A new Blog

It's official! We’ve started a new blog site in October and may come back to this site only after July 2010 (If I have the luxury of time). We have now moved on to a new phase in our lives and our marriage. From Man & Wife, we’re soon to be Parents.

Please keep us in your prayers as we experience various major changes in our lives and journey to a greater tomorrow. God Bless you all!

The Ten Commandments (not suggestions)

I read this note on Sharon Arasu's facebook and I knew that this was just the most basic Christian Living principles that I try my best to follow everyday. I hope it's as good a reflection for you as it was for me.

Exodus 20:1-17 lists the Ten Commandments which were authored by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

As Christians, the Ten Commandments (found in the Old Testament) form the moral foundation of our belief; the "rules" of our religion, if you like. They are (in plain English):

(the first 3 govern our relationship with God)

1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself and idol.
2. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God.
3. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

(the next 5 govern our relationship with others/humanity)

4. Honour your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

(the last 2 govern our private thoughts)

9. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Jesus simplified these commandments into two simple rules:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets." - Matthew 22:34-40

Now that's what I call dumbing things down!!

And yet, a lot of us struggle to keep these commandments (saying "it's too hard") and often think it's ok to pick and choose which of the commandments we will honour, and which we will ignore, on the pretext that it "doesn't apply" to today's circumstances (since the Commandments were handed down eons ago!).

In the New International Version (NIV) bible, Exodus 20:1 says "And God spoke all these words"; in the King James Version , the same verse says: "And God spake all these words"; and in the New American Bible, it says: "Then God delivered all these commandments",

Where does it say in the bible that the Ten Commandments are a suggestion??

So, keeping that in mind, please join me over the next few weeks as we spend some time breaking down each commandment into simple and practical actions for everyday living.

You'll need to check out Sharon's facebook for the details in the coming weeks. I'm just putting this here as an overview. Bear in mind, little changes in our lives will make a BIG difference! God Bless you all!

Oil Pulling

Mum sent me an article lately, very similar to something Aunty Jenny sent months back. It's all about the benefits of Oil Pulling, something I found to be pretty far fetched the first time I read it. It originated from India and is related to Ayuvedic treatments.

Anyway, since this is the 2nd time I'm reading it, I decided to do a little research (thanks to good ol' Google!) and I realized there are so many benefits from it. They include Bad breath, head-aches, thrombosis, ulcers/diseases of stomach, heart problems, kidney problems, liver problems, lung problems, women's illnesses, diseases of nerves, prevent growth of malignant tumors and chronic sleepnesses (just to name a few).

So how does it work?
this treatment consists of swishing vegetable oil in the mouth. The healing process is accomplished by the human organism on its own. In this way it is possible to heal cells, tissue and all organs simultaneously; the body itself gets rid of toxic waste without disturbing the healthy microflora. Dr. Karach says human beings are living only half their life span. They could potentially live healthy to be 140 to 150 years old :-p hmmm..... I don't see people in India live that long??? Maybe 140yrs is a bit of an exaggeration?!

How to do this?
Step 1: The first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids (including water), pour approximately one tablespoon of vegetable oil (eg, sunflower, sesame, Coconut, Olive etc) into your mouth.

Step 2: Swish the oil around in your mouth without swallowing it. Move it around in your mouth and through your teeth, as if it was mouthwash. You'll find that the oil will start to get watery as your saliva mixes with it. Keep swishing. If your jaw muscles get sore while swishing, you're putting too much into it. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the liquid around the inside of your mouth. When you do this correctly, you'll feel very comfortable. Pretty soon, it will become second nature.

Step 3: As the end of the oil pulling session approaches, you may notice the oil/saliva mixture in your mouth has become thicker. This is quite normal, since it is pulling out toxins from your body. When 20 minutes is up, spit out the oil. I suggest spitting it into a bottle/tissue before throwing it away since too much oil in the drain pipe might clog it up.

Step 4: Rinse out your mouth a couple of times with warm water. This will rinse out any toxins which may be left in the mouth.

Will try it over the weekend & let you know how it went. Good Luck!