Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood (Chaperon Rouge) next to the fact that it is quite a "scary" tale, it gave me a chance to learn another lesson from Farida. Watching the story, specifically when little red riding hood arrived at her grandma who just got devoured by the wolf, Farida jumped out of her seat yelling at the little girl "Take care...you do not need to ask about her ears or nose, stop talking with her...just listen to her voice...It is NOT your grandma sleeping there, surely not her sweet voice...It is clearly a villain one, it's the WOLF...Run Now..RUN!" She looked at me with that worried gaze in her eyes and told me "you know pa, when I go to answer the door I ask who is there, if it is you or mami, I recognize right away your voice and open...but if it is another voice...I literally run to whoever is in the house and ask them to come and check. It gets me scared sometimes!"...and THAT was Enough for me to get my lesson of the day!

Reading through John 10 in the famous sermon of Jesus about the Good Shepherd, the following verse kept me hanging there in awe:

When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers or recognize their call. (John 10:4-5 AMP)
ومَتَى أخرَجَ خِرافَهُ الخاصَّةَ يَذهَبُ أمامَها، والخِرافُ تتبَعُهُ، لأنَّها تعرِفُ صوتَهُ. وأمّا الغَريبُ فلا تتبَعُهُ بل تهرُبُ مِنهُ، لأنَّها لا تعرِفُ صوتَ الغُرَباءِ». (10 يوحَنا:4-5 )

I always knew about the sheep who recognize the voice of the care taker, food provider and shelter provider, their shepherd...but caught by surprise seeing that they not only refuse to follow a strange voice, yet Run Away...run back to the one they know PERSONALLY. How many times have we heard and followed strange voices, sometimes we listen and start negotiating, while we know safety lies in fleeing..specially when this strange voice knows your weaknesses. Our Shepherd knows us by Name, and we are invited to sit at His feet and feel His presence, cherish His guidance and receive His abundant blessings for the Shepherd said "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. (John 10:27-29 ERV)" AMEN!

Do not fall in the trap of the wolf, Red Riding Hood listened to the strange voice!

A WOW Effect!

Who on earth can just not love this moment of Gift Giving (specially to the kids). The reactions, that glittering happiness in the eyes, this big smile and the hug afterwards are unmatchable joy inducers of life. However, Leila and Farida's happiness manifestations are dis proportionally stronger when the gift comes at unexpected time or even more...in an unexpected way, and bigger than their wish..asking that same wondering question every time "WOW..How and when did you do that?". They showed me that a surprise WOW effect always lasts longer than the Gift-Giving act itself, it brings a story-to-tell and a memory-to-cherish, and That's why the smallest unexpected acts are just invaluable (even for us adults).

How many times our Loving Heavenly father surprised you a with such a WOW effect? It is amazing the number of times He answers prayers beyond our expectations, in size or in timing. I love these verses showing how God works in ways that seem mysterious, ways that we only understand when we start drawing the dots and seeing the plan that have been slowly brewing to deliver this WOW surprise:

- For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP)

«لأنَّ أفكاري لَيسَتْ أفكارَكُمْ، ولا طُرُقُكُمْ طُرُقي، يقولُ الرَّبُّ. لأنَّهُ كما عَلَتِ السماواتُ عن الأرضِ، هكذا عَلَتْ طُرُقي عن طُرُقِكُمْ وأفكاري عن أفكارِكُمْ. (55 إشَعياءَ:8-9
- Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (John 13:7 NIV)
أجابَ يَسوعُ وقالَ لهُ: «لَستَ تعلَمُ أنتَ الآنَ ما أنا أصنَعُ، ولكنكَ ستَفهَمُ فيما بَعدُ». (13 يوحَنا:7 )
- Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33, 36 NIV)
يا لَعُمقِ غِنَى اللهِ وحِكمَتِهِ وعِلمِهِ! ما أبعَدَ أحكامَهُ عن الفَحصِ وطُرُقَهُ عن الِاستِقصاءِ لأنَّ مِنهُ وبهِ ولهُ كُلَّ الأشياءِ. لهُ المَجدُ إلَى الأبدِ. آمينَ. (11 روميَةَ:33, 36 )

Dear Loving Father, Keeping a steadfast faith in your ways, believing that your Goodness stands ALL the way, makes us look forward unveiling your unexpected ways, your surprising gifts and Your abundant blessings into our lives. I pray that our hearts and minds read beyond the WOW moment and see, in hindsight, your Hand throughout that time weaving a tapestry of unexpected blessings into our own daily lives. Amen!

Keep the faith, Embrace the WOW moments, God has plenty of them for you and me!

PLEASE share with us a "WOW moment" in which God surprised you! I d love to read it 

I Have The Power and Authority, Dad!

I love it when I catch my little girls "red handed" متلبسين as it gives me the chance to share with them another learning or lesson that, I hope, would last them for life.
I specially remember when I first caught them trying to read in bed after already being put to sleep. I came in, to suddenly hear this chaotic silent noise, the bed cover still moving, a pretention of a sleep..and a torch light forgotten On :-) Despite "fearing" punishment, they obviously could not deny their action. I then went on talking them through the importance of a good sleep on healthy growth, eye fatigue of reading in dark and some more of that "Daddy bla bla bla".

Next day, happened the unexpected! After hearing some noise from their room, I went in to find them simply keeping a small light on, sitting and reading as if Last night's lesson was just out of the window. They looked at me with an innocent smile seeing the anger on my face, and purely explained "don't worry Papi, Mami said we can spend some time reading today as tomorrow is holiday! Bonne nuit Papi!" 
then went back to their fairy tales. In total silence, I left the room wishing them a good read and sweet dreams! Boom..it was me who got a lesson that night, their contrasting "BOLD" action of reading in bed and not fearing it only came through the "POWER and AUTHORITY" given to them by Aline!

This brings me back to more than 2000 years ago, to a group of Jesus followers that went from hiding behind closed doors out of FEAR (John 20:19), to BOLDLY speaking out loud to the multitudes about our Lord Jesus Christ. On His first public sermon Peter did not hide or deny but Spoke in all "Power and Authority". On that day about 3000 people were added to the group of believers. (Acts 2:41). The contrasting "BOLD" actions are telling us the message...They Received as well received "The POWER and Authority"a totally different one as Jesus Promised:

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be 
My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. (Acts 1:8 AMP)
لكنكُمْ ستَنالونَ قوَّةً مَتَى حَلَّ الرّوحُ القُدُسُ علَيكُمْ، وتَكونونَ لي شُهودًا في أورُشَليمَ وفي كُلِّ اليَهوديَّةِ والسّامِرَةِ وإلَى أقصَى الأرضِ». (أعمالُ الرُّسُلِ ٨:١)

That power of the Holy Spirit in those few men changed the face of the earth for ever. Do you know that you have the same power in you? Do you use it for its purpose? On that special day of Pentecost (العنصرة), I urge you to Pray for that same unchangeable Holy Spirit in you, seeking "The power and authority" to be the witness of faith, hope and love you were ASKED to be.

Be Bold my Friends...you have THE Power!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name...

How many of us feel just so proud, so special, so happy, and so comfortable....when you walk in a restaurant, cafe or even "el ba2al" and the owner there calls you by your name, knows you and shakes your hand! Yes, zat simple move wins the heart and loyalty of people at least me..and thats the basic foundation of retail marketing, knowing your customers cause they love being known..reminds me of the intro song of the famous sitcom "Cheers" with its known refrain (Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name). All this made think of The One that Knows me BEST (better than Aline or me even)...the one written about in Isaiah 43 (Ashe3ya) 

"Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. "I named you". You are mine. When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. (Isaiah 43:1, 2)".. The same God in Psalm 139: "Lord, you have tested me, so you know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, you know what I want to say, even before the words leave my mouth. You are all around me—in front of me and behind me. I feel your hand on my shoulder. (Psalms 139:1-5 ERV)" 

WOW...isnt it He the best marketer...just all i pray for is to get close to Him every day..every morning to know Him more and more..cause i am sure He will make feel more proud, happy and special than the Ba2al at the corner  enjoy this song!

 

He Speaks in Small voice

I just read this part this morning from 1Kings 19:11-12 "And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. (1 Kings 19:11, 12 AMP)" 

Yes, God comes not only in roaring thunders like we imagine, but in still small voice. I pray i can get to listen to this voice daily in the silence of the morning before jumping into my day..it will set my GPS properly and bring a much needed calmness!

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Kgs%2019:11-1Kgs%2019:12

My First Status

Those who leave #everything in #God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything....#Quote I Liked! 

Reminds me of :

Proverbs 16:3 (Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.)