A Good Book

Yonaguska was a prominent Cherokee Chief. He was known to be a fair and wise man. He was a peace chief and counselor rather than a war leader. He was a very handsome man standing at 6'3" tall, strongly built, with a faint tinge of red to his countenance.

When the missionaries had finished the translation of the book of Matthew of the New Testament into the Cherokee language, it was taken and presented to Yonaguska for his people to read. Yonaguska had never learned to read the Cherokee syllabary or English. Before he would allow his people to read the book of Matthew, he asked that it be read to him privately in order for him to be assured that it was something worthy for his people to read.

After listening to a few chapters, Yonaguska remarked dryly,

" Well, it seems to be a good book - strange that the white people are not better, after having had it so long."


Articles in regards to mission work among the Cherokee nation:

http://www.manataka.org/page1383.html

http://rla.unc.edu/Research/Mission.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NXG/is_/ai_n28045163

The Power of Words

My Climb, My Fall, My Rescue

Flying over Mt. Duida, Amazonas, Venezuela

I must reach my God! I must see His face, hear His voice. He dwells upon the mount. The mount that looms above me. I am here below, in a deep, dark chasm, a pit. Yet, I know the way to Him lies above and I must go.

The path leading up is steep and dark. Treacherous, but I must risk it, for He has placed with in my soul a need to see Him, face to face. And so, I reach upwards, searching for a hand hold. First one hand, then the other, and with stumbling feet, I try to find a path to God.

I gain a bit, a foothold here, then stretching forth my hand, I slip! Slip backward and lose my ground! Striving, grasping, but I seem to not advance at all, and yet, with the weakening of my flesh, my soul does strive still!

My very heart cries out to climb to God, but I do not seem to progress. I know He resides above and that is where I must go. There is no other place of peace. I must go! Upward, upward! Go!

At that moment, I feel the strength of my arm falter, at that very moment, I lose my grip...and fall. Down, down...I fall to the lowest place. It is as if I had not attempted the climb at all. I am filled with despair knowing I had given it my all. I can not climb to my God. There is no hope for me. I am to die and forever be here in the depths of darkness.

And as I lay there, waiting for death, broken and afraid, I hear a sound upon the path. The sound of footsteps coming down the very way I had trod. The path that led to my fall. To where I now lay dismayed. Hearing the footsteps, I feel a glimmer of hope rekindled in my soul. Upon opening my eyes, I see my God, coming down for me! He reaches out His nail scared hand for me, He lifts me up, in His strong embrace, and all my fears dissolve.

Lovingly, He carries me to the mountain top. He places me upon my feet to stand in that blessed spot. And what a view I now behold as I stand atop the Mount of God!

I feel as if sunlight is in my soul, even as I hear the thunder of a storm below. I am calm on this height where I stand beside my God, for no storm or cloud can reach me. I am under clear, blue skies that reach for all eternity. I am strong in this place! No one can harm me. I am secure, at peace with all.

This is life! This is joy! My God has found me! He lifted me up to see His face! To hear His voice!
And now, His love I know!


I John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Isaiah 26:4  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

(These are thoughts I write down in my devotional journal. I rarely share them with anyone, but decided to do so here. The mountain pictured at the top is what was in my mind's eye.)

C. S. Lewis

I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. 

~ C. S. Lewis

Quiet!!!

By Jewel Vernoy                                      

With all these modern conveniences, have we turned a deaf ear to the music that God made for us? Are we able to hear His still voice or are we deafened by the things we deem necessary.

            When people return home after a long day they will make themselves comfortable on the sofa to enjoy one of their favorite TV shows. After all, what is 30 minutes or an hour? But more often then not, once one show ends, they find another by accident that they simply must watch. And as the fascinating scenes from the TV show flutter before their eyes and they hear the jokes from the characters they end up spending hour after hour in front of the TV. Perhaps Jesus is standing patiently in the corner waiting for you talk to Him?

            When a person hears the click of the power button on their computer and watches the screen come to life, anticipating talking with their friends on MSN, AOL and Face Book or listen to their music, when they place the head phones over their ears can they hear the slight sigh of sadness from the dearest of friends as  He watches one of His loved ones once again ignore Him. With so much entertainment just a click of a button away, we can waste so much time doing absolutely nothing of value.

            As people walk down the street and look up at the billboards and see the ads of all the new inventions that will help them in one way or another, and they run to the store to purchase them, can they hear the footsteps of Jesus following them or are they listening to their Ipod with the music blaring in their ears? And how is it they can hear their cell phone when some one calls but can not hear the voice of Jesus as He calls their name ever so sweetly and pleadingly?

            Why is it so easy to listen to all the music and voices of the world and so difficult to hear the voice of Jesus as He speaks to us? Is it because of all these modern conveniences that we cannot spend a few moments to open our Bibles and read the word of God but we can spend so much time watching TV or playing video games, and then we wonder why our walk with God is not what it should be? Perhaps we should learn, as did Elijah, to listen to the still, small voice and not the earthquake or the thunder.

            God paints the sunrise and sunset each day that is never the same twice, but we choose to look at a fuzzy TV screen. When God formed the mountains and valleys and decorated them with tress and flowers did He have a smile on his face even though He knew that one day we would ignore His masterpieces? When the wind blows through the trees and rustles the leaves, how is it that we choose to listen to man made music instead of the music God orchestrated?

             When people watch families on TV laughing and having a good time, how is it they do not decide to spend time with their own families? There could never be a sweeter sound then a baby’s laugh! If only people will forget about the shallow entertainments the world has to offer and see the beauties that God has so wonderfully made for them in this world, and more importantly what He has given them in their families.

            If people were to stop for a moment and listen, they could hear the music God has made and see the petals of the flowers He painted by hand. They could feel His love when they are hugged by a loved one. If only people would stop and listen to His voice.

Affair of the Spirit

"The care that is filling your mind at this moment, or but waiting till you lay the book down to leap upon you--that need which is no need, is a demon sucking at the spring of your life."

[And the other person--this is a dialogue--the other person says,]

"'No; mine is a reasonable care--an unavoidable care, indeed!

"'Is it something you have to do this very moment?'

"'No.'

"'Then you are allowing it to usurp the place of something that is required of you at this moment!'

"'There is nothing required of me at this moment.'

"'Nay, but there is--the greatest thing that can be required of a man.'

"'And what's that?'

"'Trust in the living God....'

"'I do trust Him in spiritual matters.'

"'Everything is an affair of the spirit.'"--George MacDonald

A Product of Missions

This is a trues story of a family, personal friends, working in India with our mission, BIMI.

The history of their family is incredible! I am sharing it with you , as told by David himself. It reveals the long reaching effects of missions and the fruits of missionary work. I hope you will be encouraged to get involved in missions in some way.

A Product of Missions!

by missionary David Divakar

Our story begins in British-India in the year 1890. A Hindu guru (teacher), in the small town of Sandoor in Southern India, sat under a Banyan tree teaching his disciples as he did every afternoon. This guru was a “Janghama” who came from a high cast and was greatly respected among other gurus. His name was Bassaiah. In a society where the human feet are considered unholy and therefore never allowed to touch another person’s feet, Bassaiah’s disciples would wash his feet. They would then drink that water as holy water because they worshiped him as a god and considered his feet holy.

One day, Bassaiah was reading from the “Kodaykal Vachanayagollu,” which is one of the religious books in Hinduism. As he read and explained each verse from this book to his disciples, he came across a passage that said, “All religions will ultimately be done away with, but a religion started by a carpenter will survive.” For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words because he had no explanation for this passage as he did not know the meaning himself. He thought Hinduism was the greatest religion in the world. For this reason he was a priest in that religion, but now his own book told him otherwise. Carpenters were not considered of much affluence because they were of a lower cast. The words from this book troubled him because he did not understand them.

In another part of the world, a missionary with the London Missionary Society said good-bye to friends and relatives as he and his family boarded a ship for India. India was a world away for a man and his family to leave their comfortable lives in England and go to a hot desert climate. However, their hearts burned with a desire to tell the masses of India about Jesus. The Lord in His mighty way brought this missionary to Sandoor and burdened him to preach the gospel. The missionary poured out his heart to the people. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ without fear or compromise. The Indian people around him were interested in what this Englishman had to say because it was something they had never heard before. However, they were very reluctant to accept what he had to say because it was too bizarre for them to believe. Their religion expected them to do a lot of work in pleasing their various gods before they could even hope of having a chance to get to heaven. However, this man was preaching about a God who did all the work for mankind and the only thing man had to do was to believe. Day after day the missionary preached faithfully, but no one turned to Christ.

One day Bassaiah happened to be listening to the missionary. While the missionary was preaching, he alluded to the fact that Jesus Christ was a carpenter by trade before he entered his three years of public ministry. Suddenly Bassaiah realized that what he read in his book and what the missionary was talking about were probably one and the same. The missionary saw the old guru and knew that he was the most important person in that town. Out of respect for his position in society, the missionary invited Bassaiah to the place where he was staying. The guru accepted the invitation very reluctantly because he was considered a holy man in his society. Any association with a non-Hindu would be unacceptable. Nevertheless, Bassaiah went with the missionary. The missionary presented the gospel to the old guru. The old guru was awestruck by the fact that God cared enough for him that he would take upon himself the form of man and die on the cross to save him from his sins. This was the first time the old guru realized that the God who created the universe cared enough to love him and shed His blood for a sinner like him. This concept of God loving man was so new and yet so wonderful! The old guru bowed his head and asked Jesus to come into his heart and save him from eternal condemnation.

When Bassaiah’s disciples heard that their guru had become a Christian, they threatened to kill him and his family. With his family and all the luggage they could carry, Bassaiah left the town. They left behind their home and many acres of land. They never looked back. The townspeople made the missionary leave town that very day. He did so with a very sad heart. The missionary had labored so earnestly, yet there was only one soul that came to know Christ as personal Savior. Although he was happy for that one soul, he left Sandoor a disappointed man.

What the missionary never knew was that Bassaiah’s son would later pastor a church for forty-five years and that he would have a son who would retire from the police department and become an evangelist. Also, he could not have known that the evangelist would have a son who is Edwin Divakar, BIMI missionary in India, and that his son would be me, David Divakar.

I am the fourth generation after Bassaiah Divakar to be privileged to be called to serve our Lord in the land of India. I praise the Lord for that missionary from the London Missionary Society. No one alive, today, knows his name or whatever became of him or his family. However, their legacy will live on until Jesus comes back. On that glorious day when I bow my knee to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, if I get a chance I want to say, “Thank you, Lord, for sending that missionary, and thank you, missionary, for being willing to go where the Lord led you.”

Sun damage / Sin damage

My skin is bearing the consequences of some very unwise decision I made in my youth. I chose to expose my fair, freckled skin to the sun. I was young, what would be the harm? I suffered some terrible burns and always promised myself I would never do it again. However, when confronted with the opportunity to spend time with family or friends at the beach or pool, I did not want to miss out on all the fun, and so, I would burn myself to a crisp several times every year. In a futile attempt to have a tan, I even spent time in a tanning booth!

Then I moved to South America and lived in the Caribbean for over 20 years. We were all ignorant about sunscreen back in those days. A tan was considered healthy. I never managed a tan, just white, red, white, and then the same all over again with more freckles added in..

All this time I was exposing myself to future harm. I was killing healthy skin cells that could never be replaced or repaired. I was ignorant to this, but it was happening. Deep down inside at the cellular level a seed of evil was being planted that would one day bring forth pain and destruction.

A few years back the party ended and the damage began to reveal itself outwardly. After several bouts with pre-cancerous lesions, I developed a persistent cancerous one (carcinoma) on my nose. Four times I suffered the pain of having it removed and each time it returned.

After having it cut off four times, it became necessary to have more tissue surgically removed and studied in a more aggressive manner. The surgeon cut, scraped, and burned an area the size of a quarter. I ended up having to have a bit of plastic surgery in order to hide the fact that my eye was being stretched down by the scar. If I had waited any longer, the cancer would have made it to my tear duct and it would have been much worse. And now after several surgeries, I still must apply an acid type cream to the area every other night to keep the cancerous cells at bay.

Every day I deal with the damage the sun did to my skin. Every few months I have to have lesions burned away, frozen, or scraped off. Mostly they return with in a few months. Sometimes I have to have them cut off leaving more scars. I am ever so repentant of the ways of my youth, but I still bear the consequences of those deeds and will do so until I die.

While contemplating how the sun has slowly,even silently, been damaging my skin all these years, it reminded me of the effects of sin in our lives.

Galatians 6:7-8 (King James Version)

⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

We slowly are absorbing all the 'junk' of this world and often think."Hey,I'm OK.It's not effecting me." and then one day we wake up and find our life in a mess.Or our testimony ruined. Or discover that we have harmful habits that are not easily overcome. Then we have to submit ourselves to a thorough inspection and it often involves pain and may even leave scares.

Even when we manage to fix the problem, sometimes it is only a temporary fix, and returns again and again. Sometimes these damages alter our lifestyle. We can't fix it back to the way it was, we just have to change our expectations and live with it.

It seems that just as the sun damage is accumulative and requires vigilance even after we give up the bad habits of exposure and even if we are using SPF 100(YEP,that's what I use) without warning, a new lesion appears, seemingly over night. It is a constant battle.

Sin is the same way. Once we give in, the effects remain and the temptations are harder to fend off. Scars are visible and our life can be altered in ways we can never fully change. We must daily fight against temptations to fall back into sinful habits. Our sins are forgiven and forgotten by our Lord, but the scars will be visible.

Proverbs 28:13 (King James Version)

¹³He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

I thank God for His mercy, for in it we can trust completely!

My Climb, My Fall,My Rescue

Flying over Mt. Duida, Amazonas, Venezuela

I must reach my God! I must see His face, hear His voice. He dwells upon the mount. The mount that looms above me. I am here below, in a deep, dark chasm, a pit. Yet, I know the way to Him lies above and I must go.

The path leading up is steep and dark. Treacherous, but I must risk it, for He has placed with in my soul a need to see Him, face to face. And so, I reach upwards, searching for a hand hold. First one hand, then the other, and with stumbling feet, I try to find a path to God.

I gain a bit, a foothold here, then stretching forth my hand, I slip! Slip backward and lose my ground! Striving, grasping, but I seem to not advance at all, and yet, with the weakening of my flesh, my soul does strive still!

My very heart cries out to climb to God, but I do not seem to progress. I know He resides above and that is where I must go. There is no other place of peace. I must go! Upward, upward! Go!

At that moment, I feel the strength of my arm falter, at that very moment, I lose my grip...and fall. Down, down...I fall to the lowest place. It is as if I had not attempted the climb at all. I am filled with despair knowing I had given it my all. I can not climb to my God. There is no hope for me. I am to die and forever be here in the depths of darkness.

And as I lay there, waiting for death, broken and afraid, I hear a sound upon the path. The sound of footsteps coming down the very way I had trod. The path that led to my fall. To where I now lay dismayed. Hearing the footsteps, I feel a glimmer of hope rekindled in my soul. Upon opening my eyes, I see my God, coming down for me! He reaches out His nail scared hand for me, He lifts me up, in His strong embrace, and all my fears dissolve.

Lovingly, He carries me to the mountain top. He places me upon my feet to stand in that blessed spot. And what a view I now behold as I stand atop the Mount of God!

I feel as if sunlight is in my soul, even as I hear the thunder of a storm below. I am calm on this height where I stand beside my God, for no storm or cloud can reach me. I am under clear, blue skies that reach for all eternity. I am strong in this place! No one can harm me. I am secure, at peace with all.

This is life! This is joy! My God has found me! He lifted me up to see His face! To hear His voice!
And now, His love I know!


I John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

(These are thoughts I write down in my devotional journal. I rarely share them with anyone, but decided to do so here. The mountain pictured at the top is what was in my mind's eye.)

Thunder

I have always loved the sound of thunder. The louder the better! If accompanied by brilliant white lightning flashes, I am entranced. Nothing seems to reach into my soul like a good thunder storm.

Each year as a new raining season would begin in the jungle, we would have some spectacular thunder storms, the likes I have never experienced elsewhere. I eagerly awaited these storms every year. I can't explain the appeal thunder holds for me. It just leaves me in awe!

I remember one night in the jungle as a new thunder storm worked it's way towards us. The thunder could be heard rumbling off in the distant mountains. You could see the black sky light up as the lightning bolts jagged through the storm clouds, touching earth but for a moment.

I stepped out of my little mud hut, left the protection of my palm roof, and spent an hour alone, in the dark watching the wondrous work of my Creator!

As the storm slowly worked its way over the mountain ridge, down into the valley and along the bed of our river, it felt as if the very power and presence of God was to be felt in the atmosphere.

I lingered as the sound of the rain, falling on the endless leaves of the jungle trees, miles away, yet audible, came closer towards me, louder each minute, until I felt the cool, hard rain falling upon my head. Then my soul seemed unable to bear the wonder of it and my voice broke forth in a song of worship to my Father God!

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!