issue#2

Grace ‫النعمة‬ i s s u e

# 2

... the ultimate expression of God’s love.

Rest...

Divine Weekends; Why, on Earth, would God take a day off after the creation?!

God promises: You are Never Alone

‫املسيح في سفر التكوين‬ New What

about...

topics examined from a Christian point of view!

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness,

yours alone.

- Psalm 71:16

Share the great things God has done to your life!

Send your testimonies at: gracemagazine11@gmail.com

contents ‫محتويات‬

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My Christianity ‫مسيحيتي‬

• ‫ما هو دور االنسان يف الخالص؟‬

Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬

• “‫”واآلن رأتك عيناي‬ • God Promises: You are Never Alone

Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫إعرف‬

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• ‫سفر التكوين‬

12 16

• Divine Weekends

God's people ‫شعب الله‬

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Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬

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• Noah

• Amazing Grace

• 1 :11 ‫أمثال‬

Beautiful Creation ‫خليقة جميلة‬

”.‫وأنا أريحكم‬ ‫ يسوع‬-

• Endurance; God doesn’t like whiners!

Know ‫كلمته‬ His Word ‫إعرف‬

َّ‫“تعالوا إلي‬ ‫يا جميع املتعبني‬ ‫والثقيلي األحمال‬

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Do you have any questions about God, the Bible, or Christianity?

Do you need help understanding a Bible verse or a passage? Is there a certain topic you want to know more about?

Send us your questions and we promise to answer you shortly!

• Cosmic Holes: Wormholes

Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬ • Your Personal God • The Perfect Prayer?

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PS: The Bible as well as personal experiences are our only references.

gracemagazine11@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/gracemagazine11

My Christianity ‫مسيحيتي‬

6

‫‪2‬‬

‫اخلالص‬

‫ما هو دور اإلنسان في اخلالص؟‬ ‫‪ ‬لقد عرفنا يف العدد السابق أن الله أحبنا منذ األزل وفدانا بدم يسوع عىل الصليب واهباً لنا الخالص بنعمتة (أف ‪،4 :2‬‬ ‫‪ ،)5‬وعرفنا أن املسيح جاء ليفدي الخطاة الذين أولهم أنا (‪1‬يت ‪ .. )15 :1‬كام يقول لنا أيضاً الكتاب املقدس أن اإلنسان‬ ‫ليس لديه ما يقدمه لله حتى يقبله‪ ،‬فاذا كانت كل أعامل برنا نجاسة ( اش ‪ )6 :64‬فكم بالحري خطايانا؟ إذن فالخالص‬ ‫عمل إلهي كامل يقدمه الله اآلب للخطاة من خالل اإلميان بيسوع املسيح‪ ،‬دون استحقاق فينا أو فضل منا‪ .‬ولكن هل‬ ‫معنى ذلك أن اإلنسان ليس له أي دور يف خالص نفسه؟ وهل معنى ذلك أننا ميكننا أن نعرف يسوع ونعلن إمياننا به‬ ‫وقبولنا لنعمته‪ ،‬ثم نحيا كام نشاء؟ إن هذا السؤال الهام جدير بأن نوليه إهتاممنا وبحثنا‪ .‬بل هو جدير بأن نكرس له‬ ‫الجهد والوقت حتى نعرف إجابته من خالل كلمة الله؛ فإجابة هذا السؤال تضع مصرينا األبدي عىل املحك ‪ ..‬لذا دعونا‬ ‫اآلن نقرتب إىل كلمة الله لنعرف ما ت ُعلمه لنا‪:‬‬ ‫هاين بشاي‬

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‫‪Life with‬‬ ‫‪the Savior‬‬ ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬

‫أشعياء ‪13-1 :49‬‬ ‫اسمعي يل أيتها الجزائر واصغوا أيها األمم‬ ‫من بعيد‪ .‬الرب من البطن دعاين من أحشاء‬ ‫أمي ذكر اسمي‪ .‬وجعل فمي كسيف حاد‪.‬يف‬ ‫ظل يده خبأين وجعلني سهام مربيا يف كنانته‬ ‫اخفاين‪ .‬وقال يل انت عبدي ارسائيل الذي به‬ ‫امتجد‪ .‬اما انا فقلت عبثا تعبت باطال وفارغا‬ ‫افنيت قدريت‪.‬لكن حقي عند الرب وعميل عند‬ ‫الهي واالن قال الرب جابيل من البطن عبدا ً له‬ ‫الرجاع يعقوب اليه فينضم اليه ارسائيل فامتجد‬ ‫يف عيني الرب والهي يصري قويت‪ .‬فقال قليل‬ ‫ان تكون يل عبدا القامة اسباط يعقوب ورد‬ ‫محفوظي ارسائيل‪.‬فقد جعلتك نورا لالمم لتكون‬ ‫خاليص اىل اقىص االرض‪ .‬هكذا قال الرب فادي‬ ‫ارسائيل قدوسه للمهان النفس ملكروه االمة‬ ‫لعبد املتسلطني‪.‬ينظر ملوك فيقومون‪.‬رؤساء‬ ‫فيسجدون‪.‬الجل الرب الذي هو امني وقدوس‬ ‫ارسائيل الذي قد اختارك هكذا قال الرب‪.‬يف‬ ‫وقت القبول استجبتك ويف يوم الخالص اعنتك‪.‬‬ ‫فاحفظك واجعلك عهدا للشعب القامة االرض‬ ‫لتمليك امالك الرباري قائال لالرسى اخرجوا‪.‬‬ ‫للذين يف الظالم اظهروا عىل الطريق يرعون ويف‬ ‫كل الهضاب مرعاهم‪ .‬ال يجوعون وال يعطشون‬ ‫وال يرضبهم حر وال شمس الن الذي يرحمهم‬ ‫يهديهم واىل ينابيع املياه يوردهم‪ .‬واجعل كل‬ ‫جبايل طريقا ومناهجي ترتفع‪.‬‬ ‫هؤالء من بعيد ياتون وهؤالء من الشامل ومن‬ ‫املغرب وهؤالء من ارض سينيم‪ .‬ترمني ايتها‬ ‫السموات وابتهجي ايتها االرض لتشد الجبال‬ ‫بالرتنم الن الرب قد عزى شعبه وعىل بائسيه‬ ‫يرتحم‪.‬‬ ‫‪8‬‬

‫“واآلن رأتك عيناي”‬ ‫أيوب ‪٥ : ٤٢‬‬

‫ساندرا منصور‬

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Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬

P r o m i s e s

o f

a

F a i t h f u l

G o d

Never Alone Psalm 34:18

Bad things happen to good people; bad things happen to all people. No one, as far as I know, has been able to explain why seemingly- and often times, genuinely- beautiful and innocent people go through times of suffering and hardship. The question ‘why’ is one that’s answer has not been clearly unraveled throughout the Bible. But despite the fact that this frustration is one that will probably always prevail, the Lord Jesus has not left us without comfort or hope. Though it might be hard to believe, the fact is that Jesus was a human being just like you and me. He lived through days of sadness, loneliness, pain (both physical and emotional), and practically all other existing emotions. He existed in f lesh, and thus was bound to endure what we, in our current day, are bound to endure as well.

by Basma Bishay Not too long ago I almost lost two of the dearest people to my heart. Overnight, our friendship was no more. The two people who knew me most, who I thought loved me most, believed a lie about me and were gone. Let me tell you that my whole world changed after that. I changed the way I spoke to people and I isolated myself from all human contact- literally! As far as I was concerned, nobody had earned my trust. But the fact that I isolated myself from people was not the biggest of my issues; the fact that I distanced myself from God, was.

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Thanks be to the Lord that I am over this dark phase of my life, because now, with His strength and wisdom, I may be able to open the eyes of those who may be going through similar pains. You see, there is a truth that I was unable to see: Jesus Christ IS love! He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep.

He looks after us and loves us beyond belief. Times may be difficult- you may be going through something far more strenuous than a mere friendshipgone-wrong. But take it from someone who has been there, you are NEVER ALONE! God loved us so much, that He came on this earth as one of us. He put everything aside because He saw that we were worthy. How is it then, that such a humble and sincere Father, could ever forsake the apples of His eye at times when things aren’t easy?

No matter how difficult this time may be for you, our God is still stronger and more sovereign than any of us can ever imagine. He is able to heal our broken hearts, and help us stand once again. In his love story to us, the Bible, God promises, “the LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,”-Psalm 34: 18. He also promises, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”-Psalm147: 3. I have been left speechless, unable to utter a word. How great is my Lord’s

love for me?

We all know the famous story of Joseph and his adventures in Egypt. What a moving and powerful story! Joseph went through pressures in all shapes and forms: his brothers abandoned him, he was sold, the King’s wife tempted him, he was left in a jail cell for years, he was forgotten; all this to say the least. But the same Joseph who was maltreated and left to die is the Joseph who one day became the King of Egypt. How? Faith!

Joseph’s story is one that baffles me to this day. How could he have endured all this pain, and yet still managed to hold on to the Lord’s promises? My friends, Jesus gives his children strength, if only they ask for it. Jesus gave Joseph his eyes to see that in the end, all things would work out for God’s glory, just as previously promised!

Often times we are blinded by the horrible situations in which we are placed, that we forget that the Lord of all the nations is right by our sides. We forget to open our eyes to see that His strength is enough, and His love surpasses all. Dear reader, you are not alone. I challenge you today to change your perspective.

Look through the Lord’s eyes to see that Jesus has embraced you. He will see you through, and that is a promise, “though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.”

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Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫اعرف‬

Endurance

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, f ixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:1-3 Jesus bore the worst because his eyes were fixed on the purpose of His pain - our joy. We never heard Jesus complain about how hard His life was. We saw him hurting, but never whining... burdened, but never giving up! He had a heart of endurance for He knew very well what was lying ahead of His suffering.

And since we were created in His image, God expects us to follow the living example of Jesus Christ and endure the hardships we face in life, knowing that one day, in His Kingdom, it will all be gone.

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God doesn’t like whiners!

I am having a bad hair day. I think I am getting fatter by the second. My school is so hard; they are actually threatening to fail us. My friends don’t get me at all; it’s so boring lately. I will never get married. My life is falling apart! Where is God? Where is He? I mean, shouldn’t He do something?

by Monica Adel Sorry to burst your bubble, but God doesn’t like whiners. Let me tell you a short story.

Once upon a time there was a God, a people, and a human leader. The people were being enslaved and brutally abused in this land called “Egypt”; they were screaming for help: “Help us, please. Get us out of here. We can’t take it anymore” God heard their screams and sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt. God promised the people that He would lead them, through Moses, to a great place known as “the Promised Land”.

Great?! Not really, the people of Israel started whining about where they ended up. They ended up in a land where there was no meat to eat and no visible source of water. In response, God told Moses to strike a rock and water poured out of it. But God was not too happy about it and said, in essence, “This group of whiners is never going to make it to the Promised Land.”

Hmm, I know you might doubt this part so check out Numbers 11:18:

“And tell the people to purify themselves, for tomorrow they will have meat to eat. Tell them, ‘The LORD has heard your whining and complaints: “If only we had meat to eat! Surely we were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty.

You will eat it for a whole month until you are sick of it. For you have rejected the LORD, who is here among you, and you have complained to him, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” - Ouch!

Whining vs Lamenting God doesn’t always expect us to be cheery. In fact, there are evidences from scripture that God welcomes lamentation and even complaints as legitimate responses to the hardships of life. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Jesus all lamented. Lamentation is a prayer for help coming out of pain and need.

When we are hurt physically, we cry out in pain; when we are hurt spiritually, we cry out in lamentation. Lamentation can be described as a loud,

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Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫اعرف‬ religious “Ouch.” For example: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” - Psalm 130:1.* However, the real difference between a lamenter and a whiner is that whiners always find a way to whine, regardless of circumstances, but lamenters ask for help when they are hurting, but once the problem is resolved they are pretty much satisfied and cheerful again.

They tell a story in Vermont about a farmer who always moaned about his crop yields. Every harvest seemed to fall short. Then, one year, after a spectacular bumper crop, a fellow farmer said, “Well, even you will have to admit that this was a good year.”

To which the whining farmer replied, “Yes, but terribly hard on the soil.”

God endures, and expects us to do the same!

God could have easily been the world’s biggest whiner if He wanted to, actually, if He had chosen to whine we wouldn’t have really blamed Him. He went through unbearable difficulties without uttering one negative word. Jesus did lament, however,

“God, please hear my complaints when life is difficult, but, dear God, please don’t let me become a whiner.

Instead, trace my heart with gratitude.

Amen.”

over Jerusalem saying “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not?” -Matthew 37.

Yes, Jesus came down to earth, became a human being, experienced all the frustrations of life, and made you and me in His image. But... but He is God; He is powerful, and of course, He has the highest standards ever!

PAL!! You’re not listening; what part of He created you and me in His image don’t you get? Yes, we - His children are expected to act JUST LIKE HIM. Is it doable? Yes. How do I know? I have a brain. He created me; He knows me too well, so if He asked me to stop whining then He knows I am capable of doing this and be thankful instead.

Whiners always find a reason to whine. And those whose lives are marked with gratitude always find a reason to give thanks. It is clear which kind of person God expects us to be.

* Over one-third of the Psalms are laments and one whole book, Lamentations, expresses the confusion and suffering felt after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. So God will hear your lament, He will respond to your complaints as long as they are sincere.

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Translated to

“

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‫كلمته ‪Know‬‬ ‫‪His Word‬‬ ‫إعرف‬

‫املسيح في سفر التكوين‬

‫‪16‬‬

‫سفر التكوين‬

‫سفر التكوين “‪ ”Genesis‬هو سفر البدايات ‪ ..‬واسمه بالعربية “براشيت” أي يف البدء ‪ ..‬وكام ابتدأ الكتاب املقدس‬ ‫بخلق الله الساموات واألرض‪ ،‬اختتم أيضاً يف سفر الرؤيا ‪ 1 :21‬باآلية التي تذكر السامء الجديدة واألرض الجديدة ‪..‬‬ ‫وهكذا صار سفر التكوين املثال املصغر املجسم للكتاب املقدس كله‪.‬‬ ‫هاين جورج‬

‫‪17‬‬

Know ‫كلمته‬ His Word ‫إعرف‬

I n s i g h t s

Divine Weekends

Why, on Earth, would God take a day off after the creation!?

I’m asking this question with raised eyebrows, while scratching my hair, narrowing my eyes in concentration and contemplation. I don’t think it’s weird that this question has haunted me for some time. As a matter of fact, I would be a little surprised if you had never caught this pretty mind-boggling idea.

by Nader Osama Where it all began Many of us have heard the story of the creation in Sunday school; you remember that unforgettable lesson, don’t you? From day one to day five, God created the origin everything that surrounds us, from plants and animals, to the Sun and the Moon and the skies. Then, on day six, came the interesting part, the whole purpose of this narrative: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness”.

- Genesis 1:26 Up to that point, everything was okay. The story seems coherent and makes a lot of sense, considering that earlier in Sunday School we were singing something like “My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do”. But unfortunately, the story takes an out-ofplace, inconvenient twist…

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“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” - Genesis 2:2 SAY WHAT? He rested from all his work? God- who with a phrase like “let there be…” founded everything that exists- needs to rest? Who are we kidding here? Sorry, but did he get tired? I never thought of God like me, a person who gets all weary and sweaty after a long strenuous day of activity. I never pictured God throwing his fatigued body to bed, nor did I imagine him waking up the next morning with aching muscles. This is nothing less than heretical. Oh and by the way, God doesn’t sleep! What kind of rest would it be if you’re sleepless?

But here’s what I learned: behind every riddle from God, there’s a rewarding surprise much bigger than the riddle itself.

(Before we go any further, I’m sorry if the last 300 words rocked your faith so hard that you considered apostasy. I’ll make it up. I promise.)

we might conclude that such a matter was designed for social reasons, given that God was governing his people, so he wanted to constitute a certain lifestyle, and a rest was (and still is) a crucial need for activity. Is that all there is to it, just a human obligation for rest?

Lookin’ forward to the weekend To God, this day of rest became so important that he blessed it, made it holy and set it aside as a day of weekly rest for his people. The day was called the in Hebrew “Shabat”, meaning, “rest”, and the fourth commandment given to Moses on Sinai said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Sabbath is the English word for the holiday). This day was considered a celebration, and any form of work was prohibited on it.

The Jewish law identifies 39 activities that are major violations to the law of Sabbath that people had to retain from, and it was only meant for spiritual meditation and worship. Households gathered around the table for specially prepared meals, and it was also considered a family day. Thus, God’s nation was instructed to imitate God in what he had done, and to have a weekend of break. Of course

An answer in a book called Hebrews Hebrews has an unnamed author, doesn’t have an introduction and cuts to the chase, giving you a feeling of urgency or emergency. Officially, there is no decisive stand upon who really wrote the epistle. A lot of people prefer a Pauline authorship, but there are many technical reasons to suggest otherwise. However, I think with Hebrews specifically, an author doesn’t matter as much as an audience, and the name of the book obviously identifies whom it is written to. It’s all about Jews- people who can speak Hebrew. It’s about Jews who were new believers in Christ, but a part of them was very much attached to their Jewish identity and heritage.

It’s about Jews, addresses Jews, and it borrows a lot of Jewish themes and events to explain the basic fundamentals of the Christian faith.

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Know ‫كلمته‬ His Word ‫إعرف‬ it needs something or someone to re-fix them into the faith they were preached before, and to renew their conviction in the recent message by relating it (or comparing it) to their previous religion. And that’s Hebrews!

The more vital fact about Hebrews is its timing. It was written during a time of severe persecution. It’s the kind of persecution that drains the Church from all its hope, and makes people revisit whatever they believed in and revise their initial reaction to it. It’s the kind of persecution that makes many people slip and drift away in escape.

That’s why our Mr. Anonymous author constantly repeats warnings against unbelief. Complicating things further, they started losing sense of the foundational concepts of Christianity, or better to say, they started confusing their old thoughts with their new ones to find themselves in a serious mix-up. Those Jews needed a thick line to distinguish and clarify the developments Jesus had brought to the previous system, while discovering its significant meaning and purpose.

Now here’s the surprise. Hebrews has an explanation to present to the Jewish/recently Christian community (and me) concerning each and every Saturday they ever spent in their entire life! Not only so, but it also gives us the reason behind God’s rest that was remembered on those Saturdays!

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.“ - Hebrews 4:8

So, what does a persecuted, confused and stuck-in-the-past church need to hear?

Obviously, it needs encouragement; it needs to hear something like “Everything will be okay”. It needs to find a convincing motivation for the suffering they pay, a simple thing to look forward to within all the tribulations that come against them. Also,

Have a break… Don’t have a Kit-Kat Humanity was so wretched and corrupted, but above that, it was tired. It was tired of having no chance at all of having a close encounter, a unity, and reconciliation with its God. It was exhausted because any forgiveness of sins was attained, only temporarily, through offerings and sacrifices. But even that didn’t get them to justifi-

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cation because no matter how hard they tried; they still couldn’t live by the law. Humanity was frustrated because it didn’t know eternal life, but it was just scared of God’s wrath that it very much deserved. Finally, we were all tired because we couldn’t see rest on the horizon. Yet, despite all that, there was a timeless promise, an oath, made by God that humanity shall find its rest someday, somehow, and that this rest comes in the Messiah.

Encouragement from God is very special, because it’s not based on motivational slogans or cheesy idealistic pop psychology; it’s based on a promise. And our God is wise and creative, so he uses all kinds of ways to announce and confirm those promises.

God is also practical, so he doesn’t just utter the words out of his mouth to declare the promise, no; he’s much bigger and deeper than that. He’s not a God of words; he’s a God of action.

For example, if he holds a promise for the world that they eventually find a rest from all their pain and struggling, he doesn’t just say this promise, he lives it! He does it! He demonstrates it! And he…wait for it… gives himself a rest to highlight the fact that he is rest! God shared his plan of salvation in the very first chapter of the Bible,

without speaking one word, and it was like a spoiler for the drama yet to come, or a Godly wink.

We will have rest, we will find relief, and comfort and will be freed from all the tensions and depressions of life. In Jesus, we find a break from all the work and effort we exert in order to reach justification and sanctification, because he did all the work to be done on the cross. That’s what the Hebrews needed to hear at their time, and it’s not different from what we need to hear today. There is an ultimate rest in Jesus no matter how much we tire or fight today. We are promised an eternal, divine, weekend with Him, where there are no duties or worries, just glory, unity with Him and His family, worship and joy. All you need to do is believe instead of hardening your heart and ignoring the invitation, because God desires that rest for your soul more than you do. Stand firm before any wars that rise against you, believing that there is an after-party. Believe that God had a rest, not because he was tired, but because rest exists only if he rests, and that this rest is Jesus.

“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” - Matthew 12:8

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God's people ‫شعب الله‬

Noah

by Maggie Ashraf Zaki Name Noah, meaning ‘rest’ Known for The ark and the flood.

His life took place from 2948 BC to 1998 BC. (950 years) The story is mentioned in Genesis: chapters 6 to 9.

Reputation ‘Christ like’ in his lifetime, exhibiting both faith in and obedience to God. Key verses in this part “And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. “ - Genesis 6:6-8 “ And God said: “This is the sign of

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the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud...”

- Genesis 9:12-13 Lessons learnt God does not tolerate evil, but still remains Faithful to His children, till the end.

The Story It all began when God saw that the wickedness of mankind had increased drastically all over the earth.

God cannot tolerate evil, for He is good. So, God had to do something to cleanse the Earth from all this evil;

He decided to flood the earth and wipe all mankind. Yet, He saw that 600 year-old Noah was righteous and had a good heart that loved the LORD. So, the LORD told Noah about His plan of flooding the Earth, and told him to build a huge ark with special dimensions that can fit Noah, his wife, his three sons, their wives, and pairs of every clean and unclean animal. After building the ark, God told Noah to go inside. The windows of Heaven opened and it rained for a straight forty days and forty nights. On the 264th day since the flood started, Noah sent out a raven, and afterwards three doves, until he made sure that the earth became safe. And after 371 days in the ark, Noah, his family, and the animals came out and discovered the new world that God had made pure for them. God then made a promise with Noah and all His creation that He would never wipe them again. In order for earth and man to remember that promise, God created the rainbow and ensured that it would appear each time after the rain.

Exceptional Noah Noah is considered, throughout the Bible, to have been a great man of faith. He was under an immense pressure of obedience, and yet blind-

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

- 2 John 1:6

ly trusted God’s words. He had absolutely no idea how the flood was going to happen, how long it would last, or whether they would have to live in the ark forever. Noah certainly had no idea how they would survive alone in the new earth that the Lord would provide. But he was a righteous man, and God saw his heart.

So, despite that God decided to wipe out all mankind, He saved his loyal and loving children.

Noah acted out of pure faith. He chose to believe God without asking to see the bigger picture. Through it all, Noah became one of the very first people to ever experience God’s grace.

Beautiful God Every time you see a rainbow, think of how He is a loving God who has kept his promise over thousands of years. Think about how the Lord erases all our wickedness, and creates a clean, natural, and wonderful wonder, such as the rainbow, to constantly remind us of His goodness.

Think: if God is, and always has been for us, who now can be against us?

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What about...

Death?

topics examined from a Christian point of view...

I once thought that for someone to understand the core of Christianity he has to go to a Funeral. Yes to a funeral: not to the Mass, not to a sermon and not even to the Holy week. For it is in the prayers of a funeral, that the true understanding of Christian belief appears (I will explain why later). A few days after I had this thought, a close friend of mine died in a terrible accident. I went to his funeral knowing that this would be a test for me, a test for my previous idea.

by Farah Hany In the midst of the tragedy, the weeping and the screaming from the young man’s family and friends, I noticed only one thing during the saddest part of the funeral. The deacons were singing an old Greek hymn that said: ”Ekhrestos Anesty Eknekron Thanato Thanaton”. Which means: “Jesus has risen from the dead and with His death He defeated death”. These words gave me joy and comfort more than I could have ever imagined. I felt that death means nothing. And though I was in a period of deep grief, I knew he wasn’t dead! No, he is alive; he is actually more alive than anyone in his funeral. For, he went to the source of life to be there forever.

So yes, I did prove my point. Christianity is very clear when it comes to death.

DEATH DOES NOT KILL, Death stood weak and defenseless in front of Jesus, It just couldn’t capture Him. So maybe death is humanity’s most feared enemy, but for a true Christian who lives in Jesus Christ, death is merely the passage to a newer, better life. And while a normal person dreads the idea of death, a Christian overcomes his natural rejection of this subject and dares to claim that death is a GAIN for him. Also, while a normal person fears the mere word of death, a Christian can loudly proclaim, “I am not afraid of you DEATH”.

Maybe for some people death is the end, but for a Christian it is merely the beginning. And that is why in a funeral you do not mourn on a finished life, a friend/relative gone forever; rather, you celebrate the birth of that person, his passage to the true life of eternal praise, joy, and light.

God does not merely give life; God cannot only raise the dead. But God is LIFE; God is the essence of living. That is why being close to Him is being alive. And that is why physical death means nothing if you’re with Him because you’re alive whether your body is living or not. So here’s a question: are you alive?

My Presence will go with you and I will give you

REST exodus 33:14

‫أرفع عيني‬

‫إىل الجبال من حيث يأتي‬

‫عوني‬ ‫مزمور ‪121‬‬

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Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬

Parables of Jesus; the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Jesus used this parable to show that God accepts and exalts the humble.

Luke 18:9 - 14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people— robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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Amazing Grace If you could imagine Jesus coming to earth in the 21st century, where would he be spending most of his time? Who would he be friends with?

What would he say to someone like me? I would say that probably, or most def initely, I would not f ind Jesus in a church. He would not be friends with believers like you and me. I think if we ponder long enough about what Jesus is like, we would f ind that he is very different than the picture we have been spoon-fed all our lives.

by Youssef Samy Jesus attracted a certain kind of folk.

The kind you don’t find now in a church. He attracted cheaters, prostitutes, and sick people, outcasts‘bad people’. He spent his time with the ones that other rabbis (religious teachers) wouldn’t have even thought of approaching. Even they themselves were surprised at this new rabbi’s attitude towards them. For the first time, they felt loved; for the first time, another human touched them, and for the first time they were accepted.

They felt grace. In the midst of their unworthiness, they felt all worthy.

Unfortunately, we haven’t walked in Jesus’ steps. Look at the church today.

You will rarely ever find any of those whom Jesus attracted. In fact, we have driven them all away. We have painted a rigid picture for churchgoers, and we call it a ‘believer’. We all know

‘Mr. Believer’, he does this, doesn’t do that; he says this, he doesn’t say that; he wears this, he doesn’t wear that. He is exactly like a Pharisee. Every church has it’s own picture of Mr. Believer, and none are like the people who followed Jesus.

Instead of being a place of refuge and comfort to any man who seeks grace (unconditional acceptance and love), the church has become an elitist club for only those who manage to hide their weaknesses and ugliness under the shallow coat of Mr. believer. And in the process, we have believed a lie that we ourselves invented: that we are good, we are the believers, the owners of grace, and that we have the right to bestow it on whomever we see worthy.

I wonder what Jesus would say to us.

We have managed to become exactly like the Pharisees- the people whom

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Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬ Jesus criticized the most; whitened graves, beautiful from the outside, but full of death inside.

So many people come to church with the genuine desire to hear what we have to say; yet they go back home with the uncomfortable feeling that we are making it too difficult for them.

You know them, right? Your friend who doesn’t care about God, your relative who would only feel guilty if he comes to church with you, and your colleague who wouldn’t understand a word said in a church. Are we determined to have nothing to do with those people?

The answer lies in one word. Grace.

Grace is the free gift of God to those who don’t deserve it. And the gift of God to us does not consist of food, drink, or money; rather, it is God Himself! That we, who are unworthy and undeserving, can have God’s life for us and in us despite our inability to pay the price. It is not cheap grace though; it is very costly. It cost so much that the God of this universe offered the life of His own son, to atone for our own weakness and sin. Yet the wonder is that it is offered freely to us.

It is offered freely for at least two reasons. First, we can’t buy it! Not even the most righteous of us can get God

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to give him grace. Unfortunately that’s what most of us try to do. We try to be worthy of God’s love; we offer him feeble prayers and unreal, mediocre commitments. We insult God by trying to earn grace. We want to buy the infinitely valuable gift with all that is worthless.

We fall in the trap of Mr. Believer and in the process drive people away from God. Secondly, and naturally, Grace is offered freely because you have to lay down your pride to take it. Only sinners who acknowledge their sinfulness and hopelessness can receive a free gift of Grace. Only when you realize and admit that you are drowning, can you really accept the help of a lifeguard.

You must let go. If you won’t let go, he can’t save you. If you try to swim up, you will only drown deeper. Only when you surrender to the fact that you are dying, and admit that your survival lies in some else’s hands, can you be saved from death.

This is Grace. That we would find churches full of preachers and prostitutes along side on their knees, just like that tax collector. This is Grace. It lifts the heavy yoke off the crushed, and puts an easy yoke on the prideful. And it is calling out to you…

Be a tax collector. Don’t try to be a Pharisee… and let Grace do the rest.

‫موازين غش مكرهة الرب‬ ‫والوزن الصحيح رضاه‪ .‬أمثال ‪1 :11‬‬ ‫اآلية دى عدت عيل ‪ 3‬مرات فبل ما اركز يف معناها و مضمونها ‪ ..‬كل مرة كنت بقول اآلية دي مش ليا‪ ،‬دى ممكن تبقي‬ ‫للتجار او حاجه كده‪ ،‬لحد ما لفت نظري كلمه مهمه أوي‪“ :‬موازين غش مكرهة الرب” إيه دا؟! هو ربنا بيكره؟! اآلية‬ ‫محتاجه تتقري تاين وبرتكيز‪ ...‬وقد كان!‬ ‫جاك مجدي‬ ‫بس املرة دى اكتشفت ان اآليه دي ليا انا بالذات ‪ ..‬ألنها‬ ‫بتكلمني عن حاجه بعملها يوميا و من غري تركيز‪ ،‬الحاجه‬ ‫دي هي امليزان ‪ ..‬ميزاين لألشخاص و املواقف و الظروف‪.‬‬ ‫كل يوم باتحط يف حاجات مواقف كتري بحتاج اخد فيها‬ ‫قرارات ‪ ،‬و محتاج اين اقيمها (أوزنها) – و هنا فهمت اآلية‬ ‫–السؤال ليا ‪ :‬هل ميزاين غش و ال صحيح؟؟‬ ‫التاجر أول ما بيشرتي ميزان جديد بيعمله حاجه اسمها‬ ‫املعايرة – يعني يجيب حاجه هو عارف وزنها و يحطها‬ ‫عيل امليزان‪ ،‬امليزان الجديد هيوزن الوزن اليل عليه‪ ،‬لو‬ ‫طلع هو الوزن الحقيقي يبقي امليزان صحيح و لو أل‬ ‫يبقي امليزان مغشوش‪ .‬و لو امليزان كل يوم بيدي وزن‬ ‫مختلف لنفس الحاجه يبقي يف حاجه غلط!!!‬

‫ربنا يرفض الغش‪ ،‬يف اين اقبل اغش نفيس يف تقياميت يف‬ ‫حني ان امليزان الحقيقي موجود قدامي و مفتوح علشان‬ ‫استخدمه‪.‬‬ ‫ميزان ربنا مظبوط‪ ،‬أول معيار فيه هو املحبة وباقي‬ ‫املعايري موجوده وواضحه يف الكتاب املقدس ‪ ..‬واضحه‬ ‫مبجرد الرتكيز‪.‬‬

‫هل تقييمي للناس و املواقف تقييم مظبوط و ال مغشوش‬ ‫و هل عيل ميزان ثابت و ال ميزان بتتغري معايريه كل يوم‬ ‫عيل حسب ايه الجديد‪ -‬هل هو ميزان واحد و ال اكرت من‬ ‫واحد و الدنيا ملخبطه؟!!‬ ‫شئ وحش اوي انك تعرف انك اشرتيت حاجه وزنها‬ ‫مغشوش فيه!!! او انك تعرف ان يف حد بيقيمك غلط‬ ‫مش عيل اساس سليم و هو دا الشئ اليل ربنا يرفضه‪.‬‬ ‫‪31‬‬

‫“لذلك انا ايضا أدرب نفيس ليكون يل دامئا ضمري‬ ‫بال عرثة من نحو الله والناس‪”.‬‬ ‫‪ -‬أعامل الرسل ‪16 :24‬‬

Beautiful Creation ‫خليقة جميلة‬

Cosmic Holes: Wormholes In the beginning there was darkness and then... BANG!!... Birth was given to an endless expanding existence of time, space, and matter. This place we call the universe is an open invitation to see and discover more than you can ever imagine.

by Kareem Hatem Our universe is brimming with strange, weird, and potentially lifetransporting phenomena. I am talking about cosmic portals in which matter can travel, or escape, to some other place or time. Outer space has many of those portals, in which you either get sucked into a “black hole”, get transported from one point to another across the universe in a “wormhole”, or get wiped out by the gusher of the “white hole”. In this article I will talk specifically about wormholes...

Behind the Name The term ‘wormhole’ came from the analogy of an apple. If a worm wants to get from one part of the apple to the other, it would eat its way from one point through the apple, creating some sort of tunnel to reach the other part. It is faster and easier for the worm to go though the apple than to go around it, right? Likewise, the wormhole in space is like a traveling shuttle that can take any object

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from one point to another anywhere in the universe. It is not a futuristic machine or ship; it is a theoretical tunnel providing shortcuts through space and time. This is the theory. But is it real? Do wormholes really exist or are they just another mathematical construct by Einstein the genius?

Existence of Wormholes Albert Einstein’s relativity laws allow for the existence of wormholes. In the 1930s, Einstein and his colleague, Nathan Rosen, calculated the mathematics of one of these intergalactic pipelines and it became known as the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. So theoretically speaking, yes, wormholes do exist.

Einstein’s wormhole was never explained as a traveling tunnel. It is created at some point of time in space, opens up briefly, and then it pinches off. Anything that tries to pass through it is crushed when the wormhole gets squeezed as each end is de-

“... He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.”

- Isaiah 42:5

parted from one another. However, in the late 1960s, Carl Sagan- the renowned astronomer- wrote a science fiction novel called “Contact” (it was produced into a movie later in the 1990s). The book (then the movie) proposed an appealing idea of fiction for the wormhole to be used as a tunnel to travel from one point in the universe to another. The book refreshed the studies of the wormholes and scientists began to search for different wormholes than Einstein’s to see if it could be travelled through.

An Astronomer’s Suggestions In his book, Sagan suggested a process to stabilize a wormhole and stop it from pinching off or collapsing, and thus making it capable of being used. He proposed the following idea: that we need a certain amount of energy that would hold it together. Today scientists only have a theory that something called negative matter, or exotic mat-

ter, would be able to stabilize the wormhole. According to mathematical equations based on Einstein’s general relativity laws, this negative matter would keep the wormhole open and create an environment of suitable energetic and gravitational conditions to allow matter to travel through it. Scientists do not know what negative matter is, or what it could be yet, but perhaps it would be possible to one day build a subway system to another galaxy.

To sum up, according to theory and mathematical calculations, wormholes do exist even if we could not reach one or travel through it. All these calculations are based on Einstein’s general laws, which propose the existence of black holes, white holes, and wormholes. Any object that would enter through a wormhole would travel from one point to another in the universe, cutting a distance short in time and space.

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Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬

Yourpersonal God

We all know things about God. We know that he is loving, forgiving, giving, kind, and generous. We know that he cares about us and reaches out for us. But knowing about him is a whole different story than actually getting to know him personally. It’s very different than making him our own, very personal God. We mistakenly think that we know all there is to know about him, failing to realize that God and everything we know about him is so real, shockingly real.

by Mireille Louis Our biggest mistake comes when we settle for knowing about God rather than getting to know God for ourselves. We take what we learn about him for granted, thinking that there is nothing more to know. Nebuchadnezzar gives us an example of what it means to acknowledge and believe in God, and yet failing to take him up as our own. When Daniel interpreted the king’s first dream he said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” - (Daniel 2:46).

Shortly after he said that the king set up a gold image to be worshiped by all the people. He was no different than any other pagan king. God was simply Daniel’s god to him –among many others. The king was then separated from the people and lived like an animal until he acknowledged the

34

sovereignty of God over all the kingdoms and all things; that’s when his kingdom was restored to him. God wanted to get personal with Nebuchadnezzar; he wanted him to see him as his own God rather than just Daniel’s God. He is Trustworthy...

When we know God from afar, it is hard for us to trust him. Hard to trust a God we do not know or have not experienced personally. As we start making God our one and only, he starts to abolish all our issues in trusting him with our lives. No room for fear and doubt, just full confidence in a real and reliable God. Peter could jump out of the boat and walk on water, David got the courage to stand up against Goliath, and Daniel got thrown into a lions’ den. These men couldn’t do what they did if it weren’t

for having their own God- a God so real, that they’d offer their lives and be willing to trust in him.

Life-Changing...

When God gets personal, when you see what you know about him for yourself, you have an entirely different experience than you would with an impersonal God. Truly seeing and experiencing God is a life altering experience. One look at his glory and goodness is enough to never make you want to look away again. Your own God transforms and changes you. Your own God gives you victory over things you never imagined you could conquer. Your own God gives you peace in the midst of the storm; gives you joy in the midst of pain, and gives you direction in the midst of uncertainty.

Jealous!

Having your own God means that you have to give up all your other, earthly gods. God has always taken idolatry very seriously. We see this in the Old Testament in the way he dealt with Israel, and also in the New Testament.

The young rich man who came to ask Jesus what more he could do to inherit eternal life, is a vivid example on that. He left disappointed because

“He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.”

- Acts 17: 28 Jesus asked him to let go of his other god, his money. He was sad because he had a lot of money. In other words, he liked his money too much to let go for the sake of Jesus. Jesus wants us to follow him whole-heartedly with no distractions. He wants us to be free from all other gods in order that we may go with him wherever he takes us. When God meets us and reveals himself to us, there will be a choice we have to make. He won’t share us with another.

Are you willing to make him your own God? Or are you like the rich man, too attached to leave it all for God? Could there be other gods in your life lurking undetected, making it hard to make God your own. Is it money? Career? Popularity? Family?

Are these things coming in the way of you experiencing the one true God for yourself? Not the God of Daniel, not the God of your father or mother or church group? Your own, personal God. Don’t miss out on the one true God because of the world’s cunning little gods.

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Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬ A l l A b o u t

P r a y e r

The Perfect Prayer?!

So you go to church, attend the sermon, and by the end of the service the believers started to pray. Oh so fluent! These people must have a perfect relationship with God... Why can’t I pray like them? Is there something wrong with me? I try so hard to pray like they do, I yearn to be as fluent as they are. You know, I actually try to memorize certain phrases to start and end my prayers with... But, wait a minute! Isn’t God supposed to be my Father, my Lover, and... uhm, my best friend too? Is this how we talk to the closest people to our hearts? Do we ever memorize phrases to address them with?

God, the Creator of the universe and the lover of your soul, the one who accepts you as you are with all your sins and troubles, teaches in His word that the perfect prayer is the prayer from the heart (Matthew 6:7). It’s the prayer in which you are transparent in front of your maker; free to be who you are and say how you truly feel (1 Peter 5:7). It acknowledges the love and the fatherhood of the almighty King of Kings, but never forgets to fear and revere Him (Hebrews 12:28). It defines the true relationship between you, and your God. (Proverbs 12:22) So does it matter if I stand, sit or kneel while praying? Does it matter if I pray silently or aloud? Do I have to use only strong, eloquent words while praying to God? God really does want you to be yourself and talk to Him freely. The Bible includes many examples of people who worshipped God in different ways; Peter knelt (Acts 9:40), Jeremiah stood (Jeremiah 18:20), Nehemiah sat down (Nehemiah 1:4), Abraham bowed himself to the ground (Genesis 18:3) and Elijah put his face between his knees (1 kings 18:42). You could also pray with your eyes opened or closed, quietly or out loud- however you are most comfortable and least distracted. Your prayers do not need to be wordy or impressive. Eloquent words don’t really matter to God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are

36

answered only by repeating their words again and again.”

But what if I’m angry with God? What if I have problems talking to Him freely? What if I still can’t trust Him!?

Tell him. Yes, tell him! The thing is, there is nothing you are going to say that will surprise God. He knows it all. He knows your weaknesses, your doubts, your fears, your insecurities, your impatience, EVERYTHING. He is the one who made you, and He is fully aware of everything you feel inside. There’s nothing to be afraid of when talking to God, because even though He knows all about you, He still loves you, and wants you to talk to Him. David himself wrote several Psalms expressing openly his anger and frustration with God. (Psalms 13, 35, 42), yet God still called him “a man after my own heart”.

However, being free in front of God never means disrespecting Him or forgetting that He is the LORD. We should always remember that it is only out of His grace that He accepts us as children of His own.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:14-15

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‫‪Keeping Company‬‬ ‫العالقة مع الله‬

‫في حاجة ناقصة!‬

‫بصيل داميا ‪ ..‬باقرأ يف الكتاب املقدس ‪ ..‬بخدم ‪ ..‬الكنيسة بيتي التاين‪ ...‬أعرفك؟‬ ‫صح أعرفك شوية لكن ‪ ..‬يف حاجة ناقصة! يف حاجة أكرت من شخص حس بيها‬ ‫ولحد دلوقتي هي مش موجودة عندي ‪ ..‬حاجة مش مفهومة ‪ ..‬حاجة غامضة!‬ ‫رس غامض مكتشفوش غري اليل قرب منك قوي وحبك قوي وتخىل عن كل‬ ‫يشء عشان تبقى إنت الوحيد اليل يف حياته ‪..‬‬ ‫ده مش كالم بعيد أو قصص خيالية‪ ،‬ده إحساس ممكن يبقى عند كل واحد‬ ‫فينا ‪ ..‬حاجة تخيل كل يوم يبقى أحسن يوم ‪ ..‬حاجة خلت ناس تطلب األمل‬ ‫عشان تشاركك‪ ،‬خلت ناس تروح للموت برجلها عشانك ‪ ..‬طرق مختلفة‬ ‫للتعبري عن مدى حبهم ليك ‪..‬‬ ‫إحساس من نوع آخر لسة الواحد مقربش منه ‪ ..‬إيه هي محبتك!! لسة مش‬ ‫عارفة جامل شعور إن الواحد يبقى بيحبك ‪..‬‬ ‫مش سهلة ‪ ..‬ومش كل الناس وصلولها ‪ ..‬محبتك‪.‬‬

‫‪“The LORD watches‬‬ ‫‪over you - the LORD‬‬ ‫‪is your shade at your‬‬ ‫‪right hand; the sun‬‬ ‫‪will not harm you by‬‬ ‫‪day, nor the moon‬‬ ‫‪by night. The LORD‬‬ ‫‪will keep you from‬‬ ‫‪all harm - he will‬‬ ‫;‪watch over your life‬‬ ‫‪the LORD will watch‬‬ ‫‪over your coming‬‬ ‫‪and going both now‬‬ ‫”‪and forevermore.‬‬ ‫‪- Psalm 121:5-8‬‬

‫اقترب‪..‬‬

‫هل ميكن إلهي ان تقرتب مني كام اقرتبت من تلميذي عمواس قدمياً‬ ‫اقرتب مني وال متسك عيني عن أن تراك‬ ‫وتسألني عام اتطارحه داخيل فاجيبك وتعلمني ان احيك معك افضل من ان احيك مع نفيس‬ ‫وتسألني ملا انا عابسة الوجه فأشكو لك واندهش من أهتاممك يب فأنت تستمع لكالمي وتشعر بكآبتي‬ ‫اقرتب مني والتدعني اتهمك بأنك متغرب وحدك ومل تعلم باالمور التي حدثت يل‬ ‫اقرتب مني عرفني انك ملك امللوك ورب االرباب ولست مجرد نبيا مقتدرا يف الفعل‬ ‫اقرتب مني وفرحني بالبشارة انك حي من أجيل‬ ‫اقرتب مني وعنفني اين غبيه وبطيئة الفهم يف االميان واعطني اميانك يارئيس االميان ومكمله‬ ‫اقرتب مني واحسم حرييت بتفسريك بعض امورك املختصه يل‬ ‫اقرتب مني والتتظاهر انك منطلق ايل مكان ابعد فأنا أضعف من أن ألزمك ان متكث معي‬ ‫اقرتب مني ألعرفك‪ ،‬وقوة قيامتك‪ ،‬ورشكة آالمك‪ ،‬متشبها مبوتك‬ ‫اقرتب مني والهب قلبي بعد ان تكلمني يف الطريق وتوضح يل الكتب‬ ‫اقرتب مني ودعني اخرب بكم صنعت معي ورحمتني‬ ‫‪38‬‬

You are...

You are the peace of all things calm You are the place to hide from harm You are the light that shines in dark You are the heart’s eternal spark You are the door that’s open wide You are the guest who waits inside You are the stranger at the door You are the calling of the poor You are my Lord and with me still You are my love, keep me from ill You are the light, the truth, the way You are my Savior this very day.

- Old Irish Blessings

Unfathomable Love My God, I do not understand to this moment how strong your love is, that You, the Creator of all that lives and moves, accept me as I am.

I cannot comprehend the depths of your love... the lengths you will go to save me... Why would the King of the Universe, be so concerned about me that He decides to die to save my soul? Who am I? What have I done to deserve such incredible love?

Your love is so good to me LORD, it leaves me speechless. It touches my heart, it moves me, it CHANGES me...

Your love is so strong and powerful it makes a new person out of me! You are my motivation. My strength when all else has failed.

Amen.

!‫ملاذا‬

!‫ملاذا خلقتني ضعيفا‬ !‫ملاذا تسمح يل ان اخطىء‬ !‫ملاذا ال متنع عني الرش‬ !‫ملاذا تسمح لالخرين بان يجرحوين‬ !‫ملاذا ال تفهمني احكام عدلك‬ !‫ملاذا ترتك االثيم ينجح و ترتكنى انا اخترب الفشل‬ !‫ملاذا جعلت طريقك ضيق‬ !‫ملاذا ال تنفي الشيطان‬ !‫ملاذا ترتك املساكني بحالهم‬ !‫اذكياء و اغبياء‬.. ‫ملاذا قسمت البرش اغنياء و فقراء‬ !‫ملاذا تؤكد يل انه سيكون يل ضيق‬ !‫ملاذا تسمح مبضاياقتي بالضوضاء و التلوث و االمراض‬ !‫ملاذا مل تعطي الجميع ان يكونوا مسيحيني‬ !‫ملاذا جعلت من نفسك ثالوث موحد‬ !‫ملاذا جعلت للطبيعة قوانني قاسية‬ !‫ملاذا جعلت للمحبة عالقة بالحرية‬ ‫ملاذا تسمح للعادات والتقاليد ان تؤثر عيل بالسلب بغري‬ !‫إراديت‬ ‫ رمبا إين لست أعلم ملاذا ولكني مدرك أنك تحبني بكل ما‬.. !‫تشمله الكلمة من معنى ولهذا أنا اثق فيك وأفرح بحبك‬ ‫ ابنك‬39

Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬ “... to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” - Isaiah 61:3

My Testimony

by Kristi Nicole Bailey

Behind a smile once, so long ago, I hid a mountain of absolute pain.

I hid feelings and thoughts which pained so much, but was too proud to let anyone in, even God, I slammed Him out. My life was empty and alone, but I Kristi Nicole Bailey was not, not ever going to step down to this creeping darkness which was taking over.

This was the sadness I lived once before, a place where I always felt trapped, boxed in without a say, my anger bottled up slowly, I was beaten by words of one and a prisoner to man.

Suffocating blackness soon engulfed my very being, but I couldn’t see it- I wouldn’t see it. Though now the true meaning of a smile was meaningless, I still believed all was okay.

My blindness cost me so much, but now I stand here today, looking back to my darkest days knowing I’m a stronger person.

I’ve come out of it all- with a few hidden scars- but I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive! My God, He saved me, His beloved daughter. He really cared enough to save me, enough to f ight for me.

The sadness of once before no longer consumes me, for now I know where I stand with my Father and I’m proud to be part of his plans.

My love for Him overf lows with the knowledge that He once again saved my life... Taking me up in His loving embrace, teaching me to love like before, picking me up when I stumbled, healing my wounds and broken pieces, His unfathomable love never died but always encouraged. He gave me reason to live for, and together with my Lord, hand in hand, step by step, we left that dark world entering one of light.

40

Book Review The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book of the fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis. The novel is set during World War II and revolves around the four Pevensie children, Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy who are evacuated to the English countryside after the London bombings. There they find a wardrobe that leads them to the magical world of Narnia, where they find themselves in the midst of a bloody war between Aslan, the Great Lion, and the evil White Witch who controls Narnia. The Pevensie children find both adventure and peril, and are forced to overcome their fears and weaknesses in order to fulfill a prophecy that surrounds their coming to Narnia.

C.S. Lewis was a devout Christian, and his literary works reflect that. The main plot of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an allegory of Christ’s crucifixion, with Aslan representing Christ, and the White Witch representing the Devil. Several other Christian themes and symbols are involved as well, making it a wonderful read for people of all ages who seek both entertainment and an appreciation of the enormous sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us.

by George Iskander

What’s on your playlist?

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Puzzles!

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Sudoko; easy, medium, hard

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v

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Crossword; Noah’s Story Down: 1. An Agreement 2. Noah built it and offered a burnt offering on it after the flood.

3. The Meaning of Noah’s name.

4. Ths Sign of Peace

Accross: 1. The number of days and nights it rained.

2. The Promise 3. The Book of Creation 4. Sign of Renewal 5. He found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 6. Father of Canaan

1v

1>

4v

2>3v

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5>

2v

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Brain Teasers • You have 12 black socks and 12 white socks mixed up in a drawer. You’re up very early and it’s too dark to tell them apart. What’s the smallest number of socks you need to take out (blindly) to be sure of having a matching pair?

• What seven-letter word has hundreds of letters in it?

• I have seas without water. I have forests without wood. I have deserts without sand.

What am I?

• 3 socks. If the first sock is black, the second one could be black, in which case you have a matching pair. If the second sock is white, the third sock will be either black and match the first sock, or white and match the second sock.

• mail-box • a map

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w

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“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.�

Hebrews 4:16