Historic National-level Youth Conference Coming Up In Hyderabad - Join In & Don't Miss!

- Duke Jeyaraj

One of the reasons Evan and I chose to live in Hyderabad and go about doing the itinerant ministry to youth from this particular city is the wonderful way God brought the ministry of Youth Alive into our lives. I was invited to speak in a Youth Alive Camp way back in 2002 for the first time by Rev. Younus Samuel and there was no turning back in what was a superb, God-ushered relationship between Youth Alive and G4 Mission, the ministry to modern youth I founded in 2006, from then on. For those of you who do not know, Youth Alive, is the youth ministry of the New Life AG Church, Hyderabad. Under the able leadership of the Senior Associate Pastor of the New Life AG Church who is also the National Youth Coordinator of the Assemblies of God of India's National Youth Ministry, Rev. Valson Varghese, a National Conference for Youth is being organised this October. I am happy to let you know that I have been invited to be part of the team of speakers for this event, which I believe will be history-making. I urge you strongly to join this conference if you are a young person or send youth you know for this conference if you are leader to youth or a pastor or a parachurch organisation leader. They will be blessed. They will set on fire for the things of God in a remarkable way! When they return from this conference they will be a blessing to your fellowship/local church, I am sure.

Few Details for this Conference:

Dates: 23-25 October, 2012

We're inviting youth between 15 - 30 years old - Unmarried Single Youth ONLY to participate.

Married people are not permitted unless they are serving as Youth Leaders / Directors or Chaperones.

These leaders will oversee the Youth from their local Churches.

The Registration fee is Rs. 500 (for 3 days) This includes food & lodging for outstation participants. (Actual cost is Rs 1100 per person) Travel needs to be borne by the participant or sponsored by the local Churches. 

ONLINE REGISTERATION: GO ONLINE AT www.nymindia.com and register online. Or contact - 040-66385451 immediately. 

  

3000 young people from all over India are expected for this conference.

Young people from over 17 Indian states have already decided to come!

Don't miss out. Make immediate plans to come for this rocking, rare, event which will refresh and revive you!

What Sammy Said At The Presentation After West Indies Won the 2012 T20 World Cup….

- Duke Jeyaraj’s poem on the West Indies-Sri Lanka T20 World Cup Final

West Indies were limping at 32-2 after 10 overs, and 48-2 after 12 – the wily young Lankan spinners – Mendis and Dhananjaya  -  would not let them break free!

With their eyes of faith, the Sri Lanka fans watching this game on their home ground, their country holding the T20 World Cup, could definitely see!

That’s when Marlon Samuel’s played an innings that has been aptly called the ‘281 of T20’ and went on a sensational, murderous six-hitting spree!

By smashing 26 off 15 balls Captain Darren Sammy said, “The responsibility of ensuring that the West Indies finish the innings well after Samuels got out would be squarely on me!”

Sri Lanka were going about the chase okay, when they were 47-1 at the end of the 9^th over with both their legends Jayawardene and Sanga still in the middle,

That’s when some super bowling by Badree, Narain and Samuels, exposed the Sri Lankan middle order that proved ever so brittle,

When fighting-back Kulasekara started to smash Ravi Rampaul, ice cool senior pro Chris Gayle who just scored 3 off 16 balls earlier in the day, was there to calm him in a speech given in a huddle,

In their entire innings Sri Lanka collapsed to score less runs than the runs West Indies did in their last 10 overs (105) and their fans were ready to eject on them, in disgust, their spittle!

While West Indies danced to celebrate after having won a World Cup after 33 long years, for Sri Lanka  in four straight World Finals, it was the case of regret and tears,

And in the presentation ceremony, Captain Sammy talked about Jesus Christ who died on the Cross as the one, who amidst all the criticism he had faced, who calms all his fears!

The thrill and satisfaction that one get when watching a good T20 game fades away quickly when life’s problems pricks as briers!

That’s why you need to come in repentance and faith to the Jesus that Captain Sammy talked about – to experience even amidst long life calamities, lasting cheers!

The Ultimate Combination Champion is Jesus, not Barack Obama, Bill Clinton!

- Duke Jeyaraj

Former US President, Bill Clinton, was oozing with eloquence when he spoke thus of President Barack Obama in the Democratic National Convention, in Charlotte, NC, on 5 Sept 2012: “I Nominate A Man Who’s Cool On The Outside… But Burns For America On The Inside"... He was praising Barack Obama for possessing a rare combination of contrasting qualities. I want to say that no one had a greater measure of contrasting qualities than the Lord Jesus himself. I call Jesus, 'the combination champion'. Not only was Jesus amazingly powerful (he had miracle-working power) but he was absolutely pure (there was no muck in him). Not only was Jesus 100% God (Titus 2:13), he was also 100% human (Acts 17:31). While Jesus was loving (a bruised reed, he would not break), he could lash out at people with words of judgement as well (he called the unrepentant Jewish religious leaders "a brood of snakes", "white-washed tombs" who were headed for hell, and Herod as "that fox"). Jesus' contrasting qualities far out-beats anyone you can care to name (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

DO YOU DOFF YOUR HAT TO YOUR OPPONENT LIKE DJOKOVIC DID?

- Duke Jeyaraj

After Andy Murray became the first Britisher to win a Grand Slam in 76 years by beating him in the 2012 US Open Final, Serbia's Novak Djokovic showered praise on his opponent: 

"I had a great opponent today. He deserved to win this grand slam more than anybody, I'm sure, because over the years he's been a top player. He's been so close, lost four finals. Now he has won it, so I would like to congratulate him.

"Happy that he won it." (from Yahoo News).

Djokovic's verbal act of doffing his hat to his opponent was refreshing to read for we live in the world were envy is everywhere and feelings of jealously are not uncommon! The tricky thing about envy is that no one can tell if you are envious, for sure. Only God who knows everything and from whom nothing can be hidden would know. And you, the person who harbors envy, would know.

Apostle Paul was like the Novak Djokovic we just read about. He could have chosen to be envious of young evangelist Apollos, who apparently was more eloquent than him (see Acts 18:24 and I Cor. 2:3). But he did not. Instead, Paul chose to "strongly" recommend the ministry of Apollos to the church in Corinth in his letter to them (I Cor 16:12). Wow! By doing this, Paul was just practicing what he wrote to the church at Philippi: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3 ESV). Paul was simply following Jesus who appreciated the folk who loved to hate him, the Jewish leaders. Jesus appreciated the Jewish leaders for their discipline of searching of Scripture for long hours and for their discipline of giving to God one-tenth of items found even in their kitchens (see John 5:39; Math 23:23).

What about you? Do you appreciate the bloke in your team who is better than you in the tasks you both have to execute in the company you work for? He collects more dollars than you, perhaps. She gets more customer appreciation, maybe. Do you go green with envy when you spot some more accomplished than you in a certain discipline - be it taking photographs, be it dressing up well, be it preaching a Bible message, be it speaking the English language, be it in cooking, be it in scoring exam grades, etc? Don't! Learn from Djokovic. Learn from Paul. Appreciate the person who does things better than you!

The only person who can truly transform your life from the cancer of envy is the one who died because of the envy of others - even the Lord Jesus Christ (Math 27:18 - Pilate understood that it was out of envy that the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to die). Jesus died not just because of the envy of the Jews. He died as a punishment for our sins, the Bible declares (2 Cor. 5:21).  Come to him who shed his blood for you on the Cross. His blood will flush you of all sin - including the sin of envy, which he clearly named as sin in one of  his sin lists (see Mark 7:22). Jesus will give you the power to genuinely appreciate your opponents/teammates who are perhaps better than in you in certain matters!

Don't forget - being envious is injurious to your health! "Envy makes the bones rot!", the Bible declares (Prov 14:30)! Before our bones rot, let us blot the sin of envy in our heart by asking Jesus to cleanse us from it!

TALKING ABOUT THE 100 METERS DASH AND ANOTHER CLASH

Duke Jeyaraj's poem on the eve of the men's 100 meters dash in London 2012 Olympics

In every Olympics, the most watched race is the 100 meters dash,
The tag of 'fastest man on the earth' belongs to the winner of this clash!
In this Olympics, will the winner be World Record Holder Usain Bolt?
Or will it be his country-mate Yohan Blake, the young colt?
Some Americans would like to think, it's going to be Tyson Gay!
W

 hile the Sun still shines, former Olympic champ Justin Gatlin, would seek to make hay!
Don't forget, you also have, among the contenders, Jamaica's Asafa Powell,
The 100 metre dash will be truly absorbing contest, well, well, well!

Did you know, history's greatest EVER clash was between Jesus and the Devil
When Jesus died and rose again, He won this clash and solved the problem of sin and evil
When you repent and turn to Jesus, your life with true joy and real peace, He will fill!

THE EPIC RACE & GOD'S GRACE!

Duke Jeyaraj's Good News Presenting Poem on the London Olympics Men's 100 Meters Dash Final which Usain Bolt won on 5 August 2012.

It was on the London Olympics 2012 100 meters men's final dash the world's eyes did lock,

To watch this one heart-stopping event, live, people from all over the world, to the Olympic stadium did flock,

To catch this breathtaking sprint live on TV, folks like me in India, woke up with the kids, as early as two o' clock,

The cynosure of all eyes was 'Lighting Bolt' Usain Bolt - no athlete in recent times, like him the universe, did rock,

After his pre-race theatrics for the crowds (that included Prince Harry and William) and the cameras, Bolt crouched on the starting block,

At one point in the race, he was third last, and the question did arise if someone his Olympic title, from him would possibly knock,

But he blazed forward as the finish neared - it was as if he alone ran while others' legs were arrested in some sort of a padlock,

A talented field of athletes including the current World Champion Blake, former world record holder Powell, 2007 World Champion Gay and the former Olympic Champion Gatlin, he effortlessly did sock,

History's three fastest 100 meter dash times were now his, as he crossed the finish line in a Olympic record of 9.64 seconds, his nagging critics to mock,

His World Record of 9.58 seconds could have possibly been broken had he not, while he was about to cross the finish line, wasted precious nano seconds, trying to look at the stop-clock,

Bolt's phenomenal power sprint pulled all seven out of the eight finalists under the 10 second barrier, expect Asafa Powell, who slowed down in utter shock,

In this epic race, Justin Gatlin, though he ran 0.06 seconds faster than his 2004 Gold Medal performance could only add a bronze to his Olympic medal-stock,

After the race, Bolt struck trademark 'To The World' pose pointing both fingers in the air, after bowing prostrate to the ground, to perhaps do God-talk.

Talking about God-talk, I am reminded of the race that Jesus, God in flesh, undertook to reach atop Golgotha hillock,

To wash away your sin and mine, he would shed his sinless blood there after having received from cruel Roman soldiers, knock after knock,

He did this all to give you a real happiness which you are still searching for after that secret fling with that pretty girl in that pink frock,

Turn from sin and trust in Jesus, your life will be meaningful and purposeful and you won't have to, like Socrates, drink poisonous hemlock!

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Post Script - Poor Tyson Gay! He finished fourth despite clocking a sensational time of 9.80 seconds in the 100 meters final. In every Olympic 100 meters men final before Beijing 2008, this effort would have won him the Gold Medal. But this time - thanks to Gold Medal winner Usain Bolt's power sprinting that pulled the seven out of the eight finalists into the sub 10 seconds mark - this guy called Gay did not even win a bronze medal despite a fabulous effort this Olympics and was reduced to tears.  This is a imperfect picture of how all of us, sinful us, have fallen short of the glory of a holy, holy, holy God despite our best efforts and how we can be saved only through placing our total trust in Christ!

Hate Story Movie's Paoli Dam & The Damnation of the Soul

- Duke Jeyaraj

"Love killed her soul; her body seeks revenge" - so goes the movie poster punchline for VIKRAM BHATT'S, Hate Story, as I discovered from newspaper ads. The 'her' referred to in this movie poster punchline is actress Paoli Dam. Starting  from Paoli Dam, we can learn a lesson from the Bible about the damnation of the soul! Shocked? Let me elaborate. Even the makers of movies of the cadre a Christ-follower would consciously avoid, like the HATE STORY, surprisingly, concede that humans have a soul - not just a body. We have a soul, because we are made in the image of God who too has a soul. "My soul is well-pleased!" so said the God of the Bible about the sinless life of only incarnate Son, Jesus - the Bible records (Math 12:18). Yes, all of us have a soul! This soul, the Bible declares, will go on living forever (Eccl 3:11). We can gain the whole world, and yet forfeit the soul, Jesus, God-in-flesh warned (Mk 8:36). Nothing can be given in exchange for the soul, ever, Jesus taught (Math 16:26). Not the diamonds of South Africa. Not the cars of Germany. Not the cheap thrills that come in viewing movies like HATE STORY. Just nothing. Without a living, daily, deep relationship with Jesus, our soul and body will be consigned to eternal hell - this is the declaration of Jesus who always spoke the truth (Math 10:28). Jesus' question to all who are reading this is this: if your soul is required of you tonight, where will it spend eternity (Lk 12:20)? If you not sure of the answer, repent and come to the one whose 'soul was troubled' because of our sinful deeds (John 12:27). Come to the one who went to Gethsemane garden being 'sorrowful in his soul' and eventually to the Cross of Calvary for our sakes, and for our sins (Math 26:38). Come to the one whose 'soul was not abandoned to death' but rose again from the death - the only one to do so (Acts 2:27). Come to Jesus. Come now. After you have come to Him, start to love Him 'with all your soul' - which is his greatest command (Math 22:37). And, by his power overcome temptations that will come your way, live holy. Start reading his word, the Bible and start talking to him in prayer. Join a Bible-believing fellowship. Witness for him, through your life and lips. Then, when Jesus comes back the second time to this planet as judge, you will be "kept blameless in your body, soul and spirit" (I Thess 5:23).