In Childhood

Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob.

(‭Genesis‬ ‭27‬:‭15‬ NLT))

Growing up

In childhood, we ate jointly in the same bowl five
Five of us: big and small, firstborn to the last born.
We dined every other night. It was mother’s idea.
She thought by that we would remain as one.

Forever
Forever as one as a family.
Now
Now she ought to look back to see how united we are

Are we at all?

In childhood we worn identical clothes.
Mother sew us different styles with colourful material dresses

Of silk, organza, lace and all you can name.

She said we must not forget that we are brothers and sisters.

By goodness. What was she thinking?
Now as I look back
I wonder whether at all,
She’s indeed raised up closely knit children,

From childhood.

The Sense of Time

He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

(1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭40‬ NLT)

The moment David approach King Saul, many understood that their deliverance has come. Nevertheless, there were those, including David’s brothers, who failed to see the potentiality of David to handle Goliath.

As for David, he was convinced that the appropriate time to act was now.
When he hit Goliath’s head, David’s mind was at peace because he believed he did the right thing.

He could have waited for Saul to get him a fitted amor and shield. No, David used what he has to finish off the enemy of Israel.

The passage teaches two vital lessons. Time (now) and using what we have to resolve a problem or accomplish our duties.

Procastination is the greatest enemy of time. These two are forever at loggerheads. They are not together in union and as Christians, learning to organize our lives in accordance with God’s order is a must.

Time and opportunity are best friends. Unlike procrastination that prefers to pitch a tent at our doorsteps, opportunity only chooses to visit us once in a while.

So if we utilize our time in good, expected ways, it will call upon opportunity to come and see us, and dwell with us. No lazy Christians can boldly declare that they did not miss their chances. It is likely they were not to the blessings when opportunity came their way.

When we understand that time is precious and should be treated as such, we would do anything to manage it. And that includes using the resources at hand to get the job done. I implore us to look with ourselves, to dust from the dirt off our antiques: physical or not, and utilize them within the period that time and opportunity travel down our path.

In Jesus’s name, Amen

The Sense of Time

He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

(1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭40‬ NLT)

The moment David approach King Saul, many understood that their deliverance has come. Nevertheless, there were those, including David’s brother, who failed to see the potentiality of David to handle Goliath.

As for David, he was convinced that the appropriate time to act was now.
When he hit Goliath’s head, David’s mind was at peace because he believed he did the right thing.

He could have waited for Saul to get him a fitted amor and shield. No, David used what he has to finish off the enemy of Israel.

The passage teaches two vital lessons. Time (now) and using what we have to resolve a problem or accomplish our duties.

Procastination is the greatest enemy of time. These two are forever at loggerheads. They are not together in union and as Christians, learning to organize our lives in accordance with God’s order is a must.

Time and opportunity are best friends. Unlike procrastination that prefers to pitch a tent at our doorsteps, opportunity only chooses to visit us once in a while.

So if we utilize our time in good, expected ways, it will call upon opportunity to come and see us, and dwell with us. No lazy Christians can boldly declare that they did not miss their chances. It is likely they were not to the blessings when opportunity came their way.

When we understand that time is precious and should be treated as such, we would do anything to manage it. And that includes using the resources at hand to get the job done. I implore us to look with ourselves, to dust from the dirt off our antiques: physical or not, and utilize them within the period that time and opportunity travel down our path.

In Jesus’s name, Amen

What is not important (3)

The LORD made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding, he stretched out the heavens. (‭Jeremiah‬ ‭51‬:‭15‬ NLT)

Climate change is the last point.

Recyclage. What do we recycle? How do we recycle them? In what ways are we conscious of our ways of recycling?

Our attitude to our awareness of climate change determines the importance of seriousness to preserving the planet.

Excessive Spending and Purchase. That everyone is buying certain products, does not mean we, too, should join them. We must deviate from acquiring and storing up goods that we do not need. Let us ask ourselves if there ought not to b limit to spending.

Let us think of the global climate catastrophes. Let us remember the earthquakes, cyclones, wildfires, shortage of snows, flooding, and those people affected by these. We are given this chance to be here because the earth is the Lord and everything in it. And that include us.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

What is not important (2)

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11: 4-6 NLT)

Yesterday, I started a discussion based on three principal points. Today, the second point I will focus on is,

Scarcity of planet’s resources

Part of what I learnt throughout my career year is that “the sky is wide to occupy everybody.” I agree we will all have enough space to grab up there in the sky. Nonetheless, my understanding is that, we are not some kind of ‘super-heroes’ capable of flying. We are not hooked up to the vault of heaven at any desirable moment. Flying human beings are figment of children’s storybooks.

God entrusted the earth to us for nourishment, productivity and settlement. Exhaustion befalls once the globe lacks necessary nutrients. Imagine when a fresh plant is not having adequate water; it will die. Imagine when cooking a cup of rice without water in it; it will burn and soon the entire heated pot might explode!

For the sake of brevity I will just talk about the people of Israel in the days of Moses and then I will concentrate on water. What draws to our minds when people we rescued from difficult situations appear unappreciative? Perhaps we say they were better off still stuck in their problems. Nevertheless,, it is vital to realize that we must be ceaseless in assisting others regardless of their post-responses. After all, I don’t think our Lord Jesus Christ expected something in return for raising the dead. Or for healing the sick and broken-hearted, and blessing the poor.

Now, I urge us to get back to the Israelites. These were the ones expected to be grateful for their deliverance from extreme slavery. Sad to know that they were the ultimate professionals in the nagging industry. In our times, many say women are exceptional in nagging, which to me is inaccurate. Anyone who shrinks women to the position of berating should go back and check out the story of the Israelites in the book of Numbers. We cannot beat them to it! They complained non-stop to Moses to save them from countless circumstances. Moses not only became their spiritual leader. He was kind of their father, mother, uncle, husband, brother and boyfriend. Moses was there! And that cost him his life! Oh yes, Moses died before entering Canaan. In his hot temper, he disobeyed God’s instruction. We can associate with that, too. Our children had provoked us to beyond the point of reasoning and we had hit them, or said unpleasant words to them.

Back again to Moses and his sheep. At least, he was the shepherd and the Israelites were his sheep. There are a number of interpretations to this verse in the book of Numbers. I could be put to various levels of dissatisfaction, which are extraneous to food and water.

How could they be not pleased with their Manna? Do we agree that their spirits of gluttony outweighed their spiritual fellowship with Jehovah? They persisted with their request for meat to the point that Moses fled to God. Well…as usual the Lord answered them. Oh yes, they got the meat they craved. But not without a price. Please do read Numbers 11: 31-34.

Contentment eliminates the high-speed route to destruction. Let me get back to my childhood. When starvation season hit our family, my mother would stay around to ensure that we don’t go to the neighbours to beg for food. We do not dare disobey her. Am I beholden for her exceptional parental training? Yes.

Here, and at this point in our lives, there is no doubt of the existing reality of man-made natural catastrophes. Little by little, the earth is desiccating. The world is battling the reduction of fresh water supply. They never stop bombarding us with conferences and workshops on water issues. Duty bearers and NGOs are holding a conference starting today on water and sustainable development.

The question is, “who is responsible?”

The answer is, “Everyone of us”

Governments have their obligations, but as individuals we have our parts. Do we leave the tap running while we brush our teeth? Do we operate our washing machine three or four times per week instead of once a week? Do we run our taps non-stop as we wash up our plates? Everyday do we spend more than ten to twenty minutes under the shower? Do we have to maintain our swimming pool when we don’t use it? Are they important than the preservation of water? In fact, do we need it in the first place or do we just instal it to show off our wealth? Are we conscious of global water scarcity?

None of us can tell the sufferings of those people in dehydrated countries unless we experience them, too. Women and children trek for hours to collect water. Sometimes they return home with dirty water. Oftentimes some of them fall prey to sexual perpetrators who attack them on the road.

I urge us to teach our loved ones to uphold the spirit of contentment and preservation. We must safeguard our planet. We have no option unless we want to prove to our Jehovah that we are ingrates.

Amen

What is not important (1)

“Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.” (Proverbs 25:4)

There came a point in my childhood that obtaining a three-square meal per day seemed like a long-term battle. Each day imbued with uncertainty. Six children. One terminally sick sister. A mother who worked hard and alone raises her children.

That was what paralysed us. Fear of dying of hunger. I thank God for taking my family and me out of the mire waters. But those experiences marked me and there is undeniable that they will stick with me for the rest of my life. They will. The transition, from having a great deal not having anything at all and back to have lot taught me invaluable lessons.It is the gap between. That is, those periods when the ‘not having anything at all’, propelled me to see life in a different light.

Of recent, I attended a lecture in Geneva on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and post-2015 UN agenda. There, a speaker made three astonishing points, which I would wish to discuss with you in three parts.

Poverty is the biggest offence to humanity

On poverty: I could not be happier hearing this statement from her. If we take the time to observe our environment, we will see the gap glaring without obscurity. Even in the church we are not far from the reality. Inequality begets poverty. Before the proliferation of inequality, the spirit of narcissism enveloped our society. There were tendencies towards first taking care of oneself before leaving the crumbs from the table with the others. Today, that spirit still rules the minds of everyone including huge numbers of Christians.

How many of us throw away our leftovers in our garbage, when we knew that there are thousands of people on the streets and in their homes without anything to eat?

Do we need to buy those perishable bags of food only to fill up our fridges and later trash them after their expiring dates?

I have been there. I have thrown away expired foodstuffs: Not once, not twice but many times. Until one day, I realised my errors. That I’d endure consequential starvation in the past did not hold me from being reckless. I am human. Only the grace of God alone can assist me, and everyone that turns to Him.

What has become important to understand is that poverty is one of the major reasons for global conflict. Loss of employment and homes. Lack of financial sources. Unhealthy and unstable relationships. Poor health and disabilities. Class bias. And lots of those vices that marginalise others created and continue to create crises in unexpected places. Instead of finding solutions to tackle penury, and put in place processus to empower the less privileged, the duties bearers are much interested in causing unrest. We cannot succeed in talking senses into the head of a hungry man. Nonetheless, if he is well-fed, he will have the energy and the spirit to listen.

God puts us all here together to establish love and harmony among ourselves. Every human is created free. Every human is equal to his fellow man. We may be contrasting by the colour of our skin, cultural and religious belief, ideologies and education. Even so, we share one fate. The Bible says. “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.(Ecclesiastes 7:4 NLT)”
Thus, what is not important is not being contemplative on stepping forward to do the best we can to assist others. What is notable is doing God’s will by sharing what He’s given us to those in need. We are not superior to those people. It’s just that the Lord put us in this position for this purpose. So, we have to be grateful for that.

Amen

All the way through

Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ NLT)

As the year rolls by,
There’s something that beckons to me,
move on, don’t stop by.
after all, I tend to stop at
some small bus-stops;
weighing up my pros and cons,
of the good that came my direction,
of the tears that fell by the wayside,
when betrayed, when the loss came.

What is the problem here?
Are you afraid of tonight?

May…be.

I know. I know.
Well…I’ll pray for you.

It is the least you can do.
God keeps me.

It’s been a year all the way done.
a year of creative procedures
telling that story simply as it is.
someone bellowed to me that,
it’s all about unleashing the divine within,
not the hidden man within, but,
more about personal stories.

You’ve all been there before
You know what I’m saying here
right, uh?

God save us!

God in the days of our fear

MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you]; (‭Psalm‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬ AMP)

sometimes I think that I am the only one who gets in trouble like a silly kitten that mistaken the edge of the high table as the best spot to play. When in the end it falls down, the poor thing look around with inexplicable bewilderment. In similar way I nurture my sorrow and consider what I did to get into the mess.

then somewhere along comes this conviction that I am not alone. Switching attention towards God, when trapped in the middle of a problem or two, tend to be challenging. We fail to look beyond the presence into the future because we have this huge invincible wall of confusion barring our senses.

God will not give us more than our capacities. He has put in places the resources required to step in when we are in need. We just have to tune into His leadership and believe his promises.

Amen

Where Are The Christians in the Face of Fear?

Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor. (Jeremiah 49: 24)

Fear is the perfect weapon to destruction. Once given the opportunity, fear leaves no stone untouched until it achieves its goal. Where panic emerges, there is fear. And where fear dwells, there is no sense of calmness. Fear gives rise to panic. The entire scenario gets bombarded with disruptive thoughts. Human mind becomes agitated and brain gets confused. Clear thinking then becomes a struggle.

To leave a space for fear entering is to leave a space for unlimited merciless catastrophes. In these three days of terrorist attack in Paris, everyone’s mind is up. People now think twice before walking out of their houses. Mothers insisted that their children switch their mobile phone on to check on them. Some even refused to step away from their homes.

Fear! For with it, there is no time for faith. Countless Christians neglect to turn to God at this moment because they’d let fear dominate their minds. They have failed to pray! Hear them pray, and what they will recite far from anything in the Bible. Can we blame them? Not at all. It takes courage to confront the spirit of fear. Only a real Christian filled with the power of the Holy Spirit is capable of rebuking fear.

Prior, I mentioned that we must be cautious.  It appears to be no better period than these present days. Every event surrounding us brings more or less distracting news. Situations left us wondering whether it is best to migrate to a safer country. But we knew on the surface that nowhere seems safe. God’s protective shelter (Psalm 23) is the only safest haven. The book of John 14:27 (AMP) says, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” Our Lord Jesus Christ does not leave us as orphans. And we ought to remember that we have His peace.

I urge us to take one step backward and remember the promises of God of Psalm 121. Rather than joining others to talk of the issue, let us engage others in assuring them of the love of God that covers us all circumstances. We should deviate from supporting them to spread frightening stories. When they preach hatred, let us preach on God’s compassion and love. We must show our love. Now, people need us more than ever. They want to learn from us the words of assurance of life and not of horror. Why don’t we spend time in prayers for others and ourselves, rather than waiting for humanity’s peace?

I pray that God teaches us to talk of peace and love irrespective of whatever situations we find ourselves in Jesus name, Amen

The Wall in Between

It is traumatic making life difficult for others. Life is not supposed to be filled with horror. When we spend our efforts thwarting others, irrespective of what the circumstances, we are reducing the blessing of life upon us. Our ultimate priority should be to give others the chance to develop their potentialities and assisting them in becoming the persons they ought to be should be.

We grow when we help others. Let us shift attention from ourselves and instead focus on others. That is not to imply that we must not care for our personal needs. No, we are obliged to care for our basic needs and for our families. Nonetheless, rendering services to humanity is very important. By this, we are giving back to God what he gives us. We are not born to this world to fill up emptied spaces.

Life is a purpose, and unless we discover this, and get to work on it, we would end up as nothing.Worthiness comes from discovering our reason d’être. Why on earth would anyone stay without offering to help others? What else is beautiful?

My Faith, My Foe

“What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?” (James 2:14 AMP)

What did the Bible says about doing good works? To love others, help them, protect them and ensure that we live together in harmony with them.

I suppose that it is a long way from having an honest relationship with God if our religion prevents us from rendering all these duties. We are dishonest if we derive pleasure from watching people suffer when we ought to protect them.

God is love. Anyone who professes that he or she is killing people in the name of God is an imposter. Jesus says, “Love your neighbours as yourself. (Mark 12:31)”. Our neighbours mean not just those living next doors. They also cover friends, family members, colleagues, and strangers. We are not required to know people before we can love them. Love has no restriction. We do not murder ourselves because we love ourselves. And if we love our neighbours in the exact ways we love us, then we will do anything it needs to be taken to guarantee their ultimate safety.

At this period of our life, we must revisit our faith in God to verify whether indeed we are His children. My questions are. “what sort of faith do we profess? Are we sure we are serving the real God? ”

Amen.

How Not To Be A Parent

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19)

Adolescence stage remains a challenging one. It serves as a crossroad from childhood into adulthood. It is an intersection bridge that carries the child up to that level of maturity. And to reach that path where that child is in a position to handle his thoughts, dreams and ideas without depending on his parents. He would have to have a stopover or many stopovers at this point known as pubescence phase. This is a stage where he thinks he knows better than his parents when in fact he was just struggling with his delusions.

In general, it is a critical period because this is where the child is likely to form a life will stay with him for the rest of his life. If he chooses the positive pathway, this will prove beneficial not just to him but also to those in his world. If he messes up his life in his teenage years, there are little chances of recovering those lost moments. Thank God for His mercies and for giving second chances to many wayward adolescents to make restitution. We appreciate the fact that many of us can prove that the grace of our Lord gave us the privileged to encounter salvation.

We might wonder why so many Christians and non-Christians alike, choose to have children when they knew that they are not in a position to raise them. Often we hear some complaining that they committed an error. “Oh, it was a mistake”, or “oh, we didn’t plan having one but he just came into our lives and we cannot throw him away.”

Of course, it is an abomination to throw away a child! That is a straightforward sin! But it is likewise a sin to bring a child into this world and neglect parental care.

Perhaps it is high time we understood that our children DID not beg us to bring them into this world. They choose to come through us because they believe in us, because they love us, and because they want to be a part of our lives. They would have been gone with someone else and left us barren. Yet they choose us to create destiny as a family.

I would like us to keep in mind the story of Hagar from Genesis; Chapters 16 to 21. God would not let Abraham ignore his paternal duties Ishmael. It is not because Sarah wants the child out of the way that the innocent child will suffer. God ensured that Abraham faces his responsibilities. After all, Abraham is the Ishmael’s biological father and no matter the circumstances. He must not shy away from his duties.

Failing to take care of our children brings lots of problems to us. These may surface earlier or in the future. Nonetheless, the reality is we cannot escape dealing with the consequences. Our children grow up to become what we set them out to become. They are like plants that can either turns to big fruitful and healthy trees, or they withered.

We have choices. In fact, we have TWO choices. We can go on to have children that we will commit ourselves to raise without us fleeing our parental responsibilities. Or we can opt not to have any and not bring the curses of God over our heads for abandoning these children when they need us.

May God help us to make the right choice in Jesus name, Amen.

This is how I See it

“For it is a shame even to speak of or mention the things that [such people] practice in secret.” (Ephesians 5:12 AMP)

The colour of God is neither white nor black. The colour of love is neither blue nor red. God is God. Love is love. There is no substitute to describe how God looks. There is a perfect description that can fix the definition of love.

How I see it is that, when God created the first Adam, he did not say, “I will make man in white skin colour as mine. And he will have dominion over his Coloured fellows.” Instead, the Lord says, “Let us make man in OUR OWN IMAGE.” Can anyone tell me the real image of God? No! No one has seen Him and no one will.

Man, himself, founded racial prejudice. In-between the white and dark skin, we have other people that are neither white nor dark. Where do we place them? Do we classify them as dark or ‘almost’ white? Or should we just say that they are those with the incorrect skin? What would be our reactions if someone calls us Apes?

Like never before, the spirit of subjection rules the heart of man. For sure we have a problem when we have to deal with people based on their colour of their skin or their characteristics. It just demonstrates that we have descended so low. And that we are far away from the God’s commandment of loving our neighbours as ourselves (Mark 12:31).

Can I ask us this question? What do we see when we look at our neighbours or our friends or our colleagues or our classmates? Do we see them as monkeys? Do we think of them as ugly or disabled? Do we often wish that they were configured in a different way than they look?

If God is going to do business with us based on our features, then it means that secret message of Christianity is not love. The reason we are serving Jehovah is because he first loved us before we turn back to Him to love him. That is the message. Christianity is not a question of professing our faith. It is not about carrying a Bible and forcing the scriptures into the hearts of sinners. It is not a matter of going to church all the time. It will not have anything to do with the length of our prayers.

Christianity is LOVE. If we do not get it now, I believe that we are never going to get it. If we love with the profound intention and a pure heart, we would not for once think about seeing others in the light of how the world’s view.

That God created us at variance signifies that He is the perfect artist. He loves experimenting with skin colour. Instead of bolting for the door if tomorrow we hear that someone with a green skin is born; perhaps, I suggest we pause to think whether this is not our Father’s handiwork.

I pray that God will teach us to love others in just the exact ways He wants us to in Jesus name, Amen.

The Love with a Capital ‘Comma’

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

Parental Alienation is a big issue. The desire for revenge knows no limit. Divided couples at discord are ready to do whatever it takes to make sure that the other person pays the price for their separation. To get that done, their child becomes the weapon of reprisal. In most cases, the parent that has the most custody of the children tends to be the ultimate perpetrator.

Divorce or separation affects both Christians and non-Christians alike. At the onset, no couples expected that their union would end in the destructive paths. Everyone dreams of that, ‘forever until death do us apart’. But what to do when a relation breaks down? In general, those without offspring have lesser issues to resolve afterwards. It is either each of them decided to maintain future contact or just go their individual ways.

Even so, estranged couples with children are bound together for life. They either like it or not. The fact that they had contributed to bring forth a life stipulates that they are liable for the welfare of that being. Sometimes both of them wish to have 100% of the child’s custody even when they are aware that with this impossibility. To come back and live under the same roof seems like an abomination. They feel that they are through with each other and there is no way of going backward.

Well…their child is there! They knew they just have to care for the child. They long to have that child with them. They want to gain that child’s trust because they believe that each of them is fair and the other one is wrong. They consider this to be the fault of the other person that their union fell apart.

Now come to think of these. When a father tells his child that his mother (which is his ex-wife) is a slut. The question is, was she a whore when he first married her? Even if she was, did he acknowledge her that way? Of course, he would have otherwise they would not have gone into the holy matrimony and they would not have borne with that child.

When a mother never stops telling her children that their father (her ex-husband) is a useless man. Was he a nonentity when she first saw him? When did he become irresponsible?

The estimation is that there is no winner in the battle of child custody. The final supposed custodian does have indescribable loads of responsibilities ahead. And the ultimate loser of the child custody may not be ready and willing to give up the legal battle.

Countless children have wondered why in the first place they were born. They had grown up believing otherwise but then get confused when their parents are not going spend the rest of their lives together. The truth is that we do not get to choose the type of family to belong. God places us where we are now and there is nothing that we can do to correct it. We may take up the initiative to enhance our lives, our family livelihood but we cannot alter our upbringing.

In my last post, I’d mention God’s creation of family structure. To create Eve indicated that the Lord’s intention for procreation. He wants us to multiply and to worship Him. He expects us to serve Him without any ambiguity in our hearts. Never was it our Father’s wishes that we must get a divorce from the ones we loved.

But, the sin of the first Adam, God’s perfect plan for man to dwell forever in Eden was slashed without reservation. Today, by the sacrificial blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are making things rights to God. We are not perfect. And on earth, no family is perfect. The only perfection comes from God. All divorced Christian couples close the doors of their hearts to each other. Irrespective, they should pay special attention to protect their children from alienation. Without bias, they should preserve harmonious space for these little ones to experience both parents. Instigating children to develop hatred for the other parent is sinful and unforgiving in God’s eye.

May we find grace to turn toward God’s Geniune love and teach our children to love their other parent rather than plot to savage their bond.