Surrender is a mighty powerful word.
Sometimes we wonder why God had to wait until we’re tired and worn out, until we’ve finally given up before He gives us what we want.
And the answer is that we have made Him wait that long before we allowed Him to carry on His work and give us what [...]

 Pain and pleasure, both seems to tempt us
distracting us from our true and lasting joys.
Pleasure alone, brought by the senses
cannot make us truly happy,
they accompany us for a while,
but are soon forgotten
and we weep not for loss of their memory.
Pain on the other hand inflicts our soul
and we cry out for justice,
shouting upon us
what doubts [...]

I’ve heard once more about the on-going persecution of Christians in China.  Hearing the testimony of the victims, how they were subject to the most gruelling conditions in prison, two ideas could easily come into mind of believers.  One, that there is really a God whom these people serve with all their heart and whom [...]

Very few realize what burdens geniuses carry their whole lives - what of Van gogh, of Edgar Allan Poe, of the mathematician John Nash?
Very few realize how hard it might have been to constantly manage and control that great power that they possess, to undertake it all alone, ostracized by the society that fails to [...]

 Have you ever wondered how only God can love us unconditionally?  Because only God is perfect and need not anything from us.  If He will love us, we can be certain that it’s not because He wants anything back. 
We can’t love like that.  Our love, however good is still conditional.  We want something in return [...]

 In this life we’re living in,
it’s so easy to forget
and so difficult to keep watch
and to stay awake
So many things
distract us and bombard us
with temptations and lies
we sooner or later accept as truth
and allow to dominate even our subconcious minds
Passions, tastes, excitement,
hobbies, competition, entertainment,
things that entrance us
making us believe they’re the only thing there is
To [...]

Imagine a world
where you can’t bring anything
you ever owned
not one valued possession
not a single penny you can toss
Imagine a world
where titles and status mean nothing
where authority belongs not to you
Imagine a world
where no man stands taller than another
and where beauty comes not only from you
Imagine a world where you can’t hide anything
nor busy yourself with [...]

I am a tree
sprouting forth and reaching out
for the glorious sunny sky
strengthening my stance
drawing forth life
from the warm womb of the ground
bearing forth what fruit
i may offer to all
giving my shade
to those who may want to rest awhile
Not all men may notice me
when they pass by
not all may taste the fruit
that i have whole-heartedly offered
nor avail of the [...]

Pride, even if it be of righteousness, takes us away from love.
It blinds us with a false strength
and erodes our heart with a fear
of losing the things which we attach our self-worth unto,
things which can easily be lost.
Love, on the other hand,
can never be truly lost,
but needs only to be found
again
and again
and again…

If we spend the time we waste in sighing for the perfect golden fruit
in fulfilling the conditions of its growth,
happiness will come,
must come.
It is guaranteed in the very laws of the universe.
If it involves some chastening and renunciation,
well, the fruit will be all the sweeter for this touch of [...]