blogosphere? Would you add advice or encouragement or perhaps feel-good stories about blogs, blogging or bloggers? Perhaps, you will even register a website www.chickensoupforbloggersoul.com so that you can continue the phenomenon and publish unplifting posts for your avid followers. Now you might then attract undue negative publicity, but who cares then, you might have cashed in on the wealth and/or notoriety. Or, not!

Anyway, care to let your creative juices flow? Then, comment away! Let me know what you think should be included in it!

Doubtless many would have heard about, or read, Newsweek cover story on Billy Graham: . I read with great interest Graham shares from the wisdom of his years of living and serving. Graham is noted as the man who has preached to more human beings than anyone else in history, and who has served as the “nation’s pastor” and spiritual counsellor to more Presidents than any other minister, is now frail and weak, battling the ravages of age and disease.

A key observation:

“All my life I’ve been taught how to die, but no one ever taught me how to grow old.”

His daughter, Anne Lotz Graham sums it up aptly:

“When you get older, secondary things, like politics, begin to fall away, and the primary thing becomes primary again—and for Daddy, the primary thing is, as Jesus said, to try to love God totally, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.”

Some other key passages from the article: Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: Billy Graham, gospel, salvation

Stories, as I said in my previous post on this subject, are important aspects of our lives. We all love stories. Stories not only help to give us our identity, they also help us to identify with one another. Stories also remind ourselves of our humanity and brokenness. Perhaps maybe that is why gossip can be so juicy. When we gossip, we get to hear someone else’s story, usually something that is less than glamorous. We get to connect with someone else, although in a less than edifying manner, but it is also a way for us to realize, that we are not that bad after all, and that behind all the razzle-dazzle and masks, other people are rather like us, behind our own glittering facades.

Regardless, stories are the building blocks of our lives. It is through stories that we learn lessons that we can apply to our lives. You can talk about courage all day long, but it is only when you hear about the young man who has to overcome poverty, prejudice and hardship throughout his life to rise above the norm, and achieve greatness in an environment that usually belongs to only the privileged, that you understand in a more intimate manner what courage means. Read the rest of this entry »

I do have a blog tenant.

However, there is no image currently displaying in the space on my sidebar, that’s probably because the blog is new to BlogExplosion or because the image is being refreshed at BE. In any case, my tenant is “The Blunt Prophet”.

He has an interesting blog, looks like quite a new one, in which he shares about his life and his aspiration to live out his life’s calling. That part of his profile that grabbed me is his description of himself as someone who strives to display all the qualities of God’s love and that he is acquainted with grief and brokenness. I think this is one prophet you will one to get to know. I look forward to getting to know him myself.

So, please make him feel welcome, get over to his blog and say “Hi!” letting him know you came from …in the outer…

Technorati Tags: blogging, BlogExplosion, RentMyBlog

Dawn at Fugal for Life shares from a movie she has just watched. Just a simple, short review of a foreign language movie that she finds interesting and valuable.

It instantly reminds me of many movies I have watched and novels I have read and how I resonated with their stories. Stories appeal to all of us. Perhaps that is why children love it when you tell them stories. Even adults love the reverie of a compelling movie, an engaging television show or a captivating novel.

In most of my career and volunteer experiences as a teacher, communicator, public speaker of sorts, and even as a professonal salesperson, I find that whenever I interweave my communications with stories, especially “real life stories”, I tend to win over my audience much more readily, and help them understand the concepts I am trying to expain much more effectively. Even when I am selling high tech solutions to chief executive, financial or technology officers, I find that they lean in to listen more intently my stories of how other customers are benefiting from our solutions rather than complex demonstrations of feature and functionality of the software applications that I am trying to sell. People are simply much more moved by stories than they are by facts and figures. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: stories, narratives