"Just follow on?" by Ravin Caldera

Where are you?

Now, you mean?

I don't know!

I looked at the winding roads

on a dividing pike

as far as I could see

No end at sight

Then, took the least interested

I felt, it felt, rather,

I am something - I am nothing

I am everything - for a moment!

Just follow on - as far as it takes

Where does it go?

No one knows, I suppose . . .

Just follow on - to the end . . .

as far as I could see,

as far as I could go

as far as it goes

But, is there an end?

No, I suppose not!

whining, whining, whining . . .

Why whines all along?

Just follow on -just follow on . . .

No end at sight!

are we lost?

I don't know!

Just follow on . . .

This is my very first poem in English. I hope the readers will enjoy and made a comment about it. Thanks!

An Arundel Tomb by Philip Larkin

Side by side, their faces blurred,

The earl and countess lie in stone,

Their proper habits vaguely shown

As jointed armour, stiffened pleat,

And that faint hint of the absurd—

The little dogs under their feet.

Such plainness of the pre-baroque

Hardly involves the eye, until

It meets his left-hand gauntlet, still

Clasped empty in the other; and

One sees, with a sharp tender shock,

His hand withdrawn, holding her hand.

They would not think to lie so long.

Such faithfulness in effigy

Was just a detail friends would see:

A sculptor’s sweet commissioned grace

Thrown off in helping to prolong

The Latin names around the base.

They would not guess how early in

Their supine stationary voyage

The air would change to soundless damage,

Turn the old tenantry away;

How soon succeeding eyes begin

To look, not read. Rigidly they

Persisted, linked, through lengths and breadths

Of time. Snow fell, undated. Light

Each summer thronged the glass. A bright

Litter of birdcalls strewed the same

Bone-riddled ground. And up the paths

The endless altered people came,

Washing at their identity.

Now, helpless in the hollow of

An unarmorial age, a trough

Of smoke in slow suspended skeins

Above their scrap of history,

Only an attitude remains:

Time has transfigured them into

Untruth. The stone fidelity

They hardly meant has come to be

Their final blazon, and to prove

Our almost-instinct almost true:

What will survive of us is love.

Philip Larkin, “An Arundel Tomb” from Collected Poems.

A Very BIG Thank You for Praying Concerning Sri Lanka

“When the arrow of a saint’s prayer is put into the bow of Christ’s intercession it pierces the throne of grace.”[1]

Today my Pastor Neil Tomba tweeted this wonderful quote on prayer. I would like to thank every one who prayed for the Church of Sri Lanka past week. God has graciously intervene blessed this persecuted church.

As I reported last week, police have asked the Pastor not to hold services on Sunday, following the attack. However, the believers have turned up numbering thousand and they were not allowed into the church, therefore, they pray and worship God beside the road. Monday police went to court and lodged an injunction to close down the church saying that the church is a public nuisance. Tuesday court called the case and allowed the police to provide witness. The Attorneys representing the church counter argued, however, it seems that the church is facing eminent close down. If the court gives it verdict in favor of the police, most probably the extremist would use the same line of tactic to get rid of the other churches. The case is taken up again on Wednesday—the police produced evidences, however, court decided that the application of the close-down is not meet the proper legal grounds and dropped the injection altogether and asked the church to do proper sound proofing to reduced the noise levels. Then surprisingly, the magistrate asked police to produce the accused people who have involved in the attack. At this moment, local police was taken out of guard; they would have thought to put the blame on the church and settled the issue. The police said that they have not taken any one to custody, and the magistrate was displeased. Then court ordered the police to produce all who are involved in the mob attack at the next session and also ordered the television and other mass-medias to surrender their video tapes to identified the perpetrators.

We are glad that God has intervene and caused to drop the chargers lodged by the police, whereby, the extreme elements could not use such in future to close down churches. Moreover, court has also upheld the right of the Christians. Thanks again for your prayers and hope continuously remember Sri Lanka in your prayers.

Who are the attackers:

This is an short old report (past war time error) on the Jathika Helaurumaya Party (JUH), who are behind may of anti-conversion protests and threating churches, evangelists and believers in Sri Lanka. They are using the communal feelings to broaden their political base. They came to main stream political process, promising Sri Lankans that they would implement Anti-conversion bill in 2004. Please do pray for them out of love.

---

[1]Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1997), 183.

Remembering the Fallen!

We are glad and grateful of our Veterans who have fought and fallen to secure the freedom and peace for the future generations!

Mob Stormed a Church in Koswatta (Sri Lanka)

Last Thursday (06/09/2009) a mob, including Buddhist monks posing to have a peaceful demonstration, raided a Church in Koswatta (Colombo) and destroy the much of the church. This started as a demonstration over death of two women, who were participating at that gospel rally at the Viharamahadevi Park and later revealed that these two have died on natural causes. Many have attended for these gospel rallies, where some people were known to be healed. The recent reports indicate this church has been a catalyst in many Buddhist conversions. Several national newspapers are carrying a reports that aggravate the extreme factions for attacts on churches and urging the Sri Lankan Government to enact the Anti Conversion Bill immediately.

Today (07/09/2009) a parliamentarian and a former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hon H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya publically threatened the church leadership with death, arson and closing the church down. Please pray that the members of that church may have strength to stand and witness for Christ. Many Christian leaders are shaken by this incident—Ask God to bless the ministry of Christian workers spreading the Gospel in Sri Lanka amid opposition. See the attack on the church:

Ask God to bless the ministry of Christian workers spreading the Gospel in Sri Lanka amid opposition.

The Church website:Jesus Never Fails Good News Centre

New Developments:

---

Reported by my friend Rev. Yohan Heenatigala on November 08, 2009.

He sated:

I spoke with Pastor Joseph's wife today. Following is for the information of those interested in the matter.

1. The 2 persons who died did not die at the meeting as reported by some media.

2. The Church in Koswatte was attacked by a mob led by Buddhist priests - petrol bottles (liquid Gasoline Bombs) thrown in to the church did not ignite.

3. The police requested Pastor Joseph not to hold the church service on Sunday (today), he complied.

4. Thousands of believers turned up, knelt by the side of the road and prayed.

5. Pastor Joseph will be meeting with a Christian lawyer to do things within the law.

Please continue to pray as the Spirit leads. Your prayers are very important in this crucial time of confusion and unpredictability.

---

Updated on November 9, 2009

Today I received news that several other churches are also stoned, threaten and destructed by organized Buddhist mobs, while the Sunday worship-services. They shout and disturbed the services and vowed to close them down. The congregations were courageous and continued to worship the Lord in-midst of the disturbance. However, some Pastors are expecting organized mob violence throughout the week and especially on upcoming Sunday.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JUH), extreme Buddhist nationalistic political party, who were behind the Koswatta attack are trying to make disturbance and push the president to pass the Anti-Conversion Bill. This Bill has been lodge and lobby by this political party and they came to power by promising to implement it. The bill has been just stuck in the parliament because of the fundamental right violations by some clauses. Next year, the ruling party is preparing for a presidential election. It seems, these fanatics are pushing the president to act on legislation before his nominations for the upcoming election.

Your prayers are appreciated!!!

Picture shows part of the leadership of JUH: Ellawela Medhananda Thero, Athuraliye Ratana Thero and few others who participated in the Koswatta Church attack. They claim that they are having a peaceful demonstration, and were law abiding, peaceful citizens, who are using non-violence (ahimsa) methods to gain the right of the Buddhists. Ironic isn't it?

Clear the stage!

This is a very good song! enjoy!!!

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze

If that's the measure that it takes to crush the idols.

Chuck the pews and all the decorations too

Until the congregations few then have revival.

Tell your friends that this is where the party ends

until you're broken for your sins you can't be social.

Then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store

and know that great is your reward and just be hopeful

Cause you can sing all you want to.

Yes you can sing all you want to

you can sing all you want to

And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Take a break from all the plans that you made

And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.

Beg Him please to open up his mouth and speak

And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.

Shine the light on every corner of your life

Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.

Then read the word and put to test the things you've heard

Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

Cause you can sing all you want to.

Yes you can sing all you want to

you can sing all you want to

And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

Anything I put before my God is an idol.

Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.

Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol.

Anything that I give all my love is an idol.

We must not worship something that's not even worth it.

Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.

Cause I can sing all I want to.

Yes I can sing all I want to

I can sing all I want to

And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song.

And you can sing all you want to.

Yes you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song.

How to Dance in the Rain

I received this email from a friend, it is a beautiful example of love:

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said,

'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arms, and thought,

'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that comes along that has an important message. This is one of those.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,

but how to dance in the rain.' I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did!

Youth and Age (1823-1832)

This Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) is reflection of my 36^th birthday I celebrate last Sunday (October 25, 2009) with my close friends here in Dallas, Texas, US. Thank you very much for the valuable friendships like sheltering trees:

Verse, a Breeze 'mid blossoms straying,

Where HOPE clung feeding, like a bee—

Both were mine! Life went a-maying

                      With NATURE, HOPE, and POESY,

                              When I was young!

When I was young?—Ah, woful WHEN!

Ah! for the Change 'twixt Now and Then!

This breathing House not built with hands,

This body that does me grievous wrong,

O'er æry Cliffs and glittering Sands,

How lightly then it flashed along:—

Like those trim skiffs, unknown of yore,

On winding lakes and rivers wide,

That ask no aid of Sail or Oar,

That fear no spite of Wind or Tide!

Nought cared this Body for wind or weather

When YOUTH and I lived in't together.

         FLOWERS are lovely; LOVE is flower-like;

         FRIENDSHIP is a sheltering tree;

         O ! the Joys, that came down shower-like,

         Of FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, and LIBERTY,

                                                     Ere I was old!

Ere I was old? Ah woful ERE,

Which tells me, YOUTH'S no longer here!

O YOUTH ! for years so many and sweet,

'Tis known, that Thou and I were one,

I'll think it but a fond conceit—

It cannot be that Thou art gone!

Thy Vesper-bell hath not yet toll'd:—

And thou wert aye a Masker bold!

What strange Disguise hast now put on,

To make believe, that thou art gone?

I see these Locks in silvery slips,

This drooping Gait, this altered Size:

But SPRINGTIDE blossoms on thy Lips,

And Tears take sunshine from thine eyes!

Life is but Thought: so think I will

That YOUTH and I are House-mates still.

               Dew-drops are the gems of morning,

               But the tears of mournful eve!

               Where no hope is, life's a warning

               That only serves to make us grieve,

                                          When we are old:

That only serves to make us grieve

With oft and tedious taking-leave,

Like some poor nigh-related guest,

That may not rudely be dismist;

Yet hath outstay'd his welcome while,

And tells the jest without the smile.

[Note: lines 1-38 were published as Youth and Age 1828, 1829, and lines 39-49 as An Old Man's Sigh in 1832].

A witness story to DTS’ Theme Song

In  Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) we regularly sing the hymn “All Hail the power of Jesus’ Name” written by Edward Perronet in 1779. This is a story of Rev. E.P. Scott's use of it in mountains of India--

Transcript of the video:

Soon after Rev. E.P. Scott was a missionary to India, One day he passed a man of unusual appearance. A man from a wild mountain tribe, unreached by the gospel. Mr. Scott prayed over the matter. . .Against the pleadings of his friends. . .H e decided to visit the tribe. As he neared their village. . . He was ambushed by a war party. They seize him. Spears pointed at his heart. With no hope of escape. . . Scott carmly open his violin case . . .Breathed a prayer. . . and began to sing “all Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!” At every kindred, every tribe. . . He opened his eyes. . .The warriors stood in tears. . .Spears lowed. . .Mr. Scott was allowed into the village. He speared two years with them, many believed in Christ.

Faith Lost?: Christians fall through the cracks!

This week I met a Christian, who has never experience kindness from the church or Christians around her. She was marveled by our generosity and kindness. There is something very wrong in the contemporary evangelical Christianity. This resonates in the story of Van Gogh. The famous painter Vincent Van Gogh, sought to be a clergymen. He loved to read the bible, teach in Sunday school (when he was living in London), and listen to various sermons—his letters to brother and sister are filled with bible quotations. His failure to gain admissions to Amsterdam University for the theological training as clergy men, resulted in going to an evangelical college. He graduated and commissioned to the Belgian mission field, where he became cynical of the evangelical faith. In his later years, he distant himself from the religion—failure to find employment, or sell his paintings and mental disorders drove him to take his own life, in a corn field, where he was drawing. This is an excerpt taken from the lovely book called Evangelical Disenchantment by Dr. David Hempton:


No doubt piqued by a sense of rejection, and schooled in the evils of hypocrisy by his readings in Shakespeare, Dickens, and Harrier Beecher Stowe, Vincent developed a passionate cynicism for those in authority, especially those in religious authority in the same way that he lost respect for commercial art dealers in Paris and London, and self-serving theological educators in Amsterdam, he grew disenchanted with the evangelical leaders hip he encountered in Belgium. "I must tell you," he wrote Theo, "that with evangelists it is the same as with artists. There is an old academic school, often detestable, tyrannical, the accumulation of horrors, men who wear a cuirass, a steel armor, of prejudices and conventions; when these people arc in charge of alEiirs, they dispose of positions, and by a system of red tape they try to keep their protégés in their places and to exclude the other man." Comparing the spirituality of evangelical worthies to that of shakespeare's drunken Falstatf (very Dickensian), van Gogh concluded that they were incapable of normal human emotions or of anything approaching clear-sightedness. A similar distrust of religious professionals shows up a year later, when, after yet another bout of unrequited love, this time with his cousin Kee Vos,he wrote that the object of his love was in a mental prison imposed by the "Jesuitism of clergymen," which no longer had a hold on him because he knew some of "the dessojis de canes": "For me that God of the clergymen is as dead as a doornail. But am I an atheist for all that? The clergymen considering so—so be it—but I love, and how could I feel love if I did not live and others did not live. Now call it God, or human nature or whatever you like, but there is something which I cannot define in a system though it is very much alive and very real, and see that as God, or just as good as God." Van Gogh's criticism of the religious professionals he had once sought to emulate was accompanied by a more inclusive and less mutually competitive view of religion, art, literature, and spirituality than was the case in his evangelical phase. "I think that everything which is really good and beautiful—of inner moral, spiritual and sublime beauty in men and their works—comes from God, and all which is bad and wrong in men and their works is not of God, and God does not approve of it." In this way van Gogh was able to move beyond what was at times an antithetical view of religion and art to one that sought unity in all "the many things one must believe and love." Thus he could find something of Rembrandt in Shakespeare and something of the Gospel in Rembrandt and so on. Nevertheless, resolutions of old warring members did not come easily to van Gogh, and not all was resolved. He recognized that he had spent five years of his life "more or less without employment, wandering here and there," and that he was still without a suitable vocation, financial resources, familial respect, or his own family. He described himself as a caged bird imprisoned by adverse circumstances, a damaged reputation, and insufficient redeeming love. Even if his cage had not sprung open, something substantial changed in him in the years 1879—80. After parting company with the Belgian evangelicals, never again are his letters dominated by endless scriptural quotations, pious instructions, and a desire to find some form of sacrificial Christian service. Van Gogh, the evangelical Protestant, was buried somewhere in the coal mines of the Borinage. The person who emerged from the Belgian "black country" was just as much a tortured soul as the person who entered it,
but never again was the torture prescribed for him by some form of intense biblical Christianity. Van Gogh came to believe that love was the more excellent way and that art, for better or worse, was his passion. In 1880 he wrote, "the best way to know God is to love many things. Love a friend, a wife, something—whatever you like—and you will soon be on the way to know more about Him."

  
Source: David Hempton, Evangelical Disenchantment: Nine Portraits of Faith and Doubt. (New Haven:Yale University Press, 2008), 128-29.

ජනතාවට වැදගත් වන ප්‍රශ්නය කුමක්‌ද?

[This article is in Sinhalese unicode typescript]
සටහන:දිවයින පුවත්පතේ කර්තෘ විසින් ඉතා වැදගත් කතුවැකියක් ලියා තිබිණ. එය කෙතරම් වටිනා සටහනක් වී ද, මා විසින් එය මෙහි පළ කරන්නට කැමැත්තෙමි. එයින් දැනට ලංකාව ජනතාව විසින් කල්පනාවට ගත යුතු කරුණු කිහිපයක් දක්වයි. දැන් ලංකාවට අවශ්‍යවනුයේ තවත් ඡන්දයක් නො ව, සංවර්ධනයයි; ජනතාවට ජීවත් විය හැකි ජීවන බරකි. එහෙත් දේශපාලකයන් විසින් එවැනි ඡන්දයක් ජනතා දුක් නොසලකා, ඔවුන්ගේ වාසිය තකා ගෙනෙන්නට සූදානම් වන්නේ ‍නම් පවතින ආණ්ඩුව පරදවා (හෝ සුළුතර ආසන ප්‍රමාණයක් දී) පාඩමක් ඉගැන් විය යුතු ය. එවි‍ට ඡන්ද සෙල්ලම අත්හැර, ඔව්හූ වැඩට බසින්නා හ. බලයේ සිටින්නන්ට දැක්මක් ඇති කරලීම ඡන්ද දායකයා ගේ ශුද්ධ අයිතියකි. එසේ කටයුතු කිරීමට ලාංකියන්ට ප්‍රඥාව ලැබේ වා!

ජනරාල් සරත් ෆොන්සේකා දේශපාලනයට එනු ඇතැයි අයෙක්‌ කියති. තමා එසේ කරන බවක්‌ කිසිවකුට කියා නැතැයි එවිට ජනරාල් කියයි. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ස්‌ථාවරත්වය බිඳ දැමීමට හේතු විය හැකි ඕනෑම කුමන්ත්‍රණයකදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට උපකාර කරන බව ඉන්දියාව කියයි. මේ සියලු කරුණු අතර මීළඟට පවත්වන්නේ ජනාධිපතිවරණයද නැතහොත් මහ මැතිවරණයද යන්න විසඳාගත නොහැකිව ආණ්‌ඩුව ලතැවෙයි. ඒ අතර උදේට කෑවොත් දවල්ට කන්නේ කොහොමද, දවල්ට කෑවොත් රෑට කන්නේ කොහොමද යනාදී වශයෙන් කල්පනා කරමින් මහජනයා ලතැවෙයි.

මේ රටේ ජනයාගේ ආදායමින් හරි අඩක්‌ම වැයවන්නේ ආහාර සඳහා බව හෙළිවී ඇතැයි ඉරිදා (18 දා) "දිවයිනේ" මුල් පිටුවේ පළ වී තිබේ. මේ ප්‍රතිඵලය නියෑඳියක්‌ වශයෙන් තෝරාගත් පිරිසකගේ වියහියදම්වල සාමාන්‍යයකි. සැබෑ තත්ත්වය නම් මාසයේ මුළු වැටුපම ආහාර පිණිස වැය කර එයත්a මදි බැවින් තවත් ණය වන පවුල් දහස්‌ ගණනක්‌ මේ රටේ සිටින බව ය. උදාහරණයක්‌ වශයෙන් මසකට රුපියල් 12000 ක වැටුපක්‌ ලබන ගෘහමූලිකයකු සිටින පස්‌දෙනකුගෙන් යුතු පවුලක්‌ ගනිමු. රුපියල් 12000 දින 30 න් බෙදූ විට දිනක ආදායම රුපියල් 400 කි. පස්‌දෙනකුගෙන් යුතු පවුලකට දිනකට ආහාර වේල් 15 ක්‌ අවශ්‍ය ය. උදේ ආහාර වේල් 5 ට රුපියල් 100 ක්‌ද දිවා ආහාර වේල් 5 ට රුපියල් 200 ක්‌ ද රාත්‍රි ආහාර වේල් 5 ට රුපියල් 150 ක්‌ ද වැය කළ විට දවසේ වියදම රුපියල් 450 කි. එතැනම මේ පවුල දිනකට රුපියල් 50 බැගින් මසකට රුපියල් 1500 ක්‌ ණය වෙයි. මේ මිනිසුන්ට බස්‌වල ගමන් කිරීමටද ඇඳුම් පැළඳුම් සඳහා ද, ලයිට්‌ බිල් ගෙවීමට ද මුදල් ඉතිරි නොවේ. එ බැවින් තර්කයක්‌ වශයෙන් ගතහොත් මේ පවුල කරුවලේ නිරුවතින් ගෙතුලට වී කල් ගෙවිය යුතු ය. ගෙහිsමියා පමණක්‌ යන්තමින් විලි වසාගෙන වැඩට යා යුතු ය. එහෙත් රුපියල් 12000 ක ආදායමක්‌ කළමනාකරණය කිරීම සඳහා වෙනත් ක්‍රම ඇති බැවින් මේ මිනිස්‌සු ද අනෙක්‌ මිනිසුන් මෙන් ලයිට්‌ බිල්/ ගෙවල් කුලී/ වතුර බිල් ගෙවමින් තුන් වේලෙන් දෙවේලක්‌ හෝ ආහාර ගෙන දිවි ගැටගසා ගනිති.

ප්‍රශ්නය මේ මිනිසුන් කෙසේ හෝ ජීවත් වන බව කල්පනාවට ගෙන හිත හදා ගැනීම නොවේ. කෙසේ ජීවත්වේද යන්න සිතා බැලීම ය. දිනෙන් දින ඉහළ නගින උද්ධමනය හමුවේ බඩු මිල පහළ දැමිය නොහැක. ඒ ප්‍රශ්නයට විසඳුම ජනයාගේ ආදායම ඉහළ දැමීම ය. තිස්‌ අවුරුදු යුද්ධයක්‌ පැවැති රටේ යුද්ධය දිනූ ඇසිල්ලෙහි ජනයාගේ ආදායම ඉහළ දැමිය නොහැක. යුද්ධය නැවැතී ඇති නිසා යුද්ධයට වැය කළ සල්ලිත් ඉතිරි නොවේදැයි සමහරු ප්‍රශ්න කරති. එහෙත් අප යුද කළේ ද ණයට ය. ඒ නිසා තවත් අවුරුදු කිහිපයක්‌ම යුද ණය ගෙවීමට තිබේ. එසේ නම් කළ යුත්තේ කුමක්‌ද? මේ වළෙන් ගොඩ එන්නේ කෙසේද?

මුලින්ම බොරු වියදම් නැවැත්විය යුතුය. ජනාධිපතිතුමා ඇතුළු රටේ පැවැත්මට තීරණාත්මක ලෙස බලපාන දේශපාලනඥයන්ගේ සහ නිලධාරීන්ගේ හැර අන් සියලු දේශපාලනඥයන්ගේ විය හියදම් අඩු කළ යුතු ය. දැනට සිටින කරකබල් වැනි දේශපාලනඥයෝ පවා තමන් වෙනුවෙන් ආණ්‌ඩුවේ මුදල් විශාල ලෙස වියදම් කර ගනිති. ඇතැම් සුළු දේශපාලනඥයකු වුව පාරේ යන විට ඉදිරියෙන් වාහන තුන හතරක්‌ ද පස්‌සෙන් වාහන තුන හතරක්‌ ද ගමන් කරති. ඔවුන් එකතුවන තැන්වල පරිභෝජනය සහ පරිභෝජන වියදම නිතැතින්ම නගී. කළ යුත්තේ මේ වැය කපා හැර එම ඉතිරිය රටේ ජාතික ධනයට පොම්ප කිරීම ය. එසේ නැතුව ජෙනරාල් 
ෆොන්සේකා දේශපාලනයට එනවාද නැද්ද යන්න ගැන ලතවීම නොවේ.

Rewriting the Human Evolution Story

It is ironic that the evolution story has to be rewritten with the discovery of the Ardi, which stands for Ardipithecus ramidus predating iconic bones of Lucy form least a million years. 4.4 million years old, partial fossil-skeleton hints the scientists that humans and apes are evolved from more human like ancestor or forebear, than they earlier theorized. Therefore, the human and ape evolution is reversal not progressive. That is to say humans are not evolved from apes but apes have evolved from human like hominoids. The wall street Journal article states:
"Although the differences between humans, apes and chimps today are legion, we all shared a common ancestor six million years or so ago. These fossils suggest that the common ancestor – still undiscovered – resembled a chimp much less than researchers have always believed.

In fact, so many traits in modern chimps and apes are missing from these early hominids that researchers now question the notion that chimps and apes are a repository of primitive traits once shared by our ancestors. "We all thought the ancestral animal would look more like a chimp," said Yale University anthropologist Andrew Hill. 

Instead, the new finds show that what seems most ancient about modern chimps and apes -- such as canine fangs, long limbs with hooked fingers for swinging through trees, and hands designed for knuckle-walking -- may actually be more recent developments, the researchers said. In that sense, the human hand today actually may be the more primitive appendage, they said.

Unlike modern apes and chimps, these hominids had supple wrists, strong thumbs, flexible fingers and power-grip palms shaped to grasp objects like sticks and stones firmly. They were primed for tool use, even though it would be another two million years or so before our ancestors began to fashion the first stone blades, choppers and axes"

It amazing isn't it, how Science can fool people for decades!!!

Watch the WSJ presentation of the founding, you'll be astonished:

Story of the Spaffords!

Horatio Spafford was a 43 year old lawyer. He lived in a north side suburb of Chicago with his wife, Anna and his five children.

In 1871 his only son died.

A few months later, the Great Chicago fire of 1871 consume Spafford's real estate investment. He lost his entire life savings.

Two years later, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation to Europe. However, Spafford was delayed by last minute business. He sent his wife and four daughters on the S.S. Ville Du Havre as scheduled, promising to follow in a few days.

On November 22, 1873 the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel, and it sank in twelve minutes, 226 people were killed.

When the survivors of the shipwreck landed in Europe, Anna Spafford cabled her husband, "saved alone. What shall I do?"

Spafford immediately left Chicago to bring his wife home.

In the midst of his sorrow, while sailing near the place of his daughters' death, he wrote the words to the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul."

In spite of their tragedy, in 1881 the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem to meet the needs of the people. Through their service the Spaffords were able to share Christ with the local Muslims and Jewish communities….

See the Source video:

God’s Handwriting!

"He writes in characters too grand 
For our short sight to understand; 
We catch but broken strokes, and try 
To fathom all the mystery 
Of withered hopes, of death, of life, 
The endless war, the useless strife,—
But there, with larger, clearer sight, 
We shall see this—His way was right."

-John Oxenham (1903)

 

Urgent Prayer for Christians of Pakistan

I received this email to day from Voice of Martyrs, Please remember in prayer our fellow persecuted brothers and sisters of Pakistan:

Dear VOM Friends,

It was just a rumor. But among the radical Muslims in Pakistan's Gojra village, a rumor was enough of an excuse to kill.
When the rumor was broadcast from the loudspeakers on the minarets of local mosques, it became fact. As part of a wedding ceremony, the loudspeaker shouted, Christians tore pages from a Quran. Then they compounded the disrespect by walking on the shredded pages.

"Defend Islam!" The loudspeaker called. Muslims answered, rampaging through a Christian section of Gojra on Aug. 1. Eight Christians were killed, including women and children. More than 100 Christian homes were burned by a mob. The mob, which was estimated to be more than 20,000 people, also burned a church.

Five Hours Without Help
Emergency personnel did not reach Gojra for more than five hours. Christians were forced to use vegetable carts to move their dead and wounded to the hospital.
Responding to an international outcry, Pakistani government officials have now said no Quran was desecrated. The government promised to help rebuild the burned homes of Christian families.

Even before the government acted, contacts of The Voice of the Martyrs were in Gojra, offering comfort to the wounded and praying with the families of the dead. They continue to aid the village, including helping with some medical expenses, offering encouragement and pressing for a forceful government response.

Pray Blasphemy Laws Are Overturned
Christians in Pakistan hope these attacks can be a turning point. They are praying to God and pressing their government to overturn unjust blasphemy laws that are often a pretext to attack Christians.
They are also asking us to pray with them. Pray for Christians in Pakistan to be bold witnesses for Christ, despite threats. Pray for those wounded and left homeless by the brutal Gojra attacks. Pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way.

Martin Quèrè

My first visit to the National Seminary of Ampitiya, I met Martin Quèrè, a renowned scholar of Church History. He was greatly respected for his work in Catholic Church of Sri Lanka. As I waited anxiously, with feeble gait and gloomy face, this French priest approached us. He pleasantly greeted us with a smile. At the introduction the Dean said, "Reverend father has two PhDs!" At that moment, swiftly and in a melancholic weak voice, Quèrè replied, "All that is useless, now I can't remember much!" I was astonished. This great man strived his whole life to gain knowledge. Now he is unable to retrieve it clearly. After our brief meeting, he retired to his old room, where he resides for about fifty years. He walked morosely; his face was tainted with a deep sadness.

 "Whence then comes wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?"  Job 28:20

How to Find a True Gem!

This story sent to me by one of my dear friend. I stated it as it is:

I MUST WARN you, reader; before you begin. These words are ancient jewels mined
from the quarry of my life. Read them only if you dare treasure them. For it would be better to
never know, than to know and not obey.
The hand which writes them is now old, wrinkled from the sun and labor. But the mind
which guides them is wise; wise from years
wise from failures
wise from heartache.
I am Asmara, merchant of fine stones.

I am a seller of stones. I travel from city to city. I buy jewels from the diggers in one land
and sell them to the buyers in another I have weathered nights on stormy waters. I have walked
days through desert heat. I have dined with kings. I have drunk with paupers. My hands have
held the finest rubies and stroked the deepest furs. But I would trade it all for the one jewel I
never knew.

It was not for lack of opportunity that I never held it. There was a chance in Madrid when
I was young. No, it was not for lack of opportunity. It was for lack of wisdom. The jewel was in
my hand, but I exchanged it for an imitation. And now I fear my days will end without my ever
knowing the beauty of the precious stone.
I have never known true love.
I have known embraces. I have seen beauty. But I have never known love.
If only I'd learned to recognize love as I have learned to recognize stones.
My father taught me about stones. He was a jewel cutter. He would seat me at a table
before a dozen emeralds. "One is true," he would tell me. "The others are false. Find the true
jewel."

I would ponder—studying one after the other. Finally I would choose. I was always
wrong."The secret, "he would say," is not on the surface of the stone; it is inside the stone. A
true jewel has a glow. Deep within the gem there is a flame. The surface can always be polished
to shine, but with time the sparkle fades. However, the stone that shines from within will never
fade."

With the years, my eyes learned to spot true stones. I am never fooled. The stones I
purchase are authentic. The gems I sell are true. I have learned to see the light within.
If only I'd learned the same about love.

But I've been foolish, dear reader, and I've been fooled.
I've spent my life in places I shouldn't have been, looking for someone with sparkling
eyes, beautiful hair, a dazzling smile, and fancy clothes. I've searched for a woman with outer
beauty, but no true value. And now I am left with emptiness.

Once I almost found her. Many years ago in Madrid, I met the daughter of a farmer. Her
ways were simple. Her love was pure. Her eyes were honest. But her looks were plain. She would
have loved me. She would have held me through every season. Within her was a glow of devotion
the like of which I've never seen since.

But I continued looking for someone whose beauty would outshine the rest.
How many times since have I longed for that farm girl's kind heart, her sweet smile, her
faithfulness? If only I'd known that true beauty is found inside, not outside. If only I'd known,
how many tears would I have saved?

I'd trade in a moment a thousand rare gems for the true heart of one who would have
loved me.

Dear reader, heed my warning. Look closely at the stones before you open your purse.
True love glows from within and grows stronger with the passage of time.
Heed my caution. Look for the purest gem. Look deep within the heart to find the greatest
beauty of all. And when you find that gem, hold onto her and never let her go.
For in her you have been granted a treasure worth far more than rubies.
Seek beauty and miss love.
But seek love and find both.

If, Just If…

"One prominent Sri Lankan clergyman D.T. Niles said, 'evangelism is one hungry beggar telling another where he can find bread!'

Just imagine a village full of beggars, whom no one knows where to find bread; therefore hundreds are dying in hunger daily.

Several miles away, there is a place where people not only have their full but they just throw fresh bread as trash, because they have so plenty.

If a person knew the existence of these two places, What would his/her response be?

Now… Just think

If the remote hungry beggars' village is a real existing remote village in Venezuela, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Somalia, China, India, Vietnam or Sri Lanka;

If the plentiful place of food is your church, here in USA;

If the bread is the living word of God, the gospel message of Jesus Christ,

and the only person who knows the existence of this two place is YOU (now you know any way)—

what would you do?

Two Ladies were sharing lunch together when one said to the other: "I don't know many Christians,but somehow I can't help regarding them as hypocrites." Said the other, "But your sister-in-law, she lives in the same house with you; surely you must acknowledge that she is a devoted Christian." "That's just it," was the laughing reply. "She has a very lovely disposition, and she devotes her life to missions and Sunday schools, but she has never said a word to me about becoming a Christian. It's only make-believe with her about souls being in danger. You need not tell me! I know that she is fond of me, but if she believed all that, don't you think she would not have said something?"

[This is a part of the application in a sermon I prepared for World Missions Class].