When I took this photo of the white flower I remembered how in Christ we are new creation. But here I would like to just talk about the joy of being new creation in Christ, because it seems that joy is the first gift Christ gives us through the Holy Spirit when we surrender our lives to Him. Here is a little story… In the summer of 2003, I had just graduated from high school and by then I was in Canada for 4 years, I decided to find Christian chat rooms online. I had never been to a chat room before (or since) but I really wanted to join one because I needed spiritual advice on how to overcome lust, and I didn’t have any other source of help. So I went to MSN chat rooms (been closed for a while now) and I looked through few Christian chat… read more
Insights
When I was born my dad had already joined the Iraqi army so I really didn’t see him much. He actually joined the army one year after he got married at the age of twenty five and left the army in his late thirty’s. Back home men are forced to join the army; they fought and died for a cause they didn’t believe in, against a neighboring country they did not consider an enemy, in support of a president they did not elect. My dad had a vacation of around seven days every forty five days, so when he came home he didn’t want to shave because in the army they are forced to wake up at 5 am and shave every morning, so he just wanted a break from it! Needless to say I didn’t know who my dad was! I actually didn’t know what the word “Dad” meant!… read more
I want to change lives! I want to make the world a better place. I don’t know who you are, what kind of person you are, or what you’re trying to get out of life, but If you’re the same as everyone else, you’re probably just trying to find your way through life. Maybe you’re trying to be unique, to be noticed. Maybe you’ve been striving for the approvals of others far too long and you’ve never found it. Maybe you’ve been hiding behind a mask so long that you’ve forgotten who you really are, maybe you just feel lost in this huge world, maybe you’re feeling alone or maybe you just feel invisible. That’s not really who you are, you were built for so much more! You’re beautiful, strong, courageous, loving, and yes, you are unique. Even if these things are hidden deep down, they’re there. And that’s all… read more
One hot summer afternoon in Iraq I was walking with my best friend from the neighborhood; we were both in our early teens. He told me that he wants to be a doctor. I thought it was kind of an unrealistic goal since he wasn’t a straight A student so I asked him why he wanted to be a doctor. He told me that his dad was motivating him to finish school and to do his best. I knew my friend’s dad worked long hours, from early morning until afternoon, as construction worker then worked as a taxi driver until late evening or night. Then he continued telling me that when his dad was a teenager his grandparents never told his dad to finish school so his dad doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him. I remember making a mental note to the like, “You have to change;… read more
There is something about Christmas colors that just cheer me up. This capture was taken at my youngest uncle’s house. He is married to this wonderful godly woman—the godliest person I know. It doesn’t take you long after you meet her to realize she is a very special person. When we have a family gathering she probably does 99% of the serving! When you meet her you will realize all her day is spent with her loving others, serving them, giving them gifts, encouraging them, comforting them, praying for them, and building them up. You know, they say behind every great man there is a woman: she has truly built my uncle up spiritually and any other good way. At her old church she was nicknamed “God’s faithful daughterâ€. My uncle is a believer too and he is an awesome, loving and funny man. She loves the fact he makes… read more
I have this pack of cheap ball pens, but I’ve kept only one in my drawer in case I need a pen. First time I tried to use it it was leaking a bit so I just rubbed the tip on a piece of paper and used it. Second time it was a bit of too much of a leak for me to use it so I put the cap back on it, and returned it in my drawer and got out another pen and used that pen. I did the same for the next few times I needed to use that leaking pen. Finally when I tried to use it the leak was so bad that I didn’t even consider keeping it, I thought, “Why am I bothering with this cheap and useless pen when I have so many others that work perfectly fine?†So I broke the pen,… read more
I wouldn’t wish Trichotillomania to my worst enemies. I am afraid if I get married I will pass the genes to my children because Trichotillomania is genetic, it is classified as an impulse control disorder by DSM-IV, it is the compulsive urge to pull out one’s own hair leading to noticeable hair loss. For most of my life I had considered it to be a curse—or at least something I wouldn’t want in my life. But sometimes when I think about it I wonder if God has a purpose in it—a higher purpose than just “to torture meâ€. You see, Trichotillomania really lowered my self-confidence due to my low self-image. It is not easy for a young man to be confident when he can’t even control his fingers so not to pull his own hair. It is not easy for a young man to be confident when he feel embarrassed… read more
I found an article written by the “Script Howard News Service” with the following heading: “Bush is of Two minds, One is Wrong.” As I read on I notice they say: “When it comes to science, President Bush is of two minds, one of which is wrong.” “Concerning the space shuttle program, he defers to the views of experts.” “In a conversation with Texas reporters, he said that ‘the experts at NASA’ will determine whether the shuttle should be retired before 2010.” “But when it comes to science education, he unfortunately sees no need for experts. Answering a question about evolution vs. intelligent design, he said it was a question for local school districts, but he felt ‘both sides ought to be properly taught.’” And he added, ‘so people can understand what the debate is all about.” “But among experts, there is no debate worth mentioning. The theory of evolution… read more
My family always wanted to leave Iraq. My mother dreamt of living in Europe, North America, or Australia since she was a teenager. My dad also wanted to leave since he was a teenager. But we couldn’t leave until 1998 when I was 15 years old. We spent a year in Jordan and my sister, who is 2 years older than me, and I both accepted Christ in our lives there. I think being Roman Catholic teens, having our first communion a couple of years earlier, left us with a lot of questions and very few answers (if any). My sister, being a very social person, got first interested in knowing Christ as a Savior through going to church in Amman, Jordan. There was a pastor there who was teaching about Christ as a Savior and how trusting in Him can change our lives, gives us eternal life, and that… read more
Dr. Charles Stanley once said something to the like, “Keep a journal of God’s faithfulness because a day is going to come when you will need to look back and hold on to God’s faithful nature and be strengthened through the trial.†So this writing is not for you—it is for me. It has taking me a month to write it, mainly because it was hard to write about something I don’t feel, and may not even believe. But I had forced myself to write it hoping there is a good outcome from it. What you are looking at in this photo is King College Road: this is the “engineering street†that every student must walk to go to their classes because the engineering buildings are at its right and left. Sometimes when I walk through St. George campus I wonder to myself, “How did I get… read more
The simplest conceivable life form has about 600 protein molecules. The chance that even a SINGLE molecule could form by chance arrangement of the sequence of the amino acids in it would be between 10^450 and 10^600, depending on whose data you study. How many INCHES LONG do you suppose it is from one end of the universe to the other, at least with our present astronomical knowledge? Can you guess? It is about 10^28! That seems a small number, but consider that the distance is in INCHES. And to form ONE molecule the probabilities are from 10^450 to 10^600? How outrageous does the data have to get before it becomes laughable? Remember that the theory of evolution says that this happened not once, but again and again and again. It seems apparent to me that we are dealing not only with a ridiculous theory, but with a sick theory,… read more
Personally, I’ve found a peace that I haven’t had for a long time. For nearly the whole summer I have been struggling through my salvation. After I began to really take the Bible seriously, I went through an intense season of examining my life to see if I was on the right path. It wasn’t necessarily a fun time but I learned a lot of valuable things such as perseverance and I grew in knowledge. During the past few weeks things became more intense, prayer became more intense, and now God has granted me peace about it. I think that most of it came from a deeper understanding of the Spirit. I wasn’t sure if I had it before, now I’m certain. For those of you who don’t know, I live in a place called Cranbrook. Right now God is really moving here, it’s really cool to see and I’m… read more
I cried today as I was listening to Gianna Jessen, an abortion survivor. I wonder how many millions helpless angelic babies have been brutally murdered around the world and we are standing far away in our dream-like state and busy daily lives doing nothing about it, or not able to do anything about it. This crime is being carried everywhere in the world whether accepted publicly or done in secret. Thank God our Lord is a just Lord and what really matters is heaven, His dwelling place, and not here. Our Lord said in Matthew, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.â€Â Matthew 19:14 Dr. Stanley says when we drift away from God’s Word then all kind of evil becomes possible. It is so true because God’s Word is a spiritual and moral compass that directs… read more
There is also a theory out that, as an embryo develops, its many appearances at different times reflect its `evolution`. This applies to all embryos, whether it be a bird, as turtle, or a human. I was taught this theory in college. Do you know when this theory was proven wrong? Back in the 1920`s. As someone once said, `There is nothing more fun than to watch an intelligent man expound on a stupid idea`. So what can you say? The above theory was called the `Biogenetic Law`, and it has been proven wrong or proven totally implausible so many times that it is ridiculous to even consider it. “This theory is now completely discredited by most embryologists.” – Dr. Jeffrey Bryne Over fifty years ago, Dr. Waldo Shumway [sp] of the University of Illinois said: “Experimental embryology demands that this hypothesis be abandoned.” If that’s the case, why is… read more
This has been an interesting week, full of emotions. This week I experienced a friend lose his sister; his parents, lose their daughter. On Tuesday evening we (Justin and I) drove our friend out to Calgary to join his family. His sister had been in a car accident and the doctors were having trouble stabilizing her. We arrived about 1 in the morning and waited. The doctors told us around 3 that they had to wait until the morning until they could do anything more. We grabbed a hotel for the night and In the morning we returned to the hospital. That morning the doctors informed the family that it was over, their 17-year-old daughter had passed away. It was one of the most heart-breaking things I’ve ever witnessed, watching my friends parents say goodbye to their daughter. It was a terribly sad moment, but it was one that was… read more
Doing the right thing is important. In our times and culture it is becoming increasingly less common to do the right thing. Many youth nowadays are not committed to anything except to that which makes them happy—what makes them feel good. But what makes you happy oftentimes does not make God or others happy—often times it is not the right thing. Simply put: doing the right thing is a reflection of your character. I remember few years ago as I got off the bus near my home I saw this long line of cars trying to pass an intersection where there is a stop sign. I thought, “What’s going on? This intersection is never busy because of the stop sign!†Just then I saw a police car parked nearby. When it comes to character my favorite quote is by J.C. Watts who said, “Character is doing the right thing when… read more
I grew up in a semi-devoted Roman Catholic family. My parents are good people, but my mom was never the religious type and my dad had more doubt than faith. The only religious influence on me and my sister was our grandmother even though she didn’t have spiritual understanding of the Bible. She didn’t understand grace, or Salvation, nor did she have an accurate view of God’s character or ways. Nevertheless, seeing her reading prayer books everyday encouraged me to read the New Testament. In my early teens in the summer time as soon as it gets around 4 or 5 PM I would get ready to go play soccer and burst running out of the door in excitement! Just then I would hear my mom yelling to me, “Fadi, come take the garbage out!†After running for few more meters I would remember those words of our Lord in… read more
What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? That’s what I’ve been working out over the past few months. I know it’s a lifelong process but I think it’s important to earnestly seek this out right now. And the answer to this question is so important. We only have one chance at this life and then we face death. And there are only two options for eternity (that’s forever bro), Heaven or Hell.I think the thing that has been bothering me most about North America is that we all seem to assume that we’ve been called to be rich. Really? Did you really spend time in prayer and fasting, seeking God’s direction for your life and then came to the conclusion that He wants you to be rich? Or do you just want to be called to be rich. And when we pursue success (in the eyes of… read more
For the last couple years I’ve been thinking about life and death a lot. I’ve been thinking about eternal life and the importance of the spiritual world but how earthly-minded I really am. I’ve been feeling how meaningless and temporary everything that is earthly. Last morning I was listening to John Piper’s message “Don’t Waste Your Life,†and he said the words of the title of this picture which describe perfectly how I’ve been feeling for a long while now. In the evening I went to downtown and the lakeshore with a Christian Iraqi friend, and it was a fun day filled with taking pictures. We talked a lot about Christianity and our purpose on earth. When I came home I started post-processing my photos but I felt a very heavy burden. At around 4 in the morning I decided I needed to pray because I knew I couldn’t sleep… read more
Lets talk about creationism versus the theory of evolution in regard to the various disciplines of science. We have already spoken of the astronomical side of this question. We will now consider the study of cells. These cells make up every living thing. What evidence is there in this area, which will settle the question of evolutionism versus creationism? If the theory of evolution is correct, then the accidental synthesis of the DNA molecule had to have taken place. As biological science learns more and more about the complexity of the cellular structure, the realization that this feat is impossible has set in. The DNA molecule can only be replicated in the presence of certain enzymes; numerous, complicated enzymes. Those enzymes themselves can only be replicated in the presence of DNA molecules. So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? It is not enough to `simply` synthesize the DNA… read more
Jesus did not just say to dwell in his love only, but his truth as well. Love alone will not save anyone from Hell but love with the truth will. Jesus is the truth and told only the truth and we should as well. The love Jesus asks has loyalty it means for us to stand against opposition no matter where it will lead. Can love bring unity? If one wants to disregard the truth it certainly can! But it is not honored by God, only man. When we read Gods love was shed abroad in our hearts, this means we have his heart a new nature that cares differently than before. We were born by an incorruptible seed, the word of truth. When people say we should accept everyone to unite even if they do not believe the same, we compromise the truth. It is not true love to… read more
Road trip! Map, cellular telephone, written directions, friends to take turns driving and a tank full of gasoline. You prepared for the journey and went your way knowing that you would reach your destination. On the way everything was fine, until you took that wrong turn. You then had to adjust your plans and make every effort to get back on the right route to your destination. Have you ever been in that position or heard of a similar situation? When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. ~Â Ezekiel 33:10 He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness ~Â Psalm 23:3b Your Christian walk is similar to that journey, in that, you cannot afford to make the wrong turn. The word of the Lord clearly outlines the Path to Salvation. We are even warned not to make wrong turns. As a servant of God… read more
Today I want to talk about fasting. It’s not something that most people ever consider. You can say that it’s not clearly commanded in the Bible, but if you take a look you’ll see it comes up more often than you think. in Matthew Jesus says, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:16 Notice here, Jesus says WHEN, not IF. There are many other passages that mention it as well. We might not think it’s specifically addressed but if so, that’s only because it’s assumed we will. So what exactly is fasting? It’s essentially giving up some, or all, kinds of food and drink. You might not think this is possible, but it is! Common fasts are 24 hours, 3 days, and 40… read more
I struggled with this photo a lot. Bahar didn’t like “the right side of her faceâ€, so when I came home I started Photoshopping the photo, you know, removing bores, scars, and wrinkles, etc. I did this because as a human I am influenced by worldly standards, we are led to believe that we have to be: thin, muscular, tall, clear skin, shinny hair, golden curls, big and bright eyes, long eyelashes, small and straight noses, full lips, etc. But that’s not God’s standards. The Bible says that we are created in God’s image, maybe not physically, but we should accept the way God created us and be grateful for His wonderful handiwork– not be grumbling and ungrateful. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.†Genesis 1:27 Also, our Lord does not judge man according… read more
