Of Dinner and Scents!

Inviting friends over for dinner is quite a pleasure yet a challenging task sometimes, specially if they don't share your culture! Being abroad for the past years, we did invite some dutch, french, Italian, and Spanish over to experience the wonders of our Lebano-Egyptian cuisine (which they all love by the way). On our first dinner, we prepared, among other dishes, our famous Fattah. Obviously the Fattah is what I call a dish with "Charisma"...you can not skip knowing it is around...its imposing fragrance covers the place. Here come the invitees, we open the doors, with a big smile..Suddenly a series of sneezing broke into the welcoming moments! It seems one of the invitees was allergic to Garlic smell! That's what I call a culture shock followed with lots of "tissues" and "bless yous". Since then, scented candles made their way in our home as the final touch before welcoming our invitees!

Talking about dinners! Last Palm Sunday, I went back in the bible to see what happened on the night before. Jesus was invited for dinner at His friend Lazarus, a big feast, a dinner with similar fragrances of Fattah i can imagine. A Lately resurrected man (Lazarus) was surely attracting people to come over, celebrating Jesus and this miracle. What did Martha and Mary do to prepare the house for the arrival of THE King..i could see a big setting with amazing smell of cooking and spices known to our middle eastern cuisine...lots of invitees and noise.

And here comes what caught my breath in reading in the midst of this feast:

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nardine, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. (John 12:3 NLT)

فأخَذَتْ مَريَمُ مَنًا مِنْ طيبِ نارِدينٍ خالِصٍ كثيرِ الثَّمَنِ، ودَهَنَتْ قَدَمَيْ يَسوعَ، ومَسَحَتْ قَدَمَيهِ بشَعرِها، فامتَلأَ البَيتُ مِنْ رائحَةِ الطّيبِ. (يوحَنا 12:3

It is not only the pure act of love, humility, repentance that Mary did, but the last part of this verse was totally new to me "The house was filled with the fragrance"! (Amazing how we read the passages so many times, and we still keep discovering). No matter what was cooked, or what ever smell the people had around in this house, only one act of true humble love covered it all. Despite all the cooking, and preparations, nothing was mentioned about the house except this fragrance taking over the whole place. And yes, this is exactly what touched the heart of Jesus. None of the human efforts and preparation, none of the cooking could hold the fragrance to fill the house. This act covered it all!

So welcoming Jesus in our House, in our own Jerusalem saying Hosanna like in Palm Sunday, requires one act above all, an act David knew quite well after He committed his sin. He wrote it through the Spirit in the most famous psalm 51:
The sacrifice that God wants is a humble spirit. God, you will not turn away someone who comes with a humble heart and is willing to obey you. (Psalms 51:17)

ذَبائحُ اللهِ هي روحٌ مُنكَسِرَةٌ. القَلبُ المُنكَسِرُ والمُنسَحِقُ يا اللهُ لا تحتَقِرُهُ. (المَزاميرُ. 51:17

Before the cooking of good deeds, The fragrance of a humble heart at His Feet is what your house needs...it will fill your house and heart and as i told you before, this fragrance will also be enjoyed by many around you, and might stick on them as well!

Have a blessed Holy week my friends!

مع قرب العيد ونهاية فترة الصيام، بيوت كتير بتتحضر تستقبل كل أفراد العيلة على وليمة العيد...وليمة الكل مستنيها! العيد بالنسبة لي يعني بيت أهلي وطبيخ أمي. الأكل في يوم زي دة ريحته بتكون واصلة لباب العمارة...وأحلى نفس الواحد بيستنشقه في اليوم هو النفس الكبير مع دخلة المطبخ اللي بيكون عامل زي خلية نحل...الكل بيشتغل ويساعد عشان الوليمة العائلية دي...وبالأخص لو الموضوع فيه "فتة"...دة طبق ذو كاريزما خاصة، استحالة ما تاخدش بالك انه موجود معاك في البيت

اللَمّة الحلوة دي فكرتني بوليمة تانية...وليمة كانت في نفس اليلة دي، ليلة أحد السعف (الشعانين). يسوع كان مدعو مع صديقه لعازر (اللي أقامه من الأموات). أنا متخيل أن العشاء دة كان مالي البيت بريحة الأكل اللي طبخته مرثا...ممكن تكون ريحة شبه اللي كانت مالية بيت أمي. أنا كمان متخيل أن البيت كان مليان مدعوين و ناس فضوليين جايين يشوفوا لعازر اللي قام من الاموات. ناس، زحمة، أكل، احتفال بيسوع و لعازر...
كل دة رائع بس اللي ادهشني هو دقة تعبيرالكتاب في الحدث دة:
 “فأخَذَتْ مَريَمُ مَنًا مِنْ طيبِ نارِدينٍ خالِصٍ كثيرِ الثَّمَنِ، ودَهَنَتْ قَدَمَيْ يَسوعَ، ومَسَحَتْ قَدَمَيهِ بشَعرِها، فامتَلأَ البَيتُ مِنْ رائحَةِ الطّيبِ.”
‮‮يوحَنا‬ ‭12:3‬  ‭
 الانكسار، التواضع والمحبة الخالصة اللي قدمتهم مريم يفوق كل توقعات في جلسة زي دي...لكن اللي شد انتباهي أكتر هو آخر جملة في الآية: "امتلأ البيت من رائحة الطيب". كام مرة قريت القطعة دي وعديت على الجملة دي مرور الكرام.
 تقدمة واحدة حقيقية من قلب خاشع محب غَطِت على كل الاكل والروايح اللي كانت مالية البيت. برغم التعب المبذول في التحضير للعشاء دة، الكتاب ماذكرش أي تأثير أو مظاهر له...
 لكن عطر الناردين من مريم...كان هو المستحق يذكر أينما يكرز بهذا الانجيل.

واحنا داخلين على أسبوع الآلام...بأصلي اننا نتمثل بمريم ونيجي نقدم نفسنا-قبل عبادتنا-عند رجليه بكل انكسار...نرحب بيه في قلوبنا بتواضع عشان دخوله أورشليم وسط السعف يكون دخول ملك الملوك على قلبي وقلبك!

داوود كان عارف قلب الآب لما كتب بالروح:
“ذَبائحُ اللهِ هي روحٌ مُنكَسِرَةٌ. القَلبُ المُنكَسِرُ والمُنسَحِقُ يا اللهُ لا تحتَقِرُهُ.”
‮‮المَزاميرُ‬ ‭51:17‬  ‭

!خلونا السنة دي نقدم قلب منكسر تائب مش مجرد ترديد شفاه ومراسم سنوية
 أسبوع مبارك للجميع...أوصّنا، مبارك الآتي بإسم الرب.

!خلينا منورين

A week at the "Granja"

Last week Leila, my 6 years old daughter, had her first camping experience for a whole week away from home! If you are worrying about her being away at this age...then you are worrying about the wrong person...she had great fun (as expected)! In fact, the ones to be worried about their coping are Aline and Farida who was never in her life been separated that long from her twin sister! What made it worse was the fact that parents were not allowed to call and check on their kids, no contacts nor news except the website of the school on which the camp director would post everyday few words and may be a couple of photos to keep the parents updated!

You guessed it right, this website was our life for a week...checking it every few hours, opening it before stepping out of bed..and when some words or photos were posted, it just lifted up the whole mood...but NOTHING compares to the moment of the real encounter when Leila came back..The Running Hug, the warming tears, the long chats, and the smiling joy back again.

All this in incident reminds me of our personal encounter with God. A lot of times, we are content and satisfied living on the stories about God told to us through a multitude of media. In this era of communication, the Word reaches us all day, we watch sermons, we get verses, hymns, stories about Him. We attend services and meetings, but might not have the time to sit one to one..seeking this personal heart melting encounter.

This opened my eyes to a new part of the famous Samaritan woman encounter in John 4. I just got jealous seeing the way the Samaritans in her village did not feel content solely by the stories she told them about The Messiah..but decided to go and experience Him directly..to find a whole new living faith!

"Now numerous Samaritans from that town believed in and trusted in Him because of what the woman said when she declared and testified...So when the Samaritans arrived, they asked Him to remain with them, and He did stay there two days. Then many more believed in and adhered to and relied on Him because of His personal message [what He Himself said]. And they told the woman, Now we no longer believe (trust, have faith) just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves [personally], and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ. (John 4:39-42 AMP)

فآمَنَ بهِ مِنْ تِلكَ المدينةِ كثيرونَ مِنَ السّامِريّينَ بسَبَبِ كلامِ المَرأةِ الّتي كانتْ تشهَدُ أنَّهُ: «قالَ لي كُلَّ ما فعَلتُ». فلَمّا جاءَ إليهِ السّامِريّونَ سألوهُ أنْ يَمكُثَ عِندَهُمْ، فمَكَثَ هناكَ يومَينِ. فآمَنَ بهِ أكثَرُ جِدًّا بسَبَبِ كلامِهِ. وقالوا للمَرأةِ: «إنَّنا لَسنا بَعدُ بسَبَبِ كلامِكِ نؤمِنُ، لأنَّنا نَحنُ قد سمِعنا ونَعلَمُ أنَّ هذا هو بالحَقيقَةِ المَسيحُ مُخَلِّصُ العالَمِ». (يوحَنا 4:39-42 AVDDV)

Dear Father, i long for this encounter..that would take me to a whole new level of Knowing You..Experiencing Your Love. I don't want to get to only hear about you..but I want to know You directly as The Savior and Christ. Amen!

Be Hungry for more my friends!

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!

Smells Like Spring

Who gets moved by scents and aroma? I do big time. I admit I am a person that gets affected by the smell of the environment around me...as I always tell Aline God took a bit of my hearing powers and added them to my nose-not sure she really likes that option :) Let me invite you to close your eyes and just think of the scents and smells that tickle this deep part in your soul...you will probably get a smile on your face while doing that..you know why? Because while you are remembering the smell, you memory is recalling the mood, the surrounding, memories and links that you keep deep in your hearts. 

Let me share some of mine:

Smell of a Starbucks coffee shop...doesn't remind me of coffee only..but reminds me of the kitchen morning (bonjour papi) hugs I get from my kids while preparing my coffee!

Smell of roasted lamb just brings me back home at my mother's kitchen, holding her in my arm while celebrating Christmas meal with the family waiting in the dining room for lunch to be served!

Smell of burning wood reminds me of the fun we had around camp fires we did during scout days or the laid back nights in basata!

This lemony Smell of Off Spray (mosquito repellent) brings back to the late night gatherings of my summer vacations next to the beach!

Smell of underground garage, Smell of McNuggets, new tennis balls, sweet batata..

And for sure some perfumes instantly brings some people so vividly to your mind!

All these smells are just bringing me back to something or someone..that's why now we see all these marketed candles named "summertime break" or "day in the forest" and so on. 

Couldn't help but think in the precision of what is written in the 2nd letter to Corinthians

ولكن شُكرًا للهِ الّذي يَقودُنا في مَوْكِبِ نُصرَتِهِ في المَسيحِ كُلَّ حينٍ، ويُظهِرُ بنا رائحَةَ مَعرِفَتِهِ في كُلِّ مَكانٍ. لأنَّنا رائحَةُ المَسيحِ الذَّكيَّةُ للهِ، في الّذينَ يَخلُصونَ وفي الّذينَ يَهلِكونَ. لهؤُلاءِ رائحَةُ موتٍ لموتٍ، ولأولئكَ رائحَةُ حياةٍ لحياةٍ. (كورِنثوس الثّانيةُ 2:14-16 AVDDV)

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 2:14, 15 NLT)

Yes, you and I are invited to be The Smell of Christ Everywhere.. You are called to be the candle that brings your friends back to the source..back to Christ. I have met persons that did spread this fragrance..you could just sense it even from a far. The Holy spirit in them is burning the essence of Love and guess what, like I mentioned Off Spray (or citronella candle or tree) smelling nice for some yet repellent to the evil "mosquito" powers trying to have a bite of your life! 

Dear Lord, I pray today that we bring back the Glory to you..and that we spread to our world this sweet smell of faith, hope and love through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name. Amen!