BUBBLING OVER

This little chorus is old, its ancient really. "Its bubbling, its bubbling its bubbling in my soul. There's singing and laughter since Jesus made me whole. . ." That is the way the life in Christ should be. Yes there will be adversity and troubles and myriads of problems - but in our soul the joy of the Lord (and His peace) should be bubbling over.

It was "bubbling time" in our South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on Jan. 15, with the PONGAL festival. The main symbol (and active element) of the festival is a rice pot bubbling over with cooked rice. The day is often rent with cries of PONGALLA PONGAL, a kind of greeting cum announcement/declaration of prosperity and fertility and good crops. Its both religious and cultural and of course social. A good PONGAL celebration means a good year ahead.

It bubbled over for Pam and me this past week - overflowing blessings in the very presence of trials. While driving down Chennai's most important road called ANNA SALAI, a heavily laden cargo three-wheeler, coming out of a side street hit us on the left (passenger's side) badly denting the door, jamming the window and damaging the mudguard. First blessing, Pam was not hurt at all though she could, and should have been. Second, the major eyewitnesses were two traffic cops, who immediately declared my innocence! Third, (and this is amazing) while a small curious crowd gathered, one man came up to me and greeted me exuberantly. "I know you", he said. "I watch your TV program regularly and I am blessed by it." Gone was my trauma and my being disraught over the accident. He and his wife were thrilled to meet me and I was likewise thrilled to share with them. And then the fourth blessing. We all had to move over to the police station - papers to sign, reports to be given and recorded, etc.- and there a cop asks me what I do. I told him I was a preacher. Lo and behold, (and this is the fourth blessing in a few hours) he proclaims he too is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, a baptized servant of the Lord. He takes over and the formalities become a breeze and he even accompanies us to our car sharing with us the Lord's goodness. Yes there were problems but yet the Lord's goodness to us bubbled over.

May your life be a "bubbling over" with His love and goodness. PONGALLA PONGAL!

Till our next chai session - the Lord loves you.