Calling on all religious leaders

At this time in our country, people have more questions than answers. So much is going on and our people wander like sheep in the wilderness without answers. Lately we have been hit by a spate of accidents both traffic and otherwise. People are begging for answers, where are our religious leaders?


They are the ones who should have answers when noone else will. Try to make sense out of otherwise senseless situations. But their silence is deafening. It is like they are just as confused as the rest of us. I believe the call of God is such that they are answerable to the people they minister to. It is a responsibility given to them by God to shepherd his people. Part of which means trying to reconcile daily happenings with the will of God. If they are not doing it, who will? What hope is there for the people of Kenya. Are we naked and exposed with noone to provide the answers we seek?


It is well and good working to draw souls to Christ. But at a time when people are fumbling all over in search of answers then it would be well for them to take up their place and point the way out to them. Most of what has changed in this country is because religious leaders called out to the people to repent and get right with God. It was broadcast all over the need for us as a country to be right with God. There were those that made light of the situation but I believe that this country was saved of so much tragedy because people were called to come out and pray.


Given, there is the sunday call to prayer. But with the way things are right now we need more enforcement for things to go back to the way they were. Christians everywhere need to be called for united prayer. This is because some things happening now require more than casual prayer. They need us to go into fasting and cry out to God for our country. We need people to call out christians from slumber. Christians know that there are unusual things happening but it is the duty of those called of God to unite us into interceeding for the nation. They are too silent on issues facing the country.

There is a role that religious leaders have that is meant to augment the politics of the land. This is because they are meant to lead a people into repentance and crying out to God for the land. The Bible says that if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land 2 Chronicles 7:14. Yet we are all sitting on our laurels waiting for things to change. It is a lie from the devil for us to accept all the wrong in society. We cannot put blame on the Government either. That is where our religious leaders come in.

Years back, especially during election year, we had pastors calling out to faithful for united prayer for the nation. The prayers would unite Kenyans from different communities and I believe that it is the said prayers that have kept us anchored despite the storms. Even our politicians will bow down to the call of the almighty. So this time it is the pastors that are not utilizing the power given to them to lead people to prayer. People are too busy doing all else to go down on their knees and pray.

We sit under your wise counsel. We call on you when noone else will listen. You help lighten our burdens in life for which only God will repay you. We need you now to come out and tell us God's message for the country. Point to us where we have erred. We look up to you because we believe God had called you to lead us in his ways. Right now we desire to hear his voice to the nation through you. Will you stand up for him? Will you rely his message to us at this time? Will you pull us together so that all kenyans can stand in unity and call out to God for our land? Anyone?

Suicide

We are seeing an upsurge of people either taking their lives or those of the ones that they love. While many urgue that it is a result of poor parenting I beg to differ. Many such people just have poor coping mechanisms and do not have someone keen enough to notice changes of behaviour.

I have had the privilege to speak to someone who was having suicidal tendencies. He narrated to me how he would get this overwhelming feeling of helplessness come over him which would leave him depressed and looking for reprieve. In his case he turned to alcohol and did drugs. This would be of temporary relieve to him but the depression continued.

In the event that no one notices the change of behaviour, this person will eventually get hooked on drugs or alcohol not because he wishes to but in search of a way to escape the prevailing situation. But if someone close is keen enough to notice behaviour changes early then the situation could be saved.

It is amazing how quickly people dismiss suicide and other addictions as stemming from bad upbringing. This is a shortcut to bury our heads to the underlying factors that lead to this. While upbringing does have an effect on a person, it cannot be the culprit to the circumstances faced and a persons ability to deal with such.
I know for sure there are lots of people behind bars who should be in hospital instead. But such languish behind bars and do not even understand their actions. Except they find the all time healer Jesus Christ they leave the correction centres none the better.

We all need to be more involved with each other. The church has a big role to play in stepping in to correct behaviour and identifying those who may need further help. This is with close partnership with professionals trained for the job. If we all purpose to be our brothers' keeper and get involved with each other we shall have fewer people taking the easy way out.

Today is the burial of one such young person who took his life. A seemingly normal young lad going about life but then at some point decided he could not take it anymore. It is a sad state of affairs for all who loved him. They have to bear with the pain of the loss and perhaps guilt of what they might have done differently. Yet in all this the blame may not be theirs.

In olden days, the strong social fabric worked to ensure that people in society were responsible for each other. There was no two ways about it. If you found a young man misbehaving one had a right to stop him and seek to know his reason and even met out discipline on him. This kept people within the set boundaries because it was more like big brother was always watching. And could be anywhere.

Today with the self actualisation of independent lifestyle we are ill equipped to handle some issues in life alone. The fact that your neighbour does not care if you drink too much and sleep on your doorstep is working against us. It is this casual state of affairs that is plunging us further into dilemma. If we don't go back to the Bible teachings and be our brothers' keeper nothing will change. We might have to watch as others self destruct and feel nothing.

It is time we all wake up to the fact that there is no replacement to the human touch. Technology cannot replace the feel of flesh and blood relationship we have with one another. More meaningful relationships happen when we take time to relate with each other and offer a shoulder when all is not well. It is as God meant it to be. I believe he knows what  is better for us more than we do sometime.

ULTIMATE SEX

It was designed to be a culmination of the love between husband and wife. The expression of the ultimate feelings brought on by their love for one another. It was meant to be within the confines of the marriage covenant. But that is fast changing.

Sex is the ultimate expression of love between two people whose love is so deep that words cannot adequately express how they feel. These two people who have made a commitment that what they feel for one another is so true that they are willing to forsake all others to be with each other. It is a seal of a life commitment made.

But things are changing. Now more than ever, the marriage institution is facing more challenges than have ever been seen before. It is no longer considered necessary for a couple to have any form of commitment. Sex comes cheap as such many wonder why they need commitment when they can have it anytime with no strings attached. And this is the breakdown of the family set up.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Even in a marriage situation there needs to be something other than feelings to hold it together. Because when the youth years are gone and what remains are embers from yester years, there has to be a reason for two people to remain together.

Sex has been made cheap. Because it is what sells it is being used in business circles to provide the lure for sale. It is ridiculous to liken a smooth car engine with the flow of passion. Even more twisted to compare a bottle of beer to a woman caught in throes of passion.

The effect of all this negative portrayal of sex is that what God meant as a sacred reserve for marriage has become a tool to tantalise and lure people for all the wrong reasons. The commercials have become competition at depicting different scenarios of lust all packaged to sell. And sell they do. Because even with the negative portrayal sex still holds mystery.

There is magic when two people who genuinely love one another express this within the confines of marriage. To begin with, the two are at peace in knowing that theirs is a blessed union thus have nothing to hide. With no guilt and no holds barred sex in marriage is just the way God intended it to be.

In contrast what we are witnessing are people who jump the broom straight from binge drinking and are left with nothing in their arms when all the alcohol evaporates from their heads but regret. There is a whole generation of people who use sex for mere gratification and are not willing to commit further.

The book song of songs details the joy of two lovers who come together in true belonging. Nothing compares to the rich expression of their passion. Hidden in those words are feelings between two people who treasure their love for one another. These two yearn for each other. They possess each other thus lay claim each of the other. Theirs is love that thrives on the understanding that each belongs to the other. 

These two nurture their love. They openly express their feelings to each other. They take time to appreciate their different forms. Nothing is taken for granted. They appreciate their differences and openly marvel at each aspect of their differences. Theirs is a relationship born out of investing time together and being fully committed to their love.

How contrarily to those fleeting feelings that come with heightened passion. When two people who barely know each other come together just to quench the fires of their passion and remain none the better for no bond can come out of such! These are the ones who do not get to know the true bond of love and the security of claiming another in love. They come together purely for selfish reasons thus deny themselves the privilege of loving and having being loved exclusively by their one.

There is nothing that comes close to loving and being loved exclusively by the one in a blessed union. Those around approve of such. And above all, God in heaven blesses and smiles on the two with love.

God of the Hurting.

There are situations in life that leave one thinking, did God actually allow this to happen? The answer usually appears so far-off in such instances. It looks all so gloomy and surely there cannot be a way out of it. One wonders if the sun will shine again.

I have seen different situations where a person is dealing with loss. I saw it when I went to counsel with a mother whose baby had just passed on at the hospital. At such times I lack words for the person. I will be there, listen to the person and cry with them. I cry a lot both for myself and others.

It cannot be easy trying to reassure a person who is hurting that all will be well again. That God cares. At that point that person needs to have a feel of a caring God that only those around can extend. But at times God actually reaches out and hugs the person with heavenly comfort.

So much suffering in the world. And we are loosing the art of comforting each other. We are all getting so busy that we do not have time to even listen out to each other. And so in the midst of us there are those that are hurting silently. It takes a heart yielded to God to notice such a person.

Given, the human touch is very important. We crave it even more when times are hard. I once went for a visit at the childrens' cancer ward. I saw so many sick children but one caught my eye. There was this one little child. The face looked too old for his age. And soon I was looking down at his little face. Then his frail little hand reached out to me. It must have been so much effort for him to stretch out for a touch. But he did. That has remained with me forever. I realised then the importance of the human touch. How much more for the hurting!

Look around. If you look more keenly you will notice someone who needs some encouragement. Someone who has been hurt by one they loved. Or a parent struggling with a difficult child. Another is trying to cope with the lose of someone they loved. All of us are fighting one battle or the other in this life. That is why we need to be sensitive to one another.

There is nothing as gratifying as seeing the face of one light up when we go out of our way to lighten their burden. It is the essence of being human. It makes ones step light and puts a spring to their walk. We are created to help one another. In both small and big ways. The burdens of the world are lighter when we all play our part.

Recently we lost some young people to flash floods in the Rift. Christian youth gone out to seek fellowship with their maker. Gone too soon. They will be laid to rest today. Their parents are hurting. But all I can do is pray for them and hope that they have enough support from caregivers to help them cope with the lose. That those around them will provide the hand of comfort that they need.

But in some instances only God understands. Because some hurts go so deep and are so hidden that only he knows. It is in that young girl who has suffered more hate than love. Or that orphaned mother who is struggling to make ends meet for her large family. Could be that family with a sick relative that has no funds to cater for the beloved. Their cry goes deep inside to the places that only God can hear. And he understands.

As Christians we are the balm of the world. We need to reach out to those around us who yearn for confirmation that God cares in the midst of the storm. And since they are among us it is our God given duty to seek them out and extend God's love to them. We need to represent God well in the way we extend care to those that need it most. For that, is our mission here on earth. And God is watching. Always.

This weekend I travelled some. It was a welcome getaway from the fast city life. The slow pace of the country side always leaves me thinking life is easier that way. No alarm to get you hopping out of bed at those ungodly hours. No traffic snarl-ups to contend with. Waking up to the melodies of bird song makes it something to keep going back to. Never mind that dog that has invented a game chasing my chickens all round.I dont mind the endless cups of tea we guzzle with the village women sitting out in the shade sharing experiences in the journey of life. The warmth is simply incomparable.


But something else made this last weekend special. I had the pleasure of sitting in a sermon with one very humorous pastor. I love pastors with a sense of humour. And so he was talking about making use of the different gifts that God has given us. He told the story of a man that had the least expected gift. The man stammered. And like Moses this man could have thought to himself, now how do I make something of myself and yet I stammer. But he didnt. He decided to use that which he had to make something of himself. He went into marketing.


This guy got a job selling Bibles. At first those on the panel were hesitant to hire him but he pleaded for a chance to prove his worth. Prove he did! You see, this man would walk up to an office. He would then beg for a minute of your time. He would then start by explaining that he sold Bibles. That explanation would take like five minutes. By the time he was through introducing himself, one would already have found out his speed of speech. And so if yours was a busy office you would want to get through with him as soon as you could and get back to work. But it is his next statement that takes the cake. He would then go on and tell you that if you did not want to buy a Bible he could read one to you!

Of course noone would want him standing there reading out the Bible and so most people would opt to buy the Bible and get on with their work. And so this man used what might have held back many to sell the highest number of Bibles in the company! Much to the surprise of all! This guys must have had a sense of humour. To even think up something like that! And make money out of it.

Most of us go through life with so much untapped potential. Many focus on what they do not have other than how they might use what it is in their hand. God always uses what it is that is at hand to lift us up. It might be someone who has the gift of the garb and uses it to cheer others up. Or that person who has such a  calm look around them that goes to reassure others around them.What ever God has bestowed upon each one of us could be used for some good if we set our mind to it. And just like in the Bible days, God does not use perfect people. He uses people like stammering Moses. Or bad tempered Peter.

And so what it is we cast aside as not important may just be the greatest gift we got. And we may not even know. Up until someone else recognises our gift or someone else brings it out for us. It is those less likely ones that God uses and all for his glory. Because God uses not the obvious but what is available to him. Even if it is the least attractive he will repackage it and use it for his glory. Only if we yield it to him.