Jesusgiri....

The other day we screened a movie in church. The name of the movie was Time Changer. Basically the movie talks about how as Christians we cannot separate Christ from His spoken word. Moral values can be subjective. Something that is right for one person can very well be wrong for the other. Who's the right one then?

Had there been no laws, no standard set for right and wrong, the world would've been a culmination of utter chaos (not that it's any less right now: P ). Precisely what the movie said; you cannot separate Christ from his spoken word and the standards that He has set.

A day later I was watching the ever so famous, funny and inspiring, Lage Raho Munnabhai., the sequel to the movie Munnabhai MBBS. The movie that made Sanjay Dutt a household name. The movie that inspired people to walk on the paths of Satyagraha. To get your work done not by force or Dadagiri but by Gandhigiri. Well I must say it is a good movie with a very thought provoking concept. But the makers didn't really do their homework very well. The credit was given to someone who never really deserved it.

It wasn't Gandhigiri that Munnabhai was following. It was what I call, Jesusgiri. Yes you read that right. Think I'm insane? Go get your facts right. Well Mr. Monhandas Karamchand Gandhi may have said that if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other one rather than hitting him back, but unfortunately or should I say fortunately he does not have the copyrights for the same. Don't believe me. Check this out.

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. - The Bible (NIV), Matthew 5:39

Long before Mr. MK Gandhi even came up with the concept of Satyagraha, Jesus had given this commandment to His people. So now what do you call it?
Gandhigiri or Jesusgiri? Think about it.


Mahatma Gandhi said,” Hate the sin, love the sinner."

Well, good thought Gandhiji. Here's what Jesus had to say 2000 years back....

And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Mark 2:17

Well I know for a fact that God hates sin, it’s the one thing that keeps us away from Him. But I also do know that He loves the sinner, more than someone who claims to be without sin.

Well I’m not trying to prove anything here. I’m just saying that you guys are following the wrong person. It was not Gandhi who said all this. He was just quoting what Jesus’ teachings. It is a know fact that Gandhi loved quoting scriptures from the Bible.
Being good and doing the right thing alone will not take you to heaven. It’s not only about following what He said; rather it’s about following Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

John 3:16 has to be the most well-known verse from The Bible.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

It says whoever believes in HIM; not only his teachings. Through Him we are saved.
It’s about having a personal relationship with Him.

Being the human I am, I’d like us to give Him the credit to His teachings. But you know what? He deserves a lot more than just that. He does not want the credit. All He wants is you. He loves you, and died for you and me. The least we can give Him is the life that He has given us.

So remember, it’s not Gandhigiri……………it’s Jesusgiri !!!

Well since I’ve written so much about his teachings, I’d like to end with a Hindi song that talks about the same.....

अपनों को तो, इस दुनिया में

सब प्यार करते हैं

दुश्मन को भी प्यार करना

मसीहा सिखाता है

Just the way you are!

When I was down and all hope was gone
I lay on the road bruised and battered
You picked me up and gave me living water
You saved me, just the way I was

Each time I ran away from You
You waited patiently for my return
Even though I went astray
You took me back, just the way I was

You hung on the cross for my sins
Yet I mocked and spat on your face
Still begged to the Father to forgive me
You forgave me, just the way I was

Till the last breath I breathe
I will tell of your mercies to the world
I will proclaim your name to the ends of the earth
Because you love me, just the way I am

Are you someone looking out for love?
For someone who knows and who cares
Jesus Christ is the one you need to turn to
Because He loves you, just the way you are!

I'll Miss You!

Never thought I’d be leaving
It never crossed my mind
Never thought how life would be without you
It was all right there,
Guess I was pretending to be blind.

You came into my life
Like a silent breeze
Blowing through my hair as you walked by
I could do nothing
But your beauty, sit and stare.

Eventually everyone leaves
How much more can one stay?
There’s a world out there waiting for us
Whether we like it or not
This is LIFE; that’s how we got to play.

Thanks for being there
You mean a lot to me
I’ll cherish every moment spent with you
As I step into a new phase in life
I’ll miss you!

Baldie Blues..... Ep 3

Like any other Sunday I got up early and was getting ready for church. When I was having my bath my mom yelled, "Shampoo chahiye? Ooops, mein toh bhool gayi tum ganje ho.... "

So much for moral support....

I left for church at about 7.15 am. I enter the church, and I get the exact dialogue I was expecting, "Yeh kya kar diya?". I mean can't you see??? I've gone bald. That's what I've done. Why does every other person have to ask the same god damn question? Some of them just add to the question. "Is this your way to beat the heat?", "Is everything fine at your end?","Didn't your parents tell you anything?"....

Most of them asking these stupid questions were the elders. I mean c'mon.. Is it written in the Methodist Church Rule Book that one cannot shave his head??? Alas, all I could do was answer politely with a wide smile as if they didn't bother me at all. Like I had any other option!!! Well as far as the leading the worship part goes, fortunately no one broke into laughter. It was just fine. Although a certain elder did come and tell me how I should not ask the congregation to stand up and clap their hands during worship..... yeah rite!!! Take a hike!!!

So overall it was a very obvious day, very obvious reactions, no rude comments as such. Thank God mum and dad weren't in church today. Or else people would have bombarded them with questions as well. Ohhh and by the way, our very own Dr. Caleb Harris(Surgeon at Tata Memorial & a youth member) has some weird theory about the whole going bald thing...

He says that going bald, helps you to build up you self confidence???? Strange???
Go figure. .. I'm not really sure what He was talking about.....That's it for now... Let's see what's more in store....

To be continued....

Baldie Blues..... Ep 2

Just when I thought everything was going smooth, something just popped out. I got a call from Anand, asking me to lead worship in church tomorrow. He asked me to select a few songs, and I was quite OK with it. Bu then I realized that I'll have to do all this in front of the entire congregation, with my brand new bald look. Gosh! I was so freakin scared. Actually kind of embarrassed.

I don't really have a problem going to church like this, but then leading worship.......I was in a fix. I wasn't sure. I was worried.

What if someone from the congregation burst into laughter??? That would be so embarrassing.

So I called up my beloved elders for help. Both Godfrey and Ashley said it was OK and blah blah blah. Basically encouraged me to go ahead with it. It was good to know that Ashley had done the same last Easter. According to Godfrey Sam Moses, it would be a great lesson for the congregation to not look at the person leading but to look at the Almighty God.

Ya so basically, right now I'm a little nervous to go there with my 'ujdaa chaman'.... I'm hoping everything goes well.

Will update what happens........To be continued

You are who you are for a reason....

It was the official farewell for us TY's in college. Like every year, they had a service in the Chapel for the graduating students. Our beloved Principal, Dr. V. Sirwaiya with his 'witty' humour and 'great vocabulary' and not to mention his excellent sense of dressing, was successful in ruining the entire program. It was after this torture that Prof. Sam Skariah came up and read this poem to us. By far it was the only thing that we could take back. So here it goes....

" The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what He does for us." - Romans 12:3

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you have are the one's He chose.
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the master's seal.

You are who you are for a reason.
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

- Russel Kelfer

Baldie Blues..... Ep 1

For the past two days my dad's been nagging me to go and get a haircut. Well today when He comes home, he's in for a shock. Why??? Cause I've gone bald.Yes, you read that right. And my dad had strictly said 'NO' for the same. Why? Coz he thinks that me shaving off my head will result into grey hair. Supposedly that's what happened to him in his teens. And because of this stupid reason, my parents never shaved my hair. Not even when I was an infant. So you can say that I just did something that every child goes through in his early days.

As I entered the shop, the barber asked me, "Daadi banani hai???" Although it was a genuine question, I felt it was very sarcastic. C'mon I hardly have any facial hair }:| . When I told him I wanted a haircut, he was all set with the spray and a pair of scissors. That's when I told him that I need to shave it off. I told him to first trim it off using a zero machine. So he started fooling around with my hair. He trimmed off everything except for a rectangular patch in the center. He was like,"Yeh WWF wale log aise hi baal rakhte hain!". Well it actually looked very funny. And then after some strokes here and there, it was finally done.

How does it feel??? I'd say mixed emotions. My initial reaction was, "Gosh! I miss my mustache." Probably having the mustache would've looked better. Considering the unbearable heat of Mumbai, it feels good. I feel light and cool. My friends started laughing even at the thought of me going bald. My mom couldn't stop laughing when she saw me. My mom thinks I look like a 'gunda'. My neighbour said I look like Viv Richards...yeah rite!! My youth advisor called to ask about my haircut...can you believe that. I don't know, I think I look the same, just minus the hair (|:P)

Well all said and done, I'm happy with the new look. I mean, they grow back don' t they?? It's my first shave in 20 years....it's OK!!! My dad's still not home. I can't wait to see the look on his face. He's gonna be annoyed for sure. But then I'll handle it. If I get a lot of grey hair....i'll go for the salt n pepper look. And then we also have hair color, don't we? Well that's it for now I guess. To be continued.....