What A Journey!!!

As 2013 comes to an end I look back and realize it has not gone according to my plan. I had the simplest of plans which was to keep working and earn enough money to enable me mentor the boys at the juvenile prison and other children elsewhere. At the time I was leaving my job to explore my goals and dreams I had a plan that I knew was surely going to work.

Three months down the line, I discovered I was going to depend on faith, hope and trust that God would turn my life around. As I got deeply involved in developing the programme at the juvenile prison, a lot of things happened and I became more broke by the day. I look back and I realize it if only by the grace of God that I have managed to come this far.

I thank God and the people who have supported the initiative a long the way.

THE DAY MICHAEL JACKSON CAME TO CHURCH

I admire guys who come to Christ unscathed from the battleground that the ‘world’ out there is. You know, guys who answer everything with a shout of asharanaya ashabarahanda and revert to business as usual whereby everyone minds their own business and the weary amongst us build an island around them. Think of this as Michael Jackson coming to church, with his music and his eccentric lifestyle.

I am not an expert but I think Michael tried all he could to communicate to us and we did him the greatest disservice a human being can do to another. Michael walked in through the church doors with a diaper hanging on the wrong side of his pants… and we pushed him to the edge where he threw himself off the cliff and to his premature death. I call it premature because Michael died without getting his message to us. His music was a way to get to connect with us but all we did was think he knew how to sing well, and yet that was his only way of sharing his pain, tribulations, loneliness and his desire to connect with a people who have become expert mind readers.

Okay, before someone goes asharanaya ashabarahanda let me share part of Michael’s letter that we returned marked RETURN TO SENDER.

In my darkest hour, in my deepest despair

Will you still care, will you be there?

In my trials and my tribulations

Through my doubts and frustrations

In my violence, in my turbulence

Through my fears and my confessions

In my anguish and my pain

Through my joy and my sorrow

In the promise of another tomorrow

I’ll never let you part

For you’re always in my heart

Take some time and listen to Michael Jackson’s address at the end of Will You Be There and you will realize we let him down by failing to read between the lines. Just watch Michael’s concerts and you will know how much he was adored and yet when we took his last breath he knew, deep in his heart the world had never really understood the pain, the anguish and the loneliness he felt when the concert was over and the camera flashbulb had been switched off.

I picture Michael sitting in his vast estate surrounded by all the Diana Rose face masks he thought would make us stop and seek to find how we could be of help. And how many people do we come across every Sunday and having become too familiar with their tribulations we push them to the edge of the cliff? Let us take time to read between the lines every time someone shares what they are going through without trying to offer our expert opinion. Let us fit into their shoes by finding out how they really are throughout the week because this is not something you can do during a church service when you are told to… say hi to five people and find out how their week has been. Care enough to find out way before and just use the other time to seek for feedback and how you can really be of help. Everyone needs someone to be there for the. I don’t know about you, but I do need someone to be there for me. Someone to help me carry the cross, someone to help me keep to my lane, and someone to show me when it is the right time to switch lanes.

Now what would happen if Eminem or Adele or Mavado were to come to church? Will we think of the church as a market place that has its fair share of madmen and so let the ‘madmen’ be as we mind our own business?

Acts 2:14 says, “Then Peter stood with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd (on behalf of the Eleven)… and gave out what they collectively, through the Holy Spirit, agreed on. Meaning Peter spoke what any other person from the Eleven would have said. This means we, as a church, need to find out how we can meet the modern challenges facing the church and have one voice that cuts across the scattered Body of Christ. We need to find out how we can minister to Michael Jackson by ensuring that men are raised to take up the 5 Roles of a Good Daddy which are:

1. Present
2. Protector
3. Provider
4. Priest
5. Prophet

Listen to Kanji Mbugua’s Just a Man I and you will notice just how much the whole world needs a good daddy. Well, our fathers might have failed the test but the buck stops with you and I. As much as we might not have had the ideal father in our lives we need to end this now by taking it upon ourselves to find out how we can fill the vacuum that irresponsible fatherhood has left, and with it the many broken lives. Let us build each other instead of bringing each other down. Let’s engage with one another beyond the usual Sunday church hallelujah moment. And above all else, let’s prepare the church for Eminem’s homecoming by taking care of the needs of the ninety-nine sheep that are already in the Shepherdom.

Why Jesus Chose Fishermen as His first Disciples

If Jesus was a Kenyan He would without a doubt be a Gor Mahia supporter because He sure loved fishing and eating fish! I also think He would support Chelsea FC because the colour blue is synonymous with the sea, and by extension, fishing.

And did you know that fish are the only species not taken into Noah's ark, suggesting that they were self-supporting! And no wonder fish is said to be the best source of proteins!!!

 

I think Jesus liked travelling by boat, preaching beside the lake and using fishermen to spread the gospel for a good reason.His choice of fishermen was because fishermen are: teachable, hard working, not formally educated and easily understood when Jesus commanded, "I am making you fishers of men!"

I think Jesus chose fishermen because His main agenda was to make His disciples fishers of men. As fishermen this message would easily and readily resonate with fishermen and not, say bankers or doctors who don’t have a clue what fishing entails. Before Jesus ascended to heaven He commanded His disciples to go fish for men throughout the whole world. Notice, Jesus still allowed His disciples to go fish meaning He calls us to be effective 'fishers of men' wherever we are.  You and I should ask how we can turn our workplace into a fishing ground for Jesus.

I believe there are many reasons why Jesus called fishermen to be His first disciples. Do some research and let me know what you find out. 

Well, K'Ogalo recently lost to Sofapaka and I think Jesus would have told those Ingwe fans mocking the Green Army, "he who hasn't lost a match should cast the first stone." 

There.... I rest my case. As for me, I think I should gather my nets and go fishing! Oh, bring some bread. We will need it.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

I am listening to Morgan Heritage singing Take Up Your Cross. The song is on automatic rewind and I am loving it. The Body of Christ is getting beaten all the time. Christ's suffering did not end with the cross at Calvary, thanks to how you and I treat each other. What does it really mean to take up our cross? Does it mean we can choose and pick the kind of cross we would like to carry? Or are there crosses tailor-made for each one of us? And what exactly is this cross? 

The main reason we are here on earth is to help one another carry their cross by relating to them in a manner that shows they are special and they deserve only the very best. Unfortunately our work places and life in general is full of people whose Sunday is spent in fellowship in church while the rest of the week is spent putting others down. It is as if our minds are hellbent on adding more crosses unto others so they can remain downcast and forever yoked. There are people whose DNA seems to be having an urge to depress, downplay, backbite, back-stab and demean others. These are people whose sole aim is to ensure you and I don’t go anywhere. They are the gatekeepers who prevent access even if they don't get to sample what is there. All they want to do is sit at the high table, while you and I scramble for scraps with the dogs under the table. 

I think these are things we learn right from childhood and I think my sole purpose as a human being and as a man, is to make the children I meet in my work realize they are here on Mother Earth to treat others as a VIP. This means putting the interest of others first, uplifting others and ensuring there is absolutely no ‘mchongowaono’ because it is the worst form of discrimination against humanity. Mchongowaono demeans a person’s dignity and therefore deprives others of their basic human rights. 

The reason I discourage mchongowaono is because we don’t have a choice when it comes to the way we are designed. Nobody chooses, to borrow from a very good friend of mine who wants to remain anonymous, their DNA, their tribe, their skeleton, their hair and their place of birth. We just find ourselves having what we have and we should therefore treat others with dignity and respect. No one had the choice of choosing their mother, their ethnicity or race. No one chooses to be born white or black, tall or short, fat or thin, this or that. We just have what we have and we are who we are. It is a blessing to me that Kenya is made up of ethnicity who shrub (mispronounce) certain words in English and Swahili. I think it is for the sole purpose of humbling us, lest we hold ourselves in high esteem. I am yet to hear someone say they wrote an application letter to their mothers asking to be born this or that. 

I meet wonderful children in my line of duty and each one of them reminds me of why we are human beings and not animals walking on fours, or even crawling. I have had the privilege to meet children from all walks of life. I have met those who carry a part of their lunch so they can share with their mothers back home. I have met those who have so much they throw it away in the dustbin. I have met some who don’t have shoes on their cracked feet. I have met girls who don’t have panties to wear and they use pieces of old blanket as sanitary towels. I have met boys who have committed all sorts of crimes. I have met children who are so ashamed of being human beings they don't want to live. And yet they all have one thing in common: none of us chooses where to be born. 

So purpose to help a colleague at work to get a much deserved break. Put it in a good word for them even if they have better skills, better education, better looks or better talent and skills. Mentor them even if you never got the same from your role models. Help them advance even if they won’t pay you back. Seek out that cleaner at the office, yes the one who has a running nose and get to know their names and what makes them tick. Say hi to the security guard and learn how his children are doing in school. Seek out the new intern, yes the one wearing clothes that expose her belly, treat her as a queen and mentor her. Encourage the one with a lofty dream even if you gave up on yours, help them advance and tell them they too can make it. Look out for them and be their guardian angels as they seek to realize their dreams in life. Help them take up and walk with their cross. Who knows, this simple act could earn you the promotion you have been seeking for years. Helping others is a win-win situation. When we help others grow and advance, we grow as a result.

every human being needs a Simon of Cyrene to hle them carry their cross

And maybe, when you do this you may not even need to paste Bible verses all your desk to preach the Gospel of Christ. People will respond even without you breathing brimstone and fire upon their necks. They will just respond and want to know Jesus Christ from the way you treat them. 

Today I purpose to help just one girl and one boy realize the potential they have to change the world. This is not a distraction to me, it is my purpose. I am still listening to Take Up Your Cross by Morgan Heritage. I told you it is on rewind.

GOD NEEDS A BREAK!!!!

Psalm 2:4 

The first part of Psalm 2:4 says, "He who sits in the heavens laughs," and I have been thinking a lot about whether God deserves a break to laugh. Maybe I am wrong, but I am sure God deserves a break just to laugh. I don't think many languages would refer to God as a Father, a Daddy, Abba Father just because words are there to be used. I think it is for a good reason. Now just picture a father. To a child a father is the ultimate hero, he is invincible and however feeble he is, even if he can't beat up Ed, Edd, Eddy in a spaghetti eating contest a child still holds their father in high esteem. A child may ask their dad to bring them a car when they come back from work even if all his dad does is sit on slab of concrete as he and his peers argue about what Fernando Torres should do to discover his goal scoring skills the way he did at Liverpool where he never walked alone. Or what Robin van Persie is going to do for the Red Devils. Or how useless Emmanuel Adebayor is when playing for Togo in the Cup of Nations.

When a father comes back home the child will still ask him to bring a car the following day. Isn't this the reason why the Bible says that the kingdom of heaven shall be inherited by children. Children have blind faith in their fathers, okay even their mothers too! And the 'child' in me just wonders whether or not God deserves a laugh.


I picture God calling the angels together when they open office and saying, "Okay guys, let's go out there and find someone who is going to make us laugh because I am so bored I want to close shop!"

Now there was once a guy who was faithful in everything he did. He however could not find a woman to marry. He soon started asking God for a wife. One day the fellowship group visited a children's home where the guy saw a lady he secretly admired in the group rock and sing to a baby. He so liked the way she did it and as he looked for the right words to make his compliments known, words failed him. He knew he could not use anything from Songs of Solomon. He was too born again for such poetic expressions. Besides, such things are reserved for teenagers and hopeless romantics! When they were asked who would volunteer to wash dishes before they left the orphanage, the guy found himself beside the lady. The two of them spent the evening washing dishes and having fun. Yet the guy was at a loss, he didn't know what to tell the lady. Evening came and the guy asked God for another chance with the lady.

The next Sunday after church service the group visited Uhuru Park where they were asked to split in groups of two and have a boat ride. The guy had asked God for strength and the right words he could tell the lady. But because they were with a guy who was rowing the boat the guy thought seducing a woman while in the company of another man isn't proper. So he put it off. That evening he went on his knees asking God for another chance. God listened and said, "Well I don't mind waiting. So take your sweet time, my son."

The following Sunday the fellowship group visited an amusement park where they were asked again to split in groups of two. The guy ended up with the lady he secretly admired. The two of them ended up on a rubber horse where they sat talking to each other. Yet the guy did not say what was on his mind. He didn't tell the lady how much he admired her and wanted to make her his wife. Soon time was up and they left for their respective homes. In the evening the guy was about to say his evening prayers when God, knowing what the guy was going to say decided enough was enough.

"Abba Father, You have been so good to me today. I thank You for Gloria and ask for another chance and the best words to convince her about the way I feel about her..."
"Wait a minute..." God interrupted. "Who told you I am in the business of giving men wives? The Word says he who finds a wife finds a good thing. Not he who is given a wife finds a good thing..."
"But LORD you delight in the desires of our hearts..."
"That is true but I want you to be the answer to your prayer. And stop asking for another chance every time you fail I have lots to do and I get bored of people who don't act on their faith. So I left everything, not because I am idle but because I wanted to come personally to intervene..."
"Thank You LORD, I knew You would come through for me..."
"What do you want my son?"
"I just want one more chance with Gloria..."
"Okay, tell me what you have done with the three chances that I have already given you. Show me what you have done..." The guy hung his head in shame and so God continued, "and by the way, the last man I gave a wife was Adam and we all know what happened afterwards. You have found Gloria, now get to work and do the talking because believe Me, there is no way I am going to do that for you! Oh, by the way, you can quote the Songs of Solomon to her."

I don't know what God thinks of this. But I hope He is out there laughing. I know He deserves a break. Today, purpose to make a move for the things you have been trusting God for. Trust Him to make you look pretty even without a weave. Trust Him to give you a high self esteem even without high heels. Trust Him to give you favour without a fancy car. And if you have been applying for jobs go an extra mile of visiting the offices where you have applied for jobs and make followups. Could be they are waiting for the person who will do such thing.Whatever you do, make sure you make God laugh, he deserves a break. Good luck!!!

RINGTONES: A CALL FOR PRAYER?

It is amazing, and kind of annoying, the kind of ringtones you hear in public places such as inside a bus while going to work in the morning. The same can be said about the callback tones you are forced to listen to as you wait for your call to be answered. And however absurd ringtones may sound I make it a point not to be too quick to judge or do an LOL (I am told this stands for laugh out loud). This is not something I came by automatically. In the past I would treat ringtones with what my good friend, Odhiambo Ramogi terms as, "the contempt it deserves."

Now I am careful to look out for new opportunities to pray for people whose ringtones break the morning silence inside a KBS bus. I think every person has a valid reason why they have a certain liking for their ringtones. The lady with a crying baby ringtone could be trusting God for a child. The man with a crowing cockerel ringtone could be expecting a raise from his boss so he can take a lady out for some chicken wings at the newest Kenchic branch in town. The person with a bubbling and splashing water could be trusting God for a house whose taps actually spew water when opened. A laughing ringtone could mean the person needs happiness in their marriage or family. A starting car engine could mean the phone owner is trusting God for a car.

So next time you are in a bus and hear someone shuffle through a series of ringtones on their phone and it gets to your last nerve, think what you may like the guy has just bought their first phone and they are trying to get familiar with it. You may want to turn around and advice the guy that ringtone shuffling isn't a 'grown up' hobby because ringtone shuffling doesn't count as an ideal way of passing time. Whatever happens take it as a reason to pray the person gets the right ringtone and take it as an opportunity to ask God to bless the desires of their hearts.

And as for call back tones, well that is a story for another day. Oh, and before I go, perhaps the guy with a crowing cockerel has a poultry project upcountry and each time their phone rings it is a reminder about their project. The point is: pray each time you hear a nagging ringtone be it of a crying baby, a laughing baby, a cockerel, a starting car engine or splashing water. Would you take it as an initiative and invitation to pray instead of thinking how absurd the ringtone sounds.

1 Samuel 1:1-18

MAKING A VISION BOARD

making a vision board is simple

 It is a new year and many children have joined new classes. In a world awash with conflicting images and stories about the people children adore and look up to, one has to chart their way in life in order not to become a photocopy of their role model. In my work with children, and even a good number of adults, I meet people who have no vision or clue at all concerning what they want to happen in their lives in say, a year or so down the line. Most are content on taking one at a time which to me means they don’t want to be held accountable by anyone.

Hannah shows off her vision board

In our reading club we teach and guide children in making a vision board of the kind of experiences they would like to have, the kind of goals they would like to achieve and just about how they envision their future lives. I made my vision board a few years back and have achieved most of the goals on it. I look at the vision board every morning when I wake up for my morning run and before I leave for work. And before I switch off the lights I take a look at it and thank God for all that I am and have. To make a vision board is simple.

Requirements

• Cardboard
• Lots of pictures from magazines, newspapers et.c. depicting what you want to experience e.g. fly with an aeroplane
• Glue
• String
• Pair of scissors

Steps to making a vision board

• Cut the cardboard to a desired length
• Cut out the images of what you want to experience or achieve
• Using glue, paste the images to the board
• When done, tie the string on the board so it can be hanged on the wall

my dream has become a reality thanks to my vision board 

When this is placed at a strategic place, it helps you stick to the bigger picture. My vision board has helped me go places and achieve a lot. I am working as a TV producer for children’s programmes, I write, I run a mentorship programme for boys at a juvenile prison and have a lot I would like to achieve both for myself and children in Kenya. I urge you to have a vision, a goal and a purpose you are aspiring to fulfill. I look forward to seeing your vision board. Good luck and have fun!!!

FUTURE STAR CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT CENTRE - KIBERA

They say it takes a whole village to take care of one child. The world is fast becoming a global village, meaning it becomes difficult having to depend on one's relatives to take care of a child. This means we have to chip in by helping the children we meet become better people.

At Future Star Development Centre in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa, there are a number of very wonderful children whose future looks bright if and when they put their minds to minds to it. They however face a myriad of challenges such as limited funds that make they lag behind in school.

Boaz smile says it all

twinkle, twinkle little star...

This is just the beginning of an amzing story that we look forward to bringing to your attention. Keep it here....