My Africa

My Africa is a continent with possibility

Yet so struck with fear and traditions

It has so much diversity in culture and nature

So much to offer

If only you care to look and see

There are the bustling concrete jungles

But I prefer the one with fresh air

Sky high trees, vast open spaces

The lion’s roar at night at the hyaenas laughter

Birdsong for your morning alarm call

The smell of dust and the fresh petrichor

when the clouds above are thundering

and after the storm is the beautiful rainbow

The antelope runs around so gracefully, yet knowing 

the silent predator may hide in the marula tree

the little kids play around with cars made of twigs and mud

and are too happy to take your picture with a camera of stone

Their smile so shiny white and bright and face full of dust

Once they have grown they realize life is hard

and our lives are but a vapour. 

It is not an easy walk on this beautiful continent

but it is still a good life, a good moment. 

What is to come, we often think of

Do they even wonder of the afterlife?

If there is such a thing as the afterlife?

How to get there? 

Where is their hope? 

Do they have dreams?

Do they trust our message that we bring them

of our Lord Jesus - who created all this beauty-  and them?

or is it just the mulungo's Jesus?

Do they even realize He came and died for them too?

A Gift

A Gift

A great gift was given to mankind
Planned before time began,
prophesied about centuries before, by many
a baby born of a virgin, in a manger, in Bethlehem
God's sovereignty shown in great detail

Wise men studying stars
traveled west to worship
the Bright morning Star born in human flesh

Shepherds in the fields with flock
received a message from angels
An angelic choir in the night skies sang
 "Glory to God in the Highest"
They ran to meet the Great Shepherd of the World

He gave us a gift
He opened our eyes to see our sinful state
A Sacrifice He paid
so that we can be cleansed
to stand forever blameless before Him

A gift of faith He gave
Faith to believe in His amazing grace
We can have peace, shalom
which surpasses all our understanding
We can stand before His throne
Forgiven and free

A gift He gave - Himself as a ransom
so that myriads of people from all
languages, tribes, peoples, nations
can stand together as one
and worship Him as their
Creator, Saviour, King, Teacher

A gift He requires of us
A life being lived
that will glorify His Name
His peace He gives to those
with whom He is pleased.

Africanised version of "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me"

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

2 Paradise Flycatchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the fourth day of Christmas 

my true love sent to me:

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

5 Golden lions roaring 

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the eight day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

8 Pride of de Kaap so fiery

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring 

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

9 Zulus Dancing

8 Pride of de Kaap so fiery

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring 

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

10 Thundershowers and beautiful rainbows

9 Zulus Dancing

8 Pride of de Kaap so fiery

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

11 Giraffes grazing through the woodlands

10 Thundershowers and beautiful rainbows

9 Zulus Dancing

8 Pride of de Kaap so fiery

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

12 Spectacular sunsets

11 Giraffes grazing through the woodlands

10 Thundershowers and beautiful rainbows

9 Zulus Dancing

8 Pride of de Kaap so fiery

7 Elephants trumpeting underneath magnificent baobab trees

6 Woodland Kingfishers chirping

5 Golden Lions roaring

4 Calling Fish eagles

3 braais under the starry African skies

2 Paradise Fly catchers dancing in the wind

and a Guinea fowl in a flowering Knob thorn Tree

Shalom Shalom Jerusalem

Shalom shalom Jerusalem

Everyday an attack is launched against you

Everyday war is so near

Everyday a boycott is issued

Everyday rocks hurled at your people

Everyday a lie is told about you

Everyday rockets fired at you

Everyday the fight in all its ways continues

Shalom shalom Jerusalem

Oh city of peace, we pray for you

Oh Israel we pray for you

Everyday your enemies cry “death death to Israel”

We your watchmen will shout louder

Am yisrael chai- May Israel live

We, your gentile brothers and sisters

Will be the watchmen on your walls oh Jerusalem

We will pray for the peace and security in your borders Israel

May the day come soon

When peace be found in you oh city of peace

May the peace come because the Prince of Peace

Have been found and accepted by you, his chosen people

Your await Messiah who has come

Am Yisrael Chai, may you live

With the living water among you

Shalom shalom Jerusalem

May you, His chosen people, be found in Him

When he comes again on this earth

To reign as the Prince of peace

Shalom shalom Jerusalem

Actions speak louder than words. Does your life reflect God?

I should be the last person to write this, but anyway here i am writing it anyway. Anyways if we wait till we are perfect before we say something whether it on a blog or verbally, no-one would say anything.

It came out in a book I was reading and after that in some sermons and bible studies about ... well to live a life not like the gentiles (non-believers) do. And the message started to burn on my heart, because I see it everywhere, and sadly not the good part of the message.

In the book I read (Walking in the dust of Rabbi Jesus - Lois Tverberg) it came out what it means to blaspheme. It has a lot more to do than to use God's name in a vain sentence, or a cuss word. It should be obvious. There is this very true saying : Actions speak louder than words.

Let me put it this way, and I'm using an example that Lois used in the book here. If a Muslim extreme terrorist shoots however many people dead, whilst shouting Allah Akbar "Allah is great". Is the rest of the world suddenly saying yes Allah is great? In fact our reaction is totally the opposite. We think that Allah is not great. nor is his actions. We don't want anything to do with him.

Our actions give glory to God or they detract glory from God.
How many times have you heard people say "I'm not going to church anymore because those people have hurt me/ they live just like the rest of the world - what's the point/ I don't trust Christians, they are just as crooked as the rest of the world; etc. Sadly I hear this all the time. It hurts me. It hurts God a lot more than we can imagine. Does that glorify God? No, in fact it turns people away from God.

I work in the insurance industry, and you know how many claims do we handle for "Christians" that want to claim for more than what was damaged or stolen, or revamp instead of merely fix etc etc. Churches that have had legit claims, for a small fire in the kitchen but instead of just claiming for the kitchen repairs want to rebuild the whole place??? and another church who had a legitimate claim for storm damage, but instead of only wanting to claim for the repairs to the ceiling and painting of the wall etc, want to replace the whole roof, when there was no damage to the roof??? And you know what, those actions made people to say I don't want to believe in your God, and I don't want anything to do with any church because you (all Christians) are just as crooked - if not more- then the world. "I thought this was an honest person". It hardens peoples' hearts toward God.

As another example, my dear brother in the Lord, Nathan Odede, gave in a message to the youth this example about sports teams. If you were playing for team B but then changed to go play for team A, but then at the match you show up in your old team's jersey what is going to happen? You could get fired from the team. Why then do we as Christians say we are on Team Christ, but live like we are really on Team World and walk around in our Team World jerseys?

Let us then consider how we live and what we do. Yes we all do sin, but we should try to stop our sinning. If you know what you are doing is wrong- don't do it; stop doing it. Ask God for forgiveness for the sin and stop doing it.

If we say God changed our lives but keep on living the same old ways, we are really saying He did not change my life.

No, I haven't referenced scriptures here, because the whole Bible is so full of it. But here is some, a little paraphrased.
"You'll be known by the fruit in your life."
"Do not live like the gentiles (unbelievers) live"
"Live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called"
"do not become conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds"
"consider your ways"
"be Holy (set-apart, different, not like them) as your Father in heaven is Holy"

Behold our God

This beautiful song is stuck in my head for the last couple of days.

Behold our God

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

As I walk through the valley

And the shadows of death darkens my way

I know You are with me

You hold my hand and

take me through the dark valley

The green grass that You are weaving

Into my life, my character

Will only portray as bright green against black

 In the times when all is well

There is little gratitude for the beautiful green grass

It is in these dark times when we grow

ever so close to You Oh Lord

When you shape us

and deepen our faith in You

Your goodness, kindness, grace, love

And the knowing that You are always with us