An EVERYDAY Christmas!

IT is THE most wonderful time of the year..so says the famous song ! It is somehow RIGHT! I just love the way that suddenly seems the whole world is celebrating, decorating, carols singing, waiting for THE Christmas day. Amazing how almost in all the shops you feel, see (sometimes smell) and hear the Christmas mood! I remember our special trip to Prague during that period few years ago, the city was vibrant with Christmas markets, colourful lights everywhere..choirs in each square, crowds filling the streets, warming big smiles on the faces, shopping for gifts, food stands, the snow was charming and the mood was so...CHRISTMASSY! 
All went fine until the 2nd of Jan...we just woke up in a totally different city...silent, cold, strict...and GREY! Strangely, we were still in the same city..the same hotel..on the same street..but just the lights were taken out, small markets dismantled, no more jinglling bells on radio...back to the SERIOUS world, the holly jolly ho-ho-ho mood just disappeared.. poooof..Christmas is Gone!!! Only then, we felt how cold the snow is, how strict the people seem, and how Gloomy we were deep down! And by the way..you dont need to be in Prague to know Christmas is gone! In your own home..you will just feel it when your lovely christmas tree sleeps back in its box waiting for next December!

That's exactly what happens when we depend on the Christmas "from outside"...when all it represents is the mood rather than a deep down rooted source of joy. Strangely enough, this mood cant be recreated anytime of the year....imagine being invited to someone's house on a hot August day..and suddenly over hear "We wish you a merry christmas" in the background, to find out that his living room is fully decorated with a tree and lights! You will probably run out of that place thinking this person is totally out of place, time..and may be mental balance! And the lovely carols will be rather creepy than heart warming! Thats the outside chritmas! Quite seasonal!

I am 100% sure God has a different plan for this great time of the year. It just cant be so temporary! Back to basics, I checkef the original first Christmas and realized that it was all about one thing "Spreading THE good news that a Saviour is born". Just read again this part of the nativity story in Luke 2, you will find that the "kick-off" of celebrations was when the angel said to the shepherds, 
“Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. (Luke 2:10)" 

Yes, all the prophecies were about about this piece of great news..receiving a heavenly gift, a Son, a King, a Deliverer. Prophet Isaiah 800 years before Christ wrote it with the Spirit perfectly:

لأنَّهُ يولَدُ لنا ولَدٌ ونُعطَى ابنًا، وتكونُ الرّياسَةُ علَى كتِفِهِ، ويُدعَى اسمُهُ عَجيبًا، مُشيرًا، إلهًا قديرًا، أبًا أبديًّا، رَئيسَ السّلامِ. (إشَعياءَ 9:6 AVDDV)
This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 ERV)

Despite how charming it is, I then realized that I dont need the "outside mood" to bring me back to Christmas. I know that I can live my "Everyday Christmas" every morning..when i read about This celebrated Born King..about His deliverance, His Love, His Power, His Peace..and much more! I just relive this moment of Original Christmas in me when I read and live the Good news all over again..same Joy the Shepherds felt, i do feel..yet I am even luckier knowing the whole story and seeing it revealed from thousands of years till our day..what a Joy to know that THE real gift IS year-round not only under the tree!

Live your "Everyday Christmas" in you, my Friends!

Snowing...in Cairo!

Dreaming of White Christmas in Cairo..became now a reality! El donia bard and i am sure 3am khalil battal yes2i el ward...at least fel gaw dah!

Well..Just browsing the social networks these days, despite all the cold weather photos, my heart got warm seeing how compassionate we are as a society! We have a duty call towards the needy when times get tough..we feel the urge of service and acting to change. We don't wait for orders, but do it! I was so proud seeing many of my friends taking the streets covering, warming one person at a time, giving away blankets, old jackets or just simple hot cups of tea! Thank you Bosh Gobran, Kegham, hoda abdelwarith, and many more. Keep your love shining!

But What will happen when winter is gone? Will we just forget the ones we served..may be! Let me share with you a thought...that even in the hottest August days, some of your friends, family, or colleagues will be still living a Cold winter deep inside..a winter caused by past pain or disrespect, a shivering cold heart of missing parent or partner that left us to a better place, a harsh snow storm of a failing relationship, or a gloomy fog of doubt, betrayal, despair and sense of loneliness. They might sweat, sun tan, and smile from outside, but they are freezing inside waiting for your warm blanket of love to surround them, your heavy jacket of faith to strengthen them or just a cup of hope to melt this snow inside. This is when LOVE comes in! Open your eyes to the ones around you..you don't need to hit the streets to find them..they ARE there next to you..in your home, in your office, college or even outings..they need YOU! A cold lonely heart needs that amazing love that Apostle Paul wrote about in 1 corinthians13 through the Holy Spirit:

وإنْ أطعَمتُ كُلَّ أموالي، وإنْ سلَّمتُ جَسَدي حتَّى أحتَرِقَ، ولكن ليس لي مَحَبَّةٌ، فلا أنتَفِعُ شَيئًا. المَحَبَّةُ تتأنَّى وترفُقُ. المَحَبَّةُ لا تحسِدُ. المَحَبَّةُ لا تتفاخَرُ، ولا تنتَفِخُ، ولا تُقَبِّحُ، ولا تطلُبُ ما لنَفسِها، ولا تحتَدُّ، ولا تظُنُّ السّؤَ، ولا تفرَحُ بالإثمِ بل تفرَحُ بالحَقِّ، وتحتَمِلُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ، وتُصَدِّقُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ، وترجو كُلَّ شَيءٍ، وتصبِرُ علَى كُلِّ شَيءٍ. المَحَبَّةُ لا تسقُطُ أبدًا. (كورِنثوس الأولَى 13:3-8 AVDDV)A Love that Never Fails! Our only way to get that SUSTAINABLE love is to go to THE source of love, to THE ONE who tells us to love even our enemy..we need to be connected to the eternal flow that will run through us..so before going out and serving, we need to stay close to Him, to be One with his Spirit..to have His spirit "But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? (1 Corinthians 6:17, 19)

Lord, fill our hearts with Your Spirit of love, to reach the ones in need so we can make their days be "merry and bright" and may we turn all their "Darkness to White"! Amen.

A Travelling Father

Some of my weeks are full of constant travelling...where each of your breakfast, lunch and dinner of that same day are in 3 different cities. Amazing how travel opens our eyes and hearts to new experiences, but funny enough, this time my experience was here..at home..in between the travels!

Coming back home after 3 days away, I was welcomed with big running hugs and kisses from my girls, whom I missed a lot.. I wanted to enjoy the few hours I have back home with them before hitting the road and continue my travelling. After a quick family lunch, I started getting ready for leaving to my next destination..and then suddenly I saw Farida running to our room..not knowing why, I followed her to check, may be she prepared me a drawing to take as a reminder on my next trip..but It was far from that! There she was lying on our bed, her head down between 2 pillows and..crying..crying her heart out..I went and took her in my arms and told her that I am sorry but i have to travel, just for few days..and started explaining why i cant cancel my trip..but she stopped me with her eyes full of tears and told me "papi, i am not asking you to stay as i know you have to go, i am just crying because we spent so little time together now..it went fast and I miss you and wanted a little bit more time with you..." I was Silenced and her tears made their way to my eyes!

Isn't it strange that whenever we think of our life with God, we always see the relation reversed, we talk about how loving He is as a Father, how He seeks us daily and keeps looking and caring for His children..but rarely we look to that relation like Farida just made me see it..a relation where as sons and daughters do miss their Father. I always read this verse in psalm and it made me wonder if I will ever get that feeling too

كما يَشتاقُ الإيَّلُ إلَى جَداوِلِ المياهِ، هكذا تشتاقُ نَفسي إلَيكَ يا اللهُ. عَطِشَتْ نَفسي إلَى اللهِ، إلَى الإلهِ الحَيِّ. (المَزاميرُ 42:1, 2 AVDDV)

AS THE deer pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1, 2 AMP)

At that moment, hearing her comment, i know that there is a great relation i am still looking forward to, a relationship where my heart will seek the living water..and feel thirsty being away..and I know that His waters will quench my thirst for any other. I wait for the day I cry for not coming and sitting there with Him every morning...tell Him like she told me "I want a little bit more time with you...!"

Imagine if Farida didn't miss me that much..I would surely doubt if I mean a lot to her as a father. Right?

Get thirsty 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!