Let that be enough!

I was thinking hard on what should go up on this page which claims to be a treasure online; and I came to the conclusion which is inevitable for the life granted me. What could be more a treasure than the kingdom of God? Which other treasure out-values the rest of the whole world?

One friend and icon I relate much with in this pilgrim progress toward the Kingdom is Jon Foreman of the band ‘Switchfoot.’ Jon is gifted with David’s pen that brings out emotions with exceptional beauty and feeling. These are some of his words to which I relate much:

Growing up from a boy to a man is a difficult task! The reality and harshness of life stares you in the face. It becomes clear as water why the Christian life is compared to carrying a cross. Very often the Christian living in the world is like a rose in the desert. Everything around is against him. But in the midst of all this, when all our sand castles are collapsing, and when we feel like a late-nite plane with nowhere to land, and when we feel stuck watching history repeating, the beauty of the Christian faith emerges in that we can find strength in the assurance that He hears, loves and cares for us.

Truly, His grace is sufficient and more than enough!

Signing off,

Pilgrim Prince...

Dexter.

He lived to die....

One of my favorite song is 'Above all powers , above all king'....
The chorous goes this way...
Crucified, laid behind a stone...
You lived to die rejected and alone...
Like a rose, trampled on the ground..
U took the fall and thought of me....
Above all....

I was really amazed at the words ' You lived to die'.... How can a person live with the knowledge of his death??? If i were to know the date of my death and the way in which i would die, i'm sure i'll fall into a depression or may be get a heart attack. But Jesus knew that He was born to die, to die on the cross. Yet he loved everyone and shared His joy and peace with others. wow.... He is beyond description........

Do listen to my favorite song 'Above all powers, above all kings'

Getting my drivers license...

I finally managed to get my driving license last wednesday i.e 12/19/2007.Let me share my experiences. I hope the article will be a source of encouragement to all who are trying to get their driving license.
I did have a driving license in India for my 2 wheeler as well as LMV (Light Motor Vehicle) for my care. But the fact is i din't know to drive.
After coming to the US, i got my learners permit on 11/09/2007. I had to give a computer test for that. I prepared for that test for 3 days. I read the entire manual given by the DMV. It had so many road signs and rules. The day before taking the test, I took 2 practise test online. The test had two parts, road rules test for 20 marks and road signs test for 20 marks. It was multiple choice and computer based. So once I enter an answer, I couldn't change it. I got very tensed when my very first answer went wrong. I could make a maximum of 5 mistakes to pass. To make matters worse my 3rd answer also went wrong. But after 15 minutes of full tension, i completed my test. I got 17/20 in road rules test and 20/20 in road signs test. When i got my learners permit i discovered that it was valid only till dec 2007. I just had 3 months to get my license.
Time passed by until it became nov end. I suddenly realised that I just had a month to practise my driving and get my license. So I finally started my driving practise. My husband was my tutor. We used to practise every sunday after church for an hour in the parking lot of Big Lots. Thats the time my daughter sleeps. The first day we went round and round the parking lot until I got familiar with the accelerator and brake. Another thing I had to get familiar with was the side of driving. In India the steering is in the right and we drive in the left side of the road. In the US it was exactly the opposite. Even now I get confused with the side of driving.
The second day of practise was again in the parking lot. I tried parking, left turn and right turn. But this time I tried driving back home after the practise session. It was very scary when vehicles would speed up in the roads. But I managed to reach home safely. The following week I did some more driving in the road. After 3-4 days of driving I became little confident. So i called up the DMV to fix up the appointment for my road test. I got the appointment for 12-19-2007 at 1 pm. It was already 15th dec and I had very little time to practise. That sat, my husband made me drive the entire day. We went to different places, had lunch in Red Lobster and also did some shopping. But the entire time I was driving. The next day also I did a bit of driving.
The day before getting my license, we went to my friend Swathis house. She had taken her road test recently. She gave me some tips on driving. She told me to adjust the mirrors before starting the vehicle even if it is properly adjusted. She told me to be confident in what I was doing. She also gave me some tips on Parallel Parking. That night i tried parallel parking a few times in our apartment. It came out well a few times but I was not confident enough doing it in the test. Anyway I had no other go.
The next day was a tension day. I was fully thinking about getting the license. In the DMV, after completing the initial formalities, an officer accompanied me to take my test. We got into my car. He told me to put the indicators, slam the brake and press the horn to check if my car was in good condition. After that he told me to pick up speed and do sudden stop at a point that he showed me. Next he told me to go in reverse all the way that we had come. I hadn't practised reverse so I was a bit tensed. But it went well. Next he told me to do parallel parking. There were cones all around the parking lane. I had to park within the lane without hitiing the cones. I was not very confident about that but by Gods grace it turned out well. Next the officer asked me to do reverse parking. Now this was something that I was totally not prepared for. I was not even good at reverse driving. I got so tensed that I started sweating. I just made a small prayer in my mind and took the reverse. By Gods grace and to my surprise, the car went straight into the paking lane without hitting any of the cones. It was purely Gods grace because that was the first time I ever tried doing it. Once the car was parked properly I heaved a sigh of releif. Next the officer told me to go to the road. He told me to change lanes, make a left turn, right turn, change speeds etc. After driving in the road for 10 minutes, we came back and the test was over. As my vehicle was parked, i was eagerly looking at the officer as to what he would say. Finally he said that i had PASSED. HURRAY.....
In the next 10 minutes my photograph was taken and i was given my license. The officer told my husband that i needed lot of practise as my driving was not very smooth. But there was no reason for not giving the license. He wished me best of luck and we retured home happily. It is indeed an unforgettable experience as I had got my license with very very little practise.

Apples

We all know the proverb ‘ An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. This proverb really made me curious to know about the health benefits of apples. The information that I got from various sources is briefed below.

One Medium Apple contains:

Calories - 80
Cholesterol - 0
Sodium - 0
Carbohydrates - 22 grams
Dietary Fiber - 4 grams
Soluble Fiber- 3 grams

1. Apples are low in calories. So a person can eat apples without guilt conscious.
2. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals which are in general need for good health.
3. The fruit has high water content along with high amount of carbohydrate. So it is a healthy snack.
4. It has high fiber content helps to control hunger longer. So it is ideal for people who are on diet.
5. The constituents of soluble fiber are pectin which helps in digestion. It also lowers bad cholesterol.
6. Apples are considered to give better respiratory health and thus reduce the chance of developing asthma.
7. Research shows that apples reduce the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer. This is due to the phytonutrients in apples.
8. Apple consumption helps clean teeth and gives a fresh feeling by removing the food tapped in between teeth.
9. Boron, an ingredient of apple helps the development of strong bones. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis in women.
10. Above all, it is a fruit which has a nice cooling effect and quenches the thirst on a summer day.

Disney world, Orlando, Florida

We had gone to disney world, Orlando in Sept as a family to celebrate our daughter ivanas 1st bday. We started our trip on aug 30th, friday afternoon. We had already booked a hotel. The drive from Valdosta, GA to FL was pretty smooth. But towards the end, it started raining heavily. It was dark and we couldnt see the boards. We lost our way but ended up reaching our hotel safely. The hotel room was pretty good with fridge, microwave, TV, AC etc. We had taken dinner with us. So we ate and slept off.

The next morning we were scheduled to do to Magic Kingdom. By the time we woke up, had breakfast and got dressed up it was 11 am. We finally reached the place by noon. Since it was the first day, it was as if were in wonderland. We had no idea where to go and how. But as we started exploring the place, we were amazed. We all enjoyed the day. We had pizza for lunch which was damm expensive.

The next day's plan was Epcot. This time we had a better idea about how to proceed and made a good plan. We were able to cover the entire park by evening. Ofcourse we were not allowed for certain rides because our daughter was too young. We decided to stay back for the fireworks which was amazing. By the end of the day, thats at 10 pm we were dead tired. We were supposed to go back to the hotel for dinner. But since we were so tired we decided to have our dinner in a nearby american buffet. American buffet was very very different comapared to our indian food. We managed to satisfy our hunger with salad, bread, mashed potatoes, macroni and some chicken.

We were eagerly waiting for the next trip to Animal Kingdom. Inspite of being very tired, we woke up early in the morning and went there. But we were kind of disappointed. Animal kingdom did have many animals and birds, but it was everything that we had already seen so many times. The park was closed by 5 pm since the animals needed their private time. To overcome our disappointment we decided to go to the chinese buffet. We had a heavy dinner. On our way back we went to Walmart and did some shopping. The best show that my husband enjoyed was the 3D show in Animal Kingdom.

The last and final day was in MGM Studio. It was an amazing place. But since we had to start back that day, we couldnt spend much time. We missed many shows and rides. Before leaving we got ivana a big minnie mouse doll and a minnie mouse headband. She was very excited with that. We had a chance to attend the disney parade where all the disney characters just walked in the streets. We got frozen lemonade and enjoyed the parade.

Overall, the trip was a big success. We cherish every moment of it. We had taken a lot of pics. It was a memorable experience.

Faithful God

Ps 30 : 3 says " O Lord , you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit."
This is my testimony in a verse. Though i was born and brought up in a strict christian family, i never knew my Lord Jesus personally. I was regular to church and an active member of my sunday class. At a very early age of 10, i even started playing the keyboard in my church.
That was my spiritual life till i was 11. It was then that i opened my ears to the Lord and let Him shape my life. He spoke to me through my mom and my pastor and made me realize the depth of sin that i was into. With His help i was able to come out of my sinful life. I started reading the Bible and meditating on it daily. I was very eager to testify about my Lord whereever I went.
But satan wouldn't keep quiet. He continued to tempt me in different ways. But each time, the Lord spared my life from going down into the pit before it was too long. Every time i mess up my life, the Lord was patient to pull me out of the grave, clense me, teach me and purify me.
Today I wouldn't claim to be a spiritual person. But i am definetely His humble servant willing to learn more of His word and please Him in all possible ways. Each day there is something new that the Lord wants to teach me. Inspite of all my shortcomings and unfaithfulness, He has been faithful enough not only to take me out of the grave but also place me on the throne. I mean what I say. He has indeed blessed me in all ways spiritually, materially and physically. Praise be my dear Lord Jesus Christ.

About Me

My name is Dahlia Twinkle.... Born in Nagercoil, a small town in Kanyakumari district, the southern tip of India.... Brought up in Mumbai... Did my college in Coimbatore... Now in Valdosta, Georgia, US....
Well, talking about my birth place, i hardly remember anything. The things that i remember are the beautiful sceanery with fresh breeze and greenery everywhere. Bombay is a busy place with a huge population. Coimbatore is one place which i really love. Its a place with a balance between modern life and a traditional touch. Life in US is ofcourse very different.
So i did learn many languages thru my life. My mother tongue is tamil. I learnt hindi and marathi during my schooling. I also had Sanskrit as my second language during my high school. The secret is i just learnt marathi and sanskrit in my academics and managed to get through. I can hardly use those two languages. Kanyakumari being very close to kerala, i did pick up some malayalam too.