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The popular belief that Marriages are made in heaven seems false when we take a look at the present divorce rate. The sanctity of holy matrimony seem to decline with the eroding away of moral values. People do not hesitate to change partners since the art of remaining faithful to one partner seems unbearable and unnatural.
Avoid these 4 things to topple your marriage.

1. World
Do not let the past relationships come between the spouses. Even the popular T.V serials should be kept at bay or else doubt, envy and jealousy will creep in. Stop comparing your spouse with others. He or she is unique
2. Work
Do not let your work pressure come in between you. Spend time with each other, not to discuss work only but just to listen to each other and enjoy together the small blessings of life. Learn to laugh together. Your family comes first.

3. Money
Do not let finance play a big role as the condition for happiness. You will soon be disappointed. Both the spouses should remind themselves that money cannot buy “Love”. One can never have “enough” money.

4. Parents
Parents cannot be forgotten or thrown away. Grown up children have the responsibility to look after them. BUT! They cannot be allowed to dictate between two married individuals. They have the right to ADVICE but the power of decision making remains with the couple. Each couple should learn the art of mentally leaving
His/her old pattern of living and cleave to the partner.

Marriage is a vow to be kept for ever until death separates. Unlike any other relationship on earth, marriage has to be worked out with sincerity and commitment. Add fuel to keep the fire burning.

Walk through the Bible -II

The books of the Bible were written within a span of around 1500 years. The different books were then collected as the Bible.
The Jews and Christians are called as “People of the Book” because their life, both spiritual and social is centered around the statues and precepts of the Bible.
The first five books of the Bible- the Pentateuch.( Hebrew- the five books)
The first five books i.e the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are also considered as the “The Law- the Torah” by the Jews. In these books are recorded the origin of Jewish nation and their settlement in the Canaan Land as a nation. The present land of Israel is only a part of what the original Canaan was of the Jews.
In these initial books many rules and regulations for daily life, religious life, worship are set which are intended for the people to have a holy and closer walk with God. God who is addressed variously in these chapters, like YAHWEH, Adonai, Elohim, AL Sahdai all referring to certain attributes of God, is the Ruler and King of the people.
The Jews were very particular in obeying theses laws. They considered the law as compulsory to please and love God.
Here is one set of rules which Yahweh gave to His people on the Mountain of Sinai thousands of years ago: these are called as the Ten Commandments

1. I am your God who brought you out of Slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. ( Monotheism is the characteristics of Jews and Christians similar with the Muslims.)
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in any form and shall not bow down before them. ( Hence Idols are not found in Jewish Synagogue or Churches except for the Roman Catholics who have the statues of Mary and other saints.)
3. You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.(the seventh day of the week)
5. Honor your father and mother. Love and respect for parents brings good health and long life.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wealth, wife or any thing which is not yours.



These are the Ten Commandments, which Jesus in the New Testament summed up into only two as:
“Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I would like your response to this article. The Bible and its contents are so exhaustive that it cannot be dealt with in one article. There fore please bear with me…..

Walk through the Bible-I

The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of religious writings or books of Judaism and Christianity.
The Jewish version of the Bible, the Tanakh, includes the books common to both the Christian and Jewish biblical canons. The Torah is traditionally considered by believers to be God’s direct words and thus thought to be the most sacred part. Much of the Jewish religious law is derived from the Torah.
The Christian version of the Bible is often called the Holy Bible, Scriptures, or Word of God. It divides the books of the Bible into two parts: the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament.The Old Testament comprising of 36 books records the origin and history of the Jewish race. The first five books called as the Pentateuch records the beginning, journey and settlement of the people of Israel. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. It was later translated into different languages.
The New Testament comprising of 27 books records the birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the early Church. This was written originally in Greek.The theme of the entire Bible is Salvation and both the Testaments talk about this theme. The main character or figure of the Bible is Jesus Christ around whom every event and prophesies centers. There are different prophesies made in the Old Testament which is fulfilled in the New Testament.
It is believed that the Bible is authored by around 40 different authors those who wrote with the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit of God.
Different kind of writings are found in the Bible such as, History, Narration, Poetry etc.
Many of its sections are used in the study of English literature.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining.

Just a few days back I had a very bad experience in the new city where we have recently shifted and were trying to settle down in the midst of water problems, language problems etc.
One night when out of city, we were shocked to receive a phone call from our landlord that our house has been broken into. It was unbelievable since we are living in a locality where the houses are very close by and the landlord was staying upstairs. Earlier when we were in our native state we always had anticipated theft because we lived in a separate lonely house but nothing happened. And here in a crowded place with people around it was so easy for the thief to break the lock and come into the house.
So we had to return back immediately. The return journey was with a heavy heart with so many thoughts crowding our mind. One thought that came to me was “why did God allow it?” I know that our God who is sovereign takes care of us, protects us and sustains our lives. So “why Lord” was my question.
As we entered our house. I felt sick to see the bed room in a mess. All the clothes were on the floor. The Godrej stood empty the shelves on the wall were disheveled. All the things were on the floor. The suitcases were lying open; the jewelry box was lying on the bed. The trunk carrying the summer wear and blankets was invaded.
Without any doubt I knew that the gold earring and the chain were gone and also the money which was to be given to the landlord, some cash for publishing a magazine, a small saving which I was supposed to put in the bank but was delayed due to the puja holidays. Everything was gone in a whisk! I was very sad and tears welled up in my eyes.
Soon sorrow was replaced by anger, but as I walked to the other room inspecting the other things which could have been stolen, I realized that except for the cash and gold everything else was in tact. That was very puzzling. Why did the thief leave behind, the laptop, DVD player, LCD, music system which could fetch him a nice amount of money?
Well, I still don’t have the answer. A new thought began to shape in my mind. Perhaps the thief was in real need and so he broke in and took the money which he needed. If so, may God bless him and help him out in the financial crises.
Later as we cleaned up the house I began to think about the consequences if we would have been in the house when the thief broke in. Just a few days ago I was alone in the house at night. What if the thief would have come then?
Gradually, I tried to see the positive side of this mishap. Both I and my husband are safe. Of course we lost cash but we can still work hard to earn some more. The other good thing that I realized is that the thief did not take any valuable things which would have been a far greater loss.
Now as I enter our house, I feel as though some one might be hiding under the bed, or staring at me from outside the window. It feels very awkward since we lost the sense of security in the house.
Yet I know that trusting God and being more cautious is the only thing that I can do.
The silver lining that I see is that in spite of the loss God has protected our lives and restrained the thief from causing us more damage.
I never had this experience before and in a new place it is all the more painful and we feel lonely and hurt. But it is nice to go through situations which can teach us patience, courage in the face of crisis, and a heart to be thankful in all circumstances.
As we go on in our daily life, I remember the character of Job in the Bible who while going through intense personal struggle and family crisis responded like this, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”

The Other Side Of The Coin

Few days back myself and a colleague were out around 10. 30 in the night. We were hurrying to catch the train so we managed to jump into a Rickshaw along with our luggage. The Rickshaw fare was considerably high due to the time and also because it was Puja and Idd time. Well, we were happy that the Rickshaw puller would get some extra rupees to take home and buy something for his wife and children for the Puja.
As we moved a few yards on the by- lane which was almost deserted except for few people who were hurriedly retuning home to avoid drunkards and miscreants, both of us also were wishing in our hearts to reach the main road with better lights and reach the station safely on time.
Suddenly, we saw a man bent down in the middle of the road right in front of the rickshaw. Through the little light from the light poles we could make out that the man had dropped his vegetable bag in the road and was hurriedly picking up the things. The rickshaw had to stop abruptly in order to avoid a collision. Soon after that a few minutes later a bike with full speed rammed into the rickshaw from behind.
I was shocked and did not know what was happening. Within seconds, I felt my colleague falling to one side as the rickshaw had collapsed and I too was falling to one side along with the luggage.
Thankfully few youngsters came to the rescue and held the broken pieces so that we both can get out of the rubble. We alighted unhurt except for a few scratches. The man on the bike was drunk, I would say he was full to the brim, shouted all kinds of slang and then he left with the same speed not heeding the darkness, or the passer byes.
The few people who had gathered to help us left one by one except for the poor rickshaw puller who was looking more shattered than his rickshaw. We gathered up our things and started looking for another rickshaw to take us to the station. We were feeling a bit anxious now not knowing when the next speedily approaching bike could hit us, added to that we were alone on the road with our luggage. We are not as athletic to run when attacked or physically fit to give some punches to any drunken miscreant.
The man for whom every thing took place coolly picked up his bag and coolly left with a smile on his face. Infact every one was extending advises to the rickshaw puller who was looking dejected and lost because to repair his rickshaw would cost him a few days of his income.
As we tugged along the road, after offering some money to him, to find another conveyance, I was wondering what will the rickshaw puller celebrate this festive season. Suddenly I felt lonely like the rickshaw puller, in the midst of the big city with expensive decorations of the puja pendals and people scurrying for new clothes and festivities. The lights and decorations and slogans lost all their meaning when I realized that the rickshaw puller will have nothing to eat for the next few days because of his broken source of income.
In India we have more festivals than the number of days in a year. we as community collect huge amount of money in the name of religious sentiments for the decorations and hungama yet we fail to feel for the poor and the marginalized who are struggling for a meal. Every celebration is shallow if it is only meant for “I, Me and My self.” Can something be done?

Can You Dare?

Traveling in the Indian railways, one of my constant heartache has been to see the open and shameless attitude of people who ask extra money (apart from the required amount) from passengers for reservation of berths. Adding to my dismay there are people who encourage and sanction this act of bribery as the normal norm of making easy money.
As a citizen of free, developing India my heart breaks to see that we are so much infected with disease of corruption and bribery that nothing seems to move without paying money. We are ready to bribe (in all walks of life) in order to get things easily done. Do we ever think that asking as well as giving bribe is equally an act of cowardice and demoralizing act? We blame others for spoiling our country yet in fact we are the ones who are responsible of making our society a place bereft of morality and integrity of heart. We are pretending to live uprightly yet our hearts are week unable to stand against the tide. Is there anyone who can dare to be different?

Health is Wealth

Important Tips

Answer the phone by LEFT ear.
Do not drink coffee TWICE a day.
Do not take pills with COOL water.
Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm.
Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume.
Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night.
Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS.
Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time.
Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning.
Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping.
When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.
-by Mrs Christina Michael Madhu
Jamshedpur, India.

Only Love!!!!!!!!!!

Topic of Love is very popular among all and in every country, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or language.
Love makes people very romantic, poetic, nostalgic and what not. Absence of the loved one gives unbearable heart ache and distance of few kilometers between the lovers may seem like the distance between the North and South poles. A petty argument over “tea or coffee”, “ice cream or Gol gappa” can give sleepless night.
Lovers find various ways to express their love to each other. At one time “love” seems to be “uppermost and topmost priority”.
And YET, we come across increasing number of divorce cases, dowry deaths, suicides, new-born babies dumped in garbage bins and the list can go on. Surprisingly, love takes the back seat when it comes to taking responsibility, sacrificing your career, respecting the spouse’ individuality, taking a stand against dowry demands etc. Where does love evaporate then?
Is love so weak that it can only thrive on favorable conditions like the Apples which grow in few places in India? Why doesn’t love survive even in odd situations? Why do two people bark at each other instead of talking?
The word “ Love “ may be understood as a “feeling” or “emotion” but in reality love is a “verb”. It denotes an action.
Weather in marriage, or between communities or countries we expect that love relationship will automatically evolve but in fact “love” is something which has to be worked out between two individuals be it in the context of couple, family, society or countries.
People expect others to love them at all situations but fail to love others in adverse circumstances. Why does relationships break often? Usually between a couple, one blames the other but fail to see their own fault.

A relationship that only wants or expects things his/her way is immature and selfish.
Real love needs courage, sacrifice, flexibility and a never giving up attitude. People filled with true love will never want to “give up” to any pressures or any situation. Especially when it comes to marriage, relationship within and between the communities etc.
Here is a “love potion” from The Book which is my favorite one. It says, “If I have great knowledge, strong faith in God, and I so lot of social service but have not love, I am nothing and gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. “
Can we love others more than our own selves? Can we dare to love in such a way that will heal our lives, our communities and our nation? Because who can stand against hated? Only true love can………

Wounds of Trauma

Life is filled with ups and downs and every moment, people are affected by disappointment and triumphs. Mishaps happen every now and then. As a result, we get into traumatic experiences.
Recently the people in Kolkata have gone through a trauma as they saw the huge buildings burning for 4 consecutive days. We read in the news paper that a business man on seeing his shop on fire collapsed and they could not recover from this shock. He had a heart attack and passed away. More than physical injury, the mental state of a person affects his/her personality.
Recently I had an opportunity to attend a workshop on Tauma Counselling at Thailand and it was a very good learning experience for me which I want to share at writing campus.
The word “trauma” came from Greek τραυμα = “a wound”
Physical trauma, an often serious and body altering physical injury, such as the removal of a limb
Psychological trauma, an emotional or psychological injury, usually resulting from an extremely stressful or life-threatening situation.
Trauma leaves behind wounds that if not treated leads to serious problems.

Characteristics of a physical wound:
• It is visible
• It is painful & must be treated with care.
• If ignored, might get worse
• It must be cleaned to remove dirt
• If wounds heal on the surface but infection is still inside it can cause severe sickness
• Only God can bring healing, but He uses people and medicine
• If not treated, it attracts flies
• It takes time to heal.
• A healed wound leaves a scar.
Characteristics of an emotional wound:
• It is invisible but shows in the persons behavior
• It is painful and must be treated with care
• If ignored, it is likely to get worse
• The pain has to come out and the sin must be confessed
• When people pretend that their heart wounds are healed it will cause more problem
• Only God can bring healing but He often uses people and an understanding of how our emotions heal
• If not treated it attracts sin
• It takes time to heal
• A healed heart wound also leaves a scar.Life is very valuable,but often we loose its true meaning and fail to live life to the utmost due to amny mishaps. If you come across such people around you broken with heart wounds, help them unburden themselves and walk again.

Prescription for Contentment

We run after happiness. we think money can buy all hapiness, but can money buy contentment.
• Never allow yourself to complain about anything – not even the weather
• Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
• Never compare your lot with others
• Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been ortherwise.
• Never dwell on tomorrow — remember that (tomorrow ) is God’s, not ours.

Most of us base our contentment on our circumstances, on our feelings, or other people. However, true contentment is separate from our circumstances. Contentment is a state of heart, not a state of affairs.
In King Henry VI Shakespeare poetically described internal contentment. A king is wandering in the country and meets two pwople. He informs them that he is king. One of them asks, “ But if thou be a king, where is thy crown?” the king replied,
“My crown is in my heart, not on my head;
Not deck’d with diamonds and Indian stones,
Nor to be seen; my crown is called content
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.”

The above portion is an extract from a book “Calm my anxious heart”