Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

I had a mostly restful Easter, some interrupted by work tasks. Nonetheless, it was an extremely BLESS-FULL weekend.

I'm not sure I have an Easter message though :). But this morning, I recall the chorus of a famous worship song, "Above all," variously sang by Women of Faith, Don Moen and others. I'm not sure who the original composer/singer is- God bless him/her!

Crucified, laid behind a stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all.

May we appreciate the beauty of Christ's work for us:-The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world, through His death and resurrection.

Note: Yes, I know the picture is not of a rose, but it's a beautiful flower all the same! :)

Keep Praying

Keep Praying

Luke 11:5-13

We prayed. Quietly sometimes. Aloud other times. For more than 17 years we prayed. We prayed for our daughter Melissa’s health and direction, for her salvation, and often for her protection. Just as we prayed for our other children, we asked God to have His hand of care on her.

As Melissa rolled into her teenage years, we prayed even more that He would keep her from harm-that He would keep His eyes on her as she and her friends began to drive. We prayed, “God, please protect Melissa.”

So what happened? Didn’t God understand how much it would hurt so many people to loose such a beautiful woman with so much potential for service to Him and others. Didn’t God see the other car coming on that warm spring night?

We prayed. But Melissa was killed.

Now what? Do we stop praying? Do we give up on God? Do we try to make it alone?

Absolutely not! Prayer is even more vital to us now. God-our inexplicable sovereign Lord is still in control. His commands to pray still stand. His desire to hear from us is still alive. Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God’s goodness in spite of life tragedies.

We grieve. We pray. We keep on praying.

Dave Branon.

February 27^th, 2008

Our Daily Bread, 2008-Annual Gift Edition

A Mystery as deep as the Sea

Eternal God, Eternal Trinity,

You are a mystery as deep as the sea;

The more I search, the more I find,

And the more I find, the more I search for you.

Catherine of Sienna, 1347-1380

Mango Season

The joy of seeing mango trees blossom has turned me into a photojournalist. In the past, I always took pictures of people, hardly of abstract or immovable things. But now, I take scenery and nature pictures as well. I think blogging has contibuted to the picture taking thing too. Feedback from loved ones indicate that they would love to see more pictures on this blog. Ok, I hear you! :) But, know that I'm a writer first, not a photographer neither a photojournalist!

Since we are in the initial stages of the harvest season I don't have a picture of a basket full of ripe, yellow mangoes yet, partly because I and other mango lovers in my house eat them straightaway!:) I been craving mangoes for several months now, need I wait anymore? So all pictures are of green mangoes for now.

Easter = Mangoes

I’ve always associated Easter with mangoes, not eggs, because it's also the season of mangoes in my tropical land. And I happen to live in a house surrounded by several mango trees. I’ve been watching those mango trees flower and blossom since last December. It’s a joy to see the trees bear fruit. I simply love eating mangoes. See a firstfruit of the season's harvest right up.

A downside to eating mangoes, is flossing after eating them, because the fibre (depending on which type) almost always gets stuck in between my teeth.:) But I’ll still eat my mangoes.

I only know how to eat mangoes fresh and unadulterated. So while the mango harvest is here, I’m soliciting for mango related recipes through this blog. Do you have any suggestions? For those willing to share, please click on comments below and type out the recipe. I’d be very grateful. Hopefully, during or after the Easter period, I’ll post pictures of my cooking adventures with my favourite fruit.