My Walk with God 🌱

  "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory." -Revelation 16: 8-9 These days, I have found myself having to step out of my home for various reasons, and every single time, I am either looking for shade or air conditioned comfort as often as I can while I am outside, or extremely relieved when I reach back home, out of the sun but not without first being properly toasted. Words that I hear around me that are being used to describe the sun's heat range from brutal to scorching to stinging. Can you relate? I don't know about you, but I have started asking myself if this is normal. Is this a new norm? Or am I the one slowly but surely becoming increasingly intolerant or less resilient when it comes to regular heat from the sun? I even ventured to ask some pers...

  “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? -Jeremiah 32:27 A few weeks ago, hurricane Beryl made her way through the Caribbean. While parts of the region were spared from the full extent of her impact, others were not so fortunate. Several islands experienced devastation, with many homes flattened or damaged extensively. One such location was Union Island, St. Vincent. The island's infrastructure was completely destroyed... and yet this photo emerges out of the landscape of rubbles. The home of Joseph Franklin, resident of Union Island. Photo courtesy The Guardian:   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/12/solitary-wooden-house-on-union-island-escapes-fury-of-hurricane-beryl Allow me to indulge you a bit further with a news report and interview. The Little House That Went Viral on Union Island Persons may have varying opinions or perspectives on this story, but there is no denying that a house continues to not only stand, but sta...

  "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." -Matthew 25:7 What do you use to give light? Many use a light bulb or an electrically powered light source. However, there are other traditional light sources. For example, consider a wax candle that we tend to seek out when the electricity goes, or even a scented candle when we want to set a mood. In my country, during the Hindu festival of Divali, deeyas (small cup-shaped oil lamps made of baked clay) are placed all around the devotee's home. Consider also, even before electricity was the standard form of power in homes, many would rely on what we call oil/kerosene lamps. These traditional light sources tend to have some things in common. They have a supply of fuel, and a wick, that serves as a conduit for the fuel, which is lit and burns to give light. On doing some research, I realized also that the wick does tend to get charred, and if not trimmed, tends to smoke or not give off as bright a light as desired. I...

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  - Psalm 23:1 Ever had a strange craving? Maybe for an exotic fruit, a particular food, or an urge to go the beach? I am not sure if mine would be considered a craving, but it came out of what might seem to be nowhere, and I am starting to think now that maybe it is something the Lord has placed on my heart. I confess that as of lately, I have found myself longing for a pet, more specifically a lamb or a kid. However, my first preference would be a lamb. I am not yet sure how, or if I will even get it but I trust that if it is God's will, one will eventually come to me in the fullness of time. In my moments of reflection however, I try to recall all, if any, knowledge or memories that I have of sheep. My memory goes back to a news article I came across in 2021 where a lost sheep was found, roaming around in Australia. You can view a brief video below on it, courtesy the animal sanctuary and CTV News. Baa-rack the sheep found roaming in Aus...

"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen." - Revelation 1:7 Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you woke up and were experiencing real physiological reactions like tears, or strong heart palpitations, or panic responses? I had such a dream this week. And as I awoke and tried to process it, I prayed about it too. It was a nightmare to me. After I finished telling it to God, I checked my messages. One of these messages was from a friend who appears to have awakened from a dream one hour earlier, and was sharing his dream. As I read his dream, it brought comfort to me. This was his dream: I was in a park, looking up at the mountains, and then we saw this huge foot break through the stratosphere (sky). It seemed to belong to what reminded me of the statue in the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar, but I believe that it was Jesus. Everyone started to ru...

"Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. " -Genesis 5:23-24 Has anyone ever told you to take a hike?  They may actually be giving you a compliment.   Traditionally, it was meant as an insult, as walking was considered a necessity for the poor due to lack of transport, but now, hiking has become a sport of choice with enthusiasts from all walks of life. In fact, November 17 has been acknowledged as National Day of Hiking in the USA. Anyone who knows me, knows I like to walk. I am always looking for someone to walk with me or an opportunity to walk, be it in the mountains, on the walking track around the savannah, or even walking through a garden. Walking has many benefits for me. It is a good form of exercise, uses pent up energy, is an effective de-stresser, and it also takes me places where I wouldn't have been able to reach on wheels. I enjoy the forest, being around rivers, waterfal...

Fireside (Mike Moyers - Oil Painting) "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8 Different Stories. One Mission. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit and spend some time at Jesus' feet? What would he speak about? What would you ask or tell him? What would it feel like? What would you be inspired to believe or do after such an experience? I believe that one cannot remain the same after spending time with Jesus. The disciples spent a few precious years with Him and their purpose was ignited by the Holy Spirit . They were now on a mission. Story 1 : One day this week, I spent some time house-cleaning. My parents and I were on a mission - de-clutter, clean, discard the unnecessary as much as possible. Focusing on the task was demanding but I must say it was rewarding. I sweat a lot, got some exercise, and it did a lot for me...

"And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe." - Revelation 14: 14-15 In the US, the month of September has been designated as the month for raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease. Do you know someone who is affected by this? Depending on which part of the world you are in, the chances of this may vary, as certain regions/ethnicities seem to have a higher frequency than others. According to statistics, twenty million people worldwide are affected by this condition, of which approximately 100,000 are in the US (1 in every 365 persons are born with the disease, and 1 in every 13 persons carry the trait). Normal blood cells are disc-shaped and flexible and can travel eas...

"But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works." -Psalm 73:28 This week, the world watched in shock as the frantic search for five passengers aboard a missing submersible vessel named the Titan ended in the discovery that it had already self-destructed in a tragic implosion. It is deeply ironic that this same vessel had gone in search of the sunken ship, the Titanic which had also met a tragic end on April 15, 1912. While there are many mixed emotions about the recent tragedy, my attention can't help but return to the historical demise of the SS Titanic. Maybe it was because of its size, or the idea of the rich and famous being on board that attracted so much attention, or maybe it was the hype surrounding the new ship, with someone famously boasting that "not even God could sink this ship" . Maybe it was the subsequent namesake movie made that helped to further immortalize its story in our me...

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  -1 Kings 3: 5-15 This week I wished upon a star. Well, it happened this way. I had just finished a conversation, and then glanced up at the sky. Next thing I know, I saw a shooting star. A pretty common phenomenon, I imagine, but for the average person, it isn't a regular sight as we don't look up as much, so when we see one, we are intrigued.  The concept of wishing on a star originated from Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer from back in the day who reasoned that a shooting star was a sign from the gods that they were listening to your wishes and ready to grant them. While it is a whimsical move, I found myself without thinking, making a wish for the first thing that came to my mind. It surprised me actually, what first came to my mind to wish for in that very moment. Afterward, it had me reflecting. What if it really did come through... is that what I re...

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands." -Psalm 143:5 Are you someone who feels the need to be constantly reassured by God, to be reminded that He loves you and that He is with you? I have a confession to make. I can be like this sometimes. I sometimes wonder why, or if anyone else is like me, if He ever gets tired of me, or if He cares about the need enough to keep meeting it for as long as it takes. Of course, I know He loves me, and that He is working for my good, but sometimes, just sometimes, hmm..  I can sometimes imagine Him thinking to Himself, "After all that I have done for you, how can you still wonder if I still love you? Here's something that you definitely can't miss."  I don't ever want to forget Him, and I don't want Him to forget me either. I look to the Bible to see if there was anyone like me. I have always thought these folks were not who I wanted to be like, but have you...

"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!"  -Luke 1:45 Hello friends, I am sure by now you would have noticed this week that the world acknowledged International Women's Day. The strengths of women, the value and contribution of women, the beauty and timelessness of women, were all encouraged and affirmed. It is interesting, however, despite the accolades of the female gender, women often forget how precious we are. This may be due to many varied factors. Seasons of hardship, neglect, mistreatment, loss, abuse, exploitation, failure of protectors, the absence of fathers/father figures, and many other effects of a sinful world, all tend to influence a woman's self-perception and perhaps, even forget her worth. Tonight, I want to remind you, (and indeed myself in the process) that God has placed His image in us just as much as He has placed in our male counterparts. The Bible tells us that He has created us, fashioned us, crafted...