Chp 105. Pics: KTP Bial Conference

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For the sake of my dear non-Mizo visitors, let me explain the concept of “Bial KTP Conference” again.

KTP stands for “Kristian Thalai Pawl” which literally means “Christian Youth Group”. Every Presbyterian Kohhran (Church) has a KTP. A Bial (circle) consists of a couple of Kohhrans headed by a designated Pastor. Hence a KTP Conference is an occasion (3 days) when all the KTP members of different Kohhrans belonging to the same Bial interact with each other by going to the same Church, having discussions, fellowship programs etc.

As mentioned in my previous post, Chaltlang Bial consists of Chaltlang Branch (1954), Laipuitlang Branch (1986), Lily Veng Branch (1988) and Chaltlang South Branch (2002). It was indeed a great experience for me, considering the fact that this was my first KTP Conference since I’m never in Mizoram during this particular time of the year.

Some of the photos I took are displayed below.


Girls will be girls. I spent most of the morning waiting for them to get ready.


L-R : Mawizuala, Terema, Thangvunga, Pianpuia, Mary, Madina, Mahlimi & Me.


Ushers of Lily Veng Branch (the host branch for this year).

[ Variety Program – Saturday Afternoon ]










L-R: Marly, Mawizuala, Hriatpuia, Engkimi, Maruata & Hriatpuia.


Laipuitlang Branch dancers!




L-R: Rintluangi, Marly, Ma-i, Mami.


Chaltlang South Branch Quartet Band.


The DOXOLOGY gospel rock band, Chaltlang Branch.


Item numbers from renowned gospel artists.


Gospel rock band SARABANDE from Laipuitlang Branch.


Our (Chaltlang South Branch) very own gospel band – The ALTARS.


Laipuitlang Branch KTP members performing a worship dance.




On our way home -> “The ALTARS” unplugged.

[ Sunday 28.01.07 ]


Sunday Afternoon Church Service, again at Lily Veng (the host Branch).




A close friend of my close friend -> Lal Hmai, Chaltlang Branch.


Laipuitlang Branch Choir.


Chaltlang South Branch Choir. The conductor is Madina.




Blessing the offerings given during the service.


Narzhoc, a regular misual.commer.


Dancing in His praise.


Sunday night service: Bial Choir in action (the best from all Branches)


A view of Lily Veng Church from the balcony.


After Church -> fellowship program. Note the time. And it just started!








Chaltlang Branch members performing a devotional worship dance.




Various gospel artists from different Branches.


On our way home, around mid-night. Streets are completely deserted.


Dawrkawn.


My cousin posing, and me in front of “Almost Unreal’s” house .

One of my friends said that “Bial Inkhawmpui” is also a perfect time for single guys and girls to keep a lookout for a probable partner! No wonder whenever I was introduced to a girl, the first thing the people who introduced us always mention was, “nula fel a ni” (She’s a good girl). Lolz.

One thing I have noticed is that, many people regard anyone who regularly participate in KTP activities to be “good”. Evangelist Zairemmawia gave a very good sermon on this topic too. We need to change our mind-set regarding this notion. Ofcourse taking part in such activities is a noble deed when it comes to devotion, but there are a few individuals who do nothing in life, don’t help out with the house chores, waste their time the whole day, and when it is time for the KTP service, they are the first ones to reach the Church! All they care about is their public image. Being a good Christian is not just about the Church service alone! That’s just the icing. Duty to family and parents are also a part of duty to God.

Ah oh, I met a couple of KTP members from different Branches who came up to me and asked me if I am Sandman! Lolz. I just grinned and cautiously asked them why first Anyway, I did get quite a number of handshakes that night, from people I’ve never met before who read my articles online. Here’s to all of you out there -> lots of love and prayers. Hoping to meet you all again on next year’s KTP Bial Conference. God bless.

Chp 104. Sunday School Topic

Date: January 28, 2007.
Sunday: 4th Sunday of the Year.
MSSU Lesson Topic: The Israelites in Egypt.
Reading: Genesis 15:12-16; 45:1-8

^{GE 15:12} As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. ¹³ Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."

^{GE 45:1} Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.

^{GE 45:3} Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

^{GE 45:4} Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

^{GE 45:8} "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

This is the word of the Lord. Amen.

So, as I have said earlier, I will be conducting my own Sunday School service here on my blog, amateur as I am, translating the lessons prescribed for the Mizoram Sunday School Union (MSSU) by the Mizoram Synod Authority into English.

But “myself” wrote a good comment on my previous post, where she said Sunday School lessons are “boring boring boring”. I wouldn’t exactly use that word “boring” , but yeah, in a way, Sunday School lessons are not exactly like the usual Church sermons.

I look at some of the notes I made so far for this week’s Sunday School lesson: Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Egypt and Mesopotamia not only did business with each other but also shared the same religion, farming thrived, Canaan lie in between these two Kingdoms, the 12th King of Egypt was Amenhemet-I who was not interested in building Pyramids, etc etc.

Hehe… Republishing the SS lessons here might not be a good idea after all. It's more about history rather than thoughts and maxims. What was the name of Joseph’s father, who attacked the Canaanites, how long is the river Jordan etc..

So with this, my dream of becoming a Sunday school teacher just went up in smoke . Plus, I need to spend a lot of time going through the notes in detail, which I cannot afford to do currently. Our “KTP¹ Bial² Inkhawmpui³” is going on right now. It’s a great time to interact with other youths of adjoining Kohhrans whom we don’t usually see everyday. I will post the snaps of this grand function by tomorrow.

¹KTP – Kristian Thalai Pawl (Christian Youth Group)
²Bial – I have already explained what a “Kohhran” is in one of my earlier posts. It basically means a Church. Each locality is one Kohhran, except for those localities that are too big, which are divided into 2 or 3 (depending on the size) Kohhrans. A Bial (circle) consist of a couple of Kohhrans that are under one Pastorate. Hence an official Pastor heads a Bial, and alternatively spend a different day with each Kohhran. Our Chaltlang Pastor Bial consists of Chaltlang South, Chaltlang Vengpui, Laipuitlang and Chaltlang Lily Veng Kohhrans.
³Inkhawmpuii – Grand Church Service.

Hence “KTP Bial Inkhawmpui” basically means “The Grand Church service of the Christian Youth Group of different Kohhrans belonging to one particular Bial”. Phew!

God bless.

Chp 103. A new commitment

Last night there was a conversation in my head.

Left brain: Do you remember the good old days when there used to be more than 200 visits a day to this blog?
Right brain: Ofcourse I do. Those good old days…
Left brain: And do you also remember how some of the posts used to get more than 50 comments at one go?
Right brain: Indeed I do. Sigh* now the number of daily visits don’t even reach 50, and it would be an occasion worth celebrating if the number of comments even reach double digits now!

(At this point, my left brain gave a dramatic pause )

Left brain: I know… but… do you remember how empty it sometimes used to feel during those days?
Right brain: hmmm… empty, I’m not so sure, but yeah, sometimes something definitely felt incomplete... There were ofcourse times when it felt like Heaven, but they were all short-lived…
Left brain: Exactly, bro. So do you think it’s worth it?
Right brain: Yup indeed! Definitely. Let’s continue churning out thoughts and saws for our inexperienced little master…

I smiled.

One of the biggest thoughts in my head these days is, how do I increase traffic to my blog while writing only about Christ? I asked my good friend Xeres_79 (a Christian) for his honest opinion about me and my new blog topics. He’s one friend I know who will not beat around the bush and white-lie for the sake of being polite. He told me plainly that my topics are not what most people (read: Christians) would spend their time on, and that no one is going to read my posts and suddenly go “aaah” and change themselves for the better. Because, as he explained, most Christians “are a lazy lot”, and when they don’t even go to Church to listen to the sermons (Note: “Go to Church to listen to the sermon” is one word), they are definitely not going to read any articles on the net related to Christianity.

Touché.

Well, I’m definitely not a good Christian writer. But amateur as I am, I write what I feel like nevertheless because it fills me with a strange sensation of obedience when I play a small role in spreading the message of Christ.

When people experience Christ’s abundant love and mercy, they change; Not necessarily a complete change in their attitude/behavior/peculiarities etc but there is definitely a change to some degree.

Among us Christians too, there is a small section of people who criticize singers who had a “born again” experience for singing only Gospel songs on TV when they used to sing love songs and other non-Gospel songs before, and even absurdly mock them because they think these Gospel singers regard all other forms of songs as a sin.

My two cents on this: I’m sure Gospel singers sing Gospel songs not because they regard non-Gospel songs as a “sin” but because it’s what makes them happy. There is nothing wrong in singing non-Gospel related songs; it’s just that they are more satisfied and content singing songs that praise the Almighty Lord’s name.

That is why today I had a brainstorm: Every Sunday from now onwards, I am going to do my part of blogging about that particular Sunday’s “Sunday School” lesson, as prescribed by the Mizoram Synod Authority for the MSSU (Mizoram Sunday School Union). In a way, this will not only help me polish my writing skills on Christianity, but will also be an opportunity for many of our Mizo brothers and sisters living outside Mizoram due to studies or work to catch up with what’s happening at Home.

Hence come this Sunday, I really hope some of you will spare just a few minutes of your precious time to go through the Sunday School lesson… In case some of you may not know, the main subject/topic for this year is “Israel-te chanchin” (About Israel and the people). There are altogether 46 lessons (zirlai) this year, where the topic (thupui) span right from Genesis and Exodus all the way to the Holy Gospels.

The topic for this coming Sunday is Lesson no.3: “During their time in Egypt” and the readings are Gen. 15:12-16; 45:1-8. More on that will be discussed on Sunday . So I really am hoping to find you all on Sunday here. Until then, continue keeping the faith, and God bless.

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By the way, here is my heartfelt wishes and congratulations on the Holy Matrimonial of my two friends John (S/o Dr.Larimawia, MacDonald Hill, Aizawl) and Marina (D/o Chalthanzuala, Saron Veng, Aizawl) who tied the knot in His Holy name today. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it for the wedding due to an important prior commitment.

John (aka Tribalsuperstar) blogs at roastedpork.blogspot.com and Marina (aka Diddley) blogs at diddley.blogspot.com. Two blog friends of mine have now become one. I find that really cute. May you both live happily ever after John and Marina. Wishes and prayers.

Chp 102. Pics: Sunrise from my Room

[Claytonia Vices and Sundancer are going to love this!]

Many of my friends call me a fool for waking up so early. They ask me, what do you do when you get up at 5:30 - 6:00 am everyday?

Well, frankly speaking, I don't do much. Waking up early is a (bad?) habit of mine because I used to get up at this time everyday for nearly 13 years during my basketball days. Sometimes I browse, sometimes I do a little bit of reading and most of the time, I enjoy nature's beauty. Many of you are missing out a lot when you don't enjoy such exotic beauty. I know many people who have never seen a sunrise for the past so many years!

Well, this post is dedicated to such people like my friends. Pictures of Mizoram's natural wonders taken from my own private balcony outside my little room on Chaltlang, Aizawl Mizoram.

Below is a collage of some of the best pics I've taken. Trust me, they make an amazing PC Desktop wallpaper. Feel free to mail me @ silv_kim[at]yahoo[dot]com if you want the actual sized pics [2592x1944 pixels around 800+ KB]



Those pics are what inspired me to let my emotions run wild and compose my poem "Mizoram! My Mizoram!"



The first few rays of the pristine radiant sun-light
Simmers into my room, like a passionate penetration.
I open my sleepy eyes and smile with subdued might
For I am now back, in the Land of abysmal devotion.



I rise from bed and walk outside my tiny room,
Staring at the scenic beauty and inhaling the aura.
Such picturesque exquisiteness dispels all gloom
T’is far more exotic than Paradise or Shangri-la.



Morning birds flutter together in uniformed flocks
Chirping their way through the diaphanous mist.
Until they can find their home in a distant hillock
Only to be disturbed once again and flight persist.



As I admire the beauty that cannot be described
I realize why I am back here narrating this story.
The captivating sceneries need to be inscribed,
So that others too can bask in Mizoram’s glory.







Below are three snaps taken from the same place exactly one year ago (mid-Jan 2006). Note the differences! Global Warming?

Chp 101. Rummaging through the junk

In this age of Internet technology, corresponding with friends takes place at a lightning speed. E-mail, voice mail, video mail etc are all forms of method by which we can keep in touch with our friends and loved ones. Gone are the days of waiting for days for the postman to deliver a letter. Gone are also the days of an important letter getting lost in transit during the delivery process.

Except, on those rare occasions when your email client identifies an important mail as spam by “mistake” and moves it to the Bulk/Junk folder. How many of us actually check that particular folder, given the numerous spams and junk mails like, whether we would like to enlarge our something, whether we are interested in a gorgeous 16 year old waiting for us halfway across the Planet, whether we would like to have free passwords to an “interesting” website etc.

I do go through my Junk folder once a week or so, just to check for any important mails that might have accidentally landed there, and then I simply delete the rest. Recently, two such mails were sitting right in my Junk/Bulk folder. One was from a prolific writer Aristo with a good feedback and comment on my earlier post “Chinky: What me insult?” that even appeared as a full article on the “Midweek” magazine thanks to Mockingbird. The other was from an Associate Editor of the Christian youth magazine “True Friend”, a part of the large “Jesus Calls” Organization run by the Dhinakaran brothers, requesting my permission to publish my previous post “The Christian Life” on their magazine (Thank you Jason for tipping them off).

Two very important mails, and I could have missed them entirely had I not taken that extra effort to go through my Junk folder, scanning through sleazy, sordid, sometimes ridiculously funny, depraved emails that would make any stereotype conservative Indian housewife faint from an overdose of extreme shock and outrage.

My friend John Fanai, a missionary in China, wrote a very good comment on my previous post [Translated into English]:

“Some critics say that spending a large amount of money and resources on people is a waste because not all of them follow the path of the good Lord anyway. But I tell you this, if that amount of investment can change even one person, then it is worth it, for Heaven rejoices even if only one lost soul find it's way back Home”.

Amen to that brother John.

From a Christian perspective, most of us are junks. But remember, our Father in Heaven will never discard us just because we are junks. If our life can be compared to an email, God, who sits high above in all His Glory, will be checking his email every second, on his sanctified laptop with an unimaginable divine Internet speed connection. He will NOT filter out the junks. Infact He will always go through his Junk mail folder first, clicking on the “select all” option and moving them all to his Inbox folder. It will hurt Him a lot if He still keep receiving your mail in his Junk folder, but never the less, He will still keep trying. And the day He starts receiving your mails in His Inbox and not to His Junk folder, that is the day He smiles and all the angels sitting behind Him rejoices. That is the day you are no longer a junk.

And as a Christian, we too should take more effort to rummage through the junk that is you and I. NEVER act sanctimoniously over other Christians who have strayed from the Path. God accepts all junks, hence who are we, His mere creations, to act as if we got the authority to condemn such junks? God will judge us all on Judgment Day eventually. He will do the judging, not us. Hence, until that Day comes, you and I should rummage through every “junk” around us and within us, and try to convert that junk to something worthy of receiving God’s abundant mercy and blessings.

Remember, there is a good in every evil. You and I may be junks, but no junk is beyond redemption. We must all look through the junk within ourselves and bring out the qualities that will make us a better Christian. Even at misual.com, one of the most popular Mizo websites today, take away the M, L and C, from misual.com (which literally means “evil person”) and you actually have “ISUA OM” which means “Jesus is present”. misual.com

Love and Prayers my friends.

Chp 100. The Christian Life

Ever torn between a passion and a career?

A passion is something that you love to do out of your own volition, whereas a career is usually something that you force yourself to do, something that you usually don’t enjoy doing.

And that is what makes us love or hate a job / task that we are entrusted to do. One of the reasons why I didn’t want to take up writing as a professional career and join some illustrious school of Journalism was because, to me, writing is an avocation, and I was afraid I might lose my passion for writing if it suddenly becomes a deadline-requiring lifeline.

Ever noticed how time seems to drag by so slowwwwly when you’re doing something that you don’t enjoy? Sitting in a boring economics class, studying for an upcoming examination, shopping with your mother, waiting for the love of your life to call you up or to arrive at the airport, watching kasauti, listening to your nosy neighbor upstairs rambling to you about why the price of wheat or oil has gone up, working at a job you detest etc, while time just flies by when you’re doing something that you truly enjoy.

A good friend of mine once asked me, “I try to be a good Christian, resisting all the temptations around me every single day, but at the end of the day, I usually ask myself, is it worth it? Because I don’t think I can control myself any longer…”

Well, suppose you join a large Company and you don’t enjoy working there, what would be the most reasonable thing to do? If you can afford to shift, then you look for a new job immediately, otherwise you continue working in that same company, trying your best to love your work that you hate.

It is only after you start working with alacrity and enthusiasm that you will start loving what you do, making you more productive and indispensable to the Company. You don’t even need an HR Professional to tell you that.

Similarly, if you coerce yourself to be an ascetic, trying to lead a good Christian life by force, it will indeed be an arduous task: You will feel as if the mere effort of trying not to sin has drained the very last bit of sanity within you. But if the urge to lead the life of a good Christian genuinely comes from within, it is way much easier to resist any temptations that may come your way. Sometimes it is possible to rediscover such urges at a Spiritual Rehab camp.

Many critics of Spiritual Rehab Camps say that the entire process is very artificial and that being “born again” should come from within and not from any external camp experience. Reminds me of the story about the man who drowned at sea. As he was drowning, he cried to the good Lord to save him. Soon a boat came by but the man refused to accept their offer for help because he said God will save him. Two other boats came by and he didn’t acknowledge them either. Finally he drowned. When he met God later, he asked Him why He didn’t save him from drowning, and God calmly replied, “I sent three boats, didn’t I?”

That’s what Spiritual Rehab Camps are about. We are all drowning slowly each and every passing day, and God has sent the numerous counselors and pastors and missionaries to save us from drowning. Most of us cannot save ourselves from drowning; we need external help. Help from other people- people who work as God’s tools and who are qualified to save us from drowning.

Hence, Spiritual Rehab Camps do give you new power and energy to enjoy being a good Christian, and there is nothing artificial about it. And the moment you enjoy that life you lead, all thoughts and skepticism about how tough it is to lead such a life will automatically vanish. You will bask in the joy and glory of leading such a life the moment you wake up every morning.

Spiritual Rehabilitation (Camping) is just like any other rehabilitation. Some of you may argue that it is not so, since other rehabs like alcohol and drugs Rehab deal with addiction and is hence different. Well let me tell you this: Spiritual Rehab does indeed deal with addiction. We, as an individual, are all addicted to a materialistic world governed by immoral activities and sinful lifestyles. And that addiction can be cured at a Spiritual Rehab Camp.

Don’t force yourself to love God. Jesus never forced Himself to die for our sins; He did it willingly because he loved us. Love God volitionally and love the Life that you lead through God, and everything will be a cakewalk after that.

Wishes and Prayers…