Officially in Cairo!

Its been 4 years since I was last time in Cairo, I was a bit worried not find Cairo like the same it was but obviously its still the same traffic wise, people and places. It smells the same and talk to you in the same way.

Today was the first day staying till end of November I am really interested to discover more of Cairo this time especially after what happened with the major changes here.

First I m heading to Beit Elwadi for E7sebha sa7 even; as far as I heard about its gonna be awesome and interesting experience they say more than 5000 will attend in one day! Which is a huge number!

Afterwards back to Cairo then Alexandria, it will be a trip with fun and surprises I guess. Will keep you updated. 

The Image of Lie!

Have you cried out to fashioned idols and image Models?
Did you long to be conformed to their shape, size and image?
Did you think they would bring you love and happiness?
Have you confused being seductive with being beautiful?

I will start with few facts here, did you know that Marilyn Monroe considered an "ideal beauty" in the 1940s and 1950s, would be considered by today standards of beauty to be overweight with her size 14 shape!!
Only 4% of women have the genetic ability to match the "ideal body" type presented by the media, the other 96% often take extreme measures to obtain this unobtainable image.
True fact: Our physical body in itslef is a testament to the glory of God. In all of man's years of study it is still a mystery.

It could have been last year, five years ago or now when lies were whispered into our ears and minds, first you think the voice is a close friend or a boyfriend we listen to "you could look that good if you just lost 5 kilos, 10 kilos, ect) you will look better. Then the voice again "Don't eat that it will make you fat, she is thinner than you, you are huge! you are disgusting!
Then comes the comparisons, then the whispers becomes an obsession; soon you are not only listening you are believing until all you see in the mirror is a failure.
The image is never what we are and is always just beyond our reach, taunting us with her seductive eyes, Who is she anyway? her name doesn't really matter she is not real, she is an image modeled by the spirit of this world the media, though we know she is not real, young girls and older women look at her in awe, the young are inspired and the older are depressed.
Why would someone we have never met be able to influence us so profoundly? Because we have not allowed the imprint of God influence us as deeply as she influenced us! Without a definitive raising of His standards we have accepted the seductive graven image of the world. The ancient idols or graven images were forged by craftsmen who made them out of wood or stone no matter how dressed up they were on the outside they had no life in the inside; "The image you behold is the image you become not outwardly but inwardly".
We create idols and we  bow for them based on other people standards or maybe our standards, we exchange the truth for a lie whenever we worship or serve the created and not the creator;  the Idol is anything you draw your strength from or give your strength to.
If we are serving the gods of idols of this world we will recognize this in our desire to conform to the world's image, we will want the acceptance and approval of our cultures, we will desire what our cultures desires. we will look toward it gauging our success or failures according to the messages we receive from these idols.
If we are serving God and merely an image from any other source, we will experience a constant an ongoing transformation into his image and start looking at ourselves in his eyes and not in the idols we created, media and people we don't even know.

Testimony about the attack that happened in downtown Cairo on October 9, 2011

This is my testimony about the attack that "H.B." suffered in downtown Cairo on October 9, 2011; The article was copied and pasted here:

I began to hear on the TV and on twitter that things were escalating in the Maspero area, and so I called a friend and we decided to go to Tahrir Square. We took the metro and we were there by 8 p.m.

When we arrived in Tahrir Square, I could smell the tear gas in the air, and some people were running back from Abedl Moniem Reyad square towards Tahrir. I and my friends went ahead and walked to Abedl Moniem Reyad square, where there was a battle in rock throwing between some people on our side, and some people coming from Ramsis Hilton towards Tahrir.

I separated from my friends, and I went ahead with the rock throwing people. I got hit by a rock thrown by an army soldier who was throwing rocks from the Ramsis Hilton side. The rock throwing was done by army soldiers and civilians.

Our battle with them succeeded and we marched towards Maspero. The people marching were chanting “Christians and Muslims are one Hand” and I was leading them in saying that. I met with Alaa of manalaa.com and we continued to march towards Maspero.

The group was peaceful, and I was taking pictures using my Ipad. We reached the point where the 6th October bridge exits towards Maspero, and there was a large cordon of police who are members of the Central Security Forces (CSF). There, I was told not take pictures by people wearing civilian clothing and I fought back saying it was my right.

I began to walk back towards Hilton Ramsis, and suddenly 5 vehicles full of CSF soldiers showed up. People began to pelt them with rocks, destroying the wind shields, and the causing the drivers of the vehicles to panic, thereby hitting into each other and the sides of the road. I and some other people were trying to calm people down into not attacking the vehicles but the people were angry.

At that point, I was alone, and so I began to walk back to Tahrir. I was tweeting at that time. Someone saw me tweeting and came to me. He asked my name and so I said Hani Sobhi, he then grabbed my wrists to see if I had a cross tattoo, and when he did not find it, he asked for my full name. I said Hani Sobhi Bushra. He asked if I was a Muslim or a Christian, and I said that I was a Christian.

At that point he began to scream for others that he caught a Christian, and people began to gather. They wanted to search me and my bag, and I said that I will not let them, and that it was best to go to an officer. At that point there was about 30 people around me, with some of them punching me on my head.

I began to walk quickly to the cordon of the police that I had just came from. At that point, someone yanked my gold chain from across my neck and took the cross. All I did was to tell him “wow, you are such a man” and I clapped for him. That pissed the people who were with me, and so someone snatched my phone from my belt.

I kept shouting at the thief to give me my phone back, and he said that he will give it to me in front of the police officer. By that time, I was being hit from many people, my ankle was sprained and I was called a “Nossrani (Christian)” dog.

We reached the officer (rank of general), and the first thing that I did was to show him my U.S. passport and told him that I am now under his protection. I told him that I was attacked because I was a Christian. One of the men who is a policeman but wearing civilian clothing began to talk to the general that I was a Christian and that I institigated the mob to attack me and that I am carrying weapons in my bag. The officer, who had seen my passport, told him to shut up. This policeman in the civilian clothing seemed to be the coordinator between the mob and the police.

The general pushed me back behind the cordon of CSF soldiers, but I wanted to get my phone back, and so I went out again. The person who had stolen my phone was right there, and I told the general that I wanted my phone back.

As I was talking to the general, a group of policemen were around me, one of them was behind me poking my butthole with his stick. I turned around and said that if you want to fuck me in the ass, you should be man enough to fuck me in public. At that point the policeman in civilian clothing who had earlier clashed with me called me a liar, and the general once again told him to shut up.

I was assigned a young officer to protect me. My phone was gone, and they wanted to protect me until it was safe. I met two young officers, a first and second lieutenants, who were very respectful and were concerned for me. I told them that I hope that when they grew in their rank, they would always remain this professional. They were so nice that one of them let me use his phone so that I can call Happy and tell him that I was okay.

I mentioned that I was a Christian being attacked by a mob, and the officers told me that I should not mention that I am a Christian because they may not be able to protect me. This was in the midst of at least 400 members of the police! At that point, I was assigned two handlers to stay with me at all times.

I stayed with the CSF units and observed the following:

1) Four bodies in the lobby of an apartment building that the Egyptian ambulances could not carry because the blood was everywhere and because some of the bodies were in pieces. When I asked my CSF companions (we had became friends) about the bodies, they told me it was three Christians and one Muslim shot by the army and driven over using a humvee (yep, my tax dollars in action, btw, the U.S. gives two billion dollars a year as aid to the Egyptian military).

2) The members of the CSF were armed with live ammunition, and the order was given in front of me.

3) One of the CSF companions told me that he beat senseless a Christian man he arrested because it was said that this man was carrying a gun and shooting the people.

4) The army and not the police were the ones attacking the protestors. In fact, the police was not doing anything.

I was there for about two hours, and then suddenly a mob came to the police saying “Christians where are you, Islam is here”. They were not stopped by anyone but cheered by army units that were parked by the CSF cordon.

I used the confusion with this mob arriving and walked away from my handlers, towards Tahrir. I reached the Kasr El Dobra church, and there I saw another Muslim mob chanting “Christians where are you, Islam is here”. What shocked me is that an army officer with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel was organizing these mobs telling them that they should be the first line of defense and they will stand behind them.

At that point, Tahrir was full of people chanting “Christians where are you, Islam is here”. Someone came to me and said that it was good that I was safe. He said that he was there at the time of my beating. He said that the same mob that attacked me returned and beat two other people senseless because they were Christians. I am thankful that I did not end up in that way.

I connected with Happy at a place called Al Borsa, and was able to get home safely. I am safe, but I am saddened about what happened. This is not religious strife, this is state sponsored terrorism towards the Copts.

A love misplaced P. 2-2

Have you ever been in the emotional crush? I guess Yes, good news not only you all of us!! 

Thoughts about dating! Thoughts about relationships! Is it a must to be with someone (boyfriend, girlfriend)? maybe get married especially when all the people around you talks about it all the time! Let me talk about something so important before taking any decision or talk about relations in general. 

Eve “women” feels like she has to attract Adam “men” am I right? You behave in order to grab the attention of a man? she tries to pursue him, tries to change major things in her character only to satisfy him even if she don't like it! 

I have a question for you; does it not make the man feel the woman is easy and we are aware of that? But why we are doing this and keep doing it time by time. I just kept asking myself why?

The only answers I found were low self esteem, lust, sin, and this was a conclusion of not having a personal relationship with the Author of love my heavenly father my creator my God.

I've done the dating scene already and I made many mistakes along the way, it was "normal" for me just like it is for you today but when we compare "normal" to godly principles, "normal" really is not that normal anymore. What do you think? I just want to give you a different perspective on the subject so you won't have to go through all the hurt and other emotional and sexual garbage that comes with dating and emotional crush.

Remember you don't need to "attract" a man! just be yourself! exactly who we are is just enough. Everybody is special and everybody has his or her own special qualities that naturally attract people but if we behave in ways that make us do something different from the normal just to attract guys then we are not being honest with ourselves. If we are not honest with ourselves then we don't know who we are. If we do not have a positive identity of who we are, how on earth can we attract good people into our life? The best policy is always to be yourself, whatever that self may be.

What kind of a relationship are you looking for? Do you want to be respected and valued for who you are, or do you want to be disrespected and humiliated as a person? When we try too hard to attract a man into our lives we actually attract, shallow, arrogant guys that are only out for one thing “physically relationship”. Is that what you are looking for in a relationship? If so, then have at it but if you are a good girl, then just be yourself and you will attract the right man to you.

When we take off the mask and begin living our life as a child of God, a beautiful worthwhile human being, we attract good people to us, the more we feel the need to wear clothing that does not betray the person we are, and when we say and do things that are not really who we are, we attract shallow people into our lives this is why most dating relationships do not work! Most dating relationships are shallow and emotionally exhausting and demanding because they are full of unmetneeds and emotions.

Girl, whatever your age is! Be wise, do not be in a big hurry to have a man in your life, the more you feel pressured, the more likely you are to behave in ways that are not really who you really are, or to hang out with the wrong crowd and wrong friends! Be wise in choose your friends! If it’s necessary to awaken love then choose to awaken a passion for God rather than a passion for the opposite sex!

We have everything we need in Him! we get our worth from him. In him we are complete and men do not complete us as people say; stop listening when they say there is something missing in your life if you are not married. 

I’ve heard an analogy, we’re running our track to God, our head is straight forward looking to Him as we run. We’re running. Then suddenly we notice someone running right next to us, a man. He’s also running the same track to God, he’s at the same place as we are, and we then run to God together. We never stop running to God, we never run to each other.

There is no pressure to have a man by your side, pray about this and ask God to give you the patience and faith to wait on Him. Meanwhile it’s a chance to get to know your self better, know your needs and weaknesses and strength, also where do you stand as a child of God? What is God's purpose for your life as a woman?

What are you doing now that will help prepare you for being a wife and mother someday? Do you think that God wants you to behave in ways that are not the person He created you to be?

God has created a special man to be your husband someday, I say "someday" because he wants you to be ready for the "commitment of marriage".  Do you want really to betray your man your husband! You will love him even when you don't feel like loving, are you ready for that?

The bottom line is God created us to love and to be loved that means no one needs to be something other than what God made him or her to be, we should do our best to become all of the person we can become "through our Creator our heavenly father" and then we will learn the wisdom to loving and respecting others appropriately, there will be no need "to attract" or "to be something we are not".

You should know what the true definition of love from the Author of love:

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you (John 15:12).

Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God's law(Romans 13:10).

The picture of love that the Bible paints is different than what we see in movies (Bella & Edward) or hear on our iPods, the world tells us that love is Lust, jealousy, sin, using each other and abusing each other, and it’s a conditional love, it comes and goes…

The author of love tells us that love is demonstrated by what Jesus did for us which was sacrificing himself for our good, true love doesn't hurt others just to satisfy a desire or look good in public.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

 

The way that we treat each other is either a great way to bring up the gospel or it can completely ruin the chance. Think about how you treat friends at your school and ask yourself does it get in the way of me sharing the gospel?

"'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important:'Love your neighbor as yourself' 

A love misplaced P. 1-2

I never knew why I couldn't make him happy; I just knew that no matter what, I was going to do anything to get his love and approval. No matter how he treated me I still loved him and kept telling myself that one day he would love me too. But it was all a big lie.
 
In the meanwhile I hanged out with him and enjoyed my time; I was day dreaming about him! And I convinced myself that I would never ever live without him. I knew and I was sure at time that he was the right one for me, the first love and the true love.
 
I needed this relationship so badly; I needed to be with him. I wanted to grab his attention; I wanted him to be attracted to me but I never knew why! I knew that it was not because of him or because he was the perfect one or because the attention he was giving me, or the joyful fun time I spent with him where I could be myself acting as it’s so normal to do this and that;
 
I had realized that deep inside of me I wasn’t secure and safe unless I was in a “relationship” with a guy , a “man”; even if this man did not even notice me or give me the attention I needed. I just need to belong to someone. In my case I was so drawn into to him. I was emotionally stuck.  He was my world and he was my life.  He knew exactly what I needed to hear and knew how to use me and use my love for him for his own benefits.  
 
Without going into further details; five years passed without even confronting myself what kind of relationship this was and to where I am going with it? If he really loved me?

Unfortunately there was no one at that time to give me advice or even said the right words for me or helped me open my eyes to see the truth about this relationship…...
 
One day this all ended, it is all gone! Like nothing happened! After I had realized that “it’s not working out… I didn’t know what happened… I was really in love” I ended up with lots of pain and plenty of tears for days, weeks and months.
 
Believe me it hurts too much, it hurts that you can’t catch your breath again, but no whatever what people around me said to comfort, the pain would still be there like stabs in my chest! Or how much I tried to be involved in other relationships to help me get thru this one it didn’t work, it was only running away from facing the truth and running away from my mistakes and the feel of guilt.

The question is, was I really in love? I knew that somewhere somehow inside me there was something wrong but because I still cared for him I was a prisoner to my thoughts and emotions,          I couldn’t get myself out. I just stayed there because of the secure feelings and the fact that I belong to him. 

Continued ………………….

Saul in your life!

These days I am staying at my sister place; as few of you may know I left my last job and now I am just enjoying  the free time and try to use it positively; this time is a gift from God and he gave it to me to draw near to him and pray for his will in my life.


Anyway there are guests "friends" at her place; teachers who works at the school that my brother in law started; John, Aaron, Brandon, Kara, Nori, Rachael and the other Aaron. Today after they returned from the school I've been asked how was my day sitting at home; my reply was: awesome I spent the whole morning since you left reading my bible and spending a lovely time with my creator.
They were curious about what exactly he worked within me these hours; and I will publish what was going on in these precious time.


I was reading from 1st Samuel 18; it talks about Saul and David and how Saul realized how much the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved David; he also became more afraid and Saul became David's enemy for the rest of his own life.
That's what exactly is going on in my life I have a Saul that rejected the God inside me; but I thank God for using Saul and used my enemies to draw me close to him and to have the ultimate plan and his will into my life. God close doors and open other heavenly doors. Saul really thought that he could kill David and do whatever he wants to do; he thought he owed him and he has the authority over his life; he treated David injustice and he rewarded him by having plans to kill him even thought David was the one who killed Juliad. When I read this story before I felt sad for this wickedness but now in my case I don't feel sad because the injustice treatment, lies or the wrong accusations; I only I feel sad that they rejected God as Saul did forgot the God that anointed him as king and feel sad and sorry for the blindness and darkness and evil in their hearts and this makes me  love them more and pray for them.
God was not surprised for what happened he knew from the beginning for he has the ultimate plan for David and for me. as in Jeremiah 29 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”  
I believe that God used my enemies to set me free and to pull me out from the captivity that I wasn't realized I am in;  he allowed this to happen because he has a better plan, he will use all this evil to glorify his name and he will make me innocence as the noonday sun. I believe in God's promise and I believe in Psalm 9 "The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others; their own feet have been caught in the trap they set" God will use the evil and do good because his plans is good plans for hope and joy. 
Take an advise from one who passed by Saul in her life; If you have Saul that rejected you and have plans to ruin your career or just hated you because of the Spirit of God within you; pray for God's will you never know what doors will be closed and what doors he will open. He might remove Saul and also he might remove you; he will remove you in painful ways but you will always have his peace, joy and love.

I will leave Psalm 9 with you to realize how awesome God we have

 ¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
      I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
 ² I will be filled with joy because of you.
      I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
 ³ My enemies retreated;
      they staggered and died when you appeared.
 ⁴ For you have judged in my favor;
      from your throne you have judged with fairness.
 ⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
      you have erased their names forever.
 ⁶ The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
      the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.
 ⁷ But the Lord reigns forever,
      executing judgment from his throne.
 ⁸ He will judge the world with justice
      and rule the nations with fairness.
 ⁹ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
      a refuge in times of trouble.
 ¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
      for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
 ¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.^[a]
      Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
 ¹² For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
      He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.
 ¹³ Lord, have mercy on me.
      See how my enemies torment me.
      Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
 ¹⁴ Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
      so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
 ¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
      Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
 ¹⁶ The Lord is known for his justice.
      The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.
 ¹⁷ The wicked will go down to the grave.^[c]      This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
 ¹⁸ But the needy will not be ignored forever;
      the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
 ¹⁹ Arise, O Lord!
      Do not let mere mortals defy you!
      Judge the nations!
 ²⁰ Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
      Let the nations know they are merely human.
                         

The perfect plan....

When your earthly father fails you, your heavenly father finds you. that’s how God’s Plan stand perfect no matter what kind of dad you have. Love from a father includes love from one more dad-the perfect Dad! 

And he’s a Dad who will never make a mistake a dad who will never leaves us, never forsake us a dad who is always kind, patient, and loving and who never breaks a promise. Nothing, and I mean nothing, we could do will ever separate us from his love. 

Though our earthly dads will impact who we are, its only our heavenly Dad’s love that can define who we are. Its only this Dad’s love than can make us complete and fill every nee in our hearts. And its only this Dad love that can determine whether we see ourselves, others and God according to the standards of a new kind of beauty a beauty we may have never known existed. God wants to redefine the concept of beautiful. Its his fingerprints that are the accessories we need.

God is the best dad in the world! He totally completes our look. Getting to know him as our Dad will redefine our look inside and out, making us more and more beautiful. 

God knows exactly what each one of us needs to be the person he created us to be; and he wants to provide every essential for that look. Only he can give us what it takes to be truly beautiful. 

No dad is perfect but god sets the perfect example for how we should look at our relationships and ourselves. So we are going to bring the perfect dad into the relationship picture. Because in order for God to make our relationships with boys, friends, family and ourselves more beautiful, we have to make sure to chat about the relationship that matters the most. You and God. 

perhaps your childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. The voices of your past cursed you and you find yourself trying to explain your past.  We cant choose our parents but we can choose whom we follow. 

There is a wonderful peace that can be had knowing who you are and whose you are. Just remember that God is the first and primary authority in our life who can tell you exactly who you are and where you are going. 

Who does he says you are? HIS!

Where does he say you are going? Wherever he sends you. And he got BIG plans for you “the perfect plan”