LLIIGGHHTTHHOOUUSSEEINSIDE :Ess ay : Foot Ball... Foot Ball,Whe nGoalKee per Sc oresaGoal,God s F aceBookVOLUME : 482MESSAGEFOOTBALLFOOTBALLAbsorbedwith Worldupfootball? Well,Iamoneofthosewhogladlygetsinfected with Soccer fever contagion which breaks out once every four 4years. Let me vouchsafe for the fact that one can never get sick of of thekick of soccers sorcery! Amongst other things, ever wondered what is sospecial about the game of football? Unlike other games like say tennis, cricket,hockey etc which requiretheir practitioners to use specialequipments, thegame of football requires just one air-lled leather sphere to go along withyour juggling feet. Captivating chemistry eh? As one noted Sports analyst putit you just need to be a man to play it, in the same way, one needs to be justa man to fall prey to its innite charms.While football can fascinate for a season, Gods word enchants from eternityto eternity. It is sweeter than honey declared the Psalmist (119:103). Oh thejoys of reading and absorbing the Scriptural truths! In this essay, I intend todraw some spiritual lessons from the occurrences and matters related to theWorld of football.EMIGRATIONLuis Monti a famous International Football player of yoreEverheardofLuisMonti? Well,hehasararedistinctionofbeingtheonlyplayer to have ever played in two World cup nals for two different teams! In1930, he played in the losing Argentine side; later on he immigrated to Italyand played a pivotal role in Italy winning the 1934 World cup.InawayeveryChristiancanidentifywithLuisMonti,isntit? Tostartwithwe were all in a country of sin playing in the losing side of Satan, werentwe? Our lives were one of one big spiritual defeat, as the following Scriptureportion so amply testiesOncewe,too,werefoolishanddisobedient. Weweremisledandbecameslaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, andwe hated each other. Titus 3:3 (NLV)3ButtheGoodNewswithacapitalGnowiswehavethankstoHisgraceemigratedtoGods Kingdomasitwere,andarenowplayinginanewvictoriousteam WhenGodourSavior revealedhiskindnessandlove,hesaved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of hismercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life throughthe Holy Spirit- Titus 3:4-5 (NLV)Hey, we are on the winning side! Then again, what about the author of thisepistle to Titus from which the above-mentioned Scripture portionshavebeen extracted? Mr. Saul of Tarsus, when he set out to Damascus to persecuteChristians, he was playing for the Satans team but en-route thanks to Godseverlasting grace, he was wrung out of Devils outt and grafted intothewinningsideofChrist(Acts9:1-20)asanapostle.Lookathistouchingtestimonial to this effectForIamtheleastofalltheapostles.Infact,Imnot evenworthytobecalled an apostle after the way I persecuted Gods church. But whatever I amnow, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me and not withoutresults. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it wasnot I but God who was working through me by his grace. I Corinthians15:9-10By the way for whose team are you playing? IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM, ONECANNOT BE NEUTRAL. If you are not for Calvary cavaliers (read Jesus team),rememberconsciouslyor unconsciously,youareplayingforHelldwellers(read Satans side)!Only,ifyouhavethisemigrationexperience,youwouldbeabletobetterappreciate what follows in this EssayINSTRUCTIONFootball coach-Different moodsWhile a football team plays on the eld, unlike Cricket where captain holdssway, the one who holds the strings in the game of football, is an unseen (inthe eld) manager or the coach. It is he, who spends countless hours moldinghis team into a winning combination. Right from training to strategizing tonal team selection, a manager sheds his blood and sweat in order his team4and its supporters taste sweet success. Though in the sidelines, during thegame his involvement is total! Donot we see the whole gamut of emotionsregistering in his countenancefrom agony to ecstasy, from anxiety to reliefwhenTV cameras zoom in now and then to show the global audience hisvarying emotions, during the key moments of the match?Could there have been a greater manager than Christ? Though the discipleswere insomecasesfromdiametricallyoppositebackgrounds, he fashionedthem into a winning unit, who would now play with a single goal in mind.Ohyes,Nehemiahmademenofdifferentprofessionsworkside-by-side(agoldsmith and a perfume maker Nehemiah 3:8) but Christ is greater for heaccomplished a far more difcult task of making men of TOTALLY DIFFERENTIDEOLOGIES work shoulder to shoulder. Imagine a Taliban terrorist and USmarinesinkingtheirdifferencesforacommoncauseandplayinginasameteamin a football eld in Kabul! Preposterous? Well, that exactly is the picturewhichcomestothefore,whenweseeMatthew(apro-Romangovernmenttax collector before becoming a disciple- Matt 9:9-13) and Simon the Zealot(violentlyopposedto Romangovernment- Mark3:18)togetherputtingtheirshoulders to the Gospel wheel, as it wereHow could Christ do it? By his own exemplary uncompromising lifestyle, whichwas all about of being willing to lay EVERYTHING at the altar for the glory of theFather, leave alone petty (relatively speaking that is) ideological differences?Consider this verse In my rst book I told you, Theophilus, about everythingJesus began to do and teach- Acts 1:1. Look at the sequencing of the words,DO precedes TEACH. Right? He would not ask his men to do anything, whichhehimself would notdo before(from the forewordTheycall me coachthanks Bill Walton)!He also trained up His mostly unschooled disciples in a way that the religiousleaders of his day simply marveledWhen the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John, and could see thatthattheywereobviouslyuneducatednon-professionals,theywereamazedand realized WHAT BEING WITH JESUS HAD DONE FOR THEM Acts 4:13(TLB). Do you know one more secret- post Pentecostal experience- in spirithe was now WITHIN them?Further a look at his strategies would convince us that he put the right menin the right position. While on the subject, ever pondered why Jesuschose doubting Thomasof all apostles -a person whose name is dubiouslysynonymouswithcynicismtominister- forHim inIndia(acountrywithadeep religious mindset). Only a rationalist likeThomas could have logicallyexpoundedthesoundBiblicalpreceptstomenwhowerewellfoundedinmatters of religion (Indians as always were quite religious in I centuryADalso). Tradition says that having studied the Vedas and seen them speakingabout the coming Lamb of God , LIKE A TRUE RATIONALIST Thomas pointed5at all the Vedic proofs relating to Christ with conviction to religious men of hisday. Is it any wonder then, that the very rst persons, Thomas baptized in hisministry in India were orthodox namboodhiri Brahmins in Palayur, Kerala! Formore on the Vedic Christ-related proofs, you may click on this linkhttp://www.jandsmministries.com/vadic.aspThis pond and statues at the Palayur church representSt. Thomas baptizing the BrahminsFinallyconsidertheunwittingcomplimentthattheenemies(Irepeatnotfriends) of the Christs disciples paid to them THESE MEN HAVE TURNED THEWORLD UPSIDE DOWN Acts 17:6 and the picture of the HISTORYS GREATESTCOACH emerges with no shades of grey! Boy, disciples accomplishment thanksto Christs enablement was not merely about winning the World cup but theWorld itself for the Master!!!By the way Christian leader are you faithfully following your Masters footstepsin being an example to people around you (Titus 2:7)?CAPITALIZATIONThe Bomber bombing awayDribbling and dodging, lets speed away into one more lesson from Soccer.GerdMuller?Doesitringabell? Withnationalrecordof68goalsin62international appearances, this German footballer was aptly nicknamed theBomber. He is one of the very few players of 50 or more caps to score moregoals than the games he has played. What made him so effective in goal6mouth action? His uncanny ability to capitalize oneven a small opportunityand convert it into a goal.Now coming to Gospel action. Be on the go when it comes to looking outfor an opportunity to share the Gospel. When a chance it arises, it needs tobe grabbed... with both feet oppsI meanhands!They all rushed out in amazement to Solomons Colonnade, where the manwas holding tightly to Peter and John. Peter saw his opportunity (emphasismine) and addressed the crowd. Acts 3:11-12Preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance,inseasonandout,whenitisconvenientandwhenitisnot II Tim4:2(TLB)Didnt somebody say if we do not evangelize, we fossilize! If we realize thistruth and work sincerely, we get the PRIZE (I Thess 2:19 NKJV)!PROTECTIONGordon Banks save of the century of a Pele header Mexico WC 1970InFootball,winningisnotonlyaboutgoal-scoringbutalsogoal-defending!You can bank upon Gordon Banks (of England) anytime old timers would sayof Worlds greatest goalkeeper. Old English football commentators bemoaninghis absence (taken ill before the match) in a critical quarter-nal encounteragainst ole enemy Germany, which England lost despite leading 2-0 at onetime, even today claimthe Banks presence could have made all the differenceon that day. So a good guardian of the goal can indeed spell difference betweenthe Victor and the Vanquished in a Football match. In the Church also goodguardians of the Biblical truths are required lest the apostates and hereticsscore a goal on devils behalf (Jude 1:3/ IThess 5:21). With several wrongdoctrines and cultists on the prowl, how do we guard ourselves against theirsubtle machinations? The answer is to be well-grounded in the Scriptures, sowe can immediately detect their wrong teachings. A banker (Banks again eh!)would say the best way to detect a counterfeit currency is to know well howthe original one looks. Ditto in the Spiritual realm too! Didnt somebody also7sayinthesamecontextYoucanrecognizeacrookedline,onlywhenyouknow how a straight line looks?UNDERESTIMATIONA Goalie taking a goalkickSo we think that a goalkeeper is merely the last line of defencewith animportant role to play in saving goals but with no role to play in scoringgoals and basking in the limelight subsequently. Nay! A shrewd guardian of thecitadel is actually the rst line of offence say Sports analysts. A crafty goaliewhile taking a routine goal kick does not look at it as one long aimless puntinto the middle but rather as an opportunity to pass the ball the aerial wayto some unguarded teammate to seize the opportunity on the moment. ANDCAN YOU BELIEVE IT (STRAIGHT FROM RIPLEYS BOOK OF BELIEVE IT OR NOT)GOOLKEEPERS CAN EVEN TAKE THE BALL ALL THE WAY TO THE OPPOSITIONCITADEL AND SCORE A GOALHow like in the Christian realm! In His kingdom, unexpectedly the least areused of the Lord for achieving great goals. Do not underestimate your owncapacity, when it comes to be used by the good Lord. For instance, John4:29, captures the scene of the most unlikely woman missionary in action,so much so our Lord remarked in the context of rewards on the judgment daythat there shall be plenty of surprisesBut many who are rst will be last, and many who are last will be rst. Matt 19:30 (NKJV)Not in the frontline? Dear brother/sister do not get discouraged. Make takingthe goal kick whole-heartedly and meaningfully for the Lord, your goal ANDIF THE LORD INSPIRES YOU TO COME TO THE FRONTLINE, DO IT BOLDLY8CO-ORDINATIONNow lets play a defense -splitting pass, splitting devils defense that is. Whatis a football team without teamwork? A BIG ZERO! To win, the team needs towork like a well-oiled machine with each part playing its role to perfection.The defenders, the midelders and forwards with a goalie in tow, HAVE THEIROWN SPECIALIZED ROLES TO PLAY TOGETHER IN CONSONANCE WITH THE GOALOF THE TEAM TO SCORE A GOAL!By the same token what is a Church with several gifted individuals withoutproper co-ordination amongst themselves? Anon-entity! Team work in itsnoblest form is not only about playing with each otherbut playing for eachother. Consider Apostle Pauls wise words here, spoken in the context of muchneeded teamwork in the Corinthian churchThere are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the sourceof them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in allof us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. I Cor12:4-7Best example of teamwork? You do not have to look beyond the Trinity workingin unity to procure our salvation. God chose us, Son shed his blood on the crossas a ransom to purchase us from sins grasp and the Holy Spirit convicted usat the right time and made us accept the Divine Redemption plan and wouldkeep the sanctication process going till we reach the heavenly shores or theBridegroom comes rst to receive us (I Peter 1:2). Didnt somebody say in thiscontext of Salvation God thought it, Christ bought it, Holy Spirit wrought itand though devil fought it, praise God, I have got it! Hallelujah! Also havewe ever praised the Trinity for absolute selessness within themselves? TheSon was willing to die an excruciating death on the cross to obey His Fatherswill (Luke 22:42) and the Father selessly exalted the Sons name above ALLnames- Philippians 2:9 (including His own names such as Elohim, El-Shaddai,Adonai etc) and the Holy Spirit when we are worshipping the Father in SonsName helps us but never calls attention to Himself. AMAZING ISNT IT? THEOTHER-CENTREDNESS IN TRINITY! If this does not inspire us to play for eachother, then nothing else will!9Historically,ithasbeenproventhatiftheChurchistotakewingallthewings of the Church have to work in harmony.Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets,the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equipGods people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.- Eph4:11-12Remember the good ole denition of the word TEAM? TOGETHER EVERYONEACHIEVES MORE! Do I need to say MORE?DESTINATIONWhat is the ultimate goal of any player/team in the World cup competition? Towin the cup that matters. All the hard work, tonnes of sweat shed in training,the expectations of countless fans, playerspersonal dreams all suffuse inthat one ethereal moment when the cup is handed over to the team. Oh thejoys of lifting the cup in full media glare!Hey, Christian you are pursuing aloftier goal, isnt it?Ipressontoreachtheendoftheraceandreceivetheheavenlyprizeforwhich God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. - Philippians 3:14Thisheavenlyprize(toobeautifultodescribe),mindyouwontslip awayfromourhandsaftersay4yearsliketheearthly Worldcupdoesattimes.OURS is for keeps! So press on and land the prize, praising Him! Hallelujah!Suresh Manoharan10POEM SECTIONGODS FACEBOOKIn enhancing contacts, Social media has given peopleespecially the young the boostThe likes of Facebook, Twitter, Linked in now rule the roostYou can have contacts far and wideOh the Earth has shrunk thanks to technology, we say with prideBut do you go know before modern technology made its adventThe Creator brought the right resource in connectionwith His many a ServantRemember the Earth is made of Sky, Sea and SodIn all the three spheres we see the working of a Divine I-Pod.Lets rewind and go to the Elijah and Ravens story,We see the amazing Sky connection at work, all for Gods gloryThen what about Jonah and Big Fish of the seaContact by Providence is there for all to seeWhen Daniel was thrown into the lions denThe predators became like sheep in a penThey became friends with the Lords prophetThe term Friend of Lions has since become an epithetEthiopian Eunuch reading Isaiah 53 (in Acts 8) never knew Phillip beforeBut on the Lords leading there was this Apostle at handto explain the Scriptures of yoreAs Phillip expounded the Scripture, the High Ofcial wasby Gods love mesmerizedAnd before longhe accepted the Lord and was baptizedNow lets go visiting the City of Damascus in the Book of Acts Chapter nineWe see an another instance of network established betweentotal strangers, which is oh-so-neWe observe there Blind Paul in a sorry plightAnd yonder there comes Ananias on Lords instructionsto restore Pauls sightFriend is your face there in GodsFacebookIf it is there the Cosmic crook can do no harm to you by hook or by crookAt your disposal, ready to help, there will be many a contact Believe memy friends, that is a solemn factSuresh Manoharan11CATCHY QUOTESThinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything andeverything in a consistently Christian way in a manner that isshaped, directed, and restrained by the truth of Gods Word andGods Spirit.To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may bethe world.The noble love of Jesus impels a man to do great things, and stirshim up to be always longing for what is more perfect.Trials are not enemies of faith but are opportunities to prove Godsfaithfulness.If God led you to it, He will lead you through it.Many times disillusionment comes simply because our circumstancesdont t our concept of who God is and how He works.You must not lose condence in God because you lost condencein your pastor. If our condence in God had to depend upon ourcondence in any human person, we would be on shifting sand.Above all, desire to please Christ; dread his disapproval aboveeverything else.We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing tobecome so. You must undertake something so great that you cannotaccomplish it unaided.The whole being of any Christian is Faith and Love... Faith brings theman to God, love brings him to men.Lord revive Your church and begin with me.It is an abuse to confess any kind of sin, mortal or venial, without awill to be delivered from it, since confession was instituted for noother end.Since God offers to manage our affairs for us, let us once and for allhand them over to His innite wisdom, in order to occupy ourselvesonly with Himself and what belongs to Him.For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; whilefor eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.12WHEN GOALKEEPER SCORES A GOALRene Higuitas coming up with his famous Scorpion kick, scored a goalgoing on a solo foray himselfNeedless to say, this kind of title is bound to raise many eye-brows &any media mogul with a nose for sensationalism is bound to capitalizeon News as odd as the Goal keeper scoring a goal in this month, whenthe football fever globally has touched its peak what with the curtainsgoing up on the Mega event in Brazil Football World Cup 2014!!!Keeping the core content of my message in suspense let me continue todwell awhile on the media or to be more specic on the Indian electronicmedia.Those of us who grew up satisfying ourselves with the bland Newscoverage of DD were swept off the feet literally in late 1980s & mind youit was an enjoyable experience getting swept off the feet when one suavebearded gent answering to the name Pranoy Roy appeared in the TV screenasananchorforaprogramme whichclaimedtoencapsulateallthe Worldevents of a week. News is News is News, so what was New about that News?ItsslickpresentationLadiesandGentlemen!!!Honestlyitwouldnotbeanunderstatement if one were to afrm that the The World this week with thecreative air of its producers oozing, revolutionized News presentation in theIndian Electronic media, like none before it. The News coverage would neverbe the same again in the History of Indian Electronic media. The icing on thecake as it were in this program was, it would invariably end with clippings ofbizarre eventslike for instance of a goalkeeper scoring a goal & what a goalit was! If I am not mistaken in late 80s, there was that rare clipping of thatmaverickColombiangoalkeeper ReneHiguita(ofthescorpionkick, ashyattirefameetal)inalocalleagueencounterwithhisteamstaringrightdown the barrel-a goal down- in the dying minutes of the game setting outon an undulating run. Away went this freakish goalie dribbling and dodginghis way past hostile, frustrated legs of the defenders and cutting into the boxwithamasterlygymnast-like-turnandslottingtheballinpastthehaplessgoalkeeper. Now why did I introduce this interlude in my message? The reason13is the stunning theme for our meditation GOD PRAYING (permit me to unveilthe theme) would sound just as bizarre to some of us with xed mindsets.Before,IgoanyfurtherIwouldliketomakeitabundantlyclear,theverypurposeofmeexpoundingthisrarethemeistobringtotheforetheinnite love of God for his most cherished creationMan. Yes, I would like toherald that God condescends to this level only in order we -the faithful lot-accept a rescued sinner and NOT FOR ANYTHING ELSE, lest a mistaken viewemerge in our minds that the Creator has become weak.While on the subject of God in action, some imaginary postures of Godoat in & out of our minds eye, most of which I ought to add here are those,which are acceptableto the majority. No one would object to a posterdepicting God in the posture of answering prayers to a man on his knees orfor that matter to any poster which would portray Him as superior to manwhich anyway is an undeniable truth, so how would we with rened spiritualsensitivities categorize a scene where God entreats puny, fallible, irreverentman. Even given His boundless love to man, would He ever lower Himself tosuch a level of pleading with esh and blood man? Do we see such a scene inthe Bible? If so, where?RELATE...Welcome once again to the good ole Prodigal Son parable (Luke15:11-32)! Welcome once again to this timeless, touching story which throwsup new insights every single time we study it. Mind you since any completeScriptureexposition(thanksInductiveBibleStudy)entailsobservation,interpretationandapplicationofthesame, rstletsgetdonewiththeobservation part.Some wise souls have creatively related this evergreen Lost and Foundstory thus:Theparablecanbedividedinto3*3partsrstlyMadness,SadnessandGladness.NowundertheMadnessscene,itcan be said that the ProdigalSoncaviled(raisedunnecessaryobjections),rebelledandtravelledandunder that of Sadness, it can be said our principal actor went with the dogs(his friends), lost his togs (property, mostly clothing) and ate with the hogsand nally under the climactic, culminating third scene-Gladness , it canbesaidofourherothathegotbackhisseal(totransactbusinessonhisfathers behalf), danced the reel and ate the veal. This witty and creativeobservation apart, is that all there is to this oh-so-insightful parable? NO, FARFROM IT!!! Now lets go to the interpretation and application parts which gohand in hand and may even appear inter-twined.ROLE-REVERSALEven while pondering at the turn of eventsof this popular parable, let us never lose sight of the symbolic roles ofeach one of the characters in this memorable parable. If to the prodigal14sonbelongedtheroleplayedbymanyacontritesinner,thenthatofhisforgivingfatherwasrepresentativeof aloving GodHimself. Period.When the self-righteous elder son, who presumed inadvertently that he wastheverydenitionof lial delity,refusedtoaccepthispenitentyoungerbrother,whatdidthefatherdo?HEPRAYEDENTREATINGLY TO HIM TOWELCOME HIS ERRANT BUT NOW PENITENT SIBLING (Luke 15:28)! Now, let usfreeze this frame.Whatdoes itteachus?Whatlessonsdoesthismovingpictureofaninnitely superior God pleading with His followersharboring a holier-than-thou disposition, hold for us today? More than anything else,it screams that if GOD FORGIVES ASINNER, WE SHOULD TAKE HISWORD FOR IT! WHO ARE WE TO HOLD OUT AGAINST GODS GRACE!Sadly, when a penitent Christian comes back onto the right track & wants tomake amends for his mistakes, we are often the stumbling blocks as it were,being the very last onesto reconcile with him. If by using our God-givencommon sense, we can make out that the penitence of our contrite brotherinfaithisgenuine,weoughttowelcomehimwithopenarms,ratherthangiving him a cold shoulder. Shame on us, if we play the contemptuous elderbrother! The fact that God himself is pleading with us on behalf of the errantone should melt our stony hearts.RETENTIONNowletstakealooplineandlookatalessonwithinalesson.Donotweseethe regularChurchgoers,Christiansofmanyyears,the ones of who have lost their rst love for the Lord (forgetting that theytoo were once forgiven and received into the Divine family) All personiedin the Elder Son, who though living physically close (in the same house)to his father, in his heart of hearts was living miles away from him? If hishearthadbeenonewiththatofhisfather,wouldhenothavesharedthesame sentiments his father had for his repentant brother? One litmus testfor knowing that we are retaining the First love (so precious to the Lord Jeremiah 2:2/2 Cor 11:2/Rev 2:4) or not is to reect deeply as to whetherour priorities are same as that of our Lord or not. Mind you, sometimes wecanbeeveninMinistrybutyetloseoutonourFirsthoneymoonloveforthe Lord!!!RESPONSIBILITYNow coming back to the main track of accepting therepentant brethrenlets look at the earnest plea of the James in the closingverses of his down-to-bootstrap, practical epistle Dear Brothers, if anyone hasslipped away from God and no longer trusts the Lord, and someone helps himunderstand the Truth again, that person who brings him back to God will havesaved a wandering soul from death bringing about the forgiveness of his manysins (James 5:19-20-TLB). If so high a responsibility rests with the faithful lotof seeking & saving their strayed brethren, how much more it is binding on15them to accept the strayed brethren once the latter come back on their own!Should we not celebrate along with angels on the lost being found (Luke 15:7)!Christians,eventhedevoutlotamongstthemunfortunatelydisplayasteelyheartratherthantheoneof esh,whenitcomestoimmediatelyaccommodating a rueful brother-in-faith, exhibiting in the process an animalstreak in them. Just to elaborate on the animal streak, has it ever occurredto us why the Shepherd (Luke 15:1-6) of the Lost & Found sheep, carried hisprecious rescued one to his home (verse 6) rather than releasing it amongstits mates in the pinfold? Biblical scholars assert that he wanted to build it upby showering more love & care which would not be the case in its pinfold,where this remorseful one would be welcomed not by warm hugs but by headbutts of its scolding mates bad mouthing all the while because of you, do youknow, how our shepherd had to suffer? when ironically the shepherd himselfwould not have any complaints on that score! How this denes our relationshipwith our contrite brethren! They need to be built-up lovingly after a fall withallthecareanursewouldmusterwhilstbandagingthefracturedlimbofatender child (II Cor 2:5-8)! But how ironic it is that when our Lord himself hasno complaints, we make a huge fuss of welcoming them with a reconciliatoryhug,worsewecompoundtheirwoesbyemotionallyheadbuttingthemforthe troubles they have apparently caused the Lord by their erroneous ways!REMAINNowcoming back to enduring image of God praying which wouldforever remain in our heartsit melts my heart when the truth contained in theclosing verses of Luke 15:28-32 strikes home. The story ends with the pictureof the father STILL PLEADING WITH HIS ELDER SON WHO IS NOT BUDGINGANINCHasthoughto re-emphasizethepointthatourHeavenlyFatherforsome thousands of years, now, is still reasoning out with the stubborn loutslike us, on the paramount issue of welcoming back our rueful brethren!Oh, let our stony hearts melt at the scene of God praying.(Suresh Manoharan)16Dear friends,AboutthepersonbehindtheMinistry: Whilestatingat theoutsetthattheabbreviation J & SM stands for Jesus & Suresh Manoharan, I, Suresh Manoharanwould like to introduce myself as a person who the good Lord out of His grace&mercytouched&transformedattheageof16,whenIasayoungcollegesophomore was leading a pleasure-seeking, godless life.Withnogreat educational qualications toboast of (I amonly acommercegraduate),it is again out of His great mercy & grace that after a humble career beginning as aSales Ofcer (trainee) - soon after my graduation - in a private sector undertakingnamely BPL-INDIA (Ofce Automation Department), I ended up holding a highlyresponsible portfolio in one of the mini-ratnas amongst the Indian PSUs, namelyIBP Co. Limited (an Indian Oil group company). In October 2004, after a 12-yearinnings in the aforesaid organization, once I received a specic call from Him totake up full-time spiritual ministry, I put in my papers & was subsequently relievedfrom my duties in late January 2005. No, no, I cannot boast that it was a caseof implicit obedience since prior to taking this step, I had given more excuses tothe Almighty for not taking up His work than Moses did before nally taking up hisassignment of representing Him before Pharaoh, (in order to seek the release ofHispeoplefromtheEgyptianbondage ExodusChapters3&4)however,asalways, the Lord had the nal say on the subject.J & SM Ministries was formed on 17-02-05 (subsequently registered on 28-02-05) with me & my wife as partners, who I should emphasize has alwaysfaithfully stood by me in all of my decisions/actions.Notonlyatthismoment,butatalltimesIwouldconveymyheart-feltthanks to my parents, my parents-in-law, my other kith & kin, my friends& well-wishers who have through their encouraging words, actions,et al stood by me, ever since I heeded the good Lords call to take-up full-timespiritual ministry.Sinceanyspiritualministryisonlyasgoodasitscredibility,aftermuchprayersitwasdecidedthatthisministrywouldbeaself-supportingone,(only free-will offerings would be accepted) with me in the manner of Paul (while Imay not be worthy of untying his shoelaces, his style of ministry is a great sourceof encouragement to me) raising requisite funds by using my tent-making skills(Acts 18:2-3/I Thess 2: 9/I Corinthians 9:15). The tent-making in my case wouldbe offering my services in the Oil Sector (as & when time permits) for training-updrivewaysalesmenoftheretail llingstations&undertakingsomepart-timeinsurance assignments. Glamorous? Honestly, I do not want to hazard a guess.Highly fullling? Surely, considering its purpose.psthismagazineissentonabsolutelysubscription-freebasis to its readers, if you are edied and inspired by it , kindlyrecommend it to your other friends.J & SM Ministries413/3RT, Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar, Hyderabad - 500 038.Tel : 040-23702431, Mobile : 0-98490 09104Email : manoharansuresh@yahoo.com, website: www.jandsmministries.com