For the 3rd time now- sorry. Redirect to

ARIDHI.WORDPRESS.COM

thanks blogging in my real name for the first time haha. God bless all.

I am sorry for not blogging and having people get worried about me. Thanks everyone for caring. Things should sort themselves out very soon. I hope you are all well and God bless you. Lots of love, R-E-D.

Thanks JV for tagging me! (and Mum tagged me also. So this is in response to them both)
I have been really caught up with lots of stuff, I am so sorry I have not been in touch with anyone through email or even updating my blog. Am I hated? *hides more* lol. I am going to answer JV’s tag first- and let you all know that I am praying for you- and feeling good and will be back on and regular as soon as I possibly can–

So the instruction is, page 123 of whichever book I’m reading, paragraph 5- I sincerely hope it wont be from the first 10 chapters of 1st Chronicles… since the only book I’m getting to read these days is the Bible. lol! But nah, I’m reading the New Testament not the old. So here goes…
Acts 2:14-21 [ESV]

[14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
[15] For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
[16] But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
[17] “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
[18] even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
[19] And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
[20] the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
[21] And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

I tag: Paul, Sharla, Oscar, Christine, Mark Wilson and since JV didn’t stop at 5, I also tag Greg and … MBJ

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~ Colossians 1.13-14

I really love those verses. This post isn’t really connected to them but wanted to share… God is so good. The most awesome feeling in the world is to be in prayer, in the Spirit, even in song… To praise His name and know that He is awesome above all, and to see(k) his glory in and through all creation. Hallelujah! Prayer that isn’t “heaping up empty phrases” but truly being in God’s presence, knowing he loves, forgives, sanctifies, prepares… so the words I’m saying in prayer aren’t as important as the heart he gives me… and when the desires I express aren’t a result of deep thought but impulsive love. Just an earnest cry to be redeemed, and infinite joy at being loved… by the Maker of every promise that counts…

So as you know I have been sick. But I am better now, almost fully well. Thank you all very much for praying and loving and emailing and caring and smsing etc.

At school, classes have begun already, for the 4th semester. For English class we’re working on a play by Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”. I skimmed through the script of the play yesterday and am focussing on an in-depth reading of Act IV right now… when I read it a few years ago, in my pre-christian mind, it seemed to me a story about love and wordplay, with Portia the heroine and the rest her sidekicks. Now it just seems like a beautiful, heart-breaking depiction of the psychological state of man’s mind in a majority vs. minority situation. Shylock is the new hero in my mind, he is a character I sympathize with, one my heart goes out to, one I believe was most unfairly treated by those professing the Christian faith. Antonio through the court of Law imposed upon Shylock the “penalty” of conversion to Christianity. I want to study this in much more detail and write a long post sometime God willing.

Hi thanks for emails asking what happened to me, I am sick and have a terrible cold and pains and soreness all over my body. It’s very mild and nothing to complain about at all but I just haven’t been able to read blogs or even properly read the comments here. Had a great time in Sharjah I might write more about it when I get back. Thanks everyone I think I will be up again soon I will be back. Lots of love. Sniff. Our God is an awesome God he is keeping me happy I hope you are all blessed. The awesome, awesome God bless you.
-RED

Thanks Christine, for asking. Yes I will be blogging from Sharjah, God willing. Not at this blog but at a new travel blog like last time. So as not to bore my readers who don’t care what I’m doing in the UAE (last time I went there I was doing dishes and learning to cook, occasionally going out to watch a really bad movie. Fun for me, but is it something people want to read about? lol).

Also, I’ll be looking for interesting stuff to explore. If anyone has suggestions or recommendations… especially people who have lived in or visited the UAE… I’d love to hear what you did there!

One thing I REALLY want to do, is buy a long black arab dress and wear it and feel like one of those beautiful women who don’t have to worry much about being a stumbling block to men. I love the simplicity and modesty of that dress. A dress of that style may hide a woman’s physical uniqueness, but it cannot hide her beauty.

I’m going to Sharjah in a couple of days… The last time I went, I was really excited. Happy. I blogged about my last trip and learnt a lot even though I didn’t go out of the house much. All that was fun but… this time it’s different. I’m older, more experienced… I know what life is about…

Just kidding :-p I’m still a kid lol but it’s different because this might be my last time in the UAE for a long time. That feels weird because I’ve never been as attached to a place in the world as I am to Sharjah. I have not ever “lived” there, and it’s generally a pretty cold and artless place, but there are hidden treasures of beauty in its emptiness. There is a secret life inside all that cement, all the artificial mud/grass/trees, and the men and women covered from head to toe in white and black respectively…

I love Sharjah for its traditionality and conservatism. There is a lot of commerce (not like Dubai though) but they have not been sold to sex. It’s perfectly normal to see women in western clothes and women in arab clothes and women in indian clothes walking on the same road, not uncomfortable in each other’s presence. Men don’t make women uncomfortable by staring weirdly or talking funny. In fact I’m not sure I’ve seen many men talking to women unless they are with them. And I am in love with their dress and if I could, I would wear a Jilbab all the time, at least when I’m not in the house.

The last time I went to Sharjah my Dad and my brother taught me how to cook on the first day. And every day after that they went to work while I stayed home and did some housework, that was the first time in my life that I felt responsible and womanly. That is not to say that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” but to say that it felt good to look after our home while the men went out to work. Personally and biblically I think it’s great if women work, but I feel I would really miss out if my work took away from the nurturing aspect of my family responsibilities.

Star Cineplex at the City Centre, Sharjah plays only hindi movies. I watched 4 movies the last time I went there (Vivah, Dhoom 2, Apna Sapna Money Money and Rehguzar… Vivah was the ONLY good movie lol) but the multiplex is great. It’s got no security you can take anything you want inside, including cameras and videocameras and big bulky shopping bags. But it’s Sharjah their crime record is practically zero so I’ve never heard of anyone blowing up a theatre. Also they used to have new movie releases on Wednesday, because their weekend was Thursday & Friday. But they recently changed their weekend to Friday and Saturday (which in my opinion is the most accurate weekend…) so new movies release on Thursday. Which means, Indian movies play there 1 day before they are released here. And there is no security. See why Indian Cable TV shows all the newest movies at the same time as they are released here? haha. (All the best pirated copies of movies do come from the UAE that is a known thing, right?)

Domino’s Pizza in Sharjah is opposite the beautiful Khalid lagoon, very near the Millennium Hotel. Only one vegetarian pizza, but it’s good pizza.

If God wills, I will live and go to Sharjah next week and write a blog. What an incredible place it is.

This morning, I whinged to a sister in Christ about copyrighted Bibles, and how unfair it is that there arent any non-KJV Bibles which I can download on audio and listen to when I can’t read on my computer or in print. And God is an awesome God, so before today got over, I found this. How cool!

Thinking about these verses. Any thoughts?

Non-Christian, learn what is false:

1. Christians think they’re better than everyone because they believe in Jesus
2. Christians believe in the Bible cos it’s convenient to
3. God is the same in every religion, just expressed differently
4. Jesus didn’t tell his followers to be fundamentalists
5. Believing in Jesus doesnt make you a better person, good deeds/karma does

I assert the falsehood of all those points. Objections & arguments welcome, by comment or by email (RED.wpblog@gmail.com) abusive comments not welcome because I’m not speaking against anyone I’m just saying what Christianity does NOT believe (but people seem to believe it believes).

Non-Christian, learn what is true:

1. Christians believe every human being is a sinner, and if Christians were not sinners fully aware of their sin, they would not be Christian. Believing in Jesus means being so fully aware of our sins that we fully realise the need for a Saviour, and are “crucified with him” so that we can seek his righteousness. So Christians are not better than everyone else, but God alone is perfect. Jesus is the only perfect man to have lived on earth.
2. Christians believe in the Bible because it opens our eyes to the truth that God is more beautiful and desirable than ANYTHING the world can offer.
3. God is One and different religions contradict each other about God. You can’t have one God who is the same in every religion. ACCEPT THAT.
4. Jesus told his followers to love God with everything they have, and to hold fast to him like nothing else. That sounds fundamentalistic to me and its perfectly beautiful because God is the Most High, the point where all perfection and goodness meets at its highest, there is no goal higher than God and if Christians are true fundamentalists, that is GOOD for everybody.
5. Everybody is a sinner. Believing in Jesus doesnt make you instantly stop being a sinner. It makes you hate sin. When you KNOW that God is true, and that God hates your sin, you want it to go away. But our flesh likes worldly lusts more than it likes God because it doesn’t understand God. Temptations come and deceive. The HOLY SPIRIT makes us not sin. So believing in Jesus makes us want to desire him above our fleshly lusts. We receive the Holy Spirit so that our hearts are opened and we see for ourselves that Jesus is truly more beautiful than sin. So there are two steps to it. First, believe in Jesus- know that you don’t want to sin- then receive the Holy Spirit which testifies about Jesus, and shows our hearts that Jesus IS more desirable, and the Holy Spirit frees us from our desire to sin. So believing in Jesus LEADS TO receiving the Holy Spirit which LEADS TO freedom from sin. Without the Holy Spirit, we are the same as before, our eyes see the same and our hearts feel the same, and what we desired before, we will not miraculously stop desiring now. The SPIRIT gives wisdom and understanding, without the Spirit I am dead in my sins.

I hate myself when I sin. Loving Jesus means honouring his word. I can’t honour his word if I’m not led by the Spirit. I desire the Holy Spirit to fill me completely so I can be free from sin. Sin is horrible.

I know most religions apart from Christianity teach about salvation based on good works. I am curious to know how do these good works come? What’s the standard by which one calls him or herself good? What can cause a loathing for sin if not the Holy Spirit of God alone?