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in susan narjala writes
You’re Not Just a ‘Regular Person’
Growing up in South India, I attended a church with an Anglican service format. The service would begin with the resounding music of the 19th-century pipe organ. It signalled that we needed to rise to our feet.
The Bible would then be carried down the aisle and placed on an impressive bronze lectern shaped like an ...
Gentle Spirit, Fierce Faith: A Tribute
This morning, my great aunt went home to be with Jesus. Her husband, PC Verghese, was a dynamic and respected evangelist in India for decades. He went to glory just two days ago. Both of them were like grandparents to me and instrumental in my faith journey. I have no doubt that they are rejoicing ...
Journeying with Jesus – A Lent Devotional
As I write this short post, I am on a journey. I don’t mean that metaphorically. Thankfully, I’m not on an “eat, pray, love” type quest for meaning and purpose. In a few hours, I’ll be hopping on a plane for a seven hour trip to Indonesia.
I’ll be meeting up with friends there — ladies ...
Have We Learned to Hide Our Brokenness?
I live in a city in India where Christians still have freedom to worship together. In fact, I live in a part of town which we jokingly (and unofficially) call the “Bible Belt.”
In a five-mile radius from where I live, there are two thriving Bible colleges, not to mention dozens of churches, Christian schools, Catholic ...
50 Shades of Grey. Like Actually.
Um, no, I haven’t read the book or watched the unsavory movie which inspired the title of this blog post. But I have been trying to choose the “perfect” grey for an accent wall in my living room. Something striking, but not overly dramatic. Modern, but also warm. A grey that is not “muddy” but ...
Can We Go Back to “Striving”?
It has evolved into a distateful word in the Christian lexicon. A word we feel guilty about. Over the years, I’ve dismissed and disparaged it, too.
What word am I referring to?
“Striving.”
We’ve turned the word “striving” into something almost sinister and sinful. I’ve written blog post after blog post saying “wise” things like, “May we not ...
How to Read the Bible Consistently in the New Year
“You’ll love reading the Bible more than you love chicken.”
About 30 years ago, someone at a teen Bible study I’d attended spoke those words over me. I don’t know if there were an "impression" of sorts from God on their hearts. In fact, I don’t even remember who shared them with me.
But, back in the ...
Messed Up Your New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s What You Can Do
Seven days into the new year, I broke my “sweets only on Saturdays” resolution. It was my sister and brother-in-law’s anniversary. Surely, I could have a slice of pineapple cream cake on this special occasion, even if it was Wednesday? Right? And the chocolate lava cake was made by my nephew—as an encouraging aunt, I ...
A Prayer for 2026
The Arabian Sea stretches endlessly before me. As it curves toward the shoreline, fierce waves thrash against the barricade of jagged rocks. The waters roar and foam. The sound thunders in my ears as I gaze out at the ocean from the balcony of our Airbnb. We are on a family vacation in Kerala, in ...
MEET SUSAN
