INSPIRATIONAL FILES

Paul Newman reprises the unforgettable role of Fast Eddie Felson from The Hustler (1961)in The Color of Money (1986). Twenty-five - years after “The Hustler,” Fast Eddie, now retired from the pool–room hustling, finds inspiration for a comeback and a grand finale in an immensely talented younger protégé played by Tom Cruise. The connection between the title and the plot is in Fast Eddie's interpretation of the traditional green cloth (baize) of a pool table. To Eddie, the sight of the green baize of a pool table is always an opportunity to make money. How one sees money doesn’t really begin in the eyes but in the heart and the way a person sees money really depends on the lens the person is looking through. If he is looking through the lens of society he would see money as a simple means of meeting his own personal needs and possibly sharing with others if there is a little bit left over after he had met his own needs. At least it is his own money and he could do an

  The movie " Glory " (1989) stars Mathew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. Set in the turbulence of the American Civil War, it tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal regiment of the US Army to be made up of entirely African American men. Told from the point of view of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, its commanding officer during the war, the 54th was a unit that almost did not see combat. The regiment went from doing mostly menial labor to participating in a skirmish in South Carolina, where they successfully repelled a Confederate attack.    If you have not already, in your lifetime you will encounter someone who would attempt to use the problem of suffering to create doubt in your mind with the objective of discrediting God’s love for you. Such an attempt could come in the form of a question like, “Why does God allow Satan to attack you if He really loves you?” Such a question is designed to create

" I am Not going to be ignored, Dan! " Those are the famous words of Alexandra "Alex" Forrest (Glenn Close) from "Fatal Attraction" , the second highest grossing film of 1987 . " Fatal Attraction" is thriller with a spice of horror, starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer. It is the story of a married man (Dan Gallagher) who has an affair with a woman (Alexandra Forrest) who refuses to let it end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking and ensuing obsession. There are a few similarities between my story and the plot of Fatal Attraction but for the twists in my story. One twist is what actually happened in the bedroom of the woman in my story. The other is in how my story actually ends compared to the ending of Fatal Attraction . It is not really my story but my own spin on a famous story from antiquity.    This is really my version of Fatal Attraction . Except in my version no one really dies. It is the story told f

What is a chateausque-styled mansion built between 1889 and 1895, nestled on 175,000 square feet, 8,000 acres estate in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and featuring 250 rooms and considered the largest privately - home in the United States? It is none other than George Washington Vanderbilt's home, the Biltmore. The Biltmore Estate is worth unimaginably between $1.2 and $1.35 billion dollars. This includes the value of the mansion, which is worth between $200 and $350 million dollars, and the 125,000 acres of land that comprise the rest of the estate, which are worth around $1 billion dollars. The current global economic crisis is one that has provided common people with a glimpse into the world of finance and economics, especially with the fact that the value of homes and properties is somehow tied into the dynamics of the economy of a nation. One lesson that many of us have learned from the current economic crisis is that somehow the value of real estat

Significance is living within the realms of God’s purpose for one’s life. True significance is found in the fulfillment of God’s purpose. And God’s purpose for life is found in a life of dedication to the needs of people. And that is the definition and heart of Christian ministry. Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella. The show centers around the day to day life of a black family and explores dark themes and subject matter such as substance abuse and addiction. It also depicts the dedication of a man and a woman to the needs of their extended family. And the only connection between the TV show and the title of this blog is nothing more than a play on words. Nevertheless, a life of commitment to the needs of people, especially that of a family, usually comes at a great price. Sometimes it comes in the form of severe challenges and creates

“ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some will even dare to die. But God commends his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ” [ Romans 5: 7, 8 ]. The text in quote implies that there is a “line” between good and righteous as there is a difference between a righteous man and a good man. The concept of “line” signifies a line of separation, usually between two opposing ideals, and it is abstract rather than physical. Such line of separation between two opposing ideals is expressed in statements such as “the line between good and evil,” “a thin line between love and hate,” and “the battle line being drawn.” “The line between good and righteous” on the other hand is neither abstract nor is it physical, but spiritual instead. The statement, “This is where we draw the line” also implies that whenever and wherever there is a line, there is always someone who draws that line. In the line between good and righteous, i

Ben is a seven year old boy who lived with his grandparents in Brooklyn, New York. It was on a hot summer afternoon, and like most of the children on this block of row houses, Ben waited in the street with excitement for the arrival of the ice cream truck.   His excitement suddenly turned into sadness when his grandpa shouted to him through the window of their Brownstone that the ice cream man will not make his incursion into their particular neighborhood until the next day. Ben was suddenly filled with disappointment and sadness. Then as if it was by revelation, his face suddenly lights up. He ran to the window and with eyes as bright as the sun, he asked, “Grandpa, can I get two ice creams tomorrow, one for today, and one for tomorrow?” Grandpa looked at him and with eyes ever assuring he replied, “Of course, Ben of course, you can have two ice creams tomorrow”. And now with much greater excitement and restored hope, Ben uttered the words, “Thank you grandpa, thank you grandpa,

We read about two significant trees in the Genesis description of the environmental splendor of Eden [Genesis 2: 8-17]. One is called “the tree of life” and the other is “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. In the first instance of how knowledge could determine the distance between God and man, God’s instruction to Adam and Eve included a prohibition from touching or eating fruits from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The instruction was in the form of a very strong and clear imperative - DON’T TOUCH! DON’T EAT! What followed was Satan’s first score in getting man to disobey the word of God in one process of distortion and guided deception. In one twinkle of disobedience and clear violation of God’s prohibition, Eve picked the fruit from the forbidden tree and somehow convinced Adam to do the same. And in a moment of justice, the first spiritual distance between God and man was established. The first line of spiritual demarcation between God and man was drawn, at

“ For in hope we have been saved, but the hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it .” [ Romans 8: 24-25 ]. “Hope Again” is a continuation of my reflection on the text as it applies to the circumstances of people and nations as they wait on the promises of God at one point or another. I stated this point in the last issue that the hope that anchored the lives of people in the Bible speaks of assurance and certainties rather than probabilities and uncertainties and it is rooted in the certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promises in the lives of people. One word that Bible hope does not have is the word “hopefully.” Hopefully is a word that communicates probability and uncertainty and a mere wish or desire rather than the assurance of hope as God intends. Hope sometimes involves complex generational dynamics. This simply means that the fulfillment of God’s promises sometimes spa

Discontentment is an emotional disease that takes away one’s joy and peace. Paul told Timothy, “But Godliness with contentment is great gain” [1 Timothy 6: 6]. The Hebrew writer instructs, “…be content with such things as you have” [Hebrews 13: 5]. Contentment has little to do with not getting what you want, but everything to do with wanting what you already have. It has been said that, “contentment makes a poor man rich, yet discontentment makes a rich man poor.” The poor man said to the rich man, “I am richer than you are.” And “Why is that,” asked the rich man? “Because I have everything I want and you don’t.” It just might be that the poorest person in the world is the one who has plenty of money and material goods without contentment. Sometimes we want things we do not need, yet need things we do not want. Two tear drops met along the river of life. One tear drop said to the other, “Where did you come from?” “I am the tear drop of a girl who loved a man and lost him,” replied the

There is really a direction which leads to significance. Your significance is the same as your destination and the direction is how you get there. It is a sort of the map pointing you towards your destination or towards the path that you travel towards significance. The Lord did not withhold the direction of his journey to significance from his disciples. The direction of His journey was stated explicitly in statements such as “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” [Matthew 16: 21]. You do not chart your direction towards significance just as you do not determine what your significance is. God charts the direction in which you must travel and also determines what your significance is. The path towards significance is neither a free ride nor an easy street. It is an obstacle course. An “obstacle course” is a series of challengin

In the words of Job, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil”[Job 14: 1]. We should also not forget what Jacob said about his own journey when he was presented before Pharaoh. His words were “The years of my journey are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their journey” [Genesis 37: 9]. You should never think that you are insignificant. You are a significant piece in God’s puzzle known as life. Life itself gives you significance. You would not have been born if you are not significant. Our significance is not determined by people or by things. It is determined by the purpose of God for our lives. Purpose and fulfillment are wrapped together. And both are objective. It is in purpose that one finds fulfillment. You cannot find fulfillment in people. You cannot find fulfillment in things. You can have the best people and the best things in your life and s