An account of my cherised experience with Lakewood folks :)

Below is an account of my stay in Houston with you good people. How beautiful it is to be with those who love the Lord.

The Initial Alienation:

Though it was my second time here for the first week, differently looking people, differently built apartments were making me feel alien, and I went to read a book by the pool and I lay down and looked up at the sky I found the clouds 'sailing across the big blue sky' and I felt more at home, felt that though I was half the world across, it was still under the same big blue beautiful sky created by the beautiful One. I had enjoyed seeing the clouds sailing across the clear blue sky in India and it was a déjà vu. I thanked God that even though I was on the other side of the globe from my home, I was still under His dominion and all that I saw as alien were still His beautiful creation. ;)

The Bear Hug:

The first person I talked to over phone was Momo. The first person I met and dined with here was Alisha. The first person to give me that warm loving Lake Wood 'bear hug' was Eleanor.

I had kept my arrival to Houston the second time a secret from most folks. I wanted to surprise them. Most of all I wanted to surprise Steve G because he was my good pal during my first visit. I remember the expression on his face when he first saw me, it was the shock of having seen a ghost. I bet he was thinking 'Is this Emmanuel or his ghost that I see?' initially in shock he jerked back a moment and when he had come to senses in split second he jumped towards me and gave me the same Lake Wood hug. And I knew I was getting to feel at home. :)

And then I met Crystal and her husband. When I was here last time she was still single. We used to have a good time hanging at her pool parties. This time too we had good time at the parties in her loft we did have the pool as well.

At Home at Last:

A view from the gallaries of the LakeWood Church which is the largest Church in America, its a Basketball stadium turned into a Chruch

That Sunday Eleanor picked me up for Church a routine she continued almost every week throughout my stay here. And when I was at Church after having been in Houston for about 10 days but still not feeling completely at home that I distinctly felt a peace just as the music was starting. The feeling of being alien lifted off. It was then I knew I was at home at last, I was again at the feet of the same Lord I used to worship on the other side of the globe, only now I was home with all the Lakewood folks around me who Loved Him and loved me because of His love.

About Parties and Dogs:

This snap was taken on X'mas day at Andrew's house. You can see Andrew in pic attending a call

The costume party at Tracy's house was the first costume party of my life and I couldn't enjoy it more. Tracy's little dog was a timid lovely being with beautiful eyes. Speaking of dogs, Andrew's dogs Nutty and I forgot the name of the other are the more hyper active dogs I came across, they were still running around till after 5 minutes since we Rolandan, Debra and I had arrived at his house. Nutty is one of the very few dogs that can look into a one eye and hold the gaze, it of course is one of the most intelligent dogs I have come across. Unfortunately this time I couldn't meet Eleanor's extrovert dog Sheba.

Lunches & Dinners - American politics to Practice Dudes:

This pic was taken on New Year's morning at about 3:00 am at a restraunt we all went to after the New Year's Fellowship Party with the folks from Lakewood Church :)

I enjoy talking in restraints. Initially I was not able spend much time with the Lakewood folks because my work in company was all consuming. But later I was able to attend Wednesday services and other weekend get-togethers. More than once our Wednesday after service dinner were dominated by up coming American elections. I was amused listening to how each American had so many different opinions on who their guy/girl for the post would be even though there are just two parties to choose from, unlike India where national elections are contested by a plethora of parties.

On a Wednesday night after dinner at Chillis, Eleanor, John K, Chris and I stood outside and talked about what American politics really was and what American freedom really meant to the average American. We were talking till 2:00 am. I loved the insights shared from why America had to go to war to why Hillary just might make it in the upcoming elections.

Unsaid, I enjoyed going to the movie 'The Golden Compass' with Steve (golden) he is a cool guy who took a lot of ribbing from Beth and Apple when we along with Ike were having lunch after Church. After the movie I met the 'character' Timmy. My God, I dont think I have met someone like him before. He and I quickly got into a conversation of riddles in which we pulled the legs of people around us without them having a clue what we were talking about. At I-hop, Timmy and I were talking about how one could identify ones future spouse. Apple offered to help by suggesting a ‘three clicks' method, taught to her by her youth pastor, to identify future spouses and got run over by Timmy.

The dinner that I cannot forget and something which may be made immortal by the book that I am to write is the one at 59 Dinners which took place after the New Year's party at Lakewood. It was the dinner conversation which was centered the practice of having someone to practice upon for marriage, as to how to behave with ones spouse so as to avoid the possibility of a divorce after marriage. Its a premarital practice of marriage with the practice dude. This practice was proposed and Christened by Tracy as 'Practice Dude'. Eleanor, John K, Stephanie and a few others were trying to prove to Tracy as to why the practice of 'Practice Dude' was impractical, of course it was the most hilarious conversation we ever had.

A Spiritual Reformation:

During my stay there, I was going through a spiritual reformation. I was getting into a deeper relationship with Him in learning to surrender my all to Him. The books that I was reading the messages I listened to in Wednesday services and conversations I had with Lakewood folks and my own quiet time with God were creating in me a cleaner heart to serve him.

I happened to come to Houston at an important time in my career when I was to make some important decision, but because I was in Houston I could not make those decisions and I was asking God as to why He had brought me to Houston at such a crucial time. Slowly, He let me know that it was a time He was using to prepare me to be more dependent on Him alone. He was preparing me for something big, but before that I had to know that by myself I was small.

Just before I was leaving Houston, I was convicted in spirit by God that none of the decisions that I make in my life should be driven by the money factor. i.e, Whatever I do whether it be company shift or career shift or starting a company or a marrying someone it should all be because God wants me to do that and not because I can make more money by doing that. There is nothing wrong in trying to make more money but the human heart is so vile that if money making is made an important factor, it often goes away from God's ‘first-best’ in ones life. The evil impetus is about yielding to the desire to make more money than what God has given now.

An Important Meeting:

One Sunday there was a guy in front of Lakewood holding a placard saying 'False Gospel Here'. I went and spoke with that guy as I was impelled to do so, Alisha said she too would like to come with me and the two of us went.

As we were talking I found that some of his Christian doctrine was skewed, but some of his objections about Lakewood were actually valid. He said that Lakewood gospel was based on prosperity doctrine, I don’t agree with him entirely but I agree that there is a bent towards prosperity in the messages of preachers who are invited to talk in Lakewood.

Riches is not a blessing, often mishandled riches has been a curse. Paul says money is the root of all evil. Christ was born poor, blessed are the poor said Christ. Rich can't go to heaven said Christ as easily as a camel could go through the eye of a needle. Self-denial is the way to Christ. Christ-likeness is the goal of Christianity. Not to have much money is more blessed than to have excess money. But this he felt was seldom preached in Lakewood.

A ministry of hope in a hopeless world is important but too much hope without being convicted in spirit is the first level of Christianity. Christian life is about progressing into deeper level of Christianity by self-denial and self-giving sacrifice. People need hope, but the deeper needs of people is not just to be pampered by hope through motivating ‘think positive’ speeches, but to live a life of self-denial and Christ-likeness for Christ unequivocally says 'unless you deny your self, carry your cross and follow me you cannot be my disciple (neither will He ‘know’ us when the sheep and goat are separated)’.

No Church is perfect, every church has some deficiency Lakewood is not exempt. We as good Lakewooders need to pray that Lakewood would progress from the first level of pampered Christianity to a deeper level of self denying, flesh defying Christianity.

All About Love:

This was a party at Valerie's house... one of those moments when the love becomes so overwhelming that it just can't be contained...

The one reality which made me feel at home with the Lakewood folks is the Christian love with which I was embraced every time I was with all of you.

In spite of all evil and apathy we observe around us, the one true reality that makes life livable is the love which we show each other. Lakewood for one thing never lacks in the Love that adorns itself with an aura which embraces and draws to itself even the sickest of hearts.

We live in a world where knowledge is power. The more knowledge one has the more power one wields. People go to school, attend crash courses to acquire knowledge and skills to survive this life.

But there is only one knowledge that is absolute and will always save you it is the knowledge that the One who spoke the universe into being hung up on the tree as an unresisting lamb.

1Co 2:2 For I resolved to ‘know’ nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1Co 2:3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

Even if you loose your all in your life, even if there is nothing to look forward to in life, if there is a knowledge of some thing that would save you it is the knowledge that Christ was crucified for you, there is nothing more you need if only you 'really' knew this.

It is the love that He showed on the cross that is imbibed into each of us which adorns us with the beauty of the Spirit and makes us an embodiment of 'true' blessing to thousands around us.

Farewell:

I was taken by surprise when Eleanor said that I had to give my farewell speech at the Tiki Island New Year eve party. I did not expect is so soon. It seemed that I had just landed in Houston and was still getting to knowing people but alas it was time for me to go.

World is a small place, we live in a global village someday we shall all meet again. Even if we don’t we shall meet again on the other shore and spend an eternity together. We shall hug each other with the same Lakewood hugs. We shall have lunches, dinners, costume parties and we shall still be talking about 'practice dudes'. Until then… Farewell!!!

This was the farewell pic that they all took with me as it was my last Sunday with them. They are indeed most loving folks that can be seen that the beautiful land of America :)