The Tyranny Of The Next Thing

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There is a lie that humans tend to believe. That life will get better when we get the next thing. It could be the next job, the next house, the next car, the next big thing. The lie says that if only I could get this other thing, then my life will be much better.

Life is about moving forward and making progress. And true we have to keep aspiring and reaching out and getting the next thing. But when you are at it, don’t get caught up in the tyranny of the next thing that steals away the joy of the present and that postpones life’s delicacies to tomorrow.

Tales From The Garbage Collector

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"How come you got a baby and you didn't tell me?" My garbage collector asked me the other day. "How did you know?" I asked. "I am your garbage collector", he retorted. Ala! Had I missed the memo? I wondered to myself...

I tend to keep to myself. To mind my own business. To lead a quiet life. You can say am a bit snobbish but am not anti-social neither am I arrogant or rude. I will say hi to people, like the gate man, the shop keeper, the mama mboga, the taxi man, the butcher man and the garbage guy. I will also engage in small talk when they are serving me, but nothing elaborate, nothing personal.

So, I found it a little intruding when the garbage guy demanded to know why I had not informed him of the new development. He says he actually felt cheated to have to discover that for himself. To find the evidence in the garbage bag.

The garbage collectors knows so much about people, more than we want to imagine. Apparently, he is the person who ends up with the evidence of our lives. He knows the kind of lifestyle a family leads. He know their attitudes, their preferences, and he has the incriminating specimens as well as the treasured lessons from each family.

As we engaged in this conversation I sought to know the kind of family we are, based on our garbage bag. I was surprised at his 3 major findings:

1. We hardly waste food. He had noted that we hardly have left overs stuck in the garbage and he wondered why. I was a bit shocked by that revelation but again it reveals who we are... a finishing generation. We eat it all. And again, economy imekuwa tight. Apparently he had noticed that very many families still waste a lot of food.
2. He never gets paper bags and plastics which are his highly sought after treasures. Thinking about it, we collects plastic bags and plastic bottles keep them. Then when we get a visitor who would benefit from such, we give them. 
3. I am the one who removes garbage. I laughed at this one. I can't remember my wife and I agreeing that I am the one to be removing the garbage, but that is a role I have played all along. 

This conversation taught me so many things about people and mostly about ourselves. That as much as we may not be close to people as we think, there is so much we can learn and teach just through observation. And there is so much our garbage bag can tell about us, more than we would be willing to expose. I was tempted to ask about other people, but then I remembered that is wrong and curiosity killed the cat. Maybe I should volunteer for a month in our estate and I will have a story about my neighbors. 

My garbage having had collected our garbage for more than 3 years, had made such a connection with us. A connection that I had no idea. He considered us family, and unfortunately to us, he was just a garbage guy. What a revelation. 

What does the content in your garbage bag say about you?

Why You Should Not Pray For Food!

We have this religious act that just gets into my nerves... mumbling some words before we take food in the name of prayer and grace. I find it very fake. If prayer is a two way communication, have you ever paused a little to get authorization from God to eat or not eat the food you have prayed for? Or you just assume since you have asked him to bless the food he has done it? Oh, and what is that part of sanctifying it? I thought that was dealt with earlier? The worst is when we ask our children to pray for food as a way of impressing the guests on the table. Don't give me that look, you know we have done that and we felt so proud.

But let me brain wash you on why you should not be praying for your meal....

It is so naive for you to pray for food for our body and ignore the junk our souls are indulging in daily. How many times have you prayed for the stuff your mind feeds on? Have you even considered that the stuff you feed on your mind needs to be sanctified? Stuff we get from the media, the philosophies of men, stuff we are taught in school and stuff from the world around us? How many times did your mind capture a dirty song just because you had to use a matatu to church? How many times did you get influenced by someone opinions from a  newspaper column that is contrary to the will of God? How many times have you responded in fear when you watch a news items instead of standing in the faith based on what God is saying? How many times have you been influenced by a soap opera or a novel or a person's experience to accept something that God say's He detests?

Whether we like it or not, we are living in the information age where our souls are offered all kind of delicacies to indulge in. Sadly, you will find people who call themselves Christians who only feed on the word of God on a Sunday from the pulpit and yet they can never fail to pray before a meal.

Even this article is trying to feed you soul, and that is why everyday we need to be careful as we interact with stuff we allow to reach our soul. And just like Daniel in the bible was offered the King's delicacies and chose to do veges, we must be selective on what our soul feeds on. There is this lie that tell people they need to be open minded and flow with whatever you are feed on. But I warn you, an open mind can easily fall of your head. You need to guard your heart, your mind and your soul. Feed yourself with something edifying!

And so the next time you are praying for your meals, first remember to pray for the meals your soul is feeding on.

Maintaning A Spiritual High

It is very common to be a christian who experiences a spiritual high every Sunday and then dwindles down as the week goes. On Monday you are still energized by the Sunday's sermon, on Tuesday you are okay, on Wednesday you start forgetting what it means to walk with God daily and by Thursday you start getting drained and you can't wait for the weekend so that you take a break from the draining dragging week and then on Sunday you can go for a service, just like you take a car to the garage for service.

But is that how we are supposed to live?

It is very challenging to main a spiritual high throughout the week without being overly 'spiri'. Many Christians are struggling with this issue. But how do you maintain a spiritual high?

1. Stop compartmentalizing you life. There is only one life that you live. Don't look at yourself from the different aspects of your life. E.g. spiritual life, financial life, emotional life, work life and home life. It is one life. So focus on living a balanced whole life. When you look at your life as a whole block then it will be easy to work around all aspects and allow each element to create harmony and rhythm.
2. Don't focus on a formula, focus on a system. Look at what works for you and develop a structure and a system that will work for you to achieve the goals that you are focusing on.
3. Be deliberate. Understand that many things are fighting for your attention. Be deliberate on desiring to spend time in prayer, in the word and in worship. Create the time don't wait to have the time
4. Be creative. Break monotony and use creative ways of getting to connect with God. Reflect on your day some time, recite a psalm the other day, have a bible study the other day. listen to music the other, revise your notes, teach a friend a principle you learnt. ETC
5. Enjoy being in God and your salvation. Don't get familiar with prayer or with worship and stop it if you find you are just being casual about it. Enjoy the moments and make them personal and intense.

How else do you maintain a spiritual high? Share with us.

Accounting For Life - IFRS 99

Someone said that we live life forward but understand it backward. And I must say that statement has some element of truth. When I was thinking about this I realized life is more like an accounting profession.

The other day my friends and I went to some pricey restaurant to devour some international cuisine. It was one of those things you do once in a year because for sure we don't work for the stomach but for other things as well. The meal was orgasmic as much as the pleasure was short lived once the bill was presented.

Then we started discussing about giving a tip. My friends are all trained accountants. So obviously no one was willing to give a tip. So I asked how come accountants are that mean they are not willing to give a tip? It's at that point I was corrected. Accountants are not mean; it is just that they have to match each expense to a budget line. Unfortunately in the accounting system, they don’t have an entry for tips. 

The dilemma is, how do you account for a tip? The amazing thing is even when you are on official duty and you have been given some money to use, if you give tips to those who serve you, when you go back to the office, you are not reimbursed the tips you gave. The principle is, match all your expenses to a budget line and provide documentation for the same.

That is a stressing life.

Lucky are the accountants, for when we get to heaven it will be easy for them. The bible says, and each one of us shall give an account for their lives. And all those of you who think matching your expenses to a budget line and providing documentation is a lot of work, woe unto you. How will you account for your life?

So, I have come up with an International Financial Reporting Standard IFRS 99 – Accounting for Life as a guideline for you as you prepare your books when your financial year finally ends and you life stops being a going concern or is liquidated.

·         Create your budget lines – Love, forgiveness, kindness, faithfulness, integrity, stewardship, fruitfulness among others

·         Match your expenses to a budget line –For example, when you incur hatred, show love, when you are wronged, forgive.

·         Finally, provide documentation – Let your life be a testimony!

Make My Day

You know those days when something special happens in your day and you go... this just made my day. Sometimes it’s just an act of kindness, a funny joke or a gesture of humanness.

Life can be so ordinary that we find ourselves going through the motions.

As the year starts, I was asking myself what do I do that everyday I will have that moment of .. this or that made my day.What do I do?

Then I remember the verse that say, This is the day that the Lord has MADE, I will rejoice and be glad in it. This means that, my day is already made J

At the end of it all the lesson is to look at the ordinary with a special eye.

I would have loved this note to make your day, but I am glad that the Lord has made a day for you. REJOICE

For How Long?

For how long will I look at the Mirror

And see I am still the guy I dont want to be?

Like a broken glass, pieces scattered

Can I really be fixed?

For how long will I speak these awesome words

Words that  don’t match my lifestyle?

Like an ever talking radio,

Can I really become?

For how long will I keep falling and rising,

Getting dirty while still in the shower?

It feels like a just washed silly pet

Can I really get clean, for once?

For how long shall I wander

Never getting to my destination?

Like a vagabond roaming all over

Can I really arrive?

For how long shall I remain scattered

Weak and weary and never gathering?

Like a cup of spilled milk

Can i ever be collected?

I am tired of this life

I am tired of this song

I am tired of this me

I am tired of it all

I have to become,

I have to gather

I have to be fixed

I have to get it

Once and for all

I have to confluence

The Hiding People

One thing I miss about my childhood is the playing part. When I think about it now, I see how creative we would get and how sometimes a game would turn out to be frustrating, especially when you can’t agree on the rules or when other kids outdo your creativity.

 When we were younger we would play hide and seek with my brother and at times it would be boring when we ran out of hiding places. But I remember the first time my brother hid in the cupboard and I could not find him. How did he think of replacing the sack of flour with himself?  The competitive me was very frustrated. How can my younger brother outdo me in hiding? Then the day our friend hid by climb a tree just above where we were counting, and I could not find him yet all the other children could see him. I opted out of the game when finally I announce the imaginary cup ‘trophy’ was his. Ooh, and the days we would start a new game within a old one just to eliminate some kids we don’t like.

Now when I think about life, there seems to be a continuation of the hide and seek game. Listen to teenagers and their folks hiding from each other on Fb, or the tout and the dere checking out for the cops, or guy who is on the phone in town checking out kanju. It’s hide and seek all over. Have you noticed how Kenyans are always way ahead of themselves? Just listen to them on the phone while in the bus. Niko Valley Road and at that time you haven’t reached yaya yet on your way to town. Anyho that the hide and seek game I am talking about. Have you listen to or watched programs like busted or cheaters? It’s just a partner seeking their hiding partner… the game continues.

Then we have those who hide in God. They are known so well because of their consistency in bible study and prayer meetings. They preach, lead worship and they are baptized. And we can’t touch them because they are in God. But wait until you find them, they are just the same old sinner; having no sense of fear of God, but just using God as a cover to do all that they are doing. What happened to being real? I know we are not perfect but don’t project what you are not, just be yourself. A time comes when we run out places to hide, or we get caught, and everything comes shattering down.

There is something I love about real people; the kind who just live their life honestly, with integrity and in truth. From experience, the truth can cause trouble, cause terror, humiliate, hurts or even weigh heavy on you but the truth is, it sets free. When we learn to live an open life, with no hiding, no closet, no skeleton, then we live full lives. But the big question is, where and how do you start? It’s like asking a lady who is used to wearing make up to start living without some.

An open truthful life can be hard to start living, but once you find your rhyme and sync, then you realize it was not as hard as it seemed.

Maintaining The Evens

I know you have heard about beating all odds, but today I want to talk about maintaining all evens. I have always wondered whether for a story to be a success story there must be odds to beat. I don’t get it.

Look at most of the people we know who are successful. It’s either they were abused, molested, abandoned, rejected, rebellious, divorced among other odds. It’s like a plot to a great story needs to be complicated. And it is these complications that form the odds that need to be beaten for a happy successful ending.

What happens to those who keep it even? Why is it that if a woman is successful and yet she maintained her family all through, she won’t be a great story like one who is equally successful but who could not maintain her marriage. Or why is it a pastor’s child who turns out perfect will not find any recognition like one who turns pathetic?

We live our lives not for recognition but that we may add value to the society. And therefore, we must not be lied to that successful people have very complicated lives. That is just a lie. We are a generation that does not celebrate simplicity, ordinary and normalcy. But there is much beauty in such a life. And there are successful people who have maintained the evens. It’s just that they may not be as recognized as those who beat the odds.

As a friend of mine once tweeted; try faithfulness cheating is too easy, I too would want to challenge us try maintaining the evens beyond beating the odds.

Maintaining the evens is equally challenging as beating the odds.

They Way I want to See Us

There is a reason why they say we should not judge a book by its cover. But I still can't help it. I judge a book by its cover and that includes the price tag. But once in a while especially if the book is not wrapped up, I peruse a few pages and check out of it's a worth read. If I am not convinced I check out online reviews just to get an opinion. Then I decide if I can afford the book. Which could either mean I start saving for it or just get cash and buy.



And I think that is the same process I use to decide who I should talk to, make friends with and keep as a friend. Not a bad strategy because we must make sure we have the right friends but again the same reason why I ignore books with dull covers always comes into play.



I have been having a desire to know how God sees people. How does He look at us?



There is no color, no skin type, no weight, no dress, no background info, no accent, no make up, no car, no house, no academic qualification, no ettiquette, no homour, no nothing that shapes the way he see us. He looks at us as His own and loves us that way.



And that is how I want to look at you, as a brother and as a sister, sharing one father and living in one amazing mansion called earth, where everything we have is our father's, we are just stewards. And that is the way I want to look at it that way. That is teh way I want to see us.

How Does God Think?

There is this verse that says that God’s thoughts are so far from our thoughts and God ways are way beyond our way. This has made me wonder how then does God think. I have desired to know exactly how God think so that it can be easy for me to please him and do his will. And if our thinking is far from God’s thinking I am hesitant to base my life on man’s thoughts.

Here are my thoughts on how God thinks, and they being my thoughts…. I can’t promise much.

1.    I think God is selfish and his selfishness is for our own good. He says he is jealous when we don’t worship him and when he gets angry we suffer. He went through much hustle to deliver the children of Israel out of Eqypt so that they can worship him. When they missed this, they were destroyed in the wilderness. In our human thinking, selfishness is a vice and that is true because unlike God who everything is about him, our lives are not about us but about God. And that is why God says unless someone loses their lives they cannot find it. That is the paradox. Our selfishness is destruction to us while God’s selfishness is our salvation. And once we align our lives to becoming slaves of God, we are elevated into son-ship where we co heir the Kingdom of God with Christ.

2.    All things work out to serve God’s purposes. As humans we have learnt to classify things as bad, as good, as right and as wrong. Let us go back to Eqypt, when God killed the firstborns so that Pharaoh can let go of the Israelites was that good or bad? Was it right or wrong? How I see it, God is after fulfilling his purposes, and in his sovereignty he can do anything for that. While as humans we shall be trying to reason in our classifications of thing, we end up missing it all. The secret therefore is to capture the purposes of God and make them our own. That is the safety we have. And no wonder the verse that says that ALL THINGS work out for good to all those who love God and all called in his purposes. Once we are in God’s purposes ALL THINGS serve us for good.

3.    The nature, the power and the word of God. You have people say that God is good, all the time and all the time God is good and that is his nature. That statement is true. The nature of God is a nature of goodness considering both the first point where he can do anything to bring us to a place of knowing him and worship him. His nature to forgive and forget, to offer grace and mercy and to provide the holy spirit as a helper and comforter so that we can indeed get to walk in his purposes. The power of God is evident in creation and in his intent. Knowing that God is able to do what he promises to do. And his word which is true and transformative to make us acquire the right attitude and perspective which inform our lifestyle. God does not lie. As human we are full of fear, doubt and blindness in connecting with God, and that is why we need faith. We cannot please God without faith. Faith needs to be exercised so that it grows. We are justified by our faith as the word says. God intent is that we may have an abundant life that is full of goodness as we experience his power. And so our thinking must be transformed so that we can embrace obedience towards the purposes of God and therefore enter into these things.

4.    Eternity: As humans we are always in fear when we think about the afterlife. Our thinking wants us to have our life and then a spiritual life. That is not how God thinks. God’s intention is to dwell among us. That where I am, you too may be found. The coming of Christ was so that we can find our way back to God. The idea is not that we may just live on earth then go to heaven and live with God, No. The idea is that we can start living with God while on earth as we build a dwelling place for him so that where we are, God is. This means we cannot have separate, segregated lives but must build one life that fulfils God purposes without the classifications earlier discussed. And so we must build a balance life so that we can grow into maturity where we have the fullness of Christ’s nature in us as a body. And so when time ends and we enter into eternity, it won’t be an awkward moment being where God is because we have been walking with him and have acquired his nature and his fullness.

These are just some of the thoughts I am able to gather now,  I am on a quest to understand how God thinks so that I can try minimize the gap between his thoughts and mine and those called with me.

Scarcity Mentality

If there is something that irritates me is when am in a jav and it runs out of fuel especially when they have overcharged the passengers. I just don’t get it. You can’t say you don’t have money because the tout has a batch in his hand and even if you can blame a broken fuel gauge, you should be able to gauge how far your fuel can stretch if you are a good driver.

I have met so many people who are affected by a scarcity mentality. This is the mentality that makes you think that you can never have enough. And such people tend to be mean, they hoard resources and they don’t enjoy spending even when it is necessary. Such people tend to think about everything in terms of cost. What a sad way to live.

There is a game I conduct in my team building sessions that brings out a scarcity mentality in us. Where we believe if you get it, it means I don’t get it. That is why we have a lot of office politics, back stabbing, lack of team work and collaboration and worse still unhealthy competition. This culture has scarcity mentality as the backbone.

Things can be tight, but our attitude towards resources determine how we manage the little we have, attract much more and enjoy life.

I believe naturally there is a scramble for resources and our capitalistic society teaches us that the more we amass for ourselves the safer we are. But having understood God and his ways of operation, I have come to believe that there are resources for everyone of us so longer as we are focusing on our purposes in God.

When we speak of living in faith and not sight, it does mean we don’t work hard or we stop being aggressive, but rather it is the frame of mind that tell us, God has all I need for my life and those He has brought under my care. I just need to do my best, be a faithful steward and allow God to do the rest. And most of all, being ready to trust God when in the natural, it seems as if I am disadvantaged.

Remember these verses: God loves a cheerful giver. (Not what or how much you give but how you give). Generosity is a mentality. It is more blessed to give than to receive. (To get more, give). Generosity is not because you have enough but because you know He that blesses.

Have an abundant mentality!

What would we do without Technology?

In my previous post, I came out as if I was hating on technology. I wasn't. I was actually hating on the way people are slowly neglecting very important aspects of being humans. There are things that technology cannot replace. One of them is the importance of human touch.

Nonetheless, we must appreciate the ease of life technology has brought. I wouldn't have asked to be born in another time. This is the ideal time. We are able to do so much more than we could previously. And so it would be very sad for those who are still reluctant to change and to embrace technology. If you are such a person just know that life is passing you by.

With the world in yours hands, what are your opportunities? Do not miss!

Most Likely Religion Will Take You To Hell

When Jesus came to earth, he threatened the political class and the religious zealots. Herod actually killed all the boys below the age of two years targeting to kills Jesus while he was a baby. And the religious zealots managed to have him killed as an adult.

Why would the political class get threatened by the birth of a little boy? It’s because the Kingdom of God is concerned with how the affair of nations are run, since the systems in a country and the world at large affect the people of God. And with this I don’t mean Christians, I mean the people. And Jesus is concerned whether people are getting abundant life and justice in everyday life.

The religious zealots were also threatened by Jesus because he brought a higher order that required a change of heart posture and a shift in the prevailing mentality. Though the religious people sought God, they had become so engrossed in doing things for the wrong reasons and had missed the essence of faith in their generation. They catch a woman committing adultery and they are so fast to stone him and they wanted Jesus to be part of that. By the way who was the guy and where was he?? This picture among others shared in the gospel demonstrates what religion is capable of.

Jesus did not come to establish any religion, but rather a lifestyle that points people to his father (God). His miracles were not to enrich himself but to make the lives of other people better. His judgments were not to humiliate and embarrass people, but to expose the mentalities that hindered the people from accessing the Kingdom of God. It’s Jesus who was telling the religious people that thieves, prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom before them. This demonstrates that the kingdom of God is beyond a religious structure.

The other day I was just thinking about faith and the question was what is the best faith? I believe the best faith is the one that brings you closest to God, makes you a better person, a more sensible person, a more loving person, a more humanitarian person, a more responsible person, a more ethical person. A person who lives in harmony with nature and that has the best desires for others.

Why do I say the best desires for others? Let us consider what Jesus demonstrated at the cross. When he was carrying the suffering of the whole world and two thieves were there receiving justice, he forgot all that and received the thief who requested for a place in his kingdom. Even at that moment, of the climax for his coming to earth, he still desired the best for a person whose life had produced nothing much but shame and disappointment.   

And that is my point. Religion will most likely take you to hell. Have you read Mathew 25 where Jesus says go away you evil doers, I didn’t know yo? The people who actually get chased away in this context are the religious loot. Because they start narrating how they did great wonders in the name of Jesus, and yet he tells them off.

I believe religion is manmade; it is not from God. It produces a people who are self centered, fearful and detached from the realities of life, who would rather scare people about hell than demonstrate the love of heaven. Who sneer at prostitutes and call homosexuals names instead of spreading the good news of the gospel.

 And as we talk about the good news, you should ask yourself if your faith produce good news to those in the dark; and not just news about a future event but good news about their life on earth. And when you go back to Mathew 25, those who join at the banquet are those that had good news to strangers, to the homeless, to the naked and such.

My point is, faith is done, lived and felt. And as we seek to find God, we should know that he has a greater agenda than ourselves that connects to all humanity. And so we are called to partner with him to reach out to those oppressed by different systems in the world and to point them to God. And if God is love, then to say we know God is to say we know how to love. And if Love conquers all, then our work is to spread love.

Something is Terribly Wrong…. Ha ha ha ha

Have you ever found yourself on the wrong and the only thing you do is laugh at yourself? I have, severally. I actually laugh at myself more than any other person does. It is because I appreciate my stupidity once in a while when I get on a stupid mode.

I think something is terribly wrong somewhere. If indeed the word of God is true and if I say that I believe in that word, why then am I stressed up chasing and looking for these things? Didn’t he say they will be added unto us?

Don’t get me wrong, we have to chase after our dreams, and I encourage everyone of us to do so. We have to do these things but not at the expense of the kingdom. The first question we need to ask ourselves is why we are chasing after our dreams.

We have basic needs but life cannot just be about these needs. Life is much more than this. The kingdom of God is not just about going to heaven, it is about the people. That they may have abundant life on earth and that there may be hope and joy.

So, if life is more than our needs and the Kingdom of God is more than going to heaven, we must then understand Mathew 6:33. Seek first the Kingdom of God and it’s righteousness and these things will be added to you. The thing is, when we focus on meeting the needs of other people, which should be the reason for every business or career, and then in essence we are seeking the kingdom. But our careers and our businesses have become just means to serve us and we do not care about people. We have become oppressors of those we say we are serving and that is what is terribly wrong. Does what we do bring hope to the world?

You might say your career does not allow you to oppress people. But look at how you do the things you do. Do you serve faithfully, ethically and in a manner to please God? What would those who work with you say about God as demonstrated by you? And do you get so engrossed in the job that you have no time for God; even to say thank You?

Something is terribly wrong, and I can’t help but laugh. But until we realize seeking the Kingdom is the reason why we exist, we shall be stuck in the rat race, chasing after these things. And let me tell you, when you get hold of these things, I hope they don’t swallow you as they tend to do, and I also hope that they bring more life to you, more hope and more joy. That is the essence of life.

Eyeing the Things that Count

What would you do if your needs were catered for, for a whole year?

You must agree most of us are occupied everyday in what we call work but more often than not we are just on the paper chase. We are looking for money to cater for our needs and more money to make life easier, and more money so that we can afford a few luxuries. And that is okay.

Most people in my generation are concerned with amassing wealth for ourselves. We want it big, we want to make a statement, we want to be on the top of the pyramid, we want to be up there. And that too is okay.

What happened to calling? What happened to service? 

The other Saturday I had a whole day with high school students in a boys school in Murang’a. And as we were doing an afternoon session, which I was teaching about attitude, I realized no one wants to be a teacher, or a shepherd of the people of God. And as much as no one gave a reason for that, it is evidence we have lost the sense of calling. Where people would give their lives out to serve the community and leave a mark in the lives of many generations. That is not found in us anymore. 

We don’t mind serving the community so long as they compensate for hostile conditions and provide 4 by 4 for us to ride on, no wonder we have enough NGO’s. But I wonder who they are serving more; themselves or the communities.

And as life tends to do, not all of us get to become the doctors we dreamed about, and as fate would have, some actually end up becoming teachers. And since most of us are just in OCCUPATION and not following a CALL, you can excuse the state of our current generation. We are occupied all day and night, rushing through life as we try to make ends meet. But is that all; to meet ends?

What would I do for a whole year if all my needs were catered for? I would go for a holiday. Sad as it may sound, but I have realized even when I talk about serving community and blaming my lack of enough resources and time for not doing something in my society, those are just lame excuses. I have no community sense in my heart. I want to serve the community if in doing so I get served. And that explain our leadership crisis. We want to serve our people to be served.

And as I reflect on the state of my life in regards to service, calling and leadership, I can only desire for a complete metamorphosis, to drop self interest and seek to serve where I can and to capture the call in my life. And as I struggle to make ends meet, I will not neglect my part in society to leave this place a little better than I found it. And so I want to get hold of the things that matter. 

Amazing!

Isn't it amazing that this page is available to everyone who gets online and types the correct URL? Isn't it also amazing that if I wrote an email and sent it to working emails, everyone will receive the same email no matter where they are so long as they connect to their mail?

Then why do we still have a scarcity mentality? The thinking that you getting mean me not getting is so outdated. I believe there are resources for all of us, so long as we are connected and positioned right.

Isn't that amazing?

May we all experience abundance and let go of envy and that scarcity mentality that limits us to share and be generous, hoarding resourcess so that we can have more. It doesn't work like that. Give and you will always have more to give. Keep and you shall always be strained as you try to hoard. 

He who refreshes will also be refreshed. And that too is amazing!

How do you Unwind?

Have you ever been so worked out by things and you feel you just need to see a therapist to off load? Those are the times I miss being a catholic, I would just go for confession and tell the father everything that is bothering me. But I have learnt there is nothing as therapeutic as just chatting with a friend, who listens genuinely and who creates a moment. Regardless of the activity the two of us share, in the end I just feel so refreshed and re-energized. We all need that. 

I was reading the book of Job the other day and I picked out the same. When disaster struck, Job’s friend came and sat with him seven days and seven nights without saying a word, just there with him because they could see his pain. This demonstrates the power of being there with someone and creating a moment. Later Job starts venting ( I like calling it bi**hing though am not allowed to use such words) by cursing the day he was born, asking questions about life and the troubles man faces as he tries to remain blameless. After every chapter or two of venting, we get another chapter of one of his friends trying to sober him up. And this continues for some time.

How do you vent? How do you unwind? How do you release the pressure and the tension you accumulate everyday from work and life? 

I have noted many people have not discovered the need to vent and the ways to do it. When we go back to Job, you will see the way he vents but he doesn’t charge God with any wrongdoings. We also see his friends trying to sober him up so that he doesn’t cross the borders. We also see Job recognizing the sovereignty of God especially when he tells the wife; why are you talking like a foolish woman, should we accept good from God and not trouble? I mean, Job understands God beyond his circumstances and though he vents out in anger and frustrations, he know his life is in God.

Often a time if we are lucky to have friends we can vent out with, we always fall short and cross the boundaries and we end up defiling ourselves. Some friends will go out for drinks and dancing as a way of venting and the find themselves worse off than they were. Some friends will hook up nicely just to turn into a gossip club. It is important to be vigilant.

Other people will not vent at all. They bottle things up inside them and they keep carrying heavy burdens. Life can be tough we all agree, and we don’t have the capacity to carry every load. It is wise we learnt to let go. Find something that allows you to release pressure and tension. It could be a walk in the evening, a sport, a hobby or just a silent moment away from every noise. It could be a chat with a refreshing buddy. It could be jotting down your feelings; It can also be a moment of worship and prayer, where you pour out your heart and your mind to God. Whatever it is, just make sure you have it.

And when life gets tough, always remember that Jesus is asking you to cast all your burdens to him for he cares for you. He carried all our burdens so that we can be free. And when we take up his burden, it easy and his yoke is smooth. 

But never ever bottle up things in your heart. Because according to Job, resentment kills a fool and envy slays the simple. And the wise man in proverb says; bitterness rots the bones. Let go off all bitterness, frustrations and pain, and let God be enough and sufficient for you.

Where is the power of the cross?

Every time I listen to the song My Jesus by Todd Agnew I always get challenged. Here is part of the lyrics

Which Jesus do you follow? Which Jesus do you serve? If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, then why do you look so much like the world?

If you are on social media or generally in the internet, you will see so many jokes about Jesus and God. I hear nowadays Jesus is black. Others will talk about “What Would Jesus Do?” even when in situations that Jesus would not be in the first place. And as much as some of these initiatives are great, sometimes they just demonstrate the mere lack of the fear of God in our generation.

And back to the Jesus I follow, I have been thinking closely about it. And as I was walking to work yesterday I met an old lady who was looking for the primary school in our estate. And I remember telling her to find the school just behind the mosque. Then I remembered when we were doing geography in primary school and we would recognize a Christian community through a church; which was a building marked with a cross.

Do you know how difficult it is to recognize a church nowadays? From some funny names we call church to the dingy buildings in the name of a place of worship, to the lack of the cross and the funny characters that we call shepherds. And as much as we say church is the heart and not the building, what we see leaves a lot to be desired; both from the building and from the people who are the church. Where is the power of the cross?

I have noticed we have become so casual with God, me included.  God, I know sometimes I act like we are just buddies; I mean you are the most understanding. Your mercies are new everyday and when you forgive, you truly forget. You know am human and human is to error, you know I am busy and trying to be modern, so excuse my few jokes on twitter and on email. It’s not that I am ashamed about you when I don’t share the good news with my friends online, am just avoiding spamming them. And when I attend bedside baptism, you know technology allows us much more than we can imagine. I know you understand. And when I don’t tell people about you it’s because when they watch news on Sunday evening, they get to see what your people have been up to and I don’t want to be associated with them. I know you say I should not conform to the standards of this world, and I am not, I am just trying to survive, to fit in and to be people friendly. I mean, we have to give people their space. Just keep understanding. The story can go on and on..

And as I keep on thinking about the kind of Christian I have been, I desire that God may give me a meaty heart; the heart that will walk in the fear of God, shunning evil and hiding his word deep inside so that I may not sin against him. To be transformed by the renewal of my mind. Not to fear persecution when I defend the truth. And demonstrate the power of the cross in my life in every aspect and not to be a religious freak but a real human being.

I pray that I will be willing to pay the cost for following Jesus and to carry the cross daily. Not to fulfill religious obligations, but to be a man of higher standards and a quality lifestyle powered by the Holy Spirit. And when the world looks at me, may they see the power of the Cross!

And when I listen to Todd Agnew I will be confident to declare that I follow Jesus the son of God, and not only will I say, but I will be demonstrating it with my life, and for sure I will not be ashamed that I don't look like the world.