Dwaar Blogs

After many years of delay and with a certain amount of reluctance, I am writing my first blog!

I guess the main reason it has taken me so long is that I’ve never wanted to be seen as promoting myself! Secondly, I wasn’t sure I had much to write that would be of help to others anyway! All that changed a few weeks back when I was having a conversation with my wife Liz. It was regarding the topic of thanksgiving…

Back in 2010, I first began to look at the subject of thanksgiving. I’m not sure why, but I suspect that God graciously led me to it. You see, for some time I had been praying for a greater sense of contentment in my life. I frequently felt depressed and regularly grumbled about pretty much everything! To try and solve this, I shared with a small group of friends, and asked them to pray that I’d find greater contentment in life. Little did I know; our prayers would begin to be answered as I prepared for my first talk on thanksgiving.

After a thorough study on thanksgiving in the Bible and various additional research; I structured the message around three questions. Here’s a brief summary of what I shared:

1)      Why should we give thanks?

Firstly, because God tells us to! In 1 Thess 5:18 Paul says, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) This should be enough for someone who believes in Jesus. However, to add further weight to the argument I also spoke about various scientific studies that have been done. In 2003, psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough published a paper looking at the impact of gratitude on peoples moods. In three separate experiments, people were asked to write down 5 things they were grateful for each week and list ways they were better off than others. Those who did this over a 10 week period felt 25% happier, more optimistic about the future and better about their lives. The participants of one group had chronic health issues. They reported feeling more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, and many reported that they were sleeping better. What a difference thanksgiving can make!

2)      How should we give thanks?

Thanksgiving, in essence, is expressing appreciation for benefits or blessings. In the Bible believers gave thanks publicly at mealtimes and during meetings. However, much thanksgiving went on behind the scenes, in private. This is especially noticeable in the life of the Apostle Paul, who regularly and systematically gave thanks for many things. Here is a list of things that believers gave thanks for in the Bible:

• Food
• Healing
• Spiritual gifts
• Answered prayer
• Good decisions made in the past
• Provision from God
• Other people
• Revelation of truth
• Victory over sin and death
• For forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ

3)      When should we give thanks?

The simple answer to that is provided in 1 Thess 5:8, ‘in all circumstances.’ Is that possible? Yes! Because whatever situation we’re currently in, there’s always something to give thanks for. The problem is we tend to forget the good things and dwell on the bad. Our thinking becomes dominated by the difficulties to such an extent that we lose sight of all the blessings! Giving thanks regularly helps us to remember all the good things that we enjoy, whether it’s food, health, family or the amazing world that we live on.

That was the message. Over the next couple of years, this became a vital new discipline in my own life. Now, I can honestly say that I am happier and more content in life because of thanksgiving. Having learnt this lesson personally, and experienced its benefits; I wanted to share it with others. So over the next few months I’ll be writing a series of blogs on this topic. I hope you find them encouraging!

Pete.

Over the last few weeks I have been forced to dwell on the great economical divide in our land. Everything around me seemed to cry out aloud– ‘Notice the difference’.

There has been a lot of talk about the poverty line in India. Some economists have come up with the figure of Rs 32/-, which means if you earn below that amount per day you are bracketed as someone who is poor, really poor. You are then a person living under the poverty line. Many have got into the debate over the figure. But even if the figure is not accurate the ‘reality of poverty’ is.

A few days ago I was halted by my society watchman. Over time I have got to know him a bit and found him wanting to have a conversation with me. “Sir, I am going to Goa,” he said. Without me enquiring about this proposed trip, he blurted out a few sentences with great excitement. “I will be in the security department and sir my salary will be Rs 15000/- per month.” He looked so happy; he just wanted me to know that he was climbing the income ladder.

And then I found myself attend a post budget review meeting at the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. The CEO of RBS Bank was present and the head of ICICI Mutual fund was the esteemed speaker. What a different world this was. Everyone present was talking money, big money. Investments in equity and real estate to the tune of hundreds of thousands of rupees were spoken as though it concerned a kid’s pocket money.

These three episodes just made me realize again how large the disparity between the rich and the poor is. The question before me is not the divide, but what can I do to bridge the divide.
God has a heart for the poor. Scripture after scripture speaks the message of embracing the poor.

In Mathew 19:21, when Jesus is talking with the rich young ruler, he tells him to sell all he has and give to the poor. The man leaves sad because he has great wealth. While we’re not all asked to give everything to the poor, it’s definitely something we should each think through.

God’s desire is to see the gap bridged; and his desire is that we play a part in it. Amen!

Today, India celebrates its 63rd Republic day. A moment that arouses patriotism and love for the country like no other day.
Lakhs in the nation rise early to watch the parade at Rajghat and the streets of every city, town and village echo with songs such as “Mere Desh Ki Dharti” and “Aye Mere Vatan Ke Logo, Jara Aankh Mein Bhar Lo Paani.”
It is a day when we remember the many soldiers who laid down their lives for freedom.
The nation rises to pay tribute and proudly sings the national anthem

“Jana Gana mana”

But very few really know what the national anthem means. Granted, most Indians sing it with much gusto, they do so without knowing or understanding its meaning.

This is our anthem-

Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata
Panjaba Sindhu Gujarata Maratha
Dravida Utkala Vanga
Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga
Ucchala jaladhi taranga
Tav subha name jage
Tav subha asisa mage
Gahe taba jaya gatha
Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

And this is what the anthem means.
“Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindhu,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand”
Thou dispenser of India’s destiny.
Victory forever.

Amazing!!!
It is a proclamation to the Sovereign Lord who is control of the entire universe. It is a prayer seeking God almighty for his blessings and a recognition that “the saving of all people waits in his hand.”
Another song that is very patriotic in India is Vande Mantaram. This song gives worship to Mother India, and the translation says “The Mother, the giver of boons and giver of bliss.” This song has raised controversy since it worships the mother land rather than the Almighty.
Personally, I want to look to the Sovereign Lord who holds India in his hands.
What about you?

May Jesus bless our NATION!

The Olympics are round the corner and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the athletes. They give themselves to preparation, training and immense concentration. And after all that, they line up on the race track for the big day.
A good start is vital. Very vital!! Athletes that start off well have a higher chance of finishing well.

2012 has arrived. A good start from our side will help us in our race ahead.

Let me share with you a few pointers to help us start well.

- Give thanks to the Lord for the year gone by. Do not grumble. The Bible says “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Keep your spirit free from bitterness or else it will affect your start.

- Forget what is behind and strain to what lies ahead. If you hold onto your past you will not do too well in the future. Leave you failures and your successes behind. Give yourself to the new that lies ahead.

- Know your race – Your race is different from the athletes. They run to compete with each other, while we run to please the Lord. And it is our prerogative to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”

- Have a clear vision. What is your red ribbon? If you do not know what you’re running toward, you will land up somewhere else!

- “Throw off everything that hinders, and sin that so easily entangles.” Be equipped and be prepared for the race. An athlete wearing a suit will struggle big time!!

- Fix your gaze on Jesus – Commit your plans to the Lord and he will make your path straight. Do not lean on your understanding but trust in the Lord.

May you start well and may you have a wonderful year ahead.

God bless you!

The Christmas season is often about giving, about being a blessing to others. But when we search our hearts we notice that by nature we are very poor “givers”.

‘A mother gave her daughter two notes, one a nice clean 100 rupee note and another 20 rupee note. The mother said- “you can give whichever you want when the offering basket comes to you.”
After sometime the mother again looked at the daughter and said “you know God loves a cheerful giver, give with joy in your heart”.
After the meeting the mother asked – “which note did you put in, dear?”

The daughter answered-“I decided to give the 100 rupee note but after you said about being cheerful givers I decided to give 20 and put that in.”
The girl’s response reveals the heart of man. The natural response of people is “what is the least I can get away with?”

But God is not like that. Our God is a giver.
John 3:16 says
For God so love the world that he GAVE his one and only son…
God gave his only son Jesus to us and for us.

God wants us to be like him. He wants to change our hearts from ‘getters’ to ‘givers’

May I encourage you to ponder on this very simple but profound truth?
“All of us love to receive, but we can only receive when someone gives. If all begin to think on how to give, many will receive, but if all begin to think on how to receive, no one will receive.”

It is hard to give….but let us begin!

Times are uncertain. The reasons to worry are high.
Whether it is the challenge of your child’s admission in school, the rising cost of petrol or the interest rates on home loans rising regularly; Inflation is on the rise and the streets are not getting safer. In the face of things there is enough reason to worry, however, we know our tendency to worry even when things seem all right.

Take the example of a husband who has not yet returned from work. He said he would be back by eight p.m. and now it’s past nine.
A thought enters the mind of the wife: “what if he has met with an accident?” She begins to worry!
The thought continues- “What if he is seriously injured?”…….the wife is tensed, and begins to sweat.
The mind goes on a tangent ….. “What if he is in the hospital? OH NO!!….and no one is near him. He needs blood!!! He is sinking!!………He is DEAD!! Oh what will happen to me? What will happen to my children, my future?”
In no time she is in a terrible state. Really worried!!

The most common instruction in the Bible is “Do not worry”. It is a command.
It is something that needs to be obeyed. It is not about your feeling or mood or your mind going on a “Chakkar”. It is a decision to be made in the mind.
The Bible says
Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Simple steps that I have found helpful

1. Reject the anxious thought if it is not true. How easy it is to think the negative and worry.
2. Do not dwell on it and build a story in your mind which gets you further worried
3. Present your anxious thought to the Lord and receive his peace
4. Replace the anxious thought with truth from God’s word. Truth which says “never will I leave you nor forsake you” – “ He loves you with an everlasting Love”- “ He cares for the birds in the air and you are more valuable than them” etc

Practise this whenever an anxious thought goes through your mind and may the peace of God be your portion…irrespective of the situation.

Are you a Leader?
As I look around the many areas of life I realise that everything rises and falls on leadership. Look around and see the things that have succeeded and the things that have failed, the one common factor is leadership or the lack of it.
This world needs leaders, true leaders. Whether it is your family, workplace, Church, or the nation!
Leadership is a gift and this gift can be enhanced.
But what do we often see?
People who do not have the gift are pushed to play the role of leadership. They have the position but no leadership.

Many a people think they are leaders.
A true leader is someone who has people following him. Following him not because of his position or title, but because of his leadership and because of who he is

If a leader uses force or intimidation for people to follow him, he is not a leader. Then he is using external authority to meet his end. Leadership with internal authority is what is needed. If people follow you and regard you even when you are not in uniform, then there is something within you that makes people follow you.
I have learnt that “True Spiritual authority is for the submissive to obey and not for the rebels to conform”

Jesus is an amazing model. He did not push his weight around, infact when people wanted to make him King, he hid away. People followed him because of who he was.

If you are a leader or desire to be one, do not focus only on your gifts and talents. Work on your spirituality, work on your inner man. Focus on your “being” rather than your “doing”
This will cause you to grow in your internal authority and people will want to follow you.

This world needs leaders. If you are one….get it right!!

All of us wish to see success.
There is a desire to achieve, a desire to do well.
In this journey of life we often go through an emotional ride, much like in the theme parks- Sudden excitement of the highs and some prolonged moments of nervousness and fear.
Life is such!
Recently we all in India were thrilled with the movie “Three idiots”.
It was a movie with a message and a movie that made us laugh, really laugh!! What a hit it turned out to be.
In the story there is an intelligent student, Joy. He came up with an exciting project, but as he was not able to submit it in time he lost the race, the challenge of life made him quit.
He committed suicide!
That was a sad moment in the film…and as he hung on the ceiling fan, the song rang in the background saying
“Give me some sunshine, give me some rain, give me another chance I wanna grow up once again”

We may do well or we may fail. But we must never quit.
God always gives us the chance to stand up again. Jesus never said you will have it all easy. In fact he said ‘In this world you will have many troubles, but take heart. I have overcome the world.”

Thomas Edison made the first bulb. As his masterpiece was ready he gave it to a young boy to go and fix it in the holder. The boy slipped, the bulb fell, THE FIRST BULB BROKE!!!
You can imagine what Thomas Edison felt, and you can imagine what the boy must have gone through.
Edison began to rework, to make another bulb. When that was ready, he called the very same boy and asked him to fix it in the holder.WOW!!!

We all could have said – “What a big risk! Edison, don’t do that!! How can you trust him again? Be wise!” Etc.
But Edison said- “This boy had lost his confidence, by giving it to him I have built it up again”

This is what God does for each one of us. Don’t give up!
Sure you may have messed up, sure you may have failed. But God trusts in you and gives you the bulb again…..and again. Just don’t Quit!!

Throughout history the black communities in South Africa, America’s and elsewhere have faced atrocities because of the colour of their skin. Was it wrong to be dark?

India too has been obsessed with fair skin. The common thinking here is that the fairer you are the better it is. The fairer you are the more beautiful you are. The old fairy tale asks the question “mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?”
And, when a child is born – the most common point of discussion is how fair or dark the baby is.

It is fascinating to read the matrimonial in the Indian newspapers too- “wanted girl with fair complexion”.- “ fair boy looking for fair girl” etc. .
The fairness cream “fair and lovely” has made big money in a land crazy about getting fairer. And now we have fairness cream for men too!
A brown skinned Nation wants to get white!!

And then I think about the people from the west, and they are interested in coming to the beaches of Goa to get tanned. They want to get darker
The white skinned nations want to get brown!! How strange?

The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully created by God. He has made us just the way we are. We are all beautiful and handsome. Yes we are all different, our colour is different, but we are all his creation.
All of us need to be content and grateful for our lives, our looks and our colour.

Should we not view others with respect and appreciate each as God’s creation?
Racism is wrong! No one is greater than the other.

I am grateful to God that he is teaching us to accept one another. In Dwaar we have the white, the brown, the yellow, the black……….and we encourage all to “accept one another just as Christ has accepted you”

What’s your colour, my friend? Learn to rejoice in who you are!!!
And accept all as God’s creation!

I read this article in the Times of India this morning.
“A section of Dalit students in Jawaharlal Nehru University have decided to observe “Mahishasura day” on October 25 to reiterate that demon killed by Goddess Durga belonged to a backward community”
There is a lot of tension and strife in the university today, but there has been this tension all throughout the history of independent India; actually this has been the reality for thousands of years.
I have wondered and many have debated on what is the way out. Many political parties have battled; Reservations have been introduced; organisations have stepped up the cause of helping the marginalised;
However there has been no real solution!

The problem here is not a political one but a spiritual one, something which is difficult to touch as it will raise another hue and cry! But let us ponder and reason together.

The very basis of who is a Hindu according to the Vedas is the one who is born in the four Varnas (or castes). Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra; and if you are not born in any of these then you are an outcaste, a “Mlechaa”. These outcastes have always been treated badly and kept away from the main line for generations. Times have changed and many dalits have entrered the main line. However the tension and people dicided on caste lines still dominates much of India.
Mahatma Gandhi realised this was wrong. He had a heart for the outcastes, whom he called “Harijan” person of God.
He also made a profound statement “Untouchability is a crime against God and man”. Which was printed on all the ‘blue coloured inland letters’ in days gone by.
He did not say “Casteism” is a crime against God and man, because if he did he was going against the very fabric of Hinduism.

I think the answer is a spiritual one. There needs to be a fundamental change.

Religion divides, Jesus came to unite. He did not say “I have come to give you religion.” In fact he countered the wrong of the institutionalised religion. He said- “ I have come to give you life”
Jesus reached out to the marginalised.
The Bible says- “There is neither Jew, nor Greek, nether male nor female, neither rich nor poor, all are one in Christ Jesus”
Applied in our setting- The scripture would read – There is no “upper caste” nor “Lower caste’ or “outcaste” All are one!! There is no barrier between man and man
Now, having said that I am aware that not everyone who believes in Jesus has managed to live in the good of this scripture, Dr B.R Ambedkar was impressed with the teachings of the Bible however was disappointed to see it not outworked in the Church. That is man’s shortfall,
However as far spiritual ideology is concerned I know I can fall back on truth, like this from the Bible which helps me accept everyone just as they are.

I ask you to think about where you stand ideologically?
If many in this nation accept one another just as they are then over the years more and more of us will be able to celebrate “unity in Diversity”