Back to School ... Again

"Back to School" will be the topic these days (next to electricity cuts of course)! Leila and Farida started their school year this week, and obviously as all proud parents like you, we joined them on the first morning after a series on endless photos  To my surprise, taking them through the list of students in their class to as a mean of encouragement, I still saw their concerned looks, they missed an important piece of info: Who's their teacher? Knowing it will be "Marc", a sigh of relief and glitter of content flashed in their eyes pushing them to admit "Papi, he plays guitar, we will learn a lot by singing, it will surely be fun coming everyday". An eye opener on how crucial is the knowledge seeder in the way they preview their year...and they are 100% right!

Dear friends, our life does not cease needing a teacher, a coach or a counselor. Unfortunately, we believe we stop learning once studies are over, but just a review or check of your first morning minutes thoughts will tell you how desperately you wish you had a teacher to guide you and tell you what to do when you are clueless (which I am in many many circumstances). We are created creative, smart and with a free will to seek learning, growth and guidance. Sometimes, we search so far to get advice, yet we forget that THE teacher is available, is as near as your breath to you...How many times, we decide skipping the class just to chat with a friend or whoever can help us through..before even checking what the teacher has to say. Our heavenly Father says it loud and clear: 

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 NIV)
«أُعَلِّمُكَ وأُرشِدُكَ الطريقَ الّتي تسلُكُها. أنصَحُكَ. عَيني علَيكَ. (32 المَزاميرُ:8 )

I pray today that we set our chairs toward the podium, towards the teacher. If you believe that He is a promise keeper, if you believe that He has got the whole world in His hands, then just believe that as He said, He is the teacher we need to listen to every morning..or better said, every minute of the day..and I am sure He wont let us down. Just sit down close, get focused and listen!

Have a blessed "Life" school year 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!

Power Cut!

"Power cut..It's Ok, no one moves, I will go, I know the way around the house, I have the candles ready in one of the kitchen's drawers" Then I walk around, waving my hands in the air to avoid hitting a wall..small baby steps to avoid knocking my toes into a table...and here I got the candle..but oops can't find the matches to light it! Sorry guys.."We will wait a bit in the dark". Obviously this is what I recall from the good old days reaction when power cut hit us, do you remember it too? 

My last visit back home showed me how the 21st century changed that moment. Nowadays, no one panics when it gets dark..why, because Once it hit us, an army of mobile phones light up their LED lights turning the place into an almost dance floor lighting mood, no need to move or to search for the matches..Light is at the tip of your fingers. So far so good, However, after couple of minutes some shut down their phone lights, why, because the battery will drain soon. It can not sustain long hours lighting up. It is good for a small period of time. Then you realize that it can not replace the real "sustainable" electricity that you dearly wait for to come back and Light up the room!

That change of reaction opened my eyes to the way we humans sometimes seek temporary solution to fill a long lasting darkness growing in us. Nowadays, everything is at our fingertips, we believe that we can light up our life with so many outside influences, methods, new teachings, that surely have their impact, yet very short living effect, shorter than you think. Many have come to the realization that Light is from within, handed to you from Above, created with care and love, all other sources have a battery life and die sooner than you think. The only "sustainable" light is the Eternal Light, the one that Said in John 8 "I am THE light of the World", In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it. (John 1:4-5). And yes, He called you and me to be as well His reflection in the midst of this world's darkness: 

“You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14).
أنتُمْ نورُ العالَمِ. لا يُمكِنُ أنْ تُخفَى مدينةٌ مَوْضوعَةٌ علَى جَبَلٍ،
فليُضِئْ نورُكُمْ هكذا قُدّامَ النّاسِ، لكَيْ يَرَوْا أعمالكُمُ الحَسَنَةَ، ويُمَجِّدوا أباكُمُ الّذي في السماواتِ. (5 مَتَّى:14, 16 AVDDV)

Me, I am Light? Thank you Lord for the Greatness you see in me..for the Power you bless me with through your Spirit..Thank you for making me believe that I am and I can light this world. We all have a call to Light and Shine!

My friend, Don't Settle for a mobile phone, when you can have a Never-Cut Electricity current shining through you!

Floaters

Vacations with Kids has its undeniable benefits. Next to the joy they bring of just being there, Leila and Farida add another dimension to the excitement of the days. They just want to live each day to the fullest, they are ready mentally and physically to enjoy since the minute they open their eyes, specially if it's a summer destination where the beach or pool is as-if calling them since the first hour of the day. This enthusiasm touched me deep when on the first morning at our beach destination, we woke up, got dressed for breakfast, and here they are fully ready...putting on their swimming goggles (نظارات الغطس), hahaha, it was hilarious, not even seeing the pool yet, we went walking to breakfast with their goggles on, they were receiving the day with open arms and a WIDER open heart to enjoy.

Their enthusiasm and readiness reminded me of The feeding the multitude great miracle performed by Jesus. Just imagine a huge gathering of at least 5000 sitting all day listening to our Lord's teachings, not thinking about their next meal. There was obviously no catering tents, nor a feast set up for them, it was Only Jesus teaching. When hunger stroke in, they followed Jesus orders and Sat down to receive their dinner. Some of them must have noticed that He only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, but still sat down to receive. If I were there, not seeing that the sermon was "food included", I might have have left to catch up the "grocery store" before it closes its doors, I am sure some of the multitude did so. But others Believed and Stayed as in Matthew 14:

The followers answered, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” Jesus said, “Bring the bread and the fish to me.” Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. (Matthew 14:17-19)
فقالوا لهُ: «ليس عِندَنا ههنا إلّا خَمسَةُ أرغِفَةٍ وسَمَكَتانِ». فقالَ: «ائتوني بها إلَى هنا». فأمَرَ الجُموعَ أنْ يتَّكِئوا علَى العُشبِ. ( مَتَّى ١٤: ١٧-١٩)

Dear Lord, I come to you today at this first hour with a open heart hungry to receive. Even if my eyes do not see the feeding and blessings you have prepared, but my heart kneels on the grass to receive the meal you put forth in front of me...and I know as with the multitudes, your meal is sufficient and abundant with leftovers for me to feed the ones in need. I bring my heart to you today with my Goggles on even before seeing the Pool of your blessings!

Dear friends, Put on your Goggles and Dive in His blessings!