Change of Seasons

Change of seasons has its rituals here in Europe. Welcoming winter requires some life adjustments to the city and its inhabitants, not only referring to some Christmas decoration on the streets, earlier hour for turning on the light posts and Anti Slippery snow ready tires, but also about the preparations put in place to receive such a harsh season. what was truly catching my attention is how they dealt with greenery and trees, the beautiful sight of "dead" colorful tree leaves displaying a splendid array of red to orange colors will soon all fall to leave naked thick "scary" branches. They know end of Autumn comes with heavy winds to bring down the leaves, but also shake off the dead branches. For that, they go around trimming and cutting off loose branches to avoid that this beautiful autonomy looking tree doesn't turn into a life threatening block falling on the heads of pedestrians or crushing down cars. Cutting away and Trimming the tree to Make it safe and ready for the trials of Blowing winds and loads of Snow!

You know that you and I are branches hanging to the Tree of Life, Branches extending from our Lord. I love tis passage in John 15, where Jesus talks to us about the power of abiding in Him, Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine/tree, neither can we bear fruit unless we abide in Him. But the second verse of this passage might be shocking to some:

"Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." (John 15:2 AMP)
«أنا الكَرمَةُ الحَقيقيَّةُ وأبي الكَرّامُ. كُلُّ غُصنٍ فيَّ لا يأتي بثَمَرٍ يَنزِعُهُ، وكُلُّ ما يأتي بثَمَرٍ يُنَقّيهِ ليأتيَ بثَمَرٍ أكثَرَ. (15 يوحَنا:1-2 )

Yes, We will be cleansed and trimmed to bear more fruits, we will go through tough cutting to be ready for the winds to come and for the snow to carry. God, Through His loving Hands, knows how our dead branches can crush the ones around us, how falling leaves can leave a mess and slippery grounds on our path of life. It is tough yet His caring hands and Holy Spirit will allow and take us through to bring us to make you and I bear richer, and more excellent fruits. 

Heavenly Father, Here I am..Make me ready for the change of seasons...ready to stand firm and strong abiding in You when the wind blows and winter tests..for in Spring by your glory I shall flourish your Love to the world and bring shade to the ones in need.

Let the trimming begin my friends!

Sand Castle on a Salty Sea

Learning by experience is a powerful tool and my daughter Leila proved it right. This summer, on hot beach day, our parents, Aline and I were laying in the sun talking how "salty" the Red Sea is...you feel it sticking to your skin. Over hearing our discussion, Leila suddenly left the sand castle she was building and turned to us sharing this following simple fact "You know, The sea is made of Water and Salt..This is why it is salty..Papi showed it to me last year at home, where we poured in salt into water, it just disappeared but turned it into Sea water. So this is how they make it!".....turned her head and went back to her Sand Castle! I was just surprised that she kept this simple experience stored in the back of her head feeling so proud, leaving totally her play time, and sharing it in such a simple confident way. This scene confirmed a statement beautifully written about the concept of "experience" that you can hear an idea one hundred times and fail to make it a piece of who you are until you actually experience it, it rises from being just a CONCEPT to a TRUTH to you.

That is why I prefer the term relationship over the term religion. In a relationship, you need to go through a state of experiencing someone to build what you can call a relationship. No relation exists without experience, and our Book is filled with events in which people had the blessing to Experience Jesus and His love. Out of these I can never forget the Samaritan woman at the well...She has done what Leila have demonstrated perfectly. She met Him, experienced His encounter, The Messiah turned from a concept to Truth, and went to her village sharing Her story..She even left her most dear item she carried, she left her Jar at the well and went back without earthly water:

"Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did....Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:28-29, 39 NIV)
فترَكَتِ المَرأةُ جَرَّتَها ومَضَتْ إلَى المدينةِ وقالَتْ للنّاسِ: «هَلُمّوا انظُروا إنسانًا قالَ لي كُلَّ ما فعَلتُ.
فآمَنَ بهِ مِنْ تِلكَ المدينةِ كثيرونَ مِنَ السّامِريّينَ بسَبَبِ كلامِ المَرأةِ الّتي كانتْ تشهَدُ أنَّهُ: «قالَ لي كُلَّ ما فعَلتُ » (4 يوحَنا:28-29, 39 )

Dear Lord, I do not want a RELIGION...I want an Experience-filled life with you, a life in which I encounter your presence, and hear your whispers, see your eyes watching over, and know that you are there closer than my breath to me. I know that this relationship I seek is the only way I will let go of my earthly breakable Jar, seeking Your ever flowing well of water, your Holy Spirit as you said. I pray for a relationship that shall make me strong and faithful in times of trial and tests, in times of standing on shacking knees...only then My life's experience with you will linger in my head and Raise me up to stand not just on concepts but on a Solid truth..on Solid grounds. In Jesus name, Amen!

Seek an experience, a relationship not a just religion my friends!

Caught Red Handed

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 "dont 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!

!القوة بين إيديك

عادة حين أفاجئ بناتي ، في تلك اللحظة التي يرتكبون فيها غلطة من غلطاتهم الطفولية، أستغل الفرصه لأقدم درساً أبوياً جديداً يتعلمون منه وربما ينفعهم يوماً في الحياة!
وأتذكر جيداً مرة فاجأتهم يقرؤون حينما نتوقع ان يكونوا نياماً!
 لاحظتهم يتدارون بسرعه تحت الأغطيه و أحد الكشافات مضاءاً ( نسيت ابنتي مع استعجالها ان تطفئه ) و اختها تتظاهر بالنوم العميق... وطبعاً لم يستطيعوا ان ينكروا فعلتهم
 و انطلق سيل النصائح الابويه عن فوائد النوم مبكراً ، و خطوره القراءة في إضاءة خافته علي العين .. الي آخره :)
 وفي اليوم التالي .. سمعت اصواتهم مره اخري .. و بينما توقعت ان افاجئهم و يتكرر مشهد الامس .. حدث عكس ما توقعت .. وجدتهم و بمنتهي الثقه يقرؤون في غرفة مُضاءة و لم أري أي علامة من علامات الخوف علي الرغم من علامات الغضب الظاهرة بوضوح علي وجهي
 لاحظت ابنتي فأوضحت ببراءة .."لا تقلق .. ماما وافقت ان نقرأ لفتةه اطول ، فغداً أجازة" و تمنت لي ليله سعيده و عادت الي كتابها
تركتها وقد تعلمت انا درساً جديداً
جرأة اليوم في مقابل خوف الامس
!من اين لهم بكل هذه الثقه
 انها " القوه و السلطان "الممنوحتان لهن من أمهم 

أعادني المشهد الي ذلك اليوم .. حين تحول التلاميذ و الرسل من الخوف و الاختباء خلف الابواب المغلقة الي الجرأه و الاعلان امام جموع الناس عن المسيح 

لكنكُمْ ستَنالونَ قوَّةً مَتَى حَلَّ الرّوحُ القُدُسُ علَيكُمْ، وتَكونونَ لي شُهودًا في أورُشَليمَ وفي كُلِّ اليَهوديَّةِ والسّامِرَةِ وإلَى أقصَى الأرضِ». (أعمالُ الرُّسُلِ ٨:١)

وفي أولي عظاته امام جماهير من الشعوب المختلفة .. يقف بطرس بقوة و سلطان
يعظ بلا خوف
مضيفاً الي المؤمنين ثلاثه الاف نفس
لقد تحصن بقوة و سلطان من الروح في ذلك اليوم
!قوه الروح القدس العاملة في اولئك الرجال، الخائفون بالأمس، غيرت وجه الارض
وهل نعرف ان نفس تلك الروح تسكن فينا؟
و هل نستخدمها من أجل ذات الغرض ؟

أصلي وأدعوكم لتصلوا من اجل ذات الروح الذي يملأنا... و يسكن فينا
ومن اجل ذات القوة و نفس السلطان الذي يمنحه الروح القدس فنحيا شهودا علي الايمان
!أليست هذه دعوتنا
!لنكن إذاً بقوة بطرس و جرأته .. فروح واحد يجمعنا .. يقوينا .. و بسلطان يؤيد شهادتنا

 خلينا منورين

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!

Sting like a bee

Spring is finally coming in and bringing all the joyful sensation of a "winter left behind". Spring comes in with its warming up sun, blooming flowers, green back to the scene. Naturally, spring brings in some visitors as well: bees and wasps (دبٓور). Now, I just want you to recall what happens when a "visiting" bee enters your house, office or meeting room! I see you smiling already! I have always been fascinated how such a small creature can literally stop everyone from doing whatever they do and get ALL the attention with EXTREME FOCUS. You will find people extremely alert, heart beating, turning their heads left to right (sometimes jumping off their seat or dodging..in fact doing funny crazy moves but who cares at that moment), silencing every body to try to localize it, tip toeing carefully until one opens the window..and YES..it is finally Kicked out of the house..YEAHHH...only then, a big relief is felt and we feel peace and and order in place after some dedicated minutes of one-goal-focus!

It is normal, isn't it? The stings of most of these species can be quite painful, and are therefore keenly avoided by many people. I can't recall ever seeing a group of people just being indifferent about it, some even decide to avoid it and change their location. Sin is no stranger to this wasp...we know its sting can be quite painful..and surely more painful that the wasp as it reaches deep where no insect can go. I just want you to think with me how life would receive back its peace and order if we truly with extreme dedication, using The sensitive Holy Spirit in us to localize sin and Kick it out of your own life..OUT. To be practical, in prayer look inside your house (soul), listen with the ears of faith (the Holy Spirit), localize and focus on what is holding you down (sin), Open the Windows (in prayer) and remove it..then feel peace again..and don't open this window right away..you know exactly what can jump back in! Not easy, i know...but He promised to be there..granting us His victorious Holy Spirit to win this battle. Just Trust in prayer.

I pray today through St. Paul's words clearly showing how sin would slow us down from reaching the goals set before us.

لنَطرَحْ كُلَّ ثِقلٍ، والخَطيَّةَ المُحيطَةَ بنا بسُهولَةٍ، ولنُحاضِرْ بالصَّبرِ في الجِهادِ المَوْضوعِ أمامَنا، (العِبرانيّينَ 12:1

So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. (Hebrews 12:1 ERV)

Localize, pray, remove and resist..in Jesus name, Amen!

Music To My Ears!

Exercise + Music = The perfect boost one needs to run the extra mile..to lift the extra weight or to push forward till the end of this fitness class. Yes, I have always been amazed by the power music has on the mood of people and the energy and enthusiasm they show. Out of experience, when I go out for a run without my "Dance pumping" music in my ears..i feel half the energy i usually have...I specially love it when after reaching your deepest drained and tired moments, comes in your "Energy Booster song" to pump you up. Nike have noticed it and created this option of "energy song" in the Running application. Whether into sports or not, but I am sure you have your own music booster. I had once a talk with a pro player about this, and he told me that the impact of cheering is a magic no one can describe...it just keeps him pumped-up going no matter how hard the situation seemed!

I just realized that my walk through life needs that lifting up-beats..needs that cheering so I can face the tough times I go through...and I found it in His Words. Yes, listening and reading His Words every morning and keep them lingering in my heart and my thoughts is the Pumping energy I need. Last week, I woke up with a verse surrounding my thoughts...and didn't know that this day i would be going through a tough moment at work..when it jumped in again, just at that moment, to chase away the worries and fears this moment could have installed in me! It was a revelation..I just felt Him speaking these words in my ears at the right moment! What a pumping up feeling!

«إنَّ هذِهِ الوَصيَّةَ الّتي أوصيكَ بها اليومَ لَيسَتْ عَسِرَةً علَيكَ ولا بَعيدَةً مِنكَ. بل الكلِمَةُ قريبَةٌ مِنكَ جِدًّا، في فمِكَ وفي قَلبِكَ لتَعمَلَ بها. (التَّثنيَة 30:11, 14 AVDDV)

For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off. But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it. (Deuteronomy 30:11, 14 AMP)

Dear Friend, out of experience, I have felt the fueling power of His Words in my days, I hear His voice when I am weak..I feel His cheers when I am fighting trials. Keep His words in your mouth, minds and hearts, close to you. As People "automatically feel the beat" of the music they listen to and instinctively adjust their walking pace and heart rate to the tempo of the music, Choose to feel His beat and adjust your steps to His Love! 

Keep the music in your heart my friend!

Clear the Way!

In our house, we just prefer a total darkness when it comes to bed time..no we don't usually use a "nawassa". So for waking up at night, and avoiding to bump your little toe in bed (ouch!) or your knee in the table corner, it requires a high infra-red dark-radar-sight photographic memory skill!

After few months in our new house in Madrid, we started knowing by heart the dimensions of the rooms and I could walk blind folded even to reach anywhere i want..funny enough, the kids were better and faster learning it specially the way from their room to ours. Until one night, sleeping in peace i woke up at the sound of a BOOM..Loud noise..then my daughter crying out. I put on the light to find her on our room floor..she tripped over something..yup..it was there, i knew why..i have left my 47 sized shoes in the middle of the way..it was a trap (quite a big one) waiting for somebody to stumble upon and fall..fall and cry! Since then Aline and I took a commitment to discipline ourselves in keeping all the paths of our house "clear" from any traps and obstacles..all should be back in place right where they belong!

This story reminded me of a verse I have close to my heart:

لذلكَ أنا أيضًا أُدَرِّبُ نَفسي ليكونَ لي دائمًا ضَميرٌ بلا عَثرَةٍ مِنْ نَحوِ اللهِ والناسِ. (أعمالُ الرُّسُلِ 24:16 AVDDV)

Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. (Acts 24:16 AMP)

Yes, I realized that I need in prayer to ask our Heavenly Father for strength in keeping my life and my conscience CLEAR AND VOID of offense not only towards Him but towards my fellow human beings..I need to keep clear any traps of lies, cheating, anger, lust..i need to train my thoughts and seek the Holy spirit liberating my conscience from traps on the way as it has the power to pull me down..and trip others along! I pray for that in Jesus name, Amen.

Commit to keep your conscious clear my friends!

The Night Runner

Running..Who's in? I am happily amazed by the trend of Running that is taking over the world and even happier to see it happening back home, on the busy streets of Cairo, with groups like Cairo Runners having 147,000 followers on their facebook page and "actually" thousands running..not just following on FB. For me, I am the Night-time runner type..I just like the silent streets, the glowing light bulbs and the release it brings you after a stressed day at work. To my surprise, I found out that Night running is becoming THE trend with its runners tripling around the globe in the last couple of years!

One can not hide the risk of running on dark streets where visibility can put your safety at risk! That's why clever and adaptive companies like Nike and Asics created a whole line of sports wear for city night running...they have added to the shorts, t-shirts and shoes a strip of Retro-reflective (this silver strip) material that bounces the light back to its source making you visible to the cars on the dark asphalt jungle you are running through. Brilliant "shiny" idea!

Made me think about you and I when Jesus called us to be Light of the World! Wow!

“You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14, 16 ERV)
أنتُمْ نورُ العالَمِ. لا يُمكِنُ أنْ تُخفَى مدينةٌ مَوْضوعَةٌ علَى جَبَلٍ، فليُضِئْ نورُكُمْ هكذا قُدّامَ الناسِ، لكَيْ يَرَوْا أعمالكُمُ الحَسَنَةَ، ويُمَجِّدوا أباكُمُ الّذي في السماواتِ. (مَتَّى 5:14, 16 AVDDV)

Midst the darkness surrounding you, YOU are called to be the Light..in fact, just as the retro-reflective clothing shines in the dark..we are called to shine back the Light of our Lord, the source of all Light..the One who said with full authority I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 8:12). If we stick to Him, seek His Holy Spirit, we shall be the Light, reflecting back the image of our Heavenly Father!

Put on your Running shoes of Faith and Shine back His Light my friends!

The "Wanting" to Change

"Coaching" is the big thing now in the world of human development. Who ever is in the business world knows what "coaching" means. Most of the time, it is a one to one tailor made form of training made for executives, that unlike traditional therapy, which often focuses on the past, on who you got to where you are now, coaching focus on the present and future, on where you want to go (in life or business) and the most effective way to get there.

I am reading these days a book by one of the top business coaches in our days "Marshall Goldsmith" with an interesting title and topic "What Got You Here Wont Get You There". He was talking about his role as a coach and his ability to make success with his clients who with, a big ego, tend to resist a needed change. He wrote a statement that caught my attention "I have now made peace with the fact that I can not 'make' people change. I can only help them get better at what they 'choose' to change". This "wanting to change" is the key. Boom! This is so simple..yet powerfully true!

Same in the spiritual world, our Loving god has created us with the free will to "choose and want". I guess that the most amazing changes happened to the ones wanting to go the extra mile..wanting to reject their reality and embrace a new world...the ones that made God's might meet their heart's desire. Their boldness and courage melt my heart. Every time I read the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar at the wall of Jericho, I see this boldness that I pray having one day. Those 6 lines in Mark 10:46-52 are worth reading..every letter of it. The scene is great to imagine and allow me to quote these three verses:

فلَمّا سمِعَ أنَّهُ يَسوعُ النّاصِريُّ، ابتَدأَ يَصرُخُ ويقولُ: «يا يَسوعُ ابنَ داوُدَ، ارحَمني!» فانتَهَرَهُ كثيرونَ ليَسكُتَ، فصَرَخَ أكثَرَ كثيرًا: «يا ابنَ داوُدَ، ارحَمني!». فوَقَفَ يَسوعُ وأمَرَ أنْ يُنادَى. فنادَوْا الأعمَى قائلينَ لهُ: «ثِقْ! قُمْ! هوذا يُناديكَ». (مَرقُسَ.  10:47-49)

He heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!” Many people criticized the blind man and told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”” (Mark 10:47-49 ERV)

The blind Bartimaeus's deep manifested desire caught the attention of Jesus and literally stopped Him! This is a person that took 4 crucial decisions: He knew he was blind...He didnt accept his situation...wanted deep down to change..and finally he knew in Whose hands to put his faith! I am sure if Marshall Goldsmith had Bartimaeus as an executive under coaching..He would have written about his success story of change!

God, i pray to have this faith..I pray to have the listening soul for the "coaching" of your Holy Spirit. Amen

May the blind open the eyes of our heart, Lord!

Zzzz...Snooze...Zzzz

"Ttrrreenn...Snooze...zzzz..ttrreenn..snooze..zzzz..trrrnn...snooze..OH MY GOD I M VERY LATE!" I personally know this cycle of event quite well..been through it several times. Alarm clock (or the mobile nowadays)..most of us use this great invention coming niw with a great option called "Snooze"..where u can tell ur alaram litereally

"سيبني انام كمان خمس دقايق ابوس ايدك..و كمان خمسة...طب اخر خمسة"

I read lately an article about the first 5 emotional mistakes you do before 9am..and guess what "snoozing" was one of them. You just get the sign that it is time to wake up..but you just prefer a bit of laziness..silencing it..ignoring..deciding that you still have time..and you probably wake up late with some half guilt feeling, failing your fist task of the day, which is get out of bed at whatever time you set the alarm for. Snooze is nice..but dangerous if you get used to it!

Funny enough, our minds and hearts function the same when we get the Alarms of life, we just snooze knowing that there is another "5 minutes"..another tomorrow..and I experience so many alarms lately..yes, one of these is the moment of truth when you meet a school friend after long time..and you see how older he got..he is not that same energetic person..some wrinkles, grey hair..fatter..slower..and yes, only realizing that time goes so Fast..and , it is a reflection of YOU..you are growing as well!

How many things you want to do and you keep "snoozing" your mind and heart alarms, you want to start that sport, learn that cake, get a new language, do good to your community, get closer to Him and start knowing Him truly..but you always snooze ignoring so many signs..My fear is that some time, i snooze till i miss the meeting I should go to, I snooze until it is too late..the shocking thing is that in life, i dont know when "late" exactly is..no one knows the "meeting time" but Him.

Dont get lazy, delay your plans to start something new..something great..whatever it is, put it in His hands and..stop snoozing your life!

نَفسُ الكَسلانِ تشتَهي ولا شَيءَ لها، ونَفسُ المُجتَهِدينَ تسمَنُ. (أمثالٌ 13:4 AVDDV)

Dear Lord, I pray for the strength of your Holy spirit filling me to do what I can do TODAY, to know that the present is what you gave me to live and make the day the fullest. I pray for strength to start now! Amen.

The Garbage Bag

"Can you take the garbage bags out please?" That's a request 'order' i get quite often from Aline..well you can guess these are heavy bags full of....garbage and seems logic for a man to do...but i always didnt like it..probably because i am not that good in tying the knot and closing well these black plastic bags! 

When we moved to amsterdam, we got our fitst culture shock! Garabage collection happens only TWICE a week, bet2oulou eih ya wlad..twice a week! Not only that, you have to get out the garbage yourself (no matter rain, snow, storm, -15c.) to a specific designated spot (بلاطة محددة على الرصيف..ده بجد) few meters away from home on Tusday and Friday morning between 7:00 and 7:45 in a black well sealed plastic bag!! يا حلاوة!!What if i miss the garbage truck? Hard luck, youll keep your trash with you until the next collection day! And you can imagine what does it mean to keep some garbage for a week..happened once..and i can tell..only once was enough to make me not miss it again! At that moment, i missed back home عم ابراهيم البواب the porter who passed by everymorning at our doorstep to collect the garbage daily..what a great option and a great sensation!

This made me think, are we doing it the dutch way when it comes to cleaning out our heart and pouring out all our Garbage "in prayer" at His feet? Are we keeping these plastic bags inside until it starts stinking..and becomes painful and only then we decide to clean it out? Do people around me notice this smell of not taking my garbage out..as probably it shows..sooner or later? We have the option to do it DAILY EVERY MORNING EVERY MINUTE...not on a specific balata or sealed bag..but are we using it? Are making use of some breaks/days off to do that cleaning or we r just piling up more and more?

Dear God, I thank you that you are a God abundance, a God of daily presence, reaching out to us and asking us to come and pour our hearts at your feet..i thank that you said clearly

أَنَا أُحِبُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَنِي، وَٱلَّذِينَ يُبَكِّرُونَ إِلَيَّ يَجِدُونَنِي. لِأَنَّهُ مَنْ يَجِدُنِي يَجِدُ ٱلْحَيَاةَ، وَيَنَالُ رِضًى مِنَ ٱلرَّبِّ، (أَمْثَالٌ 8:17, 35)

And you told us to come to you

تعالَوْا إلَيَّ يا جميعَ المُتعَبينَ والثَّقيلي الأحمالِ، وأنا أُريحُكُمْ. (مَتَّى 11:28

I want to come to you every morning and ask you to give me a clean heart like David prayed to you..i want it to be a Daily Option!

Thank you!

Bring your garbage out daily..and He ll bring you a new House daily!

Olive Oil in Jars of Clay

I love olive oil...in salads, with fish, on labnah, even law ghamesto lwa7do! Lucky that i am livinh now in the biggest oil producing country world wide :) Last night refilling our olive oil jar, made me look back when this product meant business..it was again one of these state controlled commodities during Roman times. It was used for eating, annointing, religiuos rituals, even for oil lamps. It was VITAL!

To my wonder, i read about its history, and came to find about a small hill in Rome called "Monte Testaccio"..probably you havent heard of it yet as well! it s an artificial hill in Rome with a circumference of nearly a kilometre and stands 35 metres high, though it was probably considerably higher in ancient times, composed almost entirely of fragments of broken amphorae (clay vessels-fokhar) used for olive oil transport dating from the time of the Roman Empire, containing the remains of an estimated 53 million empty useless vessels! It stands a short distance away from the east bank of the River Tiber, near the Horrea Galbae where the state-controlled reserve of olive oil was stored in the late 2nd century AD.
!يعني من الاخر كان اكبر مقلب زبالة في هذا الزمن

Basically, with all the production/imports they had during the Roman empire, they had quite a problem of recycling their packaging material! These vessels at the end didnt mean anything, it was cheaper to throw them away..eventually creating this hill! Cause their value is in WHAT THEY CONTAIN and the SOURCE it came from!

Wow..this brought a total new perspective of what Saint Paul refers to, talking about what we really are..and where our power/value comes from. He wrote it perfectly in his letter to Corinthians:

"However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7 AMP)"

(ولكن لنا هذا الكَنزُ في أوانٍ خَزَفيَّةٍ، ليكونَ فضلُ القوَّةِ للهِ لا مِنّا. (كورِنثوس الثّانيةُ 

It was that clear to him that the value created in you and I..the value we bring to others around us, the good works we struggle to spread and the unhuman forgiveness we are to offer..is coming from our God..dwelling in us, through His Holy Spirit..it can not just come from these fragile clay breakable vessles!

Dear God, I thank you today knowing that it does not depend on me, but the power comes from a Higher source, i pray that I am filled everyday with your Holy Spirit, the Oil of your presence making it known that this vessel is just uncapable ALONE of going the extra mile you asked us to go. In Jesus name, Amen!

Pray Big!

We have been busy this past week working on budgets for the coming years..and as human beings we tend to be conservative when it comes our expectations. We all hate feeling disappointed..we put it in a nice way saying "that we neeed to manage expectations" to avoid being hit by a different result (ba3d el shar)!
Even with my kids, when i ask them to swim, read, draw, run..i tend to simplify it and make it doable..i love the feeling that they make it and surely they do too..i cover up for them to make sure they wont fail..!
Thinking about it, i found that this is happening in our spiritual life too(at least mine). How many times we have Held ourselves from BOLD BIG PRAYERS...how many times, we put barriers for what we can bring to Him. I think the fear that our prayers wont be answered leads us to "manage expectations" with God. This means we ask for less, expect less, and satisfied with less because we are afraid to be disappointed and lose our faith in Him!

BuT JESUS said loud and clear in Luke 
"What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him! (Luke 11:11, 13)

This leads to a question we can not escape: Does God really give His children what He promised? Does He keep His promises or not? Do my prayers and actions give evidence to my belief?

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray today for faith..i pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my words and prayers, align them to your will, make me live knowing that i can bring EVERYTHING TO YOU in prayer..and believe these words "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. (فيلبي Philippians 4:6)". Amen

Be BOLD my friends!

Guide You along the way

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.#Psalm 32:8 

Amazing words..and Amazing love that He sent us the Comforter to do exactly that..Do you believe that the HOLY SPIRIT is IN you? He is just a prayer away. Saba7ko fol.