The halfbaked Bard

Song of songs:4:16 Awake North wind Rise up South wind Blow on your garden And spread the fragrance all around.  The love that my God lavished upon me Without tags; That He poured out on me The Holy Spirit blows over me To spread the fragrance of this love to others.  Have I become stagnant? A dead end?  Have I become opaque not to reflect?  This limitless love that He has heaped over me The aura ought to be spread to others.  Only if I realize the luxury of this love Will I mirror His love The way He loved me; will I be loving others Unconditional; Unequivocal; without labels.  Holy Spirit blow over me That I mayn't be self centred to not spread this love Of the Father; through the Son That the love of the Trinity I can show To my loved ones; without taking them for granted To my enemies; as Christ has set an example To difficult people around me; that they may see You To the neglected; as an answer to their prayers.  To the marginalized; that they will see your hand T

My bride. Song of Songs:4:9 I am His bride I am the most beautiful At the moment I become His I am waiting eagerly To be in His bosom I am made perfect in Him My life's purpose is for this To be His alone To be in His bosom always I am His very own.  For Him and Him alone  Is my heart beating My life's aspiration and It's culmination comes to this That I am His asset.  To be identified by His name To be called His very own As eagerly as she waits for the groom So I wait for Him to take me home To dwell with Him for eternity.  But what have I done, to gain such love?  Why has He fallen in love?  With me the wretched Fallen toll the death on the cross The last drop of blood, to gain me.  Can't fathom the depth of this love Each time a different facet Yet in itself complete Overflowing always, oozing with the blood He shed on the cross.  I long to be with Him always.  In His presence I long to dwell His satisfied smile  c herishing my being In His arms I will a

My treasure. Song of songs:4:9 You are the treasure that I seek Excited, selling everything I have In order to regain what has been gifted Absolutely freely.  The choicest pearls, it is, your love Bought with all I have Loved me the unloveable, the incorrigible He first loved.  The treasure, which thieves do not steal And moths or rust cannot destroy Nothing can separate me from His love.  Absolutely mine.  It is like the purest nard, sweetest nectar Indulging and dwelling in it all.  Is satisfaction to the soul and mind And emotions too.  Treasure seeking; the only passion One has who sets out on a hunt Would get satisfied only when he finds it I am made complete.  Am I searching for something else?  Acceptance; Appreciation; Approval Man's desire is always to be loved That Love He gives. 

You have captured my heart. Song of songs:4:9 My heart is captured; In the captivity of your love My heart is imprisoned and caught By the mighty hands of your love My heart is enthralled By the enamoured love of yours Prisoner I am, captive, engaged.  My heart is all yours No other love can fill me like this Satisfying my vacuum Which only He can fill And why has He done this?  Ugly, wretched, poor and naked I've been And rebellious too; and unloveable to the core.  My entire life belongs to you My very being; my soul My reason for existence is you alone Destined to the dungeons of fiery hell Destined forever separated from His love But out of His grace, He brought me back.  But out of mercy, held back again.  Will beat for Him alone Will pump for Him alone For that is all I know For that is what I am created for.  Whatever I've been chosen for, I will do Keep on beating till my last breath.  Keep on drumming with praises to my love. 

I am His. Song of songs:2:16 You are mine, says my mother Filled with love; I am there written all over Filled with surity; Filled with compassion No greater love than this feeling of wantedness That a mother gives; that feeling of assurance No greater love than what Amma can give.  You are mine, says my father Filled with hardwork and toil; Drenched in sweat Filled with unseen sacrifices Rarely he expresses; but I know I'm in the center of his heart Father's love difficult to engage.  No greater love than what Appa has.  You are mine, says my elder ones Run to protect you when you are in trouble Pick you up from danger, frail as they are I am there for you! I will guide I will show you the right path to walk; lest you get hurt No greater love than Chechis and Chettans You are mine says my beloved In her youth; absolutely meaning it Keeps you close to the bosom You feel important, you feel significant You would die for that love, isn't it?  No greater love than

Songs of songs:2:15 Catch all the foxes Those little foxes Before they ruin the vineyards of love For the grapevines are blossoming.  Foxes destroy the young vine as they sprout Particularly the little ones, who run frantically Not in want of anything; not wine or grapes or any fine thing.  But just to destroy; just to have fun.  The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.  His only motive is to drive you farther away from God's love But the truth; Nothing; which means absolutely no single thing Can separate you from His love.  But have your love grown cold, dear one?  Love to the Father; Love to your beloved.  Has little foxes been allowed to trample?  The vine that has been shooting, sprouting.  The foxes of ambition, greed and jealousy Passion that drives your life.  People, vocation, responsibilities, ups and downs Has these overtaken your first love dear one?  Small things which are harmless and innocuous Not overtly sinful but equivocal Are notorious to drag you s

Song of songs:2:3 I sit in His delightful shade.  His love is my shade.  I run to Him in times of the weary sun He is my fortress. To whom I can run to always.  You are my hiding place. Ps:32.7 A shade is like a defense.  Against the tiresome sun outside.  He is a shield around me. Ps:3:3 His love is my shield. Ps:5:12 A shade also provides. He is Jehovah Jireh He escorts me to the banquet hall.  Strengthen me with raisin cakes.  Refreshes me with apples A shade protects too He will cover you with His feathers He will shelter you with His wings Ps:91:4 Do not be afraid, He says, for I Love You.  A shade is delightful as well.  My heart's sole desire is He He loves me as I am, without conjunctions Agape unconditional nonmeritorious selfless love.  For there is no one who can love me thus When I was a rebel He loved me And He continues to love me the same way Even when I've failed Him yet again.  Love so amazing so divine He gave His all to make me His own.  His signe

 for your love is sweeter than wine. Song of Songs 1:2  A Rondeau prime is a short poem usually consisting of twelve lines God's love, too good to be true Too intoxicating. Too wonderful You forget everything around As His love satisfies to the utmost.  Fills and overflows Fills with joy; abounding joy.  A joy that looks unreasonable.  But true; because He is enough.  Circumstances might not change But sure that He is my love He will do all things well He is my love, my everything, my all. 

Eccl:12:14 Here is now my final conclusion. Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone's duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.  The Qoholeth's final conclusion. After everything he has learnt and experienced. After everything he has tried in his life. His final inference is this. Fear God. You are answerable to God, even your secret things.  Wisdom, wealth, pleasure, work, friendship - everything he has weighed and seen.  And finally this is the wise man's Final inference. Nothing in this world is worth running after. In pursuit of happiness, if you run behind anything that the world offers, it is worthless and meaningless. It will only give you a desire for more.  The only thing is worth a life's pursuit is this. To follow God and pursue His character, His love and His attributes.  For John defines eternal life (according to the very words of Jesus) like this.  John:17:3 Eternal life is th

Ecclesiastes 12:1‭-‬7 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”  Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky.  Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.  Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.  Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no lo

Eccl:11:9 Young people; it's wonderful to be young. Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.  Life is meant to be enjoyed. You are young now. Enjoy every "good" thing that you can afford. This is what the world says. The definition of good in itself of course varies. What is bad for me might be good for you. What is worse for me, might be better. There is no absoluteness in the world's eyes.  Therefore remember to "enjoy" your life with God in the background. No! In fact with God in the forefront. The absoluteness of everything comes from God. Whether it is good or bad. Whether it is useful or beneficial. Whether it is harmful or absurd.  1 Cor:6:12 I am allowed to do anything. But not everything is good for you. And even though I am allowed to do anything, I must not become a slave to anything.  1 Cor:10:23 I am allowed to do anything. But not

Eccl:11:5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.  God is the creator of all things. He is the sustainer God too.  John:1:3 God created everything through Him. And nothing was created except through Him.  Col:1:17 He existed before everything else. And He holds all creation together.  How God does this is difficult for us to fathom. Because He is God and we are mere man. He is infinite. We are finite. He is eternal. We are time bound.  If we understand God fully then either He ceases to be God and as we decipher infinity we become God ourselves, the very thought of it itself is absurd.  The way God does things is impossible for us to comprehend. But there is a surety that He will act -and that too in our favour. Because He has given us the privilege to call Him Abba Father. If He was the master and we the slaves, there was no guarante

Eccl:10:20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts And dont make fun of the powerful, even in your bedroom For a little bird might deliver your message And tell them what you said.  Even the walls have ears. This idiom scares your wit out of you if you find fun in gossipping. The Qoholeth warns everyone in the same way. A small bird might tell your secrets to them. We are not in the land of talking beasts of Narnia to be afraid of that.  Who knows - your listener or may be you yourself might blurt it out.  And also talking behind someone's back is not fitting well for a man or woman with integrity.  Mal:3:16 And those who feared the Lord spoke with each other and the Lord listened to what they said.  Well the Lord is listening, always. What His children are talking to each other, amongst each other. To his non Christian friends.  Will He be ashamed? Will we make Him proud?  If He would proudly bring in the enemy to our conversations challenging him like in J

Feb 14. The most romantic day.  But it wasn't that always.  It is celebrated in rememberance of St. Valentine, marking his day of execution. Other legends connecting cupid and early spring love birds and all are there. But this is probably the most authentic.  On his farewell letter to the jailor's daughter, whose eye sight Valentine had restored earlier, he wrote.....  Your Valentine.  Valentine was executed because he was the one who conducted marriages for Christian soldiers (who were not allowed to by the Roman government)  So Feb 14 is love always. It also depicts suffering. It also depicts hope. It also depicts strength (the word meaning of Valentine)  No love is relevant without sacrifice. Without hope. Without strength.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13  Jesus is the only true Valentine. He is mine and I am His

Eccl:10:15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work.  Hard work vs hardly working.  Who would you want to entrust your work to? The one who finds an easy way to get the job done? Or the one who does it the proper and correct way? Is it the one who makes others do the work that is entrusted to him or the one who meticulously works hard.  It is not wisdom to do the job in another way. Easy work is not God's way. So is easy money. ie money gained in untruthful and effortless ways. No pain no gain.  You will sleep well, if you are dead tired after the day's toil and hard work even if the bed is as hard as the rock. All other ways lead to sleepless nights and uncomfortable pillows. 

Eccl 10:10 Using a dull axe requires great strength  So sharpen the blade That is the value of wisdom It helps you succeed.  Putting in maximum effort for suboptimal results? Dull axe drains you of your energy.  In a class I lever, only if the fulcrum is in the exact centre, will the load be lifted with minimum effort. That is "wisdom is more powerful than strength" Are you struggling to put your maximum effort to get a paltry result? You feel this is the maximum you can give. But however success is eluding. Satisfaction is evading.  Wisdom is lacking. And Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One brings good judgement. Pro: 9:10 He is the source of all knowledge.  I remember a mentor of mine started reading the Bible to improve his English. He is a senior Physician, professor in a medical college and an amazing teacher of the Word now.  May the source of all wisdom, grant us the wisdom that we lack. 

A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes Eccl:10:4 A hasty answer; a retortion; an unwanted back answering can often spoil the warm relation that you have been enjoying. All was going well between you two. Then suddenly you couldn't have control over the reins of your tongue. And as you blurted out, the damage caused by that impulsive act is horrendous and irreparable. You have apologized and tried to reinstate. But the scars are deep enough to be forgotten. You are filled with regrets, "If at all, I had kept quiet" James:1:19 You must be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to be angry.  Learn to have a quiet spirit. You need not prattle. Yes you might be hurt by their words or deeds. But the consequence of your venting out your emotions through words is going to be catastrophic.  Tongue is as dangerous as the fire, James says. Kabje me rakh. Controlling it is quintessential for a healthy relation with others. You might be at loss. You might be thou

People can never predict when hard times might come Eccl:9:12 Very many think, Christian life would be a life of ease. The King of all kings, the Lord of Lords is by your side. He is Jehovah Jireh - the provider God. All His riches are yours. Life is going to be a cake walk. At least many in their early Christian life hopes and thinks it is going to be a bed of roses.  But roses always have thorns. And when these thorns prick you, you tend to wonder why. Plucked out of your grandeous expectations of comfortable life, you are confused. May be it is your lack of faith. You pray harder. You ascertain your faith rather aggressively. You proclaim your faith. You tell it out loud, what you believe. You fast and pray. You request others to pray for you. You confess unconfessed sins. You remember to give alms. (All these are imperative in Christian life. Don't get me wrong)  You try everything to prove that God is good. But the thorn prick continues.  Now you are more discourag

Eccl:9:10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.  Death being a certainty, the Qoholeth advises to do everything with a clear conscience. Nothing you have done or earned or valued, you would be able to take it with you.  You can echo with Thich Nhat Hanh who said, "I come here emptyhanded and I go emptyhanded." Beyond death you can take nothing material. All your wealth, all your possessions, all the name that you have earned, all the kingdoms you have conquered.  Hence in this life, live a life that is truthful and genuine. Deal with things in this life, which matters beyond death. You cannot make choices beyond death. Because there is no body involved. Living true to your conscience in this world is imperative. Because the One who controls death and beyond has instilled His glimpse in us, through the conscience. That is why there is a prick, or an urge to truthfulness, or an urge for just

On what is God's throne established? On what raised platform is His throne? Not on concrete. Not on power. Not on genealogy. Not on democracy. Neither autocracy.  Ps:97:2 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. (Ps:89:14)  His righteousness, His justice, His uprightness, His truthfulness, establishes His authority. That He is a righteous king.  The guilty will be punished. The innocent will be set free. The oppressed will be released. Those who embrace the Son will enjoy eternity. All other so called gods will be proved idols and He alone would be proclaimed as the Living, Almighty, Eternal, Only God. He reigns. He will reign. 

Eccl:8:8 None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked.  Death is certain. The day of death a surity. All men who is born will face their day of death. There is no escaping it. Except you are Elijah the great prophet.  If it is a certainty, why fear it? Man has always lived with dread of that day. Why fear? Is it the pain that you would encounter? Or is it the pain of your dear ones? Is it the uncertainty that follows it? What will happen to me? What will happen to my dear ones?  The word of God says; yet it is a sleep. It is yet another ongoing journey. Your body will sleep. But your soul and spirit will carry on. Eternity is planted inside man. But the choices made here in this world determines that certainty. Whether it is spent in heaven, in the presence of your Creator, or hell

Eccl:8:3 Don't try to avoid doing your duty.  Each of us have relevant responsibilities allocated to us. As a student to study. As an adult to work hard. As a child of God to live a life pleasing to Him in love. As a father. As a mother. As a son. As a daughter. As a husband. As a wife.  Evading from your responsibilities is foolishness. Be it because of laziness or because of boredom. No reason would hold good before the Almighty as we stand before the throne to give an answer.  We might have umpteen no. of reasons to give. But none would be valid.  For there is a time and way for everything. Eccl:8:6 Jesus was probably the busiest in the time of His ministry. But He tool care of His mother, His friends. Was a responsible citizen. Respected the laws.  Primarily I am a child of God. That should reflect in my other realms of life too. 

Eccl:7:29 God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.  God created man in his own image and likeness. Pure and holy. Upright and righteous. Loving and caring.  But man fell. Through one man's sin all of mankind has fallen face flat. Mankind rebelled. He said he will have his own way. The self centred; selfish marred way which is sinful and which goes down the spiral. Mankind has ousted righteousness and consciousness from the center of his heart. Anything which seems right to him, he calls it freedom to choose. He redefined right and wrong. Now in the name of freedom, there is equivocality, there are no lines drawn.  Hence because of rebellion, mankind is going down the path from bad to worse. His standards and etiquettes are being degraded more and more. And he is going farther and farther away from the center; the holy; the love; the Triune God.  As he is sliding further and further helplessly; there is no way he can

Eccl:7:21 Don't eavesdrop on others. You may hear your servant curse you.  Gossipping has two dangers. One is the danger of eavesdropping. The other is the danger of backbiting.  Eavesdropping is listening secretly to a private conversation or communication between others. The Qoholeth's advise is to avoid such an act. There is a problem of hearing others talk ill about you. Or about others. You are intentionally listening to what you are not supposed to hear. There is realisation of mistrust. There is strain of relationships. There is loss of intimacy. Even though the speaker might not intentionally mean anything, it affects relations.  Backbiting is speaking of someone secretly when he/she is not around. The problem is there is a fear that you might be heard.  Pro:16:28 A whisperer separates close friends.  It also questions authenticity. It also affects relations.  If there is a word of criticism or admonition, how beautiful it is to openly confront to that perso

Accept the way God does things For who can straighten what he has made crooked.  Eccl:7:13 Whatever damage has been done, is done. Nothing distorted can be brought back to the original form. Be it the things you have destroyed in anger or the lives you have hurt because of your harsh words. The damaged parts out of wear and tear are being replaced. The saved changes in your work in your PC cannot be retrieved back. The pain or the contortion caused cannot be reverted back to the original normalcy. No matter what.  Any apology might heal; but scars are always left behind. Near total healing is the maximum that can be promised. Never complete. Isn't it?  But there is a solution. As God respects this natural phenomenon. He is Sovereign. He works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  He will carry it on to completion; the good work he has started in you.  He has plans to prosper you, not to harm.  He will not leave you midway. 

Patience is better than pride Eccl:7:8 How is patience and pride linked? If finishing and starting are antonyms; so should patience and pride be too. I thought the opposite of patience is impatience and that of pride is humility.  What we need to think here is: why do i get impatient? By being impatient, when I get frustrated, what rules my heart?  When I am teaching my children; I do get impatient when I am filled with pride. When I am not able to come as low as their level; I am not able to tell them over and over again. And when they are not able to decipher out what I am trying to convince, that is when the loud speaker mode is turned on.  Yes, impatience and pride are surely linked. And humility results in patience and persistance and perseverance.  When you realize that you are not somebody really great, it will be easier for you to come down.  When you are not swollen up with pride; it will be easier for you to fit and squeeze in to every situation.  Are you easily a