Yuvajana Sakhyam Registration!

Dear All,

Greetings in the matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Forwarded is the annual registration renewal form for youth league
membership. Please take a hard copy of this and forward it to all the
Churches of your center. The date for registration is before 1st March
2010. Only members of a Sakha that have received the Registration
certificate and whose name appear in the list submitted to the Kendra
in accordance to 13(b) clause, are eligible to be elected as principal
office bearers, committee members, be a candidate for election, to
propose or second, at the Sakha, regional, Diocesan and Kendra levels
and also to participate in Sakha, Regional, Diocesan and Kendra level
competitions. Looking forward for your active support for promoting
maximum registration.

Thanks and regards,
To VIEW the FORM, CLICK HERE
Prince.

Kalamela 2010 Announcements

MAR THOMA YUVAJANA SAKHYAM

CHENNAI – BANGALORE DIOCESE

Mar Thoma Bhavan, No 77 6th Avenue, Harrington Road, Chetpet, Chennai – 600031

Dear Centre President and Secretary,

Greetings to you from the Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam, Chennai – Bangalore Diocese. We’d like to inform you that the 4th Diocesan Kalamela is planned to be at Hyderabad on the 09^th of Jan, 2010.

The first and second place winners of all the competitions held at the respective Centre Kalamelas will qualify to participate in the Diocesan Kalamela. We request you to provide the list of participants who qualify for this kalamela, from your respective centres.

The day is planned to begin with registration of participants for various events at 8am, and end with prize distribution by 7pm. The details of the events and the rules and guidelines for the various events are attached to this notice. The winner and runners-up of all the events held during the Diocesan Kalamela will go on represent the Diocese in the Kendram Kalamela to be held in the month of 16^th January, 2010, in Kerala.

Yours Sincerely,

For the Diocesan Yuvajana Sakhyam

Prince John

Secretary

Ph: 09445079805

Date: 22-Dec-2009

New year with some basic Christianity

For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever you're doing and take this opportunity! Let's see if satan can stop this.
THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.

At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breath.

Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.

Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding.
He was simply pouring water from his wounds.

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side. But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard wripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.
The human adult body contains about 3.5 litres (just less than a gallon) of blood.

Jesus poured all 3.5 litres of his blood; He had three nails hammered into his members; a crown of thorns on his head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into his chest.

All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying his own cross for almost 2 kilometres, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where his hands were nailed).

Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you can have free access to God.
So that your sins could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Don't ignore this situation. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU! For you, who now read this e-mail. Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc).

He died for you! It is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but when it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward to others because you are worried of what they may think about you.



Accept the reality, the truth that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

God has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced to save you. Now think about this! May God bless your life!

60 seconds with God...

May you stay the Lord's this whole year, living each day for Him.

Happy New year everyone!

Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam, Chennai-Bangalore Diocese

Christmas and the lamb

Did Abraham himself not say God would provide a Lamb... to take instead the punishment that should belong to man. And so to humble shepherds was, His Glory first revealed. And with His birth, a covenant made long ago was sealed....

Stolen from the facebook status of Binu Oommen (permission pending, but we believe he wouldn't mind!)

Binu Oommen, often lovingly and otherwise known as Binchach, hails from the Bangalore East Mar Thoma Church. He plays the guitar and sings beautifully, besides 'joking nice jokes'.

Never be anxious

Sometime back I heard of this interesting example. A small fish lived in a stream in which water was exceedingly decreasing. The fish felt worried that as the water was steadily going down if the stream would dry up altogether all of a sudden. So it complained to God out of anxiety. God asked the fish whether it had enough water to swim. The fish answered that it had; God asked whether there was enough water for the fish to drink. It said there was; Again God asked whether it had enough water to breather and the fish answered that it had. Then God asked the fish, why it was so anxious when it had everything it needed? Many of us are worried in this way. If you set your faith on God, you can live in joy. His mercy will never dry up. It will be poured on us continuously. If you have lost faith in prayer, resume praying. For God’s mercy endures forever!!

image courtesy: Yuso6363

Verse for the week 12 ( v w 12)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

— John 3:16 (NIV)

Image courtesy:

petermakire

What You Can Do : A thought

What You Can Do

READ: Ephesians 3:14-21

[I pray that] He would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. —Ephesians 3:16

Are you getting what you want out of life? Or do you feel that the economy, your government, your circumstances, or other outside factors are robbing you of value and joy?

Recently, a polling agency asked 1,000 people what they most desired in their lives. One fascinating result was that 90 percent of Bible-believing Christians said that they wanted these outcomes: a close relationship with God, a clear purpose in life, a high degree of integrity, and a deep commitment to the faith.

Notice that these heartfelt desires are all things we as individuals can do something about without outside human help. No government program will assist here, and tough economic times cannot steal these ideals. These life goals are achieved as we allow God’s Word to rule in our hearts and as we receive the Spirit’s strength to build up “the inner man” (Eph. 3:16), resulting in true joy.

In our complicated world, it’s tempting to put our quest for what we desire into the hands of others—to expect an outside entity to fulfill our desires. While we sometimes need help, and we cannot live in isolation, it’s not outside sources that provide true happiness. That comes from within—from letting Christ be at home in our hearts (v.17). — Dave Branon

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme and reign alone. —Reed

If a troubled world gets you down, look up to Jesus.

Material Courtesy: Our Daily Bread

http://rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2009/12/04/devotion.aspx

Image courtesy:

Gerome40

Mistakes or Opportunities? Mary Southerland

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

Friend to Friend

I am sure you have heard the story of Ivory soap, the "soap that floats". However, it was not always that way. Years ago, this soap was just another brand among many until a factory foreman made a mistake. He left a fresh batch of soap in the cooking vat and went to lunch. When he was late getting back and the soap had overcooked, the foreman frantically examined the burned soap. It seemed to clean the same. The only difference he could see was in the weight. The burned soap was just lighter. He could either report the mistake and risk being fired, or he could make the best of it and ship the soap out as if nothing had happened. He shipped it out. The results surprised everyone. Instead of complaints, the company was deluged with orders for this new "floating soap" and the foreman was promoted.

God works the same way, taking our mistakes, our sins and bringing good out of them. Paul said it well in Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." (HCSB) If we let Him, God will use the pain of our sin and the results of our mistakes as the foundation upon which he can build a new life and a more effective ministry.

God works through our mistakes, knowing there is strength in pain that can be gained no other way. God does not eliminate mistakes but he does step into the midst of the mistakes we bring to him. At our invitation, God's very presence fills those mistakes with power and fresh hope, redeeming them for new truth and insight. God is not committed to our comfort, but he is committed to our character, to making us more like Jesus, and he will use every part of our life to make it happen. God does not waste a single experience and there are no "scraps" of life to be thrown away! He uses even our mistakes for our good.

1. God uses mistakes to direct us. Some of my biggest mistakes have yielded the most powerful lessons in my life, pointing me in a new direction or revealing an area that needs change. As the writer of Proverbs explains, "Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways." Proverbs 20:30 (NLT)

2. God uses mistakes to inspect us. People are like tea bags. If you want to know what is really inside, just drop them into hot water! How we respond to mistakes, problems and sin tests the strength and reality of our faith. James writes, "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." James 1:2-3 (NLT)

3. God uses mistakes to correct us. Some lessons simply cannot be learned in the light; they are wrapped in the darkness of pain and defeat. I can remember when our daughter, Danna, was a toddler with a fascination for electric outlets. I repeatedly pointed to each outlet in our home and firmly said, "No! No!" It was not until she stuck an object into one of those outlets, burning her little finger that she learned the lesson and changed her behavior. In fact, she hasn't repeated that mistake in twenty two years! We would be wise to choose the attitude of the psalmist, "It was good that I had to suffer in order to learn your laws. The teachings [that come] from your mouth are worth more to me than thousands in gold or silver." Psalm 119:71-72 (GNT)

4. God uses mistakes to protect us. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents us from being harmed by something more serious. Several years ago, a family friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem and seemed like a huge mistake - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when his former management's illegal actions were eventually discovered. "You planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good..." Genesis 50:20 (Message)

5. God uses mistakes to perfect us. When responded to correctly, mistakes and problems are character builders. Our relationship to God and our character are the only two things we are going to take with us into eternity. The apostle Paul warns, "There's more (trouble) to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we are hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next." Romans 5:3-4 (Message)

God is at work in us - even in our mistakes -- even when we do not recognize Him or understand His process. Someone once said, "Success can be measured not only in achievements, but in lessons learned, lives touched and moments shared along the way."

While living in South Florida, I considered hurricanes to be mistakes of nature. However, I soon discovered that hurricanes are necessary to maintain a balance in the environment. We all know the devastation these monstrous storms can cause, yet scientists tell us that hurricanes are also tremendously valuable because they reduce a large percentage of the oppressive heat that builds up at the equator. In fact, hurricanes are indirectly responsible for much of the rainfall in North and South America. Meteorologists no longer use cloud-seeding techniques to prevent hurricanes from being formed because they are convinced that hurricanes actually do more good than harm.

Take a closer look at your mistakes. Have they become an albatross around your neck, constantly reminding you of your failure and inadequacy? Do past mistakes keep you from stepping out in faith today? It is time to strain each failure through a new God-given perspective for the valuable nuggets of truth and the treasures that the darkness holds.

Isaiah 45:3 promises, "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."

Let's Pray

Father, I am tired of living in the failure of my mistakes. Today, I admit those wrong choices, ask Your forgiveness and choose to see them through Your eyes. Please help me learn the lessons each mistake holds and keep me strong so that I will not fall into the same old wrong patterns of behavior again. Thank You that even my mistakes are treasures in Your hands.

In Jesus' name, I pray

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

What one mistake has paralyzed your life? No matter where you go or what you do, are you haunted by that wrong decision? Aren't you ready to be free from that prison of defeat? God is ready to set you free. Face and admit your mistake. Ask for God's forgiveness, the forgiveness of anyone you have hurt and then forgive yourself. Learn the lesson and let God use it for good in your life.

Sent in by: Sara Susan Ninan , Mar Thoma Church, Bangalore, Primrose road.

Image courtesy: photocorrinne

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z194/photocorrinne/lifeman.png

Fax

FAX FROM GOD....

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject:YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God.Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.

P.S.

And, remember...

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself !! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.




Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.




If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.





Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.





Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.





Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.








Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.






Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!





Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you, you may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day,

God