A Worthy Cause

In the very near future, I propose to record a song I wrote sometime last year. It is in Swahili and is called Dadi na Mami. It is an attempt to put in song what so many go through in homes with an abusive spouse or parent. It took about seven lyric-writing efforts before I felt that I finally had something good enough for the people affected by this social evil.

In the process of preparing for the recording and release of the song, I have been doing some research into this matter. There is so much information on gender based domestic violence available on the internet but the facts are not so accurate because there are many who suffer silently and are too frightened to come forward.

There is an urgent need for those of us who know of such abuse to take a proactive role in stopping this wickedness. We need to do everything in our power, because ignoring those who do this is similar to agreeing with it. We can no longer be silent as people who call us their friends suffer at the hands of abusive spouses and parents. What are you doing about it?

Perfect Score

I went for an interview today. There were many questions asked and some of them concerned matters that I was tempted to lie about. I had to answer the questions that dealt with my personal walk with Jesus. I gave my most honest response, and I realized that I am not doing too well as far as my personal devotions are concerned. My heart is filled with worries about the prevailing circumstances and about the future that seems so uncertain. There are many open ends in front of me and there doesn’t seem to be a set and secure future ahead. In my own eyes, I did not achieve a perfect score.

I was asked the question that I like the least; and that concerned the direction of my passions both now and in future. If I was to be offered a good sum in form of a salaried job, would I take it or would I still desire to serve God using my gifts? This was strange because I have been trying to answer that question in the past few days. What would I do if I didn’t have to be paid for it?

I would like to pose the same question to you. In which direction do your passions lie? What would you do with your life, if money wasn’t an issue? What would you gladly do for free for the rest of your life? If you know the answer to this question, are you doing that thing presently? Or are you waiting for the day when you will have enough money in the bank to release yourself to pursue your true passion? 

Failing Well

I watched a dance competition on DVD the other day. It was up to the normal Hollywood standards of excellence as far as the production was concerned. The dance crews were really good and it was easy to see why some of them were touted as possibly the best dance crews in the country. There was a lot of innovation and technical aptitude and sometimes some of the moves performed exhibited extreme athleticism. Those guys were really exceptional.

What touched me most was the realisation of just how normal those dancers were. When performing, one would be tempted to think they were from another planet or dimension. They cried, laughed, got scared, got excited, got tired and got injured too. There were moments when the fans and judges loved everything they did and there were also times when their performances left them crestfallen. Some were bitter when they had to leave the competition whereas some graciously accepted defeat.

The team that won had unsuccessfully auditioned three times before and this was fourth time lucky. This group started the competition as underdogs and then went on to win over the hearts and minds of the viewing public culminating in their much deserved victory. What intrigued me was the fact that they went back home every year from unsuccessful auditions and kept on improving themselves. They never gave up or decided to go try something else.  They were so focused on their goal that it didn’t matter how many times they were going to be rejected. They kept at it and finally won the competition beating very stiff competition in the process. They were quick to thank God for their victory before acknowledging anyone else.

This led me to consider the level of passion that I have for my dreams and I extend the same reflections to you. How willing are you to fail in the pursuit of your dreams? How do you handle rejection? How much effort are you already putting into achieving your goal? These people are extremely gifted but also extremely hard working. Does this reflect you level of commitment to the achievement of your dreams?

Hallo world

I have been away for a while, but it feels like the right time to continue posting on this blog. I have had quite a number of upheavals in my personal life and this blog was the greatest casualty in terms of my output. I needed to be relatively silent and to learn, listen and observe what God wanted to do through my life. I have been reading quite a number of books and the latest one is Revival by Charles Finney. Many of us need personal revival before we can attempt a communal revival or the conversion of our friends and relatives who don’t personally know the Lord.

I have learnt in the past few weeks that God does still have a plan and purpose for our lives, even when we deliberately stray off-course. His purposes for us remain on-course. Whenever our faith falters and doubt sticks a foot in the door, God buffers our faith reserves and completes the work that we are too weak to accomplish. When the ideas we had for the future meet a seemingly immovable obstacle, we are encouraged in the knowledge that God has an unstoppable agenda for us.

So I welcome myself back to the blogging world and trust God for useful insights to come on this blog, both for you and for myself.