Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Year Challenge

Ready or not, 2009 is practically here! Interesting how as soon as you leave high school, time begins to really fly! I like this quote by Charles Lamb, ‘every New Year’s day is everyone’s birthday’. I guess he meant we all have a chance to change; to leave the old behind and start with a clean slate. To cut off from old toxic ways and to make new life-giving decisions. Thank God for the New Year!


It’s in that spirit that I’d like to invite you to join me in my New Year’s resolution. To read through the New Testament in the first three months of the year! I’ve done this before and was really blessed by the practice.


The daily readings will be anywhere from 3-6 chapters and should take around 15-20 minutes. So there’s definitely a time requirement. The plan is spread over 5 days of each week though, so there are two days to ‘catch up’ in case you fell behind somewhere! My plan is to read the daily section each morning during my Quiet Time and then meditate on/pray about the one thought that stood out while I read.


So… I’d like to invite you to join me! If you’re interested, please download the reading plan from here. It’s in pdf format so you might need to download a pdf reader if you don’t already have one. And if you're willing to take the challenge with me, I'd greatly appreciate your letting me know. Please leave a comment on this post!


Happy New Year!

Reflections of A Couch Potato

This has been a great year. And as it comes to an end, I have much to be grateful for. God has been gracious to me and 2008 will certainly go down as one of the most memorable years in my life so far!


Met a friend from the Coast who’s here on vacation; its funny how in Dec, Coastarians come to Nairobi for holiday, because the Coast is so hot and crowded - on account of all the Nairobians being down there! Am glad we got out before the crowds descended. This week I’m taking it easy at home with the family, sleeping in, and learning how to be a couch potato. I enjoyed watching the Village Christmas concert on different TV stations. If you missed it, you can still catch it on Wednesday 31st (KBC after 6pm).


Speaking of TV, our daughter church Mavuno Downtown (MDT) also got some great press on the KTN news this last Sunday, as well as a fabulous article in the Daily Nation.

Thursday, December 25, 2008


I am grateful to God for the wonderful family, friends and congregation He has blessed me and my family with. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a memorable Christmas and a purposeful and prosperous 2009. Thank you for the part that you have played in our lives!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Village Christmas


This Saturday at the Mavuno Dome, don't miss Mavuno's annual Christmas concert. Doors open at 5pm and show begins 5.30. Please come and bring all your friends. I suspect you'll be glad you did!

Oh and tonight (Thu 18th), Atemi's concert at the Carnivore begins at 7pm. Hope to see you there...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Controversies

2000 years ago was born a man who arguably became the most controversial figure in history. He was controversial while he lived and remains so to date. I bet you this month as we remember his birth that there’ll be the usual news articles giving some brand new ‘evidence’ that that he was married to Mary Magdalene or that some church or political leaders made the whole thing up!

The message of Christmas is not conventional. Not quite what I’d make up if I was trying to get people to believe a yarn I made up. A girl who claims to be a virgin becomes pregnant. The baby she’s carrying is apparently God’s son, the True King. This is not just blasphemous to the spiritual leaders but treasonous to the political class. He is born to a poor family and grows up in a small town. He later receives a death sentence and is executed for being a public enemy. But not before causing quite an upheaval!

I sometimes wonder whether Jesus stirred up some of the controversy on purpose. Apart from healing sick people at inappropriate times, he often ruffled religious sensibilities by claiming to forgive sins. He attended parties so much he was referred to by the religious elite as a glutton, and he hang out with all the politically incorrect people. It drove his critics mad to no end that call girls and corrupt government officials liked being around him.

I believe though that there was good reason why he deliberately went against the grain. Sometimes we church-folk get so comfortable about religion we need to be shaken up. We forget to ask the real questions. We focus on non-issues. Why they sing certain songs or why the sermon was a certain length and why that guy was wearing dreadlocks in church and how dare that girl wear a tight dress.

Meanwhile, the good news remains un-preached to the poor, captives remain un-released, the spiritual blind remain blind and the downtrodden in society remain oppressed (see Jesus’ controversial mission statement in Luke 4:18. His life was completely other-centered!)

Has the church that seeks to represent Him become so predictable and uncontroversial that we’re in danger of becoming completely irrelevant to this generation? Are there some controversies that we need to start to deliberately engage in? Not merely for controversies sake but in order to get us out of our comfort zones into focusing on what’s really important?

I wonder….

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

December...

Had a great weekend. It’s always good to come back to Mavuno and Pst Esther Obasike did a great job with a message about Christmas and forgiveness. Then on Sunday evening, we attended the concert of the year, as Kanjii launched his new album ‘Stories’. It was a phenomenal event that set a new standard for concert excellence. We were tishwad by the sound, lights, video displays, and the ambience. And of course the great music that addressed the themes of everyday life ~ love, marriage, money, politics, paying taxes etc. Thanks Kanjii & crew for creating wholesome entertainment for our generation that isn’t lewd, suggestive or X-rated.


Speaking of great entertainment, I can’t wait for Aaron’s concert tomorrow evening at Simba Saloon as well as our Village Christmas concert on the 19th & 20th at the Dome. Please come and bring a friend.


I love December!


This morning, I met with a group of men at 5am in a men’s-only prayer event called Gideon’s Torch. This spartan, no-frills, weekly event held at the Mavuno Dome is a great time to connect with other men and to pray together as well as get prayed over. Last one for 2008 takes place next Wednesday and if you’re reading this and you’re a man, consider yourself invited.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Night The Heaven’s Smiled

So… I completely missed it because I was in Mombasa and apparently the sky here is completely different. But last night, residents of Nairobi were treated to a rare sight; Jupiter and Venus aligned themselves above the moon’s crescent to form a heavenly smiley face. I saw the pictures - amazing! Though I don’t subscribe to horoscopes, I have several guesses as to what the omens signified. It probably had something to do with our government intervening (finally) to keeping maize meal prices affordable. Or maybe it was about fuel pump prices finally beginning to inch lower! Wow… talk about good news to all mankind (at least of the Kenyan variety!) Now imagine what would happen if our MP’s finally did the right thing and paid their taxes. And not in 2012!


Okay… time to end the daydream. Apart from the heat (34C and about 1000% humidity), Mombasa is quite the place to be. It seems everybody is heading this way; traffic’s picking up, prices rising ~ it’s the annual high season. Lots of reasons to smile for local business as guests pour in from all over.


Our days here are sort of predictable. We wake up around 8am (would sleep in much longer if we didn’t have kids), have a leisurely breakfast, read newspapers and generally relax as the kids play or watch a movie. Oops… before you know it, it’s already lunchtime! After lunch, we pile into the car and go swimming at Mombasa Beach Hotel. The kids stay in water for as long as we’ll let them. Today we got to hang out at Mama Ngina Drive afterwards and drank madafu (coconut juice drank with a straw straight from the coconut) and cassava crisps (drenched in lemon juice and chili). Definitely a must-do if you’re in Mombasa. Mmmh… there’s quite a lot you can do/eat here that actually doesn’t cost that much.


All too soon, its home time. 8.30pm and the city looks like it’s just waking up. Only in Mombasa. The kids are already asking ‘Do we have to go home?’ ‘Ever?’ ‘Can’t we just live here?’


Sigh… maybe we can hold on to that daydream for a few more days…

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Away

So... am back in Mombasa, my favorite vacation spot in the entire world! Only am not on vacation, but attending the annual retreat of the Nairobi Chapel lead pastors. Great to catch up and to hear what God is doing in all the other churches. As well as to synchronize plans for 2009…Am definitely privileged to be part of the Chapel family; what a great team of leaders!

More and more I’m realizing that one of my biggest responsibilities is developing other leaders around me. An ancient Chinese proverb supposedly (not quite sure how ancient or how Chinese) says, ‘If you are planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for twenty years, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men’. I’m the product of much investment by others and I pray that God will use me to invest in and develop great leaders around me in my lifetime.

Next week though, I do get to stay behind and vacation @ the Coast for a few days with Carol & the kids. We’ll be staying with some good friends and I look forward to some R & R. Changing the world can hold off till next year!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Media Revolution

Kudos to Citizen TV for kicking off a renaissance of Kenyan content on our TV screens. The other stations are paying attention and working hard to catch up! Several years ago, Carol & I ran a video production company and it was very difficult to sell local content to our TV stations then. They preferred cheap Hollywood (or Bollywood or Nollywood) re-runs.


The current situation is really a win-win-win though. We get (hopefully) more relevant TV programs, local production skills increase, more jobs are created in the sector, and TV stations can focus on their core business; transmission of programs and production of news shows.


Though we don’t watch much TV, we treat ourselves every week to my favorite program; Citizen’s ‘Mother In Law’ and Carol’s; NTV’s ‘Wash & Set’. We have also both enjoyed ‘Churchill Live’ another NTV show. Very glad to see Churchill, a Christian comedian, building a name across our country for clean comedy.


Media and the arts are such powerful tools. I believe the time has come for radical kingdom minded Christians to proactively engage them. As musicians, actors, dancers, DJ’s, writers, editors, graphic artists, event organizers, record label executives, TV producers, movie makers, media station owners etc. And not necessarily through ‘Christian media stations' or by producing ‘Christian programs’. But as undercover agents, in every media outlet, set quietly in place to win the battle for hearts and minds of our generation…


The current situation is a great opportunity for Christians to get in at the ground level and to set the agenda. Let’s produce creative & entertaining content that will promote healthy societal values.


And while I’m going on about media, two really great movies made by Christians that are ‘must watch’ (neither is local). One is ‘Faith Like Potatoes’ (www.faithlikepotatoes.com) shot in SA. And the other is ‘Amazing Grace’ (www.amazinggracemovie.com), about British MP Wilberforce, an amazing man who changed his generation.


Have a great week!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Summit

This week the Mavuno pastoral team is attending the Global Leadership Summit, a training event for Christian leaders hosted by the Nairobi Baptist Church. It’s a good bonding event for us as a team and also a time to network with other Christian leaders from across the city. For me, also a great time to sit at the feet of great Christian leaders and just learn…


My treat of the day yesterday was hearing Bill Hybels speak. He’s senior pastor of Willow Creek Church, which puts together the annual Summit all around the world. For some reason I’d expected his address would be on video then I realized he was there in the flesh! Anyhow, it was great to see, hear and even shake the hand of this great man who’s had a huge impact on church leaders across the world, myself included. He’s the one from whom I gained the conviction that the church is the hope of the world. It was great observing this mature leader who God has used to accomplish so much. He spoke about some of his leadership mentors and the things he’s learnt from them.


The rest of the speakers were on video. Jim Collins, of ‘Good To Great’ fame, spoke about the qualities of a Level 5 leader. [His bestselling book was an exposition of a 5-year research on the companies that have had extraordinary results over several decades. One of his findings was that there was a qualitative difference between leaders of these companies when compared to leaders of similar companies that hadn’t had the same longevity. His ‘Level 5 leader’, who displays both genuine personal humility and ferocious determination to accomplish the organizations goals, very closely resembles Jesus’ own model of leadership!] Anyway he challenged us about the Level 5 decisions we are facing at work; those that require us to make personal sacrifices for the cause. Good stuff.


Interestingly, Jim sees having charisma as a liability for leaders! Because charismatic leaders often get used to leading based on their own gifts as opposed to building systems that will accomplish the organizations goals long after they’re gone. So he taught how to overcome ‘the curse of charisma’!


God really spoke to me through Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission, who talked about leading people in the things that matter to God. Just because I’m leading and people are following doesn’t mean I’m leading in the things God is passionate about. If I want my leadership to matter, then I need to lead in the things that matter to God. His was a very challenging call for Christian's to be involved in the work of justice, with some practical pointers about how do so.


Am blessed to love what I do. And to be part of Mavuno’s incredible staff team. And to belong to such a fun church where God is at work and anything is possible.


Peace

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Back

Am back to work after a week of rest. It was one of those breaks where I didn’t do any travel, errands or projects but simply lounged and recuperated. And I feel much better for it. Great to be back to Mavuno though, after a month away. And to begin a new series called True North, about living lives of purpose.
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This week, we might as well be the 51st state of the US; all our national attention is focused westwards on that country’s elections. Despite myself, it’s hard to not get caught up with the Obamamania, a word that could easily make it into next year’s dictionaries! I suspect that as a nation, Obama gives us an opportunity to vicariously participate in an election that leaves us all united and feeling good about ourselves. The kind of experience we wish we could have had in January...

He also gives us a respite from the uncertainties and hard realities of how to deal with the Waki report. Wishing this report away is clearly not going to help us in the long run. And while it’s important not to condemn anyone without sufficient proof, its equally important to demonstrate to our political leaders that they can’t cause mayhem and bloodshed and then hide behind tribal politics. This is certainly a test of leadership for our president/prime minister duo and I pray that they will be bold and not cave in to pressure.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward this Friday to ‘Dress To Address’, a dinner/dance event this Friday 7.30pm at the Mavuno Dome. Hosted by ZanaA, proceeds will go towards an initiative to provide sanitary towels to Kenyan school girls who can’t afford them. I plan to be there. Please come and let’s support a great cause!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Faith Paradox

The Waki report is a reminder for us about how fragile our peace really is. And about our need as a nation to deal with the real issues that brought us to the precipice in January. So that by God's grace, we'll be at a very different place in 2012. It’s not the only sobering reality facing us right now though.

Columnist Robert Shaw in an article in one of our dailies recently listed some of the massive economic problems we are currently facing as a nation...

  • The havoc wrecked by the post-election violence earlier in the year that adversely affected our economy
  • Two deficient rainy seasons in succession that have negatively affected agriculture, which is the source of most jobs in our economy
  • Escalating global food, fuel and fertilizer prices, resulting in inflation of 25% or more and reducing purchasing power and increasing poverty
  • Decline in Diaspora remittances (due to the economic crisis in the West), an important source of foreign currency inflow.
  • Financial pressure in developed economies that will likely lead to a setback in tourism numbers here.
  • A likelihood that the problems in the global financial system will infect our own
  • The IMF warning that the world is “on the cusp of a recession” and that there will be zero growth in the developed economies next year.


He concludes that it’s not a question as to whether Kenya will be affected by global recession but how much.


Most of us are already feeling the consequences; increased cost of living (I discovered over the weekend that a gas cylinder that cost 1200/- a year ago now costs 1800/-), higher interest rates, and a generally harder business environment.


Walala! It’s easy to slowly sink into a general malaise of low-grade depression amidst all the gathering storm clouds. To wonder how we got ourselves here. To live fearful and anxious lives, wondering whether we will survive. And yet I believe the challenges facing us as individuals present us with an opportunity.


The problem is that fear limits what God can do in our lives. But the opposite is true; faith allows God to carry out His purpose in our lives. That’s why Paul is able to say in 2Cor.12:9, ‘Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses…. For when I am weak, then I am strong’.


I call this the ‘paradox of faith’. When we’re strong, we tend to trust in our resources & hold back from trusting in God. We forfeit His divine power and end up limited to our own inadequate resources. When we’re weak however, we (hopefully) cling to God with all we have knowing that we have no other resource. We’re freed by faith to tap into His divine strength & perspective. We’re no longer afraid of what the future holds.


So here’s the paradoxical good news. If you’re feeling weak & helpless – that may be exactly where God wants you! Begin to call out to the Lord, knowing that only He can save you. The good news is that your faith is will not only please Him (Heb.11:6), but will create opportunities to experience God’s strength & victory during the rest of 2008. And God willing, you’ll have some amazing testimonies to share come the end of the year!

Decongesting Life

I greatly enjoyed the long weekend; hanging out with family members as well as kicking back and watching a couple of high-octane-low-intelligence-required movies. As much as I enjoy hard work, I also enjoy hard rest, and three public holidays in one month is pretty cool! Being forced to slow down often reminds me that work is a part of life and not the sum of it. And that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Here's an interesting article by Tim Ferris who wrote 'The Four Day Workweek' on 9 habits in order to simplify congested lifestyles.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Responsibility Of Leadership

Is it just me or does there seem to be an increase of terrible accidents on our roads? It feels like deja vu ~ a flashback to a time in the past when it was nothing exceptional to read headlines about horrible bus and matatu crashes resulting in massive life losses. And that's not suprising because whatever highway I'm on nowadays, there's a PSV hurtling by at 100km/h or more. We buried the Michuki-rules and now, we're burying Kenyans everyday. I wonder - does our transport minister still feel like Pilate, that the deaths of these Kenyans are not his business?

Being a far from perfect leader myself, I hate to complain; but I just had to vent about that one! It's hard to sit back and watch the wanton suffering brought about by such avoidable causes. Anyone else feeling me?

So... here's to God raising some great leaders in our generation who will change this nation. In politics, governance, business, media, education, etc. Some great quotes for those reading this that are part of the change...

  • The measure of a man is what he does with power (Pittacus)
  • Leadership is action, not position (Donald McGannon)
  • All power is trust (Benjamin Disraeli)
  • It's amazing how much people can get done if they do not worry about who gets the credit (Sandra Surnney)
  • One test of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency (unknown)
May we be faithful stewards of whatever leadership responsibility God has entrusted to us this week!




Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Gratitude Adjustment

This month I’m preaching at KC3 (Kileleshwa Covenant Community Church), a church that resulted from a merger between Kileleshwa Community Church and The Covenant Church, a fellow daughter church of Nairobi Chapel. I’m doing a four-week series on Greatness which, those of you who know me well have probably figured out, is a subject I’m quite passionate about! KC3 is a great church, and I suspect one that will have tremendous impact on our city in the not-distant-future.

Meanwhile, Pst. Simon Mbevi kicks off a series at Mavuno called ‘Attitudes for Altitude’. It’s a great series as we come to the end of the year and evaluate what was and could have been. It’s so easy to see or blame the external factors that affected or limited where we end up. But by looking within, we can discover attitudes that played a huge role in the outcomes we saw. And we can adjust course so they don’t limit us any more. I have an inkling this series will have a great impact on careers, marriages, and families at Mavuno.

So, Sunday he spoke about gratitude. Very convicting…

Heard about a public speaker who held up a large piece of white paper. He used a marker to make a large black spot in the middle of it. Then he held the paper up before the group he was addressing and asked them what they saw. They all agreed there was a black mark.

"Right", the preacher replied. “What else do you see?”
Complete silence.
“Don't you see anything else?”
Blank stares and heads shaking.
"I'm surprised that you have overlooked the most important thing of all - the sheet of paper!”

The adversities of life often monopolize my attention and cause me to forget or assume God’s blessings. I so easily develop the proverbial ‘glass half-full’ perspective. All I can see is the black mark!

I’m learning to command myself everyday “Bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalms 103:2)

Hey, have a grateful week, won’t you?

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Life Happens

It’s been an uncommonly busy two weeks. Life just happened! Hence my absence in blogosphere.


Interesting experience a couple of weeks back. I’m coming home from the gym in a mat. Get off at a bus-stop about 10 minutes walk from home. So far so good. But just as the mathree pulls away, a huge raindrop falls on the ground at my feet. I look up and the sky looks all funny. I get this uneasy feeling that it’s about to throw up all over me.


So I start hurrying as fast as I can but almost like a cat playing with a mouse, it starts to growl mischievously yet menacingly. I call my sweetie whose home and ask her to drive and meet me, but I have a sinking feeling that I won’t make it! I pray to reach home dry, then intensify my prayers and finally command the skies to hold up. All in vain... In less than a few minutes, the weather moves from a gentle drizzle to a soft shower then a raging downpour. Walala! I don’t even try and run as it won’t make a difference - there’s no shelter anywhere! Soon, I’m drenched to the t-bone. By the time she finally reaches where I am, I’m of the mind to just swim home as it won’t make a difference!


So, why does it rain on praying people? Or as someone once asked, why do bad things happen to good people? Okay, I’m not saying I’m perfect. But I was coming from serving God (at least before I stopped by the gym). At the very least He should have waited for me to get home before the downpour!


Why does a loving God allow the suffering we encounter in the world? Getting drenched hardly qualifies as ‘suffering’, but this question has troubled many people through history. Some have concluded that God can’t be that loving after all. Others that if God is all-loving, He/She or It can’t be all-powerful. Others that there is no God after all.


No pat or trite answers to this one. It’s definitely an easier question to answer from a theoretical point of view as opposed to when you’re in the middle of a heart-piercing or gut-wrenching situation. One thing though; the bible never promises us that now we’re Christ followers, suffering is a thing of the past. On the contrary it says that we will suffer at times because of being Christ followers (2Timothy 3:12). The question is not whether I’ll face suffering, but with whom I’ll face it when it does come. And knowing God is at work to make all things work out for my good (Romans 8:28) makes it at least bearable when it does happen.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Financial Fitness

We had a phenomenal weekend at Mavuno. Started on Friday evening when Anthony Wahome of Linksoft Communications continued the Harvest Night Series with a talk entitled ‘The Power of Giving’. The Harvest Night Series is a set of annual talks about money organized by our own Harvest Sacco. There was a great turnout (I estimated around 650 people) and everyone who was there will tell you it was time well spent. It was also exciting at the end to see people give their lives to Christ. One of the things that thrills me most at Mavuno is seeing that ‘aha’ moment come for people… when the lights come on and they begin the journey that launches them into their life purpose. Nothing compares with it!

There was also a great response to Sunday’s message on debt and many people committed to begin the journey towards debt-free living. Again, over 15 people gave their lives to Christ in the process! I know that this is going to be a pivotal series in the lives of individuals and families at Mavuno. I really believe that many will look back on this series as a major life turning point.

This Friday, Pst. Joseph Hellon will be talking about 'Kingdom Wealth Transfer'! And on Sunday, I’ll continue on with the next installment of our series, ‘Living Sustainably’. Remember to bring your friends and let’s experience transformation together.

Meanwhile, here’s a great poem by Benja Luta, who also happens to be CEO of Go-Creations and Mavuno’s main graphics designer.

TIRED
I am tired of the status quo
Tired of the norm I have settled for
Exhausted by the mediocre thoughts that surround
What is this truth that we embrace?
Who are these that draw the boundaries?

I refuse to fit into the mold made by men
Rebel against the conclusion made about me
‘He is just like that’, they say to one another
We all have weaknesses,
It’s human you know.

I quit being a prisoner of thoughts that bind
I quit walking in the company of thieves
My accomplices in stealing my employer’s time on the net
I stand up to be counted as the hardworking dude,
Not the Christian that plays gospel music at the office

Wisdom shall be my sister and understanding my kinsman
To pick up the habits of my mentors and of great men
Reading from the script the Almighty wrote long ago
I choose to drop the ugly and pick up the holy
I quit club ordinary for the greatness hidden within

Have a great week!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Critics

Critic: Someone who goes along for deride

Criticism: Something you can avoid by being nothing, doing nothing, and saying nothing


Read a great little story about criticism…


A traveler nearing a great city asked an old man seated by the road, “What are the people like in this city?? The man replied, “What were they like where you came from?
“A terrible lot!” the traveler reported. “Mean, untrustworthy, detestable in all respects.
“Ah,” said the old person. “You will find them the same in the city ahead.

Scarcely had the first traveler gone on his way when another stopped to inquire about the people in the city before him. Again, the old person asked about the people in the place the traveler had just left. “They were fine people, honest, industrious, and generous to a fault. I was sorry to leave, declared the second traveler. Responded the wise one, “So you will find them in the city ahead”

Ever struggle with how to deal with criticism? I sometimes do. Some people just can’t seem to find a loving word to say and always seem offended by something or the other! However, we need to distinguish between helpful criticism and the unhelpful type. A few ideas that I’ve found helpful…


Know your critics – Not all criticism deserves the same level of attention. I pay the least attention to anonymous criticism. I don’t want to use up all my productive time responding to people I don’t know! I think someone who cares enough to sign their name deserves an answer. But when the criticism is from someone who you know cares about and is invested in what you’re doing, then you need to take time to think through and engage in what they’re saying.

Listen to your critics – it’s important to have some mature, trustworthy friends who know you well, that you can copy the most stinging criticism to. They’ll often be able to advise you on how accurate it is and whether you need to take time to respond to it.

Embrace your critics – as leaders, we all need to find a ‘red-flag mechanism’; people we know and trust and who are not impressed by our position. People who we can count on to tell it like it is, in love. People who are good at what they do and have some knowledge of what we do. These are the people whose criticism we want to invite regularly, even before they offer it!

Be a good critic – not everyone is open to criticism. Know which people will benefit from hearing your opinion, care enough about them and about the outcome, and always sandwich your suggestion with affirmation.


Proverbs 9:7-9. ‘Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.’

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Financial Fitness

So there you have it… we finally wrapped up the series ‘The Dark Side Of Greatness’ this last Sunday at Mavuno. I was greatly encouraged by the life-change stories, as many gained a greater self-awareness and even more importantly, God-awareness. You can stream the sermons from here or get the complete series on CD from Mavuno’s office.


I’m completely excited about our next sermon series… ‘Exercising Your Way To Financial Fitness’. Money is one of those big life-issues that we either conquer or get conquered by. Many of us may not be in a financial crisis but may still be settling for way lower impact than God intended for us. This is going to be a practical coaching time for all of us as we learn about how to grow and manage beaucoup bucks!


Apart from the Sunday services, we’ll also be launching our first ever ‘Harvest Night Series’, a series of talks on finances held every Friday night of September. This Friday (5th), we begin with a talk by Eric Kimani, a phenomenal motivational speaker on ‘The Scarcity Mentality’. I’m looking forward to meeting Eric personally as I’ve heard great things about him and can’t wait to hear this talk. We start 6pm at the Mavuno Dome (former Bellevue Cinema). Please come and bring all your friends!


I found this quote by George Elliot that I liked… It’s never too late to be what you might have become.


Here’s to all the ‘ordinary people’ out there who have decided to live extraordinary lives!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Adrenalin Junkie

It’s been a great two weeks taking it easy with the family and being away from the office. I did make one mistake that I hope not to repeat again, which was to preach during my leave! Apart from that though, I have enjoyed the last two weeks. I realize that I live such an adrenalin soaked life that it takes at least that long to slow down and feel relaxed.

It’s so easy to rush through our frantic, fast and noisy world without taking time to refuel, reflect and refocus. Too much to do, too little time, too many meetings, too many responsibilities, too many friends, too many books on the shelf we plan to read. I actually woke up this morning with a start thinking ‘help! There’s soo much to do!’ and had to ask Carol to pray for me. Her peaceful nature has a great slowing down effect on me!

With God's help, I’m determined to keep practicing the following disciplines throughout my life…

Quiet Time – take some time every morning (when I’m not on vacation!) to give my day to God
Sabbath – take a day off each week to rest and relax. For me, that’s Mondays
Retreat – take three 2-night retreats annually to evaluate my life direction and refocus on what’s next
Vacation – take a week off three times a year (every holiday) to build family memories with our kids


In Mat.11.28-30, Jesus made an invitation: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


When we listen to God, we actually end up doing less not more. But this less is more focused on what we are meant to be doing. Here’s a great mantra for all adrenalin junkies out there: ‘It’s not busyness but effectiveness that counts’.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Blessings

For the first time ever, Mavuno held two services this last Sunday. 9:00 and 12:00. Both went really well! It was great to hear comments from all the morning people at the 9:00 who were so glad they could be at church early and then have the rest of the day to do whatever they want to do. And then later to hear from all the not-so-morning people at the 12:00 who were oh-so-glad they could finally sleep in on a Sunday morning and come to church all relaxed!


Finally, off to the Coast this week with our kids for a much awaited vacation! We enjoyed the drive yesterday; the road’s quite good except for the strip from Daystar to Makindu, which you can evade by going through Machakos. It was the longest road trip we’ve taken so far as a family but we all held up pretty well. We’re staying with some good friends in Mombasa. Looking forward to making some great family memories!


This morning I’m counting my blessings. I thank God for my wife and kids whom I love very much. For our many good friends. For belonging to a great church. For fantastic co-workers at Mavuno. For an opportunity to be a part of what God is doing on our great continent. For the opportunity to take time off once in a while and relax.


There’s an old hymn that says, ‘Count your blessings name them one by one… and it will surprise you what the Lord has done’. Too true!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Issues

Had a really great weekend... Friday night was Mavuno’s first ever Date Night, a fun event designed to bring the spark back to our marriages. And how much fun that was! I won’t quickly forget the near riot when we turned off the music at 11.30pm so people could go home, and people began chanting ‘haki yetu’ (we want our rights!) so that the DJ had to play a few more songs! With marriages under so much pressure today, I’m very excited about this new ministry and look forward to seeing intimate and purposeful marriages in this generation.


Also this Sunday, Carol & I began our new series ‘The Dark Side of Greatness’. It was the first time we were preaching together (although we’ve team taught many times at marriage and family seminars and retreats). Very grateful for the enthusiastic response by people and humbled to see how many resonated with the first message; either cholerics like me or survivors of cholerics like Carol! Several people told me afterwards that they are going to bring their entire office staff to listen to the series (or at least their boss J). It’s been great to read the continuing conversation on the Mavuno blog (mavuno.wordpress.com). I look forward in the weeks to come to exploring together what the bible has to say about the other temperaments.


None of us is perfect, nor should we ever pretend to be. We all have ‘issues’, and as we deal with them, we position ourselves to be the people God created us to be. In acknowledging our weaknesses, we actually become stronger (2Corinthians11:10)! Understanding our temperament as well as how to overcome our dark side can help us become better leaders, employees, friends, spouses and parents. And hopefully, people around us will begin to agree with us when we say, ‘I’m not yet what I’d like to be, but I’m sure not what I used to be!’


Lastly, I like this poem that I found in my file of quotations (author unknown)…


If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
He learns to hide.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be gracious.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate others.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns to be just.
If a child lives with security,
He learns to trust.
If a child lives with healthy discipline,

He learns to have healthy boundaries.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to love himself and others.


With God’s help, let’s sort out our ‘issues’ so that we don’t pass them on to the next generation!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Temperamental anyone?

Wow… just finished our last sermon series at Mavuno, ‘Players of The Bible’, and Pst. Linda did a phenomenal job! It was great to see that people in biblical times faced very contemporary issues e.g. a sexual advances by the boss, using sex to get what I need etc. She did a weekly ‘talk show’ with a team of 4 panelists whose job description was to keep it real. As one lady who was visiting from another church said to me this past Sunday, ‘I still can’t believe they said such things in church!’ If you didn’t get a chance to hear it or would like to order it for a friend, the complete series should be available on CD at the Mavuno dome this coming Sunday.


Hard to believe August is already here! And with it the beginning of a new series, ‘The Dark Side of Greatness’. The plan is to explore our different temperaments, their strengths and their shadow sides. Not something I’ve heard many sermons on before. But the applications are endless. I believe it will help us all better understand ourselves and what kind of leaders we are becoming. We’ll also understand how to be better parents, bosses, employees, siblings etc. Should be interesting… And hopefully life-changing!


And speaking of temperaments, here’s a great quote for people who share mine.


"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."


Sort of reminds me of the old Kenya one that goes, ‘Never argue with a fool… people might not notice the difference.’ I find this rather hard to do! It’s so much easier to prove to the other person how wrong they are and how right I am. That I too am an intelligent human being. With a valid and educated opinion. But by God’s grace, I’m learning to pick my fights wisely: To ask ‘what is really at stake here?’ And to know that when I’m truly secure in who I am, it’s not a sign of weakness to choose to walk away. Can you guess what temperament I am?


Have a great week!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Friends

I had a great time this weekend at the launch of the International Christian Center (ICC) launch of their brand new 15 acre Imara campus. Having just been through our own launch a little while back, I was well placed to appreciate the remarkable work that had gone into setting up. It was an action & emotion packed service and judging from the over 4000 who showed up + ICC’s great history of involvement in their community, I predict the Villa/Imara area will never be the same again. Kudos to our sister-church ICC and to my good friend Pst. Philip Kitoto on a job well done.


And speaking of friends, I read this quote recently…


"Real friends are those who, when you feel you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel you've done a permanent job"


I spoke with one of my friends this week on several guys we know whose marriages have hit a wall. These are people who have loved and served God and had what seemed to be great marriages. And yet after many years together, their wives suddenly (at least to us) left them and moved on to other pursuits. The sad thing for each of these couples is that no one was close enough to them to see it coming.


In the career-building phase of life that so many of us are in, it’s so easy to focus on work at the expense of relationships. And to slowly find that we end up with no real friends. People who can ask us difficult questions. Who can challenge our decisions, not to hold us back but because they have our back.


It sometimes feels like work at this stage to build friends; much easier to be surrounded by colleagues, acquaintances and admirers, aka ‘mafans’. And yet Carol & I are learning that we need to slow down enough to make time for our friends. Because if and when the going gets tough, we’ll be glad we did.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Time Off

Taking it slow this week to work on sermon prep and also think. Am amazed how much of my work is taken up by just thinking! Quite a few good things going on at Mavuno over the last couple of months...
  • The energy every time we meet on Sundays is incredible. A tangible sense of anticipation is in the air. And God has graciously chosen to check in every time we've met
  • Lots of life change going on. Last Sunday's challenge was to men to stop being 'players' and to live responsible lives in regards to our relationships with the ladies. The response was overwhelming. Lots of great individual stories... very exciting!
  • We've had over 200 sign up for Mizizi ~ our intro course to Mavuno which also doubles as our Christianity 101 experience!
Exciting days. Now if only I didn't have to take time off to think!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Meet Joe Black

Brushed up my eulogy yesterday… yep, that’s right. The way I figure it, preparation is almost never a bad thing. I’ve spend gobs of time during my lifetime preparing for my career, my wedding, my retirement etc. But none of those is (or was at the time anyway) a certainty. You know the saying thought, that there are two things in life that are certain; death and taxes. With a good tax-consultant, you can avoid the latter category some (with a bad one even evade it, though at considerable personal risk). But no one has yet figured out how to cheat Joe Black.


And so I opened the doc and revised it. Changed the songs I want sang… Changed who I want to read the vote of thanks… Changed the title of my eulogy… Ok, I know; all this sounds a trifle bit controlling! I didn’t write the sermon or the eulogy though (even though I was tempted J) And I didn’t define when people should applaud, gently wipe a tear or say ‘aaaahhh’ in appreciation. I figure I might as well live my life in such a way that those who speak will say the kind of things I hope they will.


I guess all this sounds rather morbid. And decidedly un-African. But life is not a rehearsal. We need to live every day like it’s our last: Because it might very well be. And like someone whom I can’t remember just now once said, ‘when it’s time to die, make sure the only thing you’ve got left to do is die’.


I love the way the bible puts it… ‘You learn more at a funeral than at a feast – After all, that’s where we’ll all end up. We might discover something from it’ (Ecclesiastes 7:2)


What you think you own is simply yours on loan. You were made by God and for God and life won’t make sense until you discover and live out why.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Books ~ The Pastor M Awards

Ever had your life changed by a book? I’ve read many phenomenal books in my life and been inspired, entertained as well as molded by great people I never met. A handful of books have gone a step beyond inspiring for me and pushed me to grow to the next level. If I had to stick to 12, these would be my top dozen.


I remember reading the thrilling ‘The Lord of The Rings’ trilogy as a high-school student and being amazed at Tolkien’s genius but also challenged by his prophetic take on human susceptibility to corruption by power.


I consider ‘EMyth’ by Michael Gerber a must read for anyone starting a business or new enterprise. ‘Good To Great’ by Jim Collins is a remarkable leadership book that has a very biblical view of leadership. ‘The Shaping of Things To Come’ by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost shows what the church of the next generation needs to look like to be effective in reaching its culture. Andy Stanley’s ‘The Seven Practices of Effective Ministries’ is about church leadership but has lessons that could be profitable for anyone leading an organization.


Right now my current read is ‘The Leadership Pipeline’ by management consultants Charan, Drotter and Noel. This one could also be subtitled ‘Management For Dummies’ and I’m enjoying every second of it. I’m already leading very differently as I practice what I’m reading.


Two other very useful ones have been ‘Cash Flow Quadrant’ by Robert Kiyosaki and ‘The Richest Man In Babylon’, a classic by George S. Clason. Both are about money. I have also greatly enjoyed ‘Rediscovering Church’ by Bill & Lynne Hybels, ‘Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire’ by Jim Cymbala, ‘Building People, Building Dreams’ by Tom Deuschle and ‘Confessions Of A Reformission Rev’ by Mark Driscoll. All these are biographies of entrepreneurial church start-ups and the people behind them.


[Okay, I’ll unofficially stick in one more… Andy Stanley’s ‘Communicating For A Change’. A great book for all who aspire to be preachers or public speakers. Hey, two books by the same author!]


These books have shaped my life and I am grateful that I read them.


[Movie edition of the Pastor M awards coming up soon J]

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Stuff Happens

Came across an amusing little story...

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It got so cold as it flew that it froze, and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some manure on it. As it lay there in the pile of manure, it began to realize how warm it was. The manure was actually thawing it out! It lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the little bird singing, and came to investigate. It discovered the bird under the pile of manure, and promptly dug it out—and ate it!

The morals of the story are:
1. Not everyone who drops manure on you is your enemy…
2. Not everyone who digs you out of a pile of manure is your friend…
3. When you’re in the manure, keep your mouth shut!

According to Proverbs 27:6, ‘wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy!’ I’m learning to proactively solicit feedback and critique from mentors and people I trust as they help me see myself more clearly. Also to recognize the difference between friends and fans, the former who know me and the latter who only know about me.

Not sure I fully agree as much with the last one. Too many of us guys would rather die than call for help when we're in trouble. However, there are surely times when talking doesn't help anyone. Such are the times when listening & praying accomplish more than talking...

Definitely easier said than done!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Musings On Purpose

Ask a five-year old, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and you’ll likely get a quick and sure reply. Ask a twenty-five year old the same question, and you are likely to encounter a tale of woe, confusion and frustration. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

So, what do you want to be when you grow up? In the ancient world, few in any grappled with this question. If your father was a farmer, you knew you were going to be a farmer. If he was a soldier, then that’s what you would be. Little of our modern-day angst as we struggle to find out what we were created to do... Back then, by age 15, you not only knew what you would be when you grew up, but you were already grown up and being it. No wonder Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world by the time he was 31!

Rather than help children discover their strengths early and then connect these strengths to their family destiny, modern education keeps ‘kids’ in school for years (some way beyond their 30th birthday) only to eject them clueless at the end of the process into the world, without an inkling of what they are meant to be or do. Things are no better on the family front, where the parenting of the next generation has been outsourced by busy professional parents to maids, schools and TV. The result? Highly-educated, self-engrossed people who can’t solve basic real-life national problems, like food and water stability for the urban & rural poor…

The tragedy is that we have come to see this as ‘normal’! It’s all well for us to keep talking about creating 800,000 jobs and vision 3030. But unless we’re brave enough to rethink our education and parenting paradigms, I suspect we’re merely dealing with the symptoms.

So… what do you want to be when you grow up?

Building Character Muscle

Well, the dust finally settles and life finally slows down enough for me to blog again. A great launch service two Sundays ago at the Mavuno Dome; I’m glad we’re finally over that hurdle. Now if only life could settle down for a nice long time without any challenges or stretching experiences. Yeah, right.

James 1:3-4 says ‘when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything’ The sad (for me at least) fact is that the old gym axiom continues to hold true… ‘no pain, no gain’. The reward for good work is more work. Conquering one peak only prepares you to scale the next one. All the weights in the character gym seem to be made out of two materials; tests and tribulations!

Well, my consolation in all this is that I’m learning to enjoy the valleys. The in-between times. To stop enough to celebrate the victories, to count my blessings, to high-five my team-mates, to enjoy my wife, to sit with my kids, and to learn from my mistakes…

So… let it grow!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

Read a great autobiography, ‘Pour Your Heart Into It’ by Howard Schultz, currently doing a second stint as CEO of Starbucks Coffee. Maybe it’s just where I am in life, but I’m finding I enjoy and learn a lot more reading about leaders’ life experiences than reading abstract principles by them on how to be a good one (a la John Maxwell).

Schultz discovered Starbucks when he was a well-paid marketer for a large house-wares company and knew almost immediately that he wanted to give everything up for this startup. It took him a year of persistence in the face of rejection before he was offered the job of a marketer. A little later on, he became convinced that Starbucks (which was then a retailer selling coffee beans) should open sit-down cafés. The company founders however disagreed, so he left to form his own company. In the course of one year, he pitched the idea to 242 potential investors and 217 turned down his request for seed capital! Eventually, he made it, and 3 years after leaving Starbucks, he returned and bought the company. Since then, Starbucks has grown from a local business with 6 outlets to a global giant with 16,000 outlets in 44 countries and $10 billion in annual sales!

Schultz has some great gems about perseverance...

‘Life is a series of near misses. But a lot of what we call ‘luck’ is seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future... It’s seeing what other people don’t see, and pursuing that vision, no matter who tells you not to. No great achievement happens by luck... Vision is what they call it when others can’t see what you can see’

Good stuff! The only difference in approach for me would be the starting place. That’s beginning by asking God what assignment he wants you to focus on. There are many good things I could spend my life pursuing but you just know that good is often the enemy of great! Once you know you’re where He wants you, then dig in and pursue your God-given dreams with all your heart whatever comes your way.

And if at first you don’t succeed…

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Earthquake In China

I'm staggered by the magnitude of the disaster in China. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake near Chengdu is believe to have resulted in over 12,000 deaths so far and rendered thousands homeless. Just read about an estimated 900 students who were buried in their school building; no one's sure whether they're still alive.

My mind is numbed by the figures... Several years back, 200 deaths caused by a bomb here at home resulted in so much national shock & grief... 12,000 is completely unimaginable to me. I remind myself though, that these are not just numbers and statistics, but each represents a story of deep pain and suffering. My heart and prayers go out to my Chinese brothers and sisters.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Tribalism Is Not The Issue…

In the US for a couple of weeks… very interesting to hear the campaign rhetoric here and compare it with our own from a few months ago. And am struck by an amazing fact… Americans are just as tribalistic as we are! One of the people I’ve really enjoyed getting to know here said in a conversation that Barrack Obama is the closest thing there is to the anti-Christ. Another person, a good friend of his who goes to the same church and that I also greatly enjoyed getting acquainted to, confided that the last president America needs right now is another rich white guy or another Clinton. Sounds so familiar! I was struck by how much alike we all are … day-to-day decent, ordinary people, yet deep down driven by suspicion & ethnocentricity to self-protective stereotyping; ‘us verses them’.

Reminded me of back in the day when I made another startling discovery. Although California highways are extremely clean & orderly compared to ours, I stumbled upon a hidden, out of the way section where it seemed people littered at will. Shock on me! Also, many had radar-detectors in their cars, which detect police radar guns so that you can slow down before they catch you! And then later, Enron and Arthur Andersen as well as Watergate and Irangate before that helped me understand that American’s are not closer to the God-side of the corruption scale than us; with our Goldenburg, Anglo Leasing and Francis Thuo (stock brokerage firm that recently went under after underhand dealings with investor funds)

If Americans are just as tribalistic, dirty and corrupt as we are, then why aren’t they grabbing ‘machetes’ and killing their neighbors, drowning in dirt and being labeled as corrupt? I think the answer is simple. The law here works. In Cali, you could be charged up to 1000$ for littering on the highway. Ouch! Even though not perfect, the system here ensures that evil-doers are brought to the book - mostly. And like the much-beloved-and-mourned-for Michuki Rules taught us, even matatu drivers comply when there’s a consistent and firm message against bad driving.

Romans 13:4 defines the primary role of government as God’s agents for our (citizens) good, to execute wrath on those who practice evil. A good sign that government is working, is that evil doers (even though still present) are restrained by their fear of the consequences from doing evil!

That’s why I think one of the priorities of our coalition government needs to be setting up independent institutions that work. Let’s begin with the judiciary and police-force. Let’s overhaul our constitution so that the presidency, parliament and judiciary have clearly defined roles that regulate each other. Let’s also figure out the roles that the media and civil society should play. Entrenching tribal equations in our government and civil service is not a real solution. It’s dealing with the short-term symptoms and ignoring the genuine long-term issues.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Rest

Just had a really great weekend! I tried to make sense of what made it so good. Sure, many things worked out well. We got to spend some quality time with both sets of parents. I also got to hang out & have fun with my bambinos. And to watch a really gripping Sunday-afternoon movie (Will Smith in ‘I Am Legend’ – warning – not for the faint hearted!). And as usual, we had a great time at Mavuno. But as good as that all was, it wasn’t all there was to it. There’s a certain energy in my step and more psyche and zeal for the week. Then it struck me. The weeks when I feel this way are when I actually take the time to truly rest and unwind after the hectic weekend!

So amazing how much our bodies need real rest (not just a change of activity!). We live in a frantic, fast-paced and noisy world. Too much to do, too little time, too many meetings, too many responsibilities, too many friends, too many books on our shelf we plan to read one day. We are addicted to coffee/Red Bull and adrenaline to help us get through our day. Email, sms, instant messaging, face-book and now Google-Talk have only made life more frantic. Many of us are expected to work Sundays and public holidays. The worst thing is - we’ve started to see this as normal!! We live to work, instead of work to live. We have become human doings, not human beings…

And yet the bible tells us that God himself rested on the 6th day after some strenuous creative work. And that He commands (not suggests) that we do the same, not for His but for our benefit (actually that’s probably true of all His commands). Must be the most disobeyed law in the book! We need time for rest, reflection and refuelling. And it’s not going to just happen unless we diarize it and insist on it.

One of the reasons I so often struggle with this is because I sometimes think the world depends on me. And yet when I drop dead, I have this sneaky suspicion that life will - after an appropriate pause and some minor adjustments of course – continue on as before!

So… say it with me… ‘there’s only one God, and it's certainly not me!’

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Leaders on Leadership

Had a wonderful Leader’s Day at Mavuno last weekend (5th April)... The most incredible feeling in life is to have a passion worth dying for, and the best friends in life are those who share that passion. Maybe that’s why 300 is one of my movie favorites! And - speaking of leaders, I find the following quotes by leaders about leadership quite inspiring…

*To accomplish big things, I am convinced you must first dream big dreams(Conrad Hilton)
*Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)
*Our aspirations are our possibilities (Robert Browning)
*The secret of success is consistence of purpose (Benjamin Disraeli)
*Leaders articulate and define what has previously remained implicit or unsaid; then they invent images, metaphors and models that provide a focus for new attention. (Warren Bennis and Burt Wanus)

And, my favorite…

*The only institutions that have enough resources to perform their tasks are those with small visions (David Allen Hubbard)

Here are fun pictures from our team building time:

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Your Love Has Set Me Free



Here's the latest single from the Mavuno Worship Project. And of course I should add ~ available at all leading book and media stores :-)

Monday, March 31, 2008

National Cake – Lessons From Sunday School

As our leaders struggle for the best formulae to distribute power, I wonder if what is needed is not some esoteric political knowledge but simple, homely wisdom. I heard of a book entitled, ‘the most important lessons in life I learnt in Sunday School’. Here are a couple of growing up, Sunday School lessons that may be of help in our national impasse…

1. How to ensure a cake is divided fairly – when we needed to share a piece of cake with a sibling, the easiest way to do it was to get the first child to break it into two pieces, and then to ask the other one to pick first which piece they wanted. It ensured the person dividing was extremely fair!
2. How to ensure you don’t run out of cake –Mom was an equal opportunity parent who taught her children, both sons and daughters, that the best way to deal with cake limitation is to learn to bake cake! That cake is not a fixed resource but a renewable one.

Our support of our politician’s obsession with sharing national positions comes from the mistaken belief that once politicians/technocrats from our tribal group are in charge of certain positions, then our people’s problems will end. In a country of 30 million, this is short-sighted thinking at best. My fear is that this squabbling may obscure our focus from cake baking. Crafting our national vision together and ensuring that it creates new opportunities for the generations to come. Asking what processes we need to put in place that will give us good leadership long after we’re dead and gone.

In the globalized, flat world we live in, our child’s competition is not Nyanza or Central province, but in Egypt and China. We need to learn to bake cake!

Early Anniversary

Am back home after a week’s break. Resting from Msafara but also an early celebration of our 14th anniversary. Yep, it’s been that long! It certainly doesn’t feel like it. I remember when I was a college student and I met people who’d been married for ten or more years. They sounded so ancient! Well, the shoe’s on the other foot now. Our African cultures wisely celebrated the inevitable (e.g. age) while Western cultures celebrate the unattainable (capitalist wisdom: you can’t sell to someone satisfied). Aren’t I glad to be African!

Seriously though, I’m grateful to God for the many good (no great) years He has given my sweetie and I. The many incredible adventures we’ve shared. Our amazingly wonderful children... And the many lessons we’ve learnt along the way. Like the best CEO’s described in Jim Collin’s remarkable book ‘Good To Great’, the best marriages are not necessarily the flashiest. With marriage, the race does not go to the swift, but to the persistent: Those who plod on, refusing to give up, consistently giving and forgiving. Those who recognize that if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it’s a sure sign that you need to water your own!

At the end of the day though, regardless of all we’ve put into our marriage, we know that it’s God’s grace - that mysterious ‘X factor’ - that has brought us this far: Many times despite ourselves. What a relief! Because He who began this good work in us is faithful and will help us to finish well.

Monday, March 17, 2008

What Has Msafara Accomplished?

Time will judge just how effective the Msafara was in impacting Kenya’s destiny. And off course reports will be written and audits done. However, from my limited perspective and off the top of my head, several results of the Msafara seem evident…

300 Kenyans have had a chance to visit and interact with the situation on the ground firsthand. They were able to see the extent of the country’s devastation for themselves. They learnt to care for the displaced. They were forced to deal with their own prejudices and to relate closely to people of other tribes. Each of these belongs to a faith community and will return to it with a message of unity and hope. Especially powerful because many who came are the leaders of their churches…

There was heartfelt reconciliation and a resulting unity among church leaders in the various towns we visited. Many leaders confessed that by taking sides in the political events, they had reduced their ability to care for all the communities they were responsible to care for. By repenting of this short-sightedness and committing to work with leaders of other tribes, they now model the way for the churches they lead to maintain peace in their areas and to care for those affected by the violence. And for church leaders to conduct themselves differently come the next election. There is great power for good when the church is united. For instance, we were informed after we left of an initiative by church pastors in Naivasha to ensure that the communities evicted from their town could return safely.

Many churches are caring for displaced people who are housed by their members. Because these people don’t live in the camps, they are ‘under the radar’ so to speak, and little support is going to the needy families caring for them. By delivering food and humanitarian supplies to the pastor’s fellowships in the various towns, Msafara opened up new distribution channels that take care and support to many of the most needy. The Red Cross has done a great job, but they can only do so much. We hope these channels will continue to be used by different agencies that are looking for alternative relief distribution channels

The hardest to quantify may be the most significant. In each town, united church leaders were able to engage in prayer together over their communities. The bible teaches us that God answers prayers that are prayed in humility, unity and repentance. In 2Chronicles, God promises,

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, if they seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land’.

I can’t wait to see the healing and turning around of our nation that will happen as God begins to answer the prayers that we prayed together!

P.S. Grateful that all the Nairobi wasafiri arrived safely home this afternoon