A Prodigy on Train

A journey on an Indian train is bound to run one into some prodigy of exceptional talent. The circumstances, however, being contrary to the bliz and glitz of media stars, doesn't provoke any fandrum. Yet, these nameless and faceless but vibrant singers, gymnasts, and instrumentalists do ask for a living in an honourable way. They are dejected despite their talents because the world is ashamed of them. I often have marvelled at the dexterity with...

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Quotes

"he who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one who is worse than himself."~ Plato (The Republ...

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Ibadat Karo by Anil & Reena Kant (Lyrics and Translation)

IBADAT KARO – ANIL & REENA KANTCHORUS:Hei duniya ke logon oonchi aawaj karonO people of the world, lift up your voiceGawon khushi key geetAnd sing the songs of joyUska gungaan karoDeclare praises of HimIbadat karo uski Ibadat karo (x2)Worship Him, Worship…(Repeat Chorus)1. Yaad karo ki vahi ek Khuda heinRemember that He alone is GodHum ko ye jeevan useene diya heinIt is He who has given us this lifeUs charagah se hum sab hein aayeWe all have come from that (spring)Humd o sana ke hum geet gaayeLet’s sing the song of His praiseRab ka tum shukar...

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The Marks of a Covenant Leader (Malachi 2:5-7)

Malachi 2:5-71. GODLINESS FORMS HIS CHARACTER (FEAR)# HE IS RULED BY DIVINE REVERENCE# HE IS RUN BY DIVINE PRINCIPLES# HE IS RESPONSIBLE TO DIVINE AUTHORITY ALONE2. GRACE FLOWS FROM HIS LIPS (TRUTH, JUSTICE, DIVINE EDIFICATION, WISDOM)# HE INFORMS PEOPLE# HE IMPACTS PEOPLE# HE INFLUENCES PEOPLE (TURNS MANY)# HE INVESTS IN PEOPLE3. GLORY FILLS HIS PATH (OT SHEKINAH)# HE LIVES IN GOD'S PRESENCE (HABITAT, ENVIRONMENT OF GLORY)# HE WALKS IN GOD'S PRESENCE (FELLOWSHIP OF GLORY)# HE COMES OUT OF GOD'S PRESENCE (MESSENGER OF GLORY)# HE BRINGS PEOPLE...

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The Blessings of His Covenant (Malachi 2:5-7)

1. DIVINE LIFE (V5)2. DIVINE PEACE (V5)3. DIVINE ATTITUDE: FEAR, REVERENCE (V5)4. DIVINE REVELATION: LAW OF TRUTH (V6)5. DIVINE FELLOWSHIP: WALKED WITH ME (V6)6. DIVINE CO-WORKING: IN PEACE & EQUITY (V6)7. DIVINE MISSION: TURNED MANY (V6)8. DIVINE WISDOM: KEEP KNOWLEDGE (V7)9. DIVINE LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE LOOK TO HIM (V7)10. DIVINE POSITION: AUTHORITY: MESSENGER (...

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The Sift of Faith (Luke 22:31-34)

LUKE 22:31-3431 And the Lord said,[3] "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."INTRODUCTIONJudas agrees to betray Jesus, The Last Supper is over, Jesus talks about His death and about...

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Word for the Day - Pr.3:6 [Inside His Car]

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart...and he will make straight your paths" (Pr.3:6, ESV). Once you get inside His car, you know it's going to be a smooth and safe ri...

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Word for the Day - Ps.39:6 [What things keep you busy?]

"Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it" (Ps.39:6). What things keep you busy and why? Invest your time and energy discreetly so as to reap eternal benefits (cf. Mat.6:20; Lk.16:...

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Spirit-Ruled Affections

Spirit-Ruled Affections1 Jn. 2: 14-1730 March 2007Domenic MarbaniangHorace W: ‘The world is a comedy for those who think but a tragedy for those who feel.’Men are powerfully ruled by their affections.Antiphanes: ‘Only two things a man cannot hide: that he is drunk and that he’s in love.’1. AFFECTIONS DEFINE IDENTITY: What we love is what we become like. Our affections mirror our inner self. Who are we? a. In Pedigree: We are Children of God (1Jn. 4:7; 3:1). You have divine nature.b. As Possession: We are Sheep of God (Jn. 10: 27-29). You have...

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Fount of Blessings - James 3

FOUNT OF BLESSINGS7 Dec 2007Domenic MarbaniangJas 3:11  Does the fountain out of the same hole send forth the sweet and the bitter? Talking about the tongue. As a fountain sends forth water, so does the tongue send forth words. V. 10 it is not fitting for the tongue to assume a double nature.We all know what kind of words we should speak and so I’ll not focus chiefly on that: sweet, seasoned, edifying, and God pleasing talk.Let’s focus on the problem of double-tonguedness. Deacons are commanded not to be double-tongued (1 Tim. 3:8). ...

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True Identity

TRUE IDENTITYMatt. 26. 6-13Domenic Marbaniang Adapted from Sermon 7 April, 06 Friday Eve. At Rev. V. T. Felix’s CottageINTRODUCTIONShe would never regret what she did. A great act of honor before His crucifixion.The disciples derided but Jesus commended. The wrong words we speak can harm or edify.*What we do establishes our identity            Our identity before God is more important than before men           ...

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Work As Divine Service

Work as Divine ServiceDomenic MarbaniangPCG, Itarsi 9 April 2005IntroductionA.The Prattle About Work – Shopkeepers, Housewives, Office bearers, Teachers, etc.B.Views About Work – Physics (Energy in transit), Sociology (“the expenditure of effort to supply goods or services, whether by physical, mental, or emotional labour, and for use by either self or others” /Encarta/), Philosophy, Economics, Psychology (Freud - “Will to Pleasure”, Adler- “Will to Power”, Frankl- “Will to Meaning”), Religion.I.Work is a Dynamic Feature of the Triune GodGod is...

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Three Ministerial Temptations

Three Ministerial TemptationsMatthew 4M.Div. ClassFeb 7, 2006Domenic Marbaniang1.      Focus on Basic Needs rather than on the Ministry of the Word – Serving Belly. Result: Ministry is commercialized.2.      Desire to Promote Self rather than Christ – Serving the Flesh. Result: Ministry is monopolized and becomes one-man centered.3.      Compromise with the World – Serving the World. Result: Ministry is seculariz...

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The Unchanging God

The Unchanging GodDomenic MarbaniangFeb 5, 2007 IntroductionA newly commissioned Navy captain took great pride in his first assignment to be in command of a battleship. One stormy night the captain saw a light moving steadily in their direction. He ordered the signalman to send the following message: "Change your course ten degrees to the south." The reply came back: "Change your course ten degrees to the north."The captain was determined not to give way to another vessel, and so he sent a counter message. "Alter your direction ten degrees....

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Hearing God’s Voice

Itarsi: October 17, 2004Dr. Matthew K. Thomas(Senior Pastor, Pentecostal Church, Itarsi)Introduction-          Gen.3: 8a – the voice of God.-          In our age, we are bombarded with different voices all the time.-          We need to choose what to hear and whom to hear.-          Our God is not a distant deity; we need to recognize God’s voice.-         ...

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Word for the Day - Ps.37:37 [Peace of Mind]

"Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace" (Psalm 37:37 - that's ready mnemonic). The man of integrity is never anxious of his future, for he knows his G...

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Word for the Day - Ps.37:8 [Cease from anger]

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm" (Ps.37:8, NKJV). ANGER is one letter short of DANGER, someone astutely not...

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Hillsong -You Hold Me (Hindi Lyrics)

ENGLISH HINDI On that day when I seeAll that You have for meWhen I see You face to faceThere surrounded by Your graceAll my fear is swept awayIn the light of your embraceWhen Your love is all I needAnd forever I am freeWhere the streets are made of goldIn Your presence healed and wholeLet the songs of heaven rise to you aloneNo weeping, no hurt or painNo suffering You hold me nowYou hold me nowNo darkness no sick or lameNo hiding You hold me now, You hold me nowIn this life I will standThrough my joy and my painKnowing there's a greater...

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The Chariot Returns on Another Round

The chariot returns on another round,The Charioteer marks the rounds to go;The dust grows thicker hurting vision and air,The spectators shout with fixed stare;The wheels clank, screech, and shiver,The horses gasp, gallop, and whine;The muscles tweak, strain, and quiver,As the race rages harder on each round --The horses do tire but they run the race,They keep moving faster at the pull of the reins,They see no future, but they know that their placeIn the dream of their Master is to win the race.© Domenic Marbaniang, Feb 6, 20...

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Word for the Day - Ps.36:7 [How priceless is Your love!]

"How priceless is Your unfailing love!" (Ps.36:7, NIV). He who has known God's love has renounced the world - it absolutely holds no attracti...

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Struggle for Separate States

Nationalism and patriotism have been admirable concepts. There must now be a new term to describe "zeal for separate state"; perhaps, it should be "State Nationalism," for the term "Cultural Nationalism" has weak political bearings. The independence struggle symbolized a unity against foreign rule. The modern freedom fighter seeks independence from his own brother. Well, we do have much talks about brotherhood, though in practicality "brother" is...

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Did you know that: Maxims - Necessity & Invention

Did you know that the saying "Necessity is the mother of invention" actually comes from Plato? Yes, it does. Here is an excerpt from The Republic in which Plato presents this idea:Then, I said, let us begin and create in idea a State; and yet the true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention.[1]__________________1. Plato, The Republic and Other Works, Trans. Benjamit Jowett (New York: Anchor Books, 1989), p....

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Word for the Day - Mt.28:20 [He's gone nowhere]

 "Lo, I am with you always" (Mt.28:20). When, all of a sudden, everything looks negative, cold, dark, and confused, do not get alarmed; it's just a power failure: get reconnected to the Lord, for He's gone nowhere, He's always here. Check your fus...

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Emperor Ashoka and His Humanitarian Approach to Religion

From the book Secularism in India: A Historical Outline (2005)As far as secularism is concerned, Buddhism is best remembered in India for its dearest adherent, the Emperor Ashoka, whose religious policies are some of the closest to the modern principles of humanism. Chandragupta Maurya died in 300 B.C. Bindusara succeeded him and, after his death in between 273-272 B.C, Ashoka ascended the throne in 269-268 B.C.[1] After his painful experience...

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Sab Kuch Badal Gaya with lyrics and English captions

This one is one of my favorites.SAB KUCH BADAL GAYALYRICSMujh mein koyi khoobi na thiThere was nothing great in meMujh mein koyi soorat na thaNeither was there any form meKaun tha kaha tha meinWhat was I and who was IZindagi se hara huwaDefeated by lifeChorus:Phir bhi toone mujhe chun liyaStill, You chose meApna bana liyaAnd made me Your ownPrem se toone mujhe beta kahaIn Love You called me as sonSab kuch badal gaya ho ho ho hoEverything's changed ho ho ho hoSab kuch badal gayaEverything's changedManjil se mein bhatka thaI was lost from destinyAashayen...

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Public Speaking: 2 Notes and 5 Principles

2 NOTES1. PERSUASION. Public speaking or rhetoric is an art of persuasion. One must keep in mind that it is more important to win a person than to win the argument; therefore, humility, gentleness, and meekness count a lot. Jesus, when giving the call to discipleship, said “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). He made the learning situation easy and bereft of all egotistic tensions. How we treat the audience determines how they take us. An Indian maxim...

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Watch & Pray

He struggled whole night until at Peniel He changed his name....He watched 40 nights as the Infinite Lord revealed His ways....He prayed, He prayed, He cried with groans of agony as He wrestled and battled on in prayer....One day just passes, another arrives,"My son, did you watch and pra...

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How Many Grains Make A Heap? - The Sorites Paradox

Have you ever wondered what a heap really is? Well, I don't think so. But, let's look at this. Suppose you removed a grain of sand from a heap a sand, will it still remain a heap? Of course, it will. Now, you go on removing each grain of sand until you think you have removed that grain by which the heap stops to be a heap anymore. Oh, you say that is impossible. So how many grains does it actually take to make a heap?This is a kind of paradox of...

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My Lines Have Fallen In Pleasant Places

A candle lights the distant horizon,It silhoettes sharp my contours of day;Its fire engulfs all solar traces,And forces my wish to espouse its way -My lines have fallen in pleasant places.(2Pet.1:19; Ps.16:6)The colors of the rainbow witness the storyOf ignited anger and torrential rains;The skies couldn't also withhold His fury,Except He stopped for He knew my days -My lines have fallen in pleasant places.(Gen. 7:11; 8:1; 9:13; Eph.1:4; Ps.16:6)One stooped in honor of truth and love,To heal my wounds and bear my pains;He plunged beneath this temporal...

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Studies in Ezekiel: God's Watchman (3:16-18)

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at...

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