Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Social Issues Special of The CALL Release



The ‘Social Issues Special’ of The CALL will be available to the subscribers within a fortnight.

While this issue of The CALL was getting ready, it was alarming to know that the founder of the world’s largest Pentecostal church, David Yonggi Cho was sentenced to three years in prison and fined nearly 5 million dollars for embezzling church funds and for tax evasion. When the whole of Christendom is being swayed by Prosperity Preaching, this is for sure a wakeup call. This is not just a case of misappropriation of funds, but misinterpretation of Scriptures and not just evasion of tax, but of truth & social responsibility. “Poverty: Is Prosperity Preaching the Answer?” is an attempt to answer the moral & social perspectives of this issue.

This issue of The CALL addresses a few such Social Issues and tries to present the prospects in Biblical perspectives. The early church was so much socially concerned that when Agabus predicted by the Spirit of God that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world, the believers at Antioch sent financial aid to those living in Judea. (Acts 11:28-30). The unselfish, socially minded and acted believers were the ones who for the first time were called as “Christians”. Even these days “predictions by prophets” are widely heard, alas, those are only used to fill their own pockets with offerings.

Social responsibility is just not only about something to be done to someone afar off; it is a call to “change” that needs to start from every individual and families. What else is better to live that change than in a Wedding that suffers so many social evils like Dowry, Casteism, etc. “Grand, Gaudy or Godly Indian Wedding?” dwells on it.

Change is not alone an individual obligation, but institutional too. Taking on this position, “Church: Answer or Accessory to Casteism or Racism?” looks at this crucial matter in the light of biblical principles & historical practices. Gender bias is another such discrimination that has led forth to the recent campaign “Ban Bossy” and the article ““Ban Bossy” – Can it Cure Sexism, a Social Disease” analyzes this campaign critically and biblically.

When India is preparing to elect its next Government and as political parties try to cash on casteism and fanaticism and woo the voters by their manifestos and speeches, the lead article “Manifesto of Compromise” rightly points out and warns of such spirit of compromises in the Christian world too. Addressing one such compromise is the article, “Eradicating Bribery & Corruption: Will the Church Bell the Cat?”; which provokes point blank & honest responses.

2014 marks the anniversaries of several massacres and genocides that I would rather call it an ‘Anniversary of Annihilation’; 70 years have passed by since the Holocaust ended, 40th year of Khmer Rouge’s ‘Killing Fields’ that massacred Cambodians, 25 years since the Tiananmen Square Massacre, 20th year of Rwandan Genocide, 5th year of Sri Lankan Genocide. Revenge is never the solution but Reconciliation is! “Kindness is a Boomerang” is not only an article for children but is the value that needs to be lived which propels us to ACT and not evade saying, “it’s not Spiritual” or “it’s not Scriptural” or “it’s not Structural in my call” as “Called Unto Action” points.

Action Inspiring Reading,

Mariyosh J

Chief Editor, The CALL


To receive The CALL click http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html


Monday, April 28, 2014

I am Ravi



"I am Ravi. I am ten years old and I like playing crikate with my friends and Dhoni is my hero. I am from a village in Jharkhand. I come from a family of three brothers and three sisters, always drunken father and beaten mother.... One fateful day a person came to meet my father. On seeing him, my father was very happy and borrowed a chair from the neighbour’s house to seat him and asked me to go and buy tanda for him.... Within a short while I was in the jeep with Papu chacha, waving my hands to my siblings and neighbourhood friends, not knowing that it was the last time I was seeing them. I wanted to stay awake all through the journey to remember the way back home, but my continuous crying left no strength in me and very soon I fell asleep. Darkness covered the sky and so my life, as I was entering into an unknown and uncertain destiny." narrates Mariyosh the story of Ravi and goes on to show the evils of child labour and ways in which we can fight against it!

I am Ravi_The CALL

This article is part of the 'Children Special' issue of The CALL, that draws inspiration from the Scripture portion, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3) and draws the attention of the reader to various issues faced by children like Child Labour, Child Sexual Abuse, Slow Learners, etc. Click to read the Editorial: The Children Special of The CALL

To read this article and to receive The CALL click http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Christ in my Child



"This is regarding your commitment in bringing your children to Christ, in Christ and for Christ. You might well ask me what is there new in it as I've been doing it in all these years. The answer is in the daily Newspaper! Is it surprising? Yes! Abuse, Abduction, Atrocity, Acquainted rape and so on of children. Earlier these were occupying smaller columns but now these are the headlines!! As this issue deals many issues on children; “How and How not in child rearing” I want to give you few insights from the Master's mind." writes Dr. Ashok Kumar and goes onto bring out those insights with the words, Cover Them, Shower Them, (Em)Power Them & Never to Them.

Christ in my Child_The CALL

This article is part of the 'Children Special' issue of The CALL, that draws inspiration from the Scripture portion, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3) and draws the attention of the reader to various issues faced by children like Child Labour, Child Sexual Abuse, Slow Learners, etc.

To read this article and to receive The CALL click http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The Hidden Pride



"the enemy is keen to crush those who are called to take responsibility as leaders... many root borers have sapped the inner strength of the leaders and have caused their downfall. The first and the foremost is the Hidden Pride. It will blind them so that they will not be able to understand or acknowledge the grace, talents, and sacrifice of others. They would think that they are the ones who suffer, sacrifice, and exert hard work to the fullest, refusing to acknowledge others and do not like others being appreciated..." writes Brother D. Augustine Jebakumar and goes on to point out the other expressions of Hidden Pride and shows the way out from the Bible."

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This article is part of the 'Children Special' issue of The CALL, that draws inspiration from the Scripture portion, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3) and draws the attention of the reader to various issues faced by children like Child Labour, Child Sexual Abuse, Slow Learners, etc.
To read this article and to receive The CALL click
http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html


Friday, April 11, 2014

The Children Special Issue: Inside Look



"Our easygoingness is easing the Enemy in easily enslaving & engineering the emotions & will of children to execute his evil designs. Parents and guardians need to be cautious on what the children are exposed to...."

The CALL Children Special Contents

The Children Special issue of The CALL!! Read to know what it offers.... http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/2014/02/the-children-special-of-call.html

The Contents of this Magazine:
From Bihar With Love: Hidden Pride - D. Augustine Jebakumar
On Christmas: True Joy - D. Augustine Jebakumar
Director's Desk: Christ in my Child - Ashok Kumar
I am Ravi: - Mariyosh J
Advantages of Disadvantages & Disadvantages of Advantages - Philip Pereira
It's Puzzle Time: Angeline Mariyosh
Standing @ the GAP: The Hidden Turmoil - Reena Goforth
Slow, but Sincere-Identifying & Dealing with Slow Learners: Angeline Mariyosh
Get Equipped: Let the little children come to Me - Jebarani Regina
Poem: A Dream Comes True - Aminna Duthie

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

From “never” to “ever” a missionary



"When we MKs came together during spare hours I remember saying to each other that we would never become a missionary. “We will become sweepers but never a missionary” was our response to the pain & suffering that our parents underwent. We were willing to support a missionary, but not to become one.....
That same night I had a dream in which God came and asked me, “What will you do for Me?”. I said, “I will help Missionary Kids” and the Lord said, “I don’t need your money, I need you”." writes Surender Paul in the MK Memoir column in The CALL.

From never to ever a missionary_The CALL

This article is part of the 'Teens & Youth Special' issue of The CALL that focuses on various issues of the teens & youths and brings in Biblical perspectives.http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/2013/11/the-teens-youth-special-of-call.html

To read this article and to receive The CALL click http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html


Friday, April 4, 2014

Come Let’s Play Cricket



"If the devil bowls googly fear
I will hit it out of the ropes...
If the devil yorks a marriage
I will hit it hard and over..." writes Joiel Akilan in this Poem in The CALL. Cricket being always round the corner read this issue of The CALL to know and apply spiritual truths, using cricket techniques as a metaphor.

Come let's play cricket_The CALL

This article is part of the 'Teens & Youth Special' issue of The CALL that focuses on various issues of the teens & youths and brings in Biblical perspectives.http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/2013/11/the-teens-youth-special-of-call.html

To read this article and to receive The CALL click http://thecall.gemsbihar.org/p/subscription.html